What has God planned for us?
These are the basic facts. There is one God; there has been one, and there will continue to be one God eternally. The same is true about us souls-there are many of us. We are small, which was necessary for co-existence. Another necessity was to be given free will; otherwise, we would not have individuality. However, this free will has been limited to desire and decision. Souls can only desire whatever they choose, but physical acts are required to be given shape by either God or material nature. The example is of wanting to eat a certain fruit; one has to obtain it. This is provided by material nature. In the case of God, He simply makes it happen like a miracle through His ‘ichcha shakti’ (divine willpower).
A soul has the freedom to choose either of them. Most people, knowingly or unknowingly, choose material nature alone, with its limitations. For example, a person desires a house to live in, but material nature will provide it only if he is deserving of owning it. To understand this phenomenon, we must refer to the ‘karmaphala principle’, which states: “What you sow is what you reap.” I am referring to what we deserve based on acts done earlier, mostly in past lives. Present acts mostly contribute to future lives. This may appear quite unjust, because present acts should not take so long as the next life to bear fruit. There is a way out: choose God as the ‘karta’ (doer) in your life. Perfect! He can perform miracles. Then why do most people not take this option? They do not, for many reasons; the most common is material consciousness-assuming oneself to be a material body. Due to this identification, the mind takes control, and this faculty given to us to connect with God is constantly trying to satisfy the senses. And the senses are never satisfied; such is their nature. The free will given to us is misunderstood as complete freedom, which it was never intended to be. Wise persons see through all this and take shelter in God in baby steps. The moment one has such an intention, God is interested. Is He not the whole, and we but parts? (The Bhagavad Gita 15.7) God has praised four types of devotees-those who take His shelter. God is also ready to take our responsibility if we remain in His shelter, having begun on this path. He helps to control the mind by providing spiritual intelligence (10.10). God, and only God, has the power to change our fate and, most importantly, our nature, which is the cause of most of our present woes. God does not stop there; He grants supreme peace (18.62), which we all crave but never achieve on our own.
I can go on about God’s ‘kripa’ (grace); He even liberates (18.66) us from the painful cycle of birth and death in material bodies. Thankfully, I have begun this journey, and I am enjoying the experience.
The writer is a spiritual teacher and a popular columnist; Views presented are personal.
