All World
Gayatri Pariwar

Theism, Spirituality, and Religion - 2

Friends, I hope it is now clear to you that “Having Faith in God” and “Performing rituals of worship”, are altogether different. Faith in God means faith in divinity — devotion to divine qualities and divine disciplines. A true devotee, a true “Theist” is the one who knows and firmly believes that — God is Omnipresent, Omniscient, nothing is hidden from Him; God regards and loves everyone alike; God’s Law of Karma is absolute; God judges every human being according to the latter’s character and karma (physical, intellectual, and emotional deeds).

His blessings shower only as a result of good deeds, virtuous character, and NOT in return of any ritual of worship. In order to examine whether a currency note or a coin is genuine or fake, or whether an expensive item is genuine or imitated, one applies specific tests or validation checks. In God’s system, the worth or level of a person is judged based on only two tests — what is the quality or standard of that person’s karmas; and what is the nature and level of his/her thoughts, feelings and overall character? His love showers upon people only according to these two criteria. You keep beseeching to see God, to be graced by His blessings. But you often forget the fact that it is purity of your thoughts and the dignity of your character (and overall conduct and behavior), benevolence of your deeds, and your emotional sensitivity, that count there; these alone can invoke God’s enormous grace and divine blessings.

A True Theist must be a Karma-Yogi: A true believer, a true devotee, therefore gives utmost importance to hard work and wholehearted fulfillment of his duties. He knows his responsibilities and contributes his bit most sincerely towards betterment and progress of the society and the world at large. In the holy Bhagvad Gita, Lord Krishna has emphasized the utmost importance of Karma Yoga. He Himself, in his human incarnation, had dignified efficient transaction of duties sans any expectation or attachment for the results, and accomplished the supreme yoga of human life as — “Yoga¡ Karmasukauïal®”. A true theist would therefore live a duty-bound life. For him every task at hand, every responsibility, every duty, is like God’s order. He not only fulfils it sincerely but also constantly endeavors to improve his potentials, refine his qualities, so as to enhance the efficiency and worth of his deeds. To achieve this end, the thoughts and duty-bound ideals of the enlightened, elevated, great personalities are often his nearest guides and source of inspiration; he happily attempts to follow them to his level best.

Prudence and Courage are Signs of a Theist: A true theist, a true believer in God has the strength of moral character. He is therefore strong and fearless. He knows that if he has not done anything wrong, God will always be with him. He knows that even if someone tries to blemish or harm him, his honesty, his fairness, will one day set everything right. “Truth will always triumph” is a God’s assurance to him. He knows that everything, every activity of Nature is there as per God’s Will, every circumstance is created by Him. Even adverse circumstances, hardships, testing challenges, nothing perturbs him from the chosen path of truth and duties. One who knows that God watches all his actions, one who knows that even what he thinks or feels, is not hidden from that Omnipresent, would naturally be scared of God’s absolute law and would therefore refrain from doing anything wrong or immoral.

On the contrary, irrespective of whether he practices, any religion or not, goes to a shrine or not, whether he claims himself to be a “theist” , “antagonist”, or an “atheist”, if one does not quite experience or accept God’s Omnipresence and eternity of His absolute Law of Karma, would not be all that honest. His belief or ‘faith’ in God (or “no-God”, as the case may be) would be superficial, which could be shaken even by a powerful force of sensory attractions, ego, worldly attachments and what not! He would be scared of hardships and adversities; may not always face all challenges with firm confidence and courage. A True Theist is always Happy: “Who is the happiest person?” According to the holy Ramayana, one who is absolutely fearless is always happy: “Sakal Karam Kari Thakeu Gos³ºó| Bhaye Na Sukhº Abhaya Kº N³ió|| Meaning: Got tired of trying all possible means (to seek joy), but could not get the kind of unalloyed happiness that is experienced through fearlessness.

Indeed, one who has absolute faith in God certainly has faith in his own efforts! He sleeps in the night without any worry or concern regarding tomorrow. He has no suspicion, no doubt, no despair, no expectation, and no cause for any worry. He knows that God, the Supreme Creator, the Supreme Guardian of all has made arrangements (in Nature) for every creature; right before birth of a child he sends healthy milk in mother’s breasts that can be fed to the child. Then why should he, a grownup with so many potentials of body and mind gifted by God, worry about his own substance of life now? A true theist experiences the caring protection of God all the time, he knows that (c.f. the holy Ramayana) —J³ko R³khe S³iny³, M³ra Sake Na Koya| B³la Na B³óka Kara Sake, Jo Jaga Bairi Hoya|| Meaning: Nothing can kill the one who is protected by the Almighty. Even if the entire world is against him, nobody will be able to disturb or harm even his tiny hair.

