Jnani = Ishwara?

Sri Tandavaraya Swami

Disciple: How can a jnani be the same as Ishwara who is Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the Lords of creation, preservation and destruction of the universe? They can divine the thoughts of others; knows the past, present and future, and are immanent in all. O Master of immense austerities! I do not find even a trace of these qualities in the jnani.

Master: The water in a tank, and a powerful light, help the whole village, whereas a pot of water and a table-lamp help only one family in a home. O son in the company of the wise! Ishwara and the jnani do not differ in their jnana. However, associated with the limitations of maya, they are spoken of as superior and inferior. 

Like the kings and siddhas among men, the gods such as Narayana have some extraordinary powers like anima etc. because of their extraordinary antecedent austerities. Although men do not possess these powers and therefore appear less, yet from the standpoint of brahman there is not the least difference between them.

Disciple: O Master who has caused my deliverance! although there have been many sages in the world who possessed these extraordinary powers like anima etc., you say these powers are Ishwara's own. Please make the matter clear to me.

Master: Know that the powers are the fruits of the devotion to the Glorious Almighty Being, their austerities and practices of yoga.

Disciple: O shiva in the form of my Master! if these powers and deliverance are together the fruits of tapas, then all the sages should possess both, as the ancient sages did. We have known that the ancient sages had these siddhis and were also liberated at the same time. Why do not all jnanis possess such powers as well?

Master: Of the two types of tapas, namely tapas for fulfilment of one's desires and dispassionate tapas, the former bestows the powers desired, and the latter wisdom. Each can yield its allotted fruits only. That is the law. The ancient sages had evidently performed both kinds of tapas.

Sinless son! Janaka, Mahabali, Bhagirata and others got deliverance only. Did they display any siddhis? Some of the sages sought siddhis only; others sought both siddhis and emancipation. These siddhis are simply for display and nothing more. They do not make for liberation.