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God is called divine thought because his nature and form is subtle. But great scriptural scholars proclaim that God is beyond the grasp of our mind and intellect. Spiritual seers to some extent have detailed God’s form and yet have accepted the limitations of human speech and thought as far as describing the true form of God is concerned. Hence Indian Rishis said “Neti-Neti” meaning “God is not this, God is not this….”.The fact of the matter is that God being so subtle in nature it is impossible for even the most brilliant intellect to describe his form in words. So the question asked is why are sermons being given by various saints, priests etc that discuss the nature of God? Over here we must say that when one fully understands the nature of God and a living being albeit in an indirect manner (Paroksha knowledge) only then can one actually experience God’s divine form in high states of meditation and trance (Aparoksha knowledge).
The region where the sky and earth meet is called a horizon. At dawn and dusk one can enjoy the beauty of a sunrise and sunset near the horizon. When 2 colors are mixed a third color emerges. When the earth and a seed combine a sapling sprouts forth. When a husband and wife unite in conjugal bliss a beautiful baby is born. One can say that when a living being unites with divine consciousness that state is called God. When hydrogen gas combines with oxygen gas we get water. When vital force unites with the physical body, life manifests. Heat and water combine to form steam. Electricity manifests when a positive charge combines with its negative counterpart. We come in contact with that Almighty God who is the resultant experience of the individual soul (creature) uniting with the divine cosmic soul.
Vedanta Philosophy leads as far as describing the principle of God’s nature and form is concerned. Vedanta has many Sutras/aphorisms like “Tattvam Asi”, “Ayamaatmaa Brahma”, “Shivoham”, “Sat-Chit-Anandoham” etc which means that the individual soul (living being) is God. Over here the individual soul is that whose mind is focused and sacred and not one that has petty desires and other taints like lust, greed, ire etc. Phrases like Super Mind, Super Ego, Poorna Purusha, God, Paramhansa, Sthita Pragna etc all mean describe that inner state of saintly men which is divine in nature and hence they are worshipped as none other than Almighty God himself. This state is the goal of the path of Self Realization. Liberation from bondage or Jeevan Mukti is this state of God vision.
If the individual is a spark Almighty God is like a raging forest fire. All the qualities of this raging fire (God) are present in the spark (living being). At an appropriate time this spark can merge into the fire i.e. the individual soul can merge into the cosmic soul and thus become God himself. A seed has all the qualities of a gigantic tree albeit in a subtle form (like a blue print). If the environment is not conducive for growth the seed rots in a demeaned state for ages and ages. And yet the moment the conditions become conducive this seed slowly but surely first become a sapling and then a gigantic tree. A tiny sperm harbors an adult human being in itself albeit subtly. If the environment is not apt it remains in its ordinary state but the moment it unites with an ovum it takes the form of an embryo and starts growing in the pregnant mother’s womb. And later after coming out of the womb at birth it starts growing into a mature male or female. The inner structure of an atom is like that of the solar system. The difference seen is only as far as shape and amount of space taken up by both is concerned. A living being is a part of God. A part always possesses qualities of the whole from which it manifested. The only difference between a lump of gold weighing 1 pound and another weighing 10 pounds is the amount of space taken up by each of these lumps. And yet the principal characteristics of the element gold are present in both of them.
With the hammer of spiritual practices and meditation the living beings mind can be carved in such a way that it becomes an image of God. Spirituality means the science and vision of the soul at the experiential level. All spiritual practices prevalent in this world have one single aim in mind and that is, purification and concentration of each individual psyche so that it becomes divine and all pervasive. This attainment of divine cosmic consciousness is equal to attainment of God or Self Realization. Self Realization or God vision (Darshan) means the individual soul merging into the cosmic soul (which is called Almighty God in layman’s terms) via spiritual practices. In other words duality is replaced by non-duality in a total manner. This is the supreme goal that each individual of the world should aspire to attain. And hence man must give up his animal like tendencies and thus attain a divine radiant state of the mind.
We must all admit that illusory concepts and beliefs too exist in the realm of spiritual sciences. Childish and immature people who feel that purification of the psyche which does involve hard work and a very high level of endurance foolishly look out for ‘short-cuts’ so as to avoid hardships. They stupidly envisage that by merely waving a lamp in front of God’s image or offering it a small plate of sweet pudding etc one can twirl God on the tips of their finger. These foolish men have only one aim in mind and that use (or should we say misuse?) God to satisfy their petty desires (begetting a son, getting a promotion, generating wealth etc.). Subconsciously they thus vow to remain in a lowly demeaned state. In order to make ‘conducive’ they blindly follow so called Pandits (scriptural scholars) who ordain certain worship rites that are to be followed strictly and that no questions dare be asked. Thus they out of delusion think that now God is well within their ‘grasp’ and that it gives them a free hand to pursue their unwholesome desires. Majority of the times this sort of delusion and illusion is seen behind rites and rituals. The concept of worshipping God’s idol for fulfillment of desires that are mainly lowly is stoutly followed by so called ‘devotees’. They err by believing that worship of God means fulfillment of their unwholesome desires. And these very people shun God and insult their chosen deity when their desires remain unfulfilled. Isn’t it ironical that a tiny dirty pond (so called devotees) trying to become masters of the great ocean (God) instead of humbly accepting its limitations and merging into the ocean so as to achieve true glory?
