The figure of speech with regard to God

[dattaswami]

The figure of speech with regard to God

 

O Learned and Devoted Servants of God,

 

Lord Datta preached to Yadu about 24 teachers present in nature. These teachers are natural items like a tree, a river etc. which are similes for the natural qualities of the Lord. When there is a great deal of similarity between a certain natural item and the Lord with respect to a certain quality, we say that the natural item and the Lord are one and the same (in a metaphorical sense). For example: When a girl is red in color, we say that the girl is red like a rose (similie). When the similarities of the girl and the rose are even more, we say that the girl is a rose (metaphor). Ofcourse it does not mean one can marry a rose flower instead of the girl. Only an ignorant person will actually think of the girl as a rose. Similarly, the Lord is compared with the sun, space, life etc. The Lord moves like the sun and radiates knowledge as the sun radiates light. This does not mean that the sun is the Lord. Similarly, the Lord pervades all over the world like space. This does not mean that the space is the Lord. The Lord maintains this world as the life maintains a living body. This does not mean that life is the Lord.

 

When there is one similarity the figure of speech used is a simile. E.g. the girl is red like a rose. When there are many similarities, the figure of speech is a metaphor. E.g. when the girl is red, bright and tender like a rose, we say that the girl is a rose. This does not mean that the girl is actually the rose or that the rose is actually the girl. Similarly, when there are many similarities between God and the Sun, we say that God is the Sun. Neither is God actually the Sun nor is the Sun actually God. Sage Vyasa, in his Brahma Sutras, spoke about these similes (Adhikaranams).