Question 1

What is the subject matter of the book, "The God Concept"?

Accepted Answer

The basic subject is a Sanskrit-language work named "Manisha Panchakam", which is a work on Vedanta philosophy. 'The God Concept' is a translation from the original Sanskrit text into English language. While the original author of the Sanskrit work is Sankaracharya of the 8th Century, this translation relies on a tutorial in Malayalam language by Swami Aseshananda Saraswati of the Chinmaya Mission of Palakkad in Kerala State in South India.

Aside from the above basics, the book takes a non-dogmatic look at man's conception of God as a Supreme Being, and reveals the Ultimate Truth about God, the way He really IS. Surprisingly, these ideas have existed for thousands of years and never properly understood by common man till date.

Question 2

So is this book just another religious text for Hindu religionists?

Accepted Answer

No! While the original book does contain text in Sanskrit language which was the medium of philosophy in those early times, the explanations given to the subject matter by Swami Aseshananda avoids any reference to Hindu religious symbols or Gods of that religion. Based on these explanations of the Swamiji, one is struck by the totally secular outlook prevalent even in those ancient times as propagated by Sankaracharya.

The explanations of Aseshananda do not follow a literal translation from the Sanskrit text to Malayalam in his tutorial. In this respect, this work is dramatically different from other learned swamis and gurus who have tended to focus entirely on the literal translation of the original Sanskrit texts. The present book in English explains the difficulty for common man to grasp these literal translations, and highlights the difference Swami Aseshananda has brought to the subject of Vedanta philosophy in general, and to Manisha Panchakam in particular.

Question 3

So Sanskrit language books of philosophy can be 'Secular'?

Accepted Answer

Yes, absolutely! This book, 'The God Concept' is a fine example. While Sanskrit language texts were used from ancient times to teach principles of Vedanta to Indian masses, they used methods like story-telling (Ramayana. Mahabharata, Bhagavatam, Bhagavad Gita, etc., etc., involving great heroes and Gods of the Hindu religion) to illustrate the philosophy of the Vedanta. The stories were so convincing to the masses that they were captivated by them and took to them earnestly and built the Hindu religious practices around these Gods and heroes.

But, stripped of their gripping story content in these literature, the authors (including Krishna Himself) were seen trying to teach the universality of the individual self (which in Sanskrit is called 'Atma') as one with the Universal 'Atma' (or Paramatma). This Param-atma is the same as God ('Ishwara', in Sanskrit).

It is stressed that words like Atma, Paramatma, God, Ishwara, Awareness, Consciousness, Truth or Satyam, etc., etc., are all words to be used INTERCHANGEABLY, and they all mean, or refer to, the same thing: Brahmam, the Infinite. A 'word-salad' is not to be allowed to create confusion in our minds; all these phenomena are explained as One Infinite Being (called "Brahmam", the Sanskrit word meaning Very Large or Infinite).

This does not require one to believe in any particular religion or a specific form of worship, and so THAT makes it a most SECULAR concept. The derivation of this universal concept is most clearly enunciated by Swami Aseshananda in his original tutorial, here translated into English language for everyone's benefit in the book 'The God Concept'.

Question 4

Why is it so difficult to grasp the idea that I am not my body but the Consciousness that I feel my body is in possession of? Wouldn't I look foolish going around claiming to be something that no one believes in?

Accepted Answer

This is NOT a matter of belief. It is not a matter of faith. It is not a matter of trusting blindly. It is a matter for each one of us to analyze and consider and evaluate the evidence and logic presented before us and tender arguments for and against the evidence and the logic of these arguments before us.

It requires us to have an OPEN MIND, a critical mind, to make a judgement without bias.

You might remember the trouble we all had at one time to accept the new theory of a round Earth. Everyone could SEE for themselves that Earth was flat, yet here was a fellow trying to convince us otherwise! He could convince us only after the evidence he presented for a spherical Earth was convincing and became accepted by non-biased judges of those times.

When it is said that "Consciousness is you!", the reason for making that kind of statement needs to be examined without bias or pre-conceived notions. Such evidence is presented in this book, "The God Concept".  Its methods almost mimic a mathematical formula being derived! This book presents one of the most unorthodox explanation for the theory of why we are not our bodies, minds and intellects, but WE ARE COSNCIOUSNESS.

It is not that we have consciousness, but that WE ARE CONSCIOUSNESS!

Simplest ideas are most difficult to understand!!

Question 5

I am content with my present form of worship and belief in my religion. I don't need to be converted to any new theory about what I am!

Accepted Answer

Sure! Everyone is free to continue with what they believe is best for themselves. It is not at a compulsion to believe that the Earth is round and it goes round the Sun once a year. Whether we believe it to be round or not, or whether we imagine the flat Earth is the center of the universe or not, facts on the ground don't change: the Earth continues to be a sphere and goes round the Sun. These facts remain unaffected by our accepting or believing or approving the facts. That goes for our accepting or believing or approving the 'theory' of our being the Consciousness.

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