From answering prayers to reducing life’s hardships, the divine remains ever-present

With the internet and social media, we are constantly being reminded about the wealthiest, the most powerful, very famous, the prettiest, etc. Have you imagined meeting anyone of these personalities except to see them in print or in a video? What about God, who owns everything there is, is omnipotent, is omniscient, is omnipresent and a whole lot more, about which I will write in this article?

God is not only omnipresent but available to us 24x7. Yes, God cannot be seen in person except to the very best of devotees like Sant Tulsidas, but can be seen in Deity forms and in nice photos everywhere. God even manifests in His murti forms like He had in His Rama Lalla form in Ayodhya.

How is Lord helping us by His activities? He listens to all our prayers, and He must respond to them, they being spiritual activities. However, the response will be appropriate at a time chosen by God. Mostly, it won’t be as prayed for, because most of the prayers are for material gains, which are undeserved. For example, a student prays for good marks even though he doesn’t deserve them. God will give something as God can never be a debtor. Then, God is ever ready to guide us, as He guided Arjuna by preaching the instructions of the Bhagavad-Geeta. Few pray for guidance but those who do really benefit, because direction is all important. It determines where we will end up. God gives intuitions, uses mediums to convey, etc. God even instructs directly His devotees as He instructed Arjuna.

The third important help God provides is to get us out of troubles, we get into due to our past faulty karmaphalas (results of acts). God does not stop them from coming because that will make the ‘Karmaphala Principle’ ineffective; God only makes them less painful. Continuing about God’s bounties, God empowers us in various ways. For example, a scientist is deep into looking for a solution, which will benefit humanity, and he deserves getting credit for it due to past pious karmaphalas. God gives him the intuition, because God is the only source. We cannot invent or create anything new. All big or important acts are done by God only; He makes the deserving among us ‘nimitta’ (instruments), just as He used Arjuna to kill the biggest warriors of the Kaurava army (11.33)

God is especially partial to welfare workers, because it suits His Creation. He has promised that doers of welfare acts will not end up badly. (6.40) What this means is that such persons will not suffer a painful death. God goes a step further for His advanced devotees; He does miracles for them. Meerabai was given poison to drink because she chose Lord Krishna as her worshipable Deity. What did the Lord do? He made poison ineffective. How did Lord Krishna save Arjuna – His devotee and friend (4.3), who had sworn to enter fire, if he could not kill Jayadrath before sunset? As soon as Jayadrath came out of hiding Arjuna’s imminent death, Lord brought the sunlight back. This allowed Arjuna to kill Jayadrath before sunset.

I can go on regarding what all God does and can do for us if we link with Him. And He has made approaching Him very easy. What is so difficult to have ‘darshan’ of God in His Deity form in a temple? What about chanting God’s names? Is it so difficult? It may appear childish but this is the way it has been designed to gain God’s favour. Someone may say why is it so easy to get so much cash out of a ATM? Because this is the way it has been designed.

(The writer is a spiritual teacher; views are personal)