Self Illuminated Abode of God

As per Hindu Philosophy there are two type of Worlds in this Universe. Material Worlds & Spiritual Worlds. Let's first talk of Material Worlds.

Our Earth, our Solar system, other planets in our Solar system & many other types of Solar systems are there in this Galaxy of ours. All these planets including earth, moon etc. in our Solar system & other solar systems are there in this Material World. Our earth is illumined by the Sun. Similarly other planets like Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn etc. are all illumined by the Sun, as all are part of the Sun's solar system. Sun is the external body which illumines all these planets & these planets have to depend on some outer body like Sun to have their existence / life. Similarly other Solar systems are there, in which also other Suns sustain their planets. In Material World no single planet is self illumined, that means all planets have to depend upon some other celestial body like Sun to illumine them & give life to them.

In Spiritual Worlds it is not like that. Spiritual Worlds are abodes of God Himself & there is no need for any external body like Sun to illumine it. These are illumined by the power & Grace of God Himself, that is the reason that these Planets / abodes of God are Self Illumined in nature. These planets are full of beauty & there is no disease etc. on those abodes. A person's soul always remains in Blissful & Happy state over there. These Spiritual Worlds are beyond the Material Worlds. Below verse of Bhagwat Gita explains that these abodes are Self Illumined in nature.

"na tad bhasayate suryo
na sasanko na pavakah
yad gatva na nivartante
tad dhama paramam mama" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fifteen verse 6)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, That God abode of Mine is not illumined by the Sun or Moon, nor by fire or electricity as these are Self Illumined in nature. Those who reach there never return to this material world again."

Now how we can attain to these Spiritual Worlds? If we believe in God & invoke Him by prayers daily, then He shall certainly come to our rescue, as He always comes to the rescue of His devotees. So by the devotion, prayer to the Almighty, He shall arrange for our stay in the beautiful Spiritual Worlds which are abodes of God Himself.

God Himself is declaring below in Bhagwad-Gita that, a person can come to Him through devotion.

"man-mana bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yaji mam namaskuru
mam evaishyasi satyam te
pratijane priyo ’si me" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 65)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My devotee."

As God is the Supreme Soul from whom all these souls have emanated, so worshipping him constantly, one shall be established in the soul & shall attain a blissful life.

"bhaktya mam abhijanati
yavan yas chasmi tattvatah
tato mam tattvato jnatva
visate tad-anantaram" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 55)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God."

So let's be devoted to God as worshiping Him we shall be able to transcend this Material World & shall be able to enter the beautiful Spiritual World which is abode of God Himself.

Jai Sri Krishna

Our Interpretation of God

"There are four blind men who discover an elephant. Since the men have never encountered an elephant, they grope about, seeking to understand and describe this new wild being. One gets hold of the trunk and concludes that it is a snake. So for him elephant is like a snake. Another explores one of the elephant's legs and describes it as a tree. So for him elephant is like a tree. A third one finds the elephant's tail and announces that it is a rope. So for him elephant is like a rope. And the fourth blind man, after discovering the large body of the elephant, concludes that it is, after all, a wide mountain.

Each in his blindness is describing the same thing: an elephant. Yet each describes the same thing in a radically different way. We all are like those blind men only in our knowledge of God who describe the God as per our own understanding. Now say a fifth man (who could see) comes to the scene and he were to describe the elephant as an elephant, then he would tell clearly about the elephant as it is."

Same is the case that only a true master who has seen God actually can tell how God looks like. Let's seek such a True master, Great soul or Guru who shall tell us about the true nature of God & shall lead us to Him.

In Fact God is our faith that a Supernatural Power exists in this universe which has created us & all other universal forms. He is having supernatural powers, who is omniscient (knows everything), who is omnipresent (who is present everywhere), omnipotent (who is having all the powers & is all powerful), who is infinite, who is imperishable & indestructible. Faith of ours in such a big & great entity having all the powers is known as God.

In below quotes of "Bhagwat Gita" Lord Krishna is saying to Arjuna about the nature of God:

"bahir antas cha bhutanam
acharam charam eva cha
suksmatvat tad avijneyam
dura-stham chantike cha tat" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Thirteen verse 16)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, The Supreme Truth exists outside and inside of all living beings, the moving and the nonmoving. Because He is subtle, He is beyond the power of the material senses to see or to know. Although far, far away, He is also near to all."

"sarvatah pani-padam tat
sarvato ’ksi-siro-mukham
sarvatah shrutimal loke
sarvam avrtya tishthati" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Thirteen verse 14)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Everywhere are His hands and legs, His eyes, heads and faces, and He has ears everywhere. In this way the Super soul exists, pervading everything."

