For an individual being God exists just because of that person's "Faith". If you have "Faith" in God then God has some meaning in your life, otherwise not. If you have Faith in God, then only you can know more of Him, otherwise your journey towards God just stops there. Faith in God elevates an individual's thinking process & it purifies the heart, emotions & soul and leads one to the vision of God.
Faith is the soul of every religion. It creates new hopes and awakens in one the presence of God. Faith is the eye that sees the Lord and the hand that clings to Him. Faith is power. Faith is strength. Faith is abundant energy. He who has faith in God is strong. He who doubts about God is weak. Strong faith in God precedes great actions. Faith illumines the spiritual path, builds a bridge across the gulf of death, and takes one to the other shore of fearlessness and deathlessness.
Below is an Upnishdic story regarding the Faith:
In ancient times, a severe draught occurred in one region of India. One of the village in in that region was severely affected with this draught. Without rains, the villagers faced a bleak future, as their all livelihood depended on agricultural produce only. All of the rivers and the lakes got dried up due to the extreme heat of the sun. Not even a single drop of water was left in the wells. Whole of village people were really desperate for the water.
Villagers approached the village priest (pundit) and asked him to organize a prayer to the rain God & asked him to organize a meeting for the same in the temple. All of the villagers came to attend this prayer meeting. In the last one man arrived at the temple and all of the villagers started looking at this one man with curiosity. Among all the villagers this man was the only one who was carrying an umbrella to this prayer meeting. No villager was ever seen carrying an umbrella outside of the rainy seasons. To the villagers it seemed unconventional to carry an umbrella when there was not one rain cloud in the sky.
The prayer meeting commenced and at the end of all the rituals and ceremonies, when people were about to leave the temple, they could not hold back their curiosity about the man and his umbrella.
‘Why was he carrying the umbrella?’ villagers asked him.
The man with the umbrella replied: "I have "Faith" in God & the God will provide. He only gives and He only takes away. God will surely answer our prayers for the rain and I will need the umbrella for the rains".
The villagers laughed at him. Not one of the villagers could appreciate the absolute and sincere "Faith" of the man with the umbrella. The scorching heat of the sun outside the temple was still fresh in their minds.
Lo……..Behold, a miracle took place. As the people were going out of the temple door and putting on their shoes, rain clouds appeared in the sky, the gentle breeze gave way to stormy winds, suddenly the sky darkened and thunder and lightning heralded the coming of the rains. A sudden rainfall opened the eyes of the villagers. Their ridicule of the man with the umbrella changed to their amazement, disbelief, and they now understood the intense "Faith" of this man. Now the villagers got convinced that it was the sincere "Faith" & prayer of this man and devotion to the God that He has answered to his prayers.
Below are few verses of Bhagwat Gita on Faith:
asraddadhanah purusha
dharmasyasya parantapa
aprapya mam nivartante
mrityu-samsara-vartmani (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Nine verse 3)
"Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: Those who are not Faithful in this devotional service, cannot attain Me, O Arjuna. Therefore they return to the path of birth and death in this material world."
"shraddhaval labhate jnanam
tat-parah samyatendriyah
jnanam labdhva param shantim
acirenadhigacchati" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Four verse 39)
"Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: A faithful man who is dedicated to transcendental knowledge and who subdues his senses is eligible to achieve such knowledge, and having achieved it he quickly attains the God & spiritual peace."
Faith is the soul of every religion. It creates new hopes and awakens in one the presence of God. Faith is the eye that sees the Lord and the hand that clings to Him. Faith is power. Faith is strength. Faith is abundant energy. He who has faith in God is strong. He who doubts about God is weak. Strong faith in God precedes great actions. Faith illumines the spiritual path, builds a bridge across the gulf of death, and takes one to the other shore of fearlessness and deathlessness.
Below is an Upnishdic story regarding the Faith:
In ancient times, a severe draught occurred in one region of India. One of the village in in that region was severely affected with this draught. Without rains, the villagers faced a bleak future, as their all livelihood depended on agricultural produce only. All of the rivers and the lakes got dried up due to the extreme heat of the sun. Not even a single drop of water was left in the wells. Whole of village people were really desperate for the water.
Villagers approached the village priest (pundit) and asked him to organize a prayer to the rain God & asked him to organize a meeting for the same in the temple. All of the villagers came to attend this prayer meeting. In the last one man arrived at the temple and all of the villagers started looking at this one man with curiosity. Among all the villagers this man was the only one who was carrying an umbrella to this prayer meeting. No villager was ever seen carrying an umbrella outside of the rainy seasons. To the villagers it seemed unconventional to carry an umbrella when there was not one rain cloud in the sky.
The prayer meeting commenced and at the end of all the rituals and ceremonies, when people were about to leave the temple, they could not hold back their curiosity about the man and his umbrella.
‘Why was he carrying the umbrella?’ villagers asked him.
The man with the umbrella replied: "I have "Faith" in God & the God will provide. He only gives and He only takes away. God will surely answer our prayers for the rain and I will need the umbrella for the rains".
The villagers laughed at him. Not one of the villagers could appreciate the absolute and sincere "Faith" of the man with the umbrella. The scorching heat of the sun outside the temple was still fresh in their minds.
Lo……..Behold, a miracle took place. As the people were going out of the temple door and putting on their shoes, rain clouds appeared in the sky, the gentle breeze gave way to stormy winds, suddenly the sky darkened and thunder and lightning heralded the coming of the rains. A sudden rainfall opened the eyes of the villagers. Their ridicule of the man with the umbrella changed to their amazement, disbelief, and they now understood the intense "Faith" of this man. Now the villagers got convinced that it was the sincere "Faith" & prayer of this man and devotion to the God that He has answered to his prayers.
Below are few verses of Bhagwat Gita on Faith:
asraddadhanah purusha
dharmasyasya parantapa
aprapya mam nivartante
mrityu-samsara-vartmani (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Nine verse 3)
"Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: Those who are not Faithful in this devotional service, cannot attain Me, O Arjuna. Therefore they return to the path of birth and death in this material world."
"shraddhaval labhate jnanam
tat-parah samyatendriyah
jnanam labdhva param shantim
acirenadhigacchati" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Four verse 39)
"Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: A faithful man who is dedicated to transcendental knowledge and who subdues his senses is eligible to achieve such knowledge, and having achieved it he quickly attains the God & spiritual peace."
"yoginam api sarvesam
mad-gatenantar-atmana
shraddhavan bhajate yo mam
sa me yuktatamo matah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Six verse 47)
"Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: And of all yogis, the one with great Faith who always abides in Me, thinks of Me within himself, and renders transcendental loving service to Me—he is the most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all. That is My opinion."
"ye tu dharmamritam idam
yathoktam paryupasate
sraddadhana mat-parama
bhaktas te ’tiva me priyah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Twelve verse 20)
"Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: O Arjuna, Those who follow this imperishable path of devotional service and who completely engage themselves with faith, making Me the supreme goal, are very, very dear to Me."
So just have Faith in the words of the God. It's the Faith in God which makes our perceptions & beliefs. If you have Faith in God & words of the Lord Krishna, then you shall be able to turn toward the God. It's Faith in God only which determines how you can mould your life. So just have Faith in the words of Lord Krishna & His teaching in Bhagwat Gita.
Jai Sri Krishna
Hare Krishna!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this beautiful post.
God bless!
Ash