life would not seem like a lock without a key to humans if they believe in God, writes AJIT KUMAR BISHNOI
Do we feel completeIJ Or is there a feeling that something is missingIJ Why are our minds so restlessIJ What are we looking forIJ We, humans, being the intelligent species should have found the answer by now. Why did we notIJ Are we in denialIJ Yes, we are. A general picture of the cosmic design will illuminate. I will refer to The Gita for this purpose. There is God — the omnipresent, the omnipotent and omniscient. He is everywhere. (6.30) Everything is in Him; nothing is outside of Him. Whatever we see is God’s body. We are located in this body. Is that too hard to comprehendIJ It shouldn’t be. lord Krishna states, “I pervade this entire creation.” (10.42) Arjuna confirms, “You have encompassed all in Yourself.”
Then, there is God’s material nature. It is made up of earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and ego. (7.4) Everything we see is made of these elements. The working of the material nature is overseen by gods and goddesses. It works on the cause and effect principle. Clear-cut rules have been set by God, under whose superintendence everything functions. (9.10) We are rewarded and punished according to the ‘karmaphala principle’. And, there is another nature, which is different from the material nature. We, souls, are parts of this nature. We are given material bodies according to the karmas we have done earlier. Similarly, we are placed in circumstances like where we are born, to which parents, etc. depending on what we deserve.
The cosmic design is just and perfect. Then, why are we — the superior beings of nature — not peaceful and happyIJ Why does life look like a big lockIJ Because we have refused to look for its key. logic says that if a lock has been created, then, there must be a key. What is this keyIJ The key is proper interpersonal relationships between us souls and God and His material nature. We may challenge this premise. Yes, we may not have much to do with God except being aware of the concept of God but we do deal with the material nature. But we do so on our terms. We feel that the creation is I-centered. No, it is not. How can it be with seven billion of usIJ We must follow nature’s laws if we wish to be rewarded and not punished. The material nature is very compassionate. If we follow dharma and do our duties, it rewards us in many ways. There is a saying in Sanskrit: Dharma protects those who protect dharma.
The same fact holds in our relationship with God. He will do almost anything for us but we must accept that the creation is God-centric, not I-centric. And what do we have to do to show that we have become God-centricIJ We must follow God’s instructions as Arjuna agreed to do after a long discussion with the lord. (18.73) What in essence are God’s instructionsIJ “Develop My consciousness; become My devotee; make sacrifices for Me; and offer obeisance to Me.” (18.65) What are these sacrificesIJ “Whatever you do; whatever you eat; whatever offering you make in fire sacrifice; whatever you give in charity; whatever austerities you perform you do that as an offering to Me.” (9.27). And, “In all respects take My shelter only.” (18.62)
All of the above do not appear impossible to do. What must we doIJ Step one is to know what God’s instructions are. This we can conveniently get from The Gita. The next step is to follow these. Yes, there are many but we don’t have to get started on all of them; we can do so selectively. Doing so will bring faith in God; He does provide subtle hints of His existence. Such faith makes us spiritually intelligent, as different from materially intelligent as many are. Now we can tackle our obstinate minds and egos. This will take time but can be done as exemplified by saints over the ages. They had found the key to peace and happiness.
Bishnoi is a spiritual writer and can be reached at spiritual@ajitbishnoi.com