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The Need for God |
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According to Vedanta, nothing exists other than Brahman, the ultimate Reality. What we see around is only an ‘as-if’ reality. But this as-if or dreamlike reality continues to be real to us, most of the times painfully, until the dream breaks. |
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In the July 2003 editorial, ‘We, God and the Universe’, we discussed a triangle with (Personal) God, soul (individual) and the universe as its vertices. The three vertices stand or fall together. As long as our individualities are real to us, a Personal God and the universe are inevitable realities. In other words, Personal God can be negated only if we can negate our own body-mind personality, or free ourselves from body-consciousness. |
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Of the three vertices the individual is the most important. That is because God and the universe assume realities depending upon our attitude towards ourselves. According to Swami Vivekananda, ‘Your godhead is the proof of God Himself. … If you are not God, there never was any God, and never will be.’1 In other words, the divinity behind the universe becomes real to us only when we become aware of the divinity behind our own body and mind. Even a strong intellectual conviction of the divinity behind the body and mind and ordering our life accordingly can help us appreciate the divinity behind the universe. So, considering the centrality of the individual, we examine the relationship between the individual and the world (universe), the individual and God, and between individuals. |
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References: |
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1. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, 9 vols. (Kolkata: Advaita Ashrama, 1-8, 1989;9, 1997), 2.308. |
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© `Prabuddha Bharata’ (October, 2003) published by Advaita Ashrama, 5 Dehi Entally Road, Kolkata 700 014. Website: www.advaitaonline.com. Reprinted with permission. |
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