Almighty Lord is that supreme consciousness which pervades the entire cosmos both within and without in the form of cosmic laws. Every action of the Lord has a well meaning and well designed goal to achieve. Those people who adhere to these cosmic laws attain the Almighty Lord’s compassion. God can be compared to electricity. If electricity is made use of aptly, many machines start working for our benefit (TV, radio, computer etc). Lest this very electricity be misused it can prove fatal for many. God is worshipped for the purification of ones psyche and certainly not to please him. A small motor gives less power and thus minor activities are carried out on using it. A large motor gives much more power and thus greater benefits accrue from it. As against this a power house has a gigantic storehouse of electricity. If you want to make use of this electricity there is no need to pray and beg for procuring it. In fact what is most required is that the level of the meter, motor etc in your house should be raised appropriately so that the electricity of the power house can manifest in them aptly. Today everywhere people discuss the fruits of praying to God. We further hear of amazing miracles due to God’s grace. The fact of the matter is that when any devotee tunes his/her mind to God’s divine consciousness with unswerving faith, his/her thinking and action too becomes divine. If this condition is fulfilled rest assured the Lord’s grace is bound to manifest. Bang opposite to this when so called devotees make a superficial show of devotion and as a result fail to purify and focus their minds on God, divine grace will run miles away from them.
Almighty God’s cosmos is so vast that it is totally beyond the ken of our frail imagination. It is impossible to count the number of creatures dwelling in this cosmos. The number of creatures in this cosmos is so infinite that even if you convert our planet Earth into a huge sheet of paper we will fail to write the exact number. It is impossible for God too to monitor the activities and the thinking process of every creature of the universe. In fact if this were the case we creatures would allege that God is partial and thus all cosmic movements would turn haywire. Instead the compassionate Lord has created an irrevocable law which is based on our Karmas/actions. Thus every creature is given an equal opportunity devoid of any bias to either act appropriately or otherwise and thus endure their fruits/results of actions executed. Meaning if you perform wholesome actions you will climb the ladder of material/spiritual progress and if you insist on performing lowly/undesirable actions you are pushing yourself downwards to a demeaned material/spiritual state. The Lord is a witness and friend of all creatures and is watching each and every action of ours (It is as though God has a hotline connection with every creature of the world without prejudice or bias). God’s stature is so glorious that it is apt on his part to be a friend and impartial witness of his beloved creatures. As against this ere God had shown partiality to those who superficially worshipped him and manifested wrath at those who failed to ‘cajole’ him, most definitely this world would become a breeding ground of crime, illegal acts, dishonesty etc. People who pompously worship God so as to ‘cajole’ him with eulogies etc with the sole aim of fulfilling petty desires are definitely under an illusion that these tactics will work in their favor. Worship does not mean superficial dry rituals and rites. It is only when a mind full of devotion and faith that carries out worship rites reaps the divine fruits of material and spiritual prosperity. We must truly realize that what is required from us all is that we surrender our actions and thought process to the wise will of God instead of superimposing our frail will on God. Know for sure that God can never become our puppet so as to dance to the tune of our whims and fancies. Such a whimsical approach to rites and rituals is nothing short of foolishness and childishness. Thus instead if inducing God to dance to our likes and dislikes it is more appropriate that we as God’s responsible devotees adhere to divine cosmic laws authored by the Lord himself and thus climb the ladder of both material and spiritual advancement.
The Lord is made ones idol in order to attain him. Over here idol means goal. We must make our psyche pure and radiant so as to become divine. Thus all the characteristics of God like compassion, impartiality, justice, integrityFeature Articles, apt management etc. will manifest in such great souls. The more we purify our psyche and move in the direction of divinity the more we will contact God and his eternal bliss which is imperishable. Thus the gist of spirituality is to constantly work hard for mental purification and concentration. A point to be noted is that concentration of the mind without purification creates havoc in our lives. Thus emphasis should be laid on mental purification so as to make it radiant and sacred. This is that supreme royal path which helps us attain God and his divine powers for our own well being and that of all creatures of the world.
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Shriram Sharma Acharya founder of the International Gayatri Family was a great Yogi seer and incarnation of God who wrote volumes of scientific literature mainly on spiritual subjects for world welfare and peace. For more scientific e-books visit: http://www.shriramsharma.com/ and http://www.awgp.org/