Thought 92: Why does one worship the god?

When you ask people why they worship a god, almost all of them would answer saying that they worship their god because they believe he would fulfill their desires. This is the concept of god for 99.99% of the devotees. This is the reason why all the trains and buses going to Tirupati and Shiridi are always full. Does god really fulfill the wishes of people merely because they go to a temple or merely because they worship him? Do we really see that happening? I do not think so. If that were the case, there would be no misery in this world. Every one will have everything that he or she desires.

We have seen (in the earlier thoughts) how every Karma must necessarily get you a result. Good Karmas get you good results and bad Karmas get you bad results. There are two types of results; one is seen (Drashta) and the other is unseen (Adrashta). The unseen results, according to Vedanta, do not occur immediately. They get accounted as Punyam and Paapam in the account of every individual. The result of Punyam is a comfortable life and the result of Paapam is discomfort and misery. These results of Punyam and Paapam occur, either late in this life, or in a subsequent life.

Punyam is like money in the bank; you can buy anything you wish with it. It is like the “Airoplan”, in which the “Air Miles” can be converted into air tickets etc.

When you petition the god for something, he fulfills your wish, only if you have sufficient Punyam in your account to be converted into what you desired from him – otherwise, no. No body gets anything free in this world; no one ever gets anything in this world unless he deserves it. The lord does not distribute largesse. God does not rule this world illogically. On the other hand, his justice is very precisely weighed out before he dispenses it.

If that is so, then, how do we account for the bad guys having a lot of money (like for instance, the mafia leader Dawood Ibrahim) and enjoying life, while the good guys having no money and generally having a bad time in life? Is this god’s justice? There is a fallacy here, which requires to be explained in the light of the above referred theory from Vedanta.

Today, a person may be a crook, but in his previous Janma, he did certain good things and accumulated sufficient Punyam – because of which, he is having a good life now. For his present crooked actions, he is going to pay most certainly – but later. The fallacy lies in our wrongly correlating his present good life with his present evil actions. There is a time lag between what he gets today and what he gets for his today’s actions. This is what we call in electrical engineering as the phase difference. His present good life is a result – of his past actions. His present evil actions will result in a wretched life for him - later.

There can never be a god’s law, which gives good results for evil actions. If that is the case, why would people be good at all? Imagine a world in which all people are bad. Is such a world sustainable, ever?

The next thought is “About rebirth”

Thought 91: God’s Laws

Consider the earth, which, after all is nothing but a large piece of mud. It has been revolving on its axis precisely in twenty-four hours, day after day, for the past countless days. How does this piece of mud know to do that and that too, so consistently and so precisely? Similarly, how does this piece of mud know how to revolve round the sun with a mind-boggling consistency and precision in 365 and a quarter days - year after year, for millions of years? Why would all planets move in their orbits so consistently following a law?

The Nature changes constantly but the laws of nature never change. Nature’s laws are infallible. They are not made by any one here. We can at best try to understand them but we would never be able to modify them. They are authored by Isvara.

In our body-mind complexes too, we can observe a similar orderliness. For instance, why should the eyes in the human body see? Why should the ears hear? Why not eyes hear and ears see – sometimes at least? There was never any instance of a healthy eye not being able to see and similarly, there was never any instance of a healthy ear not being able to hear.

It is to be reiterated once again that wherever there is a consistent function, there is a law involved in it. Otherwise, the function will not take place so consistently. Wherever there is a law, there is a functionary (Deva or Devataa), who presides over this function. The sun, the moon, the rain, and other phenomena of this world as well as the various limbs in a body-mind complex, function consistently - and they follow the laws of Isvara.

Continuing this discussion a little further, not only your eyes see - but also, every pair of eyes sees. There are billions of eyes and all of them see. These billions of eyes have been seeing in the same manner (not considering the defects in individual eyes) for millions of years and all of them are bound by the same rules of Vision.

Thus, the eye is governed by its own set of laws. The kidneys likewise are governed by a different set of laws. The heart is governed by its own set of laws. In fact, each limb/organ in our body is governed by its own set of laws. Our psychological aspects are governed by a different set of laws. Our free will is governed by some other set of laws. There are many more laws - such as the law of gravity, the laws of thermodynamics and many other laws of physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy and so on, which are also laws of Isvara. These are not laws made by any one here. Do you agree?

Doctors know, through extensive research, a lot about these laws governing the functioning of the various limbs/organs in our body-mind complex. Because of this knowledge, they are able to repair the limbs/organs when they malfunction. Similarly, scientists have knowledge of the physical and biological laws governing world. We may recognize or we may not, but they are all laws of the God.

The next thought is about “Where is God?”

Thought 90: Who is god? How does he look? (Continued)

Hindu religion recognizes several gods Devas) who are believed to be hallowed (glowing) entities. Hinduism also recognizes several Devataas, who are the presiding deities over the forces of nature. In Hinduism, we use the terms Deva and Devataa interchangeably – because they are all the same kind of powerful Saktis. All these gods (and Devataas) have names and forms. Since conceptually, every god has supernatural powers, man imagines a god as a superman. Thus, he limits his imagination to something, which is already known to him; he cannot go beyond what is known to him. Therefore, man imagines a god to have a human form only – some kind of superman in human form. If a mosquito were to imagine how its god looks like, naturally it would imagine its god as a super mosquito. Thus, all gods in the Hindu religion essentially look like human beings with a few exceptions (eg: Ganesa, having an elephant head, Subramanya, having a snake form, Hanuman, having a monkey head and a monkey tail and so forth).

All gods in the Hindu religion also have a god - who is superior to them. This superior God is called Isvara. Isvara has a form – and is called Saguna Brahman (which means Brahman with a form and attributes). Hinduism also recognizes Brahman without form and attributes (Niraakaara) - who is also known as Nirguna Brahman. The Saguna Brahman, Isvara, is known as the supreme God - while the Nirguna Brahman, Paramaatma, is known as the Supreme Reality (Sat or Truth).

Form always restricts or imposes a limitation. Gods with form are not all-pervasive (Not Omnipresent like Nirguna Brahman). Hence, all gods, who have a form, are not all-pervasive like Nirguna Brahman, who has no form. By virtue of being all-pervasive, Nirguna Brahman is also Omniscient. He knows everything that happens at every nook and cranny of this universe – because he is present everywhere. But Nirguna Brahman merely witnesses those happenings; he does not participate in any of those happenings.

Saguna Brahman is available for worship in a form and when he assumes a form, he is known as Isvara. What is the form of this Isvara? People worship Isvara in several forms such as Naaraayana, Vishnu, Vaasudeva, Venkatesvara, Narasimha, Raama, Krishna, Siva and so forth. We now know that Isvara goes by many names, but what is his Ruupa? In Hinduism, every Naama of a God has a specific Ruupa. Of course, Isvara, being omnipotent, can take any Ruupa, which the devotee likes. Arjuna wanted to see the lord as the Visvaruupa – and he appeared as Visvaruupa for him. Naarasimha, Rama and Krishna, etc, are not his normal forms – they are only his Avataras, which he assumes in every Yuga for “Dharma Samsthaapana, Dushta Sikshana and Sishta Rakshana”, (which means establishing Dharma, punishing the evil persons and protecting the righteous persons).

Braman (Nirguna or Saguna) is not Brahmaaji, (who is also known as Chaturmukha Brahma or Prajaapati or Hiranyagarbha), who is one of the Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra) and who is supposed to create this world and its beings. Nirguna Brahman is the Atma, the Paramaatma. Aatma is Awareness – and Aatma (Awareness) has no Ruupa. Brahman is always associated with a Sakti (Power) and when associated with the Sakti, Nirguna Brahman is known as Isvara. By virtue of this Sakti (Iccha Sakti, Jnaana Sakti and Kriya Sakti), Isvara becomes Omnipotent. He is so powerful that he could create single handedly this amazingly complex and infinite universe, sustain it and even annihilate it at the appropriate time.

Hinduism also recognizes several forms of Saktis having Naamaas such as Lakshmi, Paarvati, Durga, Lalitaaa and so forth. All these Saktis have specific forms too. People worship these Saktis also.

Thus, Hindus have, in addition to several smaller gods, one Principal (superior) God, called Nirguna Brahman (Paramaatma) or Saguna Brahman (Isvara). Hinduism also recognizes several goddesses, who are all very, very powerful Saktis associated with several important gods like Vishnu and Siva and so forth.

The next thought is about “God’s Laws”

Thought 90: Who is god? How does he look?

The question, “Who is God?” has been engaging the human mind right from the beginning. Every religion has a god. Every God is supposed to have supernatural powers. People worship this god with the hope that he would fulfill their desires. Someone remarked cynically once that even if there were no god, people would have invented one.

We all need a god - desperately. I will narrate here an incident which happened several years ago. I happened to be in our village when I was 13 or 14 for the summer. This village was a very backward village in the Kaikalur Taluk, Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh. There were no medical facilities or doctors in a radius of 10 miles. My aunt, who was living in a city several miles away, came there for the summer with her two kids. She was an atheist; she never believed in god. She used to argue that there was no such thing as god and that god is an invention of vested interests who manage temples. Suddenly her eldest son, who was 7 years or so, took ill. She was very concerned and the local native medical advice, which is usually sought by the residents on such occasions, did not help much. We are all surprised to see her suddenly vowing to go to Tirupathi and seek the Darshan of Lord Venkateswara, if the child gets well soon!

Every religion has a god who is apparently different from gods of other religions – which means that there are several gods. Hinduism itself recognizes several gods. When you accept that there are several gods, it is but natural for each religion and religious sect to claim that their own god is superior to all other gods.

When you are in the religious plane, of course, you cannot help believing that there is a different god looking after people of different religious denominations. In the spiritual plane, however, you deal with one god alone – because, in this plane, you are only interested in discovering and developing a relationship between you and your god. Therefore, you want to understand “who is god”. Vedaanta gives you clarity and the depth of understanding on this issue.
For most Hindus, god comes in various shapes and forms. There is Vighnesvara, Shiva, Subramanya, Rama, Krishna, etc. The goddesses also come in various shapes and forms, such as Durga, Lakshmi, Parvati, etc.

Every Ruupa (form) has a Naama (Name). Every Naama (Name) is associated with a Ruupa (Form). Every being in this world is described by a Nama-Ruupa. This has nothing to do with religion. It is a universal rule. Even gods have Naamas and therefore Ruupas. If a god has a Naama, then, he must be associated with a particular form.

The next thought is about “Who is god? How does he look? (Continued)

Thought 89: This world is a grand scheme devised by God

This world is a Grand Scheme; everything in it is created for a purpose. There is a good reason for everything that exists in this world. Even the cockroach has reason for its existence (although I do not know precisely what this reason is but I do believe sincerely that god would not have created it without a reason). Dharma is designed to preserve this world as desired by the God. Dharma is an Order, the Universal Ecological and Moral order created by God – which if followed by all living beings in Creation, ensures harmony, Ecological and Moral Standards (for the human beings), which in turn ensures the well being of all life on this planet.

The animal kingdom and the plant world come and go without attempting to alter the Order. They are not endowed with choice and discrimination. But Man, who is endowed with Buddhi, is endowed with choice and discrimination. People who perform wrong actions violate the Dharma. Behind every wrong action, there is a human being, who is either frightened or greedy.

No element in any system can function independently - all elements function together, supporting each other and following the regulations governing the system. Prakriti, Nature, is no exception to this. Prakriti is a huge system - a huge eco-system Thus, there is a mutual dependence all over the cosmos.

The principal components of the eco-system of Prakriti are the forces of Nature (Devataas), earth and its oceans, the plant life, the animal kingdom and the human species. The functioning of each of these components is affected by the way the rest of the components function - since all components in a system are intimately related to one another. If all of them play their respective roles correctly, the system will function like a clock work. Otherwise, we can expect a lot of glitches – and even calamities like a Tsunami.

Of all the earthly creatures, man alone has the capability to actively and consciously support this eco system – for he alone has the intellect (Buddhi) with which he can think and take conscious decisions and actions. If he fails to support the system, of which he is a part, it is inimical to his own interests. No one can neglect the interests of the system in which he lives and at the same time, expect to promote his or her own interests - selfishly. If any one thinks he can look after his own interests while neglecting the interests of the system, he lives in a fool’s paradise. A family is also a system in this sense and this rule applies to the family and its members as well.

When man gets overly concerned with his own interests and neglects the interests of the system, he takes from the system, but does not return anything back to the system. He feeds on the system like a parasite, depleting it constantly, with a callous disregard for the needs of other components of the system. In the long term, he becomes the victim of his own callousness.

Therefore, no one should do anything to weaken the system. On the other hand, one should do everything possible to strengthen the system. When the system becomes strong, you also become strong. This is the only way one can become strong – the positive and synergic route to strength.

The next thought is about “Who is god? How does he look?”

Thought 88: Harmony and balance in Creation

Our world is not created just for the human beings alone. The Lord created the Devataas (gods), the Manes (the Pitru Devataas or the ancestors, who live in a different world than ours but which is part of this universe), the animal kingdom and the plant kingdom also along with the creation of the human beings – and therefore, all these five groups of beings have an equal right to exist happily in this world (universe).

Prakriti (Nature) or the world (universe) is infinitely huge; it is mind bogglingly huge. Managing such a colossal and mammoth entity is not going to be easy. Therefore, Creation does not end with the creation of life and objects alone. More importantly, it should also include the creation of the laws and other administrative setup, which is capable of governing this infinitely huge world. Or else there would be unimaginable chaos – which at once renders this Creation meaningless.

Therefore, the omniscient and omnipotent Lord, while creating this world, also created at the same time, carefully crafted laws and regulations by which this creation could govern itself automatically - without the need for his intervention and micromanagement at every stage. These laws relate principally to Dharma and Karma.

Dharma is Isvara’s Universal Ecological and Moral Order – which, if followed by all the five groups of beings in Creation, ensures harmony, ecological balance and moral and ethical behavior of the human kind, which, in turn, ensure the well being of all life in creation. Violations of Dharma are detected automatically in His system and the culprits are also punished automatically. No one, no one at all, can violate his Dharma and escape detection and punishment. Violation of Dharma is Adharma - and Adharma is a sin. The sin itself punishes the sinner.

The animal kingdom and plant kingdom automatically follow their Dharma; the Lord had not given them any choice here. The Devataas and the Manes also follow their Dharma; they know that if they follow their Dharma, it results in good to the world – and they always want to do good to the world. The problem lies with the human kind only; they have choice - unfortunately. When man becomes selfish, the ecological balance is upset – and he gets punished. A tsunami, for instance, is a punishment for the mankind.

The next thought is about “This world is a grand scheme devised by God”

Thought 87: The orderliness in this universe

There is an incredible orderliness in the universe. For instance, the earth rotates round the sun accurately – to give us the seasons and the measure of time in terms of years. The earth rotates accurately on its own axis to give us night and day – and also a measure of time in terms of days. We can calculate the movements of many cosmic bodies such as planets, meteors, etc, to the second.

Everything is consistent and logical in this universe – if you have the mind to observe and accept this. I can never imagine this universe running on illogic. If you plant a mango seed, for instance, you get a mango tree only – not any other tree. This has been happening for millions of years - and there is no reason to believe that it will not happen in future.

We see an unfailing discipline and a mind boggling consistency in this universe. We may call it an Order or a command structure created by Isvara. It is the Ecological and Moral Order of Isvara, which all of us are able to sense in our minds, even if vaguely. This order comprises of a hierarchy - and also several laws and regulations that govern the working of this universe.

The hierarchy consists of several functionaries, whose job it is to oversee and ensure that the various laws, rules and regulations governing this amazingly complex and infinite universe, which are all catalogued in the various Srutis and Smrities, are in fact being followed in accordance with the “Isvareccha” (desire of Isvara). It is the job of the various functionaries overseeing the functioning of the universe to enforce discipline, maintain an ecological balance and harmony in the universe and punish the violators as needed.

For instance, we see climate changes taking place on account of global warming caused by violations of Isvaraa’s laws. We breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon-dioxide. This carbon-dioxide is taken in by the trees and they breathe out oxygen and thus, recycling the oxygen for our use again. If we indiscriminately cut trees and forests and do not replant them, there would be excessive carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere. Add to that, the hot exhaust gases emitted by millions of automobiles in the civilized nations – you have a very highly conducive conditions for global warming to take place. As a result, the glaciers in the arctic region melt, causing further geographical disasters. If we disturb the Isvara’s Order, this is how we get punished.

Similarly, we see increased prevalence of skin cancer on account of the hole in the ozone layer of the atmosphere caused by the indiscriminate use of fluorocarbons in the refrigerators by the human beings. We are also witnessing a big escalation in the sufferings of the human beings on account of various ailments, such as strokes, cancer, heart diseases, kidney failures, etc. These dangerous ailments are caused by the indiscriminate and unsafe eating and drinking habits of persons unmindful of the laws of Isvara with respect to the human physiology and psychology - combined by senseless pollution caused by human beings everywhere in our living environment.

The next thought is about “Harmony and balance in Creation”

Thought 86: Governance of the universe

God has not created this universe only for the human beings. He created it for the animal world as well as the plant kingdom also. Therefore, they also have as much right to exist in this world as the human beings. Animals and plants do not have choice in action – they are fully programmed and sent down. The human beings, however, are given Buddhi – and therefore, they have a choice in action. Because of this choice, there will be frequent abuses – and the laws and regulations governing the universe, therefore, must be able to provide the necessary corrections as needed, automatically, without the need for constant micromanagement.

Creation is not complete until the administrative set up such as the laws, regulations and the overseeing agencies are also in place - simultaneously with the creation of the objects and beings of this universe. Otherwise, there would be utter chaos and the Creation would become purposeless and meaningless. Do you see and accept the logic here?

According to Vedaanta, this administrative set up consists of the various laws of Dharma and Karma – which are the rules and regulations governing the functions of the this immensely large and complex universe.

In general, we may say that this world governs itself automatically without requiring micro-management at every stage by the Isvara (the supreme rule of this universe) or his assistants. In this sense, this world is the greatest automated system. The underlying principle governing this automation is the Cause and Effect Principle.

Hinduism calls the forces of nature as Devataas and gods. These Devataas and gods, who are several thousands in number, have the primary responsibility to ensure that everything in the universe is running as envisaged by Isvara – although everything is supposed to be self-correcting and self-directing. This is like the need for the human beings supervising all the automatic processes in a huge factory or in a large organization like a nuclear power plant. Thus, in spite of computerization/automation, we see a need for human intervention when necessary. This human (god or presiding deity) intervention is part of God’s administrative setup also.

The next thought is about “The orderliness in this universe”

Thought 85: Faith begins where logic ends

Science looks for logic behind everything - especially in respect of the natural phenomena of this universe. It tries to unravel the causes (which it calls logic) behind clouds, rain, lightning, tornados, storms, cyclones, planets, stars, milky way, black holes and so on and so forth.

The method of science is to observe all phenomena accurately and objectively – and try to see patterns of repetitions or replications in the observed data. Anything that conforms to these patterns is considered logic - and any thing that differs from these patterns is considered illogic. We may say that logic means belief based on reasoning - basis of which is explained above.

This logic or pattern is not invented by scientists. They cannot even modify them, let alone inventing them. They can never modify these patterns or logic or laws because they are not made by any one here; they are authored by God. Science merely discovered these patterns or logic or laws through observation.

What science has discovered so far, such as the principle of gravity, law of conservation of energy, laws of Thermodynamics, many other phenomena of physics, chemistry, biology, medical sciences, etc are very few in number; there are many, many other undiscovered laws and phenomena. In conclusion, we can say that science has only scratched the surface of Nature so far, if that.

For instance, science has not yet discovered anything about rebirth of living beings, about god and his laws, etc. In these areas, we have to rely on our faith.

Faith is an intense belief in something. Voltaire, the well known French thinker and philosopher, said that “Faith consists in believing when it is the beyond the power of reason to believe”. When there is faith, there is an intense commitment too – like for instance, commitment to principles and values, commitment to friendships, commitment to the well being of parents, wife and children, commitment to charity, commitment to cleanliness, commitment to religion and religious beliefs, commitment to Puuja (worship), commitment to god, etc.

Faith is in your mind. It is in your thinking. It is in your attitude. It is in your value structure. It is in your priorities. You give priority for those subjects in which you have faith. Prioritizing is indicative of your faith and commitment.

When there is faith, you do not look for logic. Logic is the science of reasoning based on actual observations. In today's context, it means to explain everything on a scientific basis. Faith means to accept something without seeking proof or explanation; faith means accepting everything without questioning. For instance, when you have faith in the love and affection for your parents, you do not question whatever they do, even when sometimes, what they do with all their good intentions, leads to some harm to you. Similarly, whatever the devoted children do to their parents, is always accepted with great faith by the parents, even when some harm results to the parents from it; the parents do not question the intentions of the children because they have faith that the children will never do willfully anything bad to them.

Logic should be based on facts and on proven or scientifically accepted laws. Objective facts or assessments of a situation without any subjective element creeping into it, is essential for logical deductions. This is possible only if you are not prejudiced or biased. Frequently, people believe in what they like to believe in - and pass it off as logic for the consumption of others. We are not discussing this kind of logic here.

True faith reflects a compelling urge internally to remain devoted sincerely to what ever object or being or concept in which one has faith. True faith does not look for logic or scientific explanations. True faith allows no doubts also. It accepts without any reservation everything in which there is faith. If you have faith in God, for instance, you accept without any reservation that there is a higher power ruling over the destinies of all mortals and this power source is called God. True faith in God accepts without any reservation that God created this world and governs this world through the laws and regulations authored by Him. It also accepts that god rules over his kingdom with an unparalleled and absolute equity and justice. It accepts that there is an orderliness, harmony and balance in the world, which is visible to an unprejudiced mind. These topics, however, are not easily amenable to logic. They are not also intended for the doubting minds. They are fit subjects for faith; they are fit subjects for a learning mind.

The next thought is about “Governance of the universe”