If we get stuck with either the manifest or unmanifest form, we will have great difficulty in developing unflinching faith in God, believes AJIT KUMAR BISHNOI
Everyone talks about God sometimes, but why do so few have faith in HimIJ Shouldn’t this question bother usIJ According to the Bhagavad Gita, God is everything. (7.19) Those who have linked with God have the same impression/conviction. There have been many great devotees of God who have advocated the same thing. Shankaracharya understood the problem and gave the answer. Before that, let us go to the 12th chapter of the Gita verse #5, in which lord Krishna has stated that it is so much easier to worship God in His manifest form like an idol or a photo. This is the reason why most people do so too. It is no wonder that temples and churches are to be found everywhere in the world where Hindus and Christians live. Does the presence of these magnificent structures ensure faith in GodIJ I am afraid the answer is not so encouraging. Why is thatIJ Idols and photos are essential because we need sense objects to believe. Aren’t we trained to believe what we can see with our sensesIJ And more than that, we wish to identify God as a person because we feel that God will be also like us, a person. Yes, He will be different from us, ie omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient, but still a person only.
This means that we have limited God. Can we do thatIJ When God is everything, then He has to be more than a person. That is the reason lord Krishna has clarified in the verse # 7.4 that He is present everywhere in His unmanifest form. One has to accept this fact to have faith in God. Don’t we pray anywhereIJ Do we necessarily go to a temple or a church to prayIJ No, we pray anywhere. This means that subconsciously we have some faith that God is everywhere. What will be the advantage of praying when no one is listeningIJ The biggest difficulty most have in developing faith in God is that we cannot see Him, idols and photos notwithstanding.
lord Krishna has encouraged us to embrace both His manifest and unmanifest forms. let us again go back to the 12th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita where the lord gives us many options to do bhakti. In the verse #8, He states that one should fix his mind on Him and engage his intelligence in Him. There is no mention of either manifest or unmanifest forms of His. In the next verse also, He is only advocating yoga, which can be done anywhere. In the next verse, the lord speaks about doing service to Him. This service is not limited to doing odd jobs in a temple or a church. By disseminating lord’s messages, I am also doing service to God. Where is any connection with either manifest or unmanifest forms when the lord speaks about giving up fruits of all actsIJ (12.11)
let us take some more verses. lord advocates that we take His shelter; become His devotee; become detached; and be free from enmity towards all beings. (11.55) He asks us to develop His consciousness; make sacrifices for Him; and offer obeisance to Him. (18.65) He states in the verse #18.68-69 that whoever preaches His messages, pleases Him like no other. Where is any mention of His manifest or unmanifest forms.
What is the conclusion thenIJ That we must have a complete concept of God. If we get stuck with either manifest or unmanifest form, we will have great difficulty in developing unflinching faith in God. Wise persons take lord Krishna’s advice; they worship the manifest forms of God like lord Ram, Himself; lord Shiva, etc. This helps in linking quite effectively. Then, we begin to preach to ourselves about the inevitability of God’s unmanifest form. Slowly, this will go to our subconscious level. It is no wonder that Shankaracharya, who had realised lord’s unmanifest form, advocated worshiping Govind. He established mathas for idol worship. What are we waiting forIJ If we are focusing on one form of God, then it is time that we adapt the other also. Our faith will begin to increase by leaps and bounds.
Bishnoi is a spiritual writer and can be reached at spiritual@ajitbishnoi.com