In Bhagwat Mahapuran and Ramayan, Devaki and Kaushalya, the mother of Shree Ram, experience all the symptoms of pregnant mothers, just like a pregnant mother in the world. They are having morning sickness, every sickness,and the womb is expanding. So it means God was in the womb, and if God is in the womb, it means then He dies. So it means that God is also under the grip of death. Then why is He called Supreme Brahm and we the individual soul? We should be equal to Him. If He Himself is not free, then how can He make others free? The big question is coming here. And for this, Bhagwan Krishna says:
… तान्यहं वेद सर्वाणि न त्वं वेत्थ परन्तप ॥
… Tāny ahaṁ ved sarvāṇi na tvaṁ vettha parantap.
- Gita 4.5
Bhagwan says, “Arjun, I have taken countless births and you have taken countless births, but I know all of them, while you do not.”
Ah, it’s a difference. It’s a big difference. But all this proves is that God is all-knowing, while we, the individual souls, are ignorant or knowing very little. But He also takes birth just like us.
ज्ञाज्ञौ द्वौ अजावीशानीशावजा ह्येका भोक्तृभोग्यार्थयुक्ता ।
अनन्तश्चात्मा विश्वरूपो ह्यकर्ता त्रयं यदा विन्दते ब्रह्ममेतत् ॥ ९ ॥Gyāgyau dvau ajāvīhśhānīśhāvajā hyekā bhoktṛbhogyārthayuktā.
Anantaśhchātmā viśhvarūpo hyakartā trayaṁ yadā vindate brahmametat.- Shvetashvatar Upanishad 1.9
The Vedas say, “God is all-knowing, while we, the individual souls, are ignorant or knowing very little. He’s all-powerful, while we don’t have any power, etc.”
But He also takes birth. I’m sure we are puzzled by this word, birth - janma. What is the meaning of this word, janma, or birth? In Sanskrit, the root word is ‘janī prādurbhāve’ (to manifest, to appear), means ‘prakat hona’ (to be revealed, to appear). So the word ‘birth’ here means ‘to appear, to be revealed’. It means we, the individual souls, also appear, just like the Supreme.
भये प्रगट कृपाला, दीनदयाला, कौशल्या हितकारी।
हर्षित महतारी, मुनि मन हारी, अद्भुत रूप विचारी॥Bhaye pragat Kṛipālā, Deendayālā, Kaushalyā hitkārī.
Harṣhit Mahatārī, muni man hāri, adbhut roop vichārī.- Ramayan: Bal Kand, chhand 191 (partial)
So Bhagwan Shree Ram appeared before Mother Kaushalya. This is what the Ramayan is saying. It means we also appear. We also have appeared. The philosophy is that the individual soul is unborn, eternal, beginningless.