"avibhaktam cha bhutesu
vibhaktam iva cha sthitam
bhuta-bhartr cha taj jneyam
grasisnu prabhavishnu cha" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Thirteen verse 17)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Although the Supersoul appears to be divided among all beings, He is never divided. He is situated as one. Although He is the maintainer of every living entity, it is to be understood that He devours and develops all."

"jyotisam api taj jyotis
tamasah param ucyate
jnanam jneyam jnana-gamyam
hridi sarvasya visthitam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Thirteen verse 18)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, He is the source of light in all luminous objects. He is beyond the darkness of matter and is un-manifested. He is knowledge, He is the object of knowledge, and He is the goal of knowledge. He is situated in everyone’s heart."

As God is someone Superhuman, having Infinite size, knowledge & powers, then it is very difficult for us with limited knowledge & power to fully understand & describe the God in total. Let's seek a True master, Great soul or Guru who knows God fully, the one who can tell us about the true nature of God & can lead us to Him.

Jai Sri Krishna

Bhagwat Gita Quotes on Soul

Whole philosophy of Bhagwat Gita is about "Body & Soul" & what is the differentiation between the two. On the one hand Body is said to be perishable while the Soul is immortal which never dies. Lord Sri Krishna in Bhagwat Gita is only teaching that we should consider ourself as that immortal Soul & that we all are immortal if we do not think ourselves as this Body but Soul.

Soul, Spirit, Atman, Self etc. are words which are used to define subtle nature of ourselves which is invisible & mysterious. Soul is something which is within this body & something which can exist without this body. When soul lives in this physical body then it enjoys the different sensory objects through this body. Soul is indestructible & immortal. It moves from one body to the other. As we are not able to see this Soul due to it's subtle nature so it looks mysterious to us.

Now let's understand about the Soul through the Bhagwat Gita. As per Bhagwat Gita both God (Super soul) and the Individual Souls do exist & It also believes in the incarnation of the individual souls, their delusion and bondage to the cycle of births and deaths because of desire ridden actions. As per this, Soul at death gets released from this body, rises to the higher worlds (heaven etc.) or to the lower wombs (animals, birds etc.) & reincarnates or return to the earth to continue its cycle of births and deaths.

Below are Quotes in Bhagwat Gita, which describe the Soul, or Atman, in detail:

"dehino-asmin yatha dehe
kaumaram yauvnam jara
tatha dehantar-praptir-
adhiras tatra na muhyati" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 13)

"Sri Krishna said: Just as boyhood, youth & old age are attributed to the soul & the embodied soul continuously passes through these cycles, similarly the embodied soul passes into another body at death. The wise man does not get deluded & bewildered with such a change."

"avinasi tu tad viddhi
yena sarvam idam tatam
vinasam avyayasyasya
na kascit kartum arhati" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 17)

"Sri Krishna said: Know that to be imperishable & indestructible, by which all this is pervaded; for none can bring about the destruction of this indestructible substance, the imperishable soul."

"antavanta ime deha
nityasyoktah saririnah
anasino ’prameyasya
tasmad yudhyasva bharata" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 18)

"Sri Krishna said: All these bodies pertaining to the indestructible, immeasurable and eternal living entity / soul are spoken of as perishable; therefore, fight, Arjuna."

According to Bhagwat Gita, the Soul, or Atman, neither slays not can it be slain (Chapter 2.19).

"ya enam vetti hantaram
yas chainam manyate hatam
ubhau tau na vijanito
nayam hanti na hanyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 19)

"Sri Krishna said: They are both ignorant, he who knows the soul to be capable of killing and he who takes it as killed; for verily the soul neither kills, nor is killed."

According to Bhagwat Gita, the Soul, or Atman, is never born, never dies and after coming into existence never ceases to be. It is nitya (always), shasvatah (permanent) and purana (very ancient) (Chapter 2.20).

"na jayate mriyate va kadacin
nayam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyah
ajo nityah sasvato ’yam purano
na hanyate hanyamane sarire" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 20)

"Sri Krishna said: The soul is never born nor dies at any time. Soul has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. Soul is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. Soul is not slain when the body is slain."

"vedavinasinam nityam
ya enam ajam avyayam
katham sa purushah Arjuna
kam ghatayati hanti kam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 21)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, how can a human being who knows that the soul is indestructible, eternal, unborn and immutable kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?"

According to Bhagwat Gita, the Soul, or Atman, does not suffer & cannot be tