We are all in search of God/the higher being. We want to know him, know his functions, his address, and most importantly we want to be with him. Some say he is the creator, the destroyer, the saviour and the protector of the world. His most common attributes are:
- Eternity – not bound by time
- Goodness – wholly benevolent
- Incorporeality – God is not material
- Immutability – God is not subject to change
- Impassability – God is not affected
- Omnipotence – limitless power
- Omniscience – limitless knowledge
- Unity – can’t be divided
- Simplicity – God is not composite
Origin of God
Man created God as per his vision of the higher power. Early depiction of him was in form of energy, ray of light or just the earthily elements one could see around – Fire, Wind, Water, lightning, etc. Few races also worshipped plants & animals, that gave them food, comfort and strength. What does this tell us? Humans need a support system, we need to put our faith in beings that are celestial, so that we can tolerate the hardships of this world with hope. God gives us hope and strength, to face calamities, a reason to stay positive and a path to eternal peace and happiness.
Definition of Purusha
God is neither the creator nor the ruler of the world. God is within each one of us in the form of a Pure Soul, in an indivisible form. When we ask to ourselves ‘Who am I’ and out of ignorance when we believe ‘I am this body’, we are an ordinary living being. And as and when we realise that “I am not the body or the name given to the body; I am only a Pure Soul” then we find God within us.
The Veils of Ignorance & Karma
The Soul of every living being is perfect in every way and is completely independent of the inner thoughts or outer actions of the living being within which it resides. Just as oil and water never mix, the soul and the body, never mix. The reason why we are unaware of Its existence and cannot experience Its glorious properties is because it is covered by infinite veils of ignorance.
These infinite veils of ignorance can be broken only after Self Realisation. This is the moment when you stop binding new karmas and start to finish your old karmas. When all these karmas are exhausted, the Pure Soul is completely uncovered and what remains is enlightenment.
The title and status of God is given to such enlightened beings who have manifested all the inherent properties of the Soul. Thus, God is not a name, but an adjective that describes these enlightened beings.
We worship these enlightened beings as God, because like them we want to become.
Conclusion
We are wired to be emotional, sentimental, and dependent on one another. Hence we need to create a faith system for emotional and mental well-being. God is faith, and we should have faith in something, that will help us transcend to a higher being, which is free from the cycle of birth and death.