Often the so-called believers in God, the religious people, are seen running behind astrologers to ‘know’ their future; they are extremely scared of if the horoscope shows ‘non-supportive’ positions/movements of the ‘strict’ planets Saturn, Mars, Rahu, Ketu. They attempt all sorts of preventive measures ranging from arranging grand p¿j³s and visiting shrines… to… wearing specific gems and precious stones, distributing alms, etc. A true theist, even if he accepts the ancient science of astrology, does not go to any astrologer, he is not perturbed by the indications of his horoscope. He knows that all this is a part of the drama set by the Supreme Director, the Supreme Creator of Nature. Indeed, it is this level of depth of belief in God, this level of prudent self-confidence, this level of freedom from all attachments and worries, this kind of absolute emancipation from all fears, worries, expectations and concerns that define a true Theist. A True Theist Cares for All: A true believer, a true devotee sees God’s grace in the entire creation and therefore regards everything, every being, every circumstance as reflections of ‘Thy Will’. For him everyone is alike. He is spiritually enlightened in the truest sense. He sees the glow of the Eternal Light in every soul.

Many of us (especially among the Hindus) have a conviction that a religious person, a devotee must offer worship and services in a temple or religious Ashram. We happily do so, for example, we clean the idols of deity, offer flowers, cloths and ornaments for decoration of the idols before the rituals of worship; at times we also help in the preparation and distribution of food as part of alms in the Shrines and Ashrams. All of this is fine provided it is not done for demonstration of self-pride or ostentation, and is carried out through heart. However, even if offered sincerely, this kind of service is not necessarily a religious act. More important are our feelings, attitude, and our behavior towards others. We must introspect and ask ourselves — do we offer services outside the shrine or Ashram for the welfare of others? Are we always ready to help the needy to our level best? Do we always treat every helpless person before us with compassion and respect? Unless the answer is honestly affirmative, our faith, devotion and religiousness would remain superficial.

If we are religious, if we really believe in God, we must learn to love the soul residing in every one. Every soul is His reflection. Every being deserves fair treatment. This is what is conveyed in the perennial teachings of the Vedas. Goswami Tulsidas has expressed this devotional depth beautifully in Ram Charit Manas (Ramayana) as — Sºya R³ma Maya Saba Jaga J³nº| Kara¿ó Pran³ma Jori Juga P³nº|| Meaning: (I find) the entire world as immersed in the holy reflection of (the divine grace of) god Ram and goddess Sita. I (therefore) pay my respect to everyone by folding my hands in the posture of Prañ³ma. Just imagine! If we all cultivate this outlook, where will be the possibility of any animosity, hatred, cruelty, misbehavior, insult, jealously, revenge, anger, deception, or any such negative trait in the human society? Instead, mutual harmony, trust, healthy spirit of serene love and collective progress, would naturally flourish all around. In fact, this is what should be the purpose of a society. This is how we all as ‘social-beings’ are supposed to behave and do to live collectively.

But does that mean that the criminals should not be punished? Or, the hoodlums and thugs should be treated softly and allowed to continue with their misdeeds? No, certainly not. What I mean is that there should be fair treatment of all. There should not be any discrimination in dealing with one’s actions. There should be strictness against the wrongs and no efforts should be spared to prevent the misdeeds and vicious tendencies; but should do all this only as part of our duties and should remember that under no circumstance, we should think ourselves as superior human beings. Let me elaborate it further to make the point clear. As you might know, before the final execution of the death penalty (hanging till death), the Police Superintendent, the magistrate, D.M., or equivalent judicial authority that has sentenced the punishment, all go to the spot in black coats/ gowns and remove their caps/hats as a mark of respect to the soul of the criminal. This indicates that the severe punishment is against the crime and the respect is for the human being.

Our approach towards the culprits, towards punishment against the crimes and prevention of evils, criminal mentality etc, should be that of an expert doctor, who may prescribe bitter medicines to the patient, and if necessary, even cut a portion of some organ by adequate surgical procedure, put the patient on strict diet-control, etc, but he does all this only to help the patient regain normal health. A disciplinarian teacher may be strict on his students when it is necessary, but it would be wrong if he does so to rule over the students or to punish them because of his personal anger, revenge or discriminatory feeling. Best approach for disciplinarians/regulators should be similar to that of responsible parents or teachers — “Hold a carrot in one hand and a stick in the other”. We must remember our duties and fulfill them to our level best with a feeling of service and not for some vested interest of gaining name, fame, or favor. We must not forget that numerous people have directly or indirectly contributed to our achievements, our talents, our resources, our privileges, powers, etc. Therefore nothing that we think as our ‘own’ is meant for our selfish possession and joys. Rather, we should contribute our talents and resources humbly, prudently and generously for the welfare of the entire society.

If we do so, then only we would be fulfilling the duties entrusted to us by the Almighty. This is what would make our devotion, our faith, our religiousness, worthwhile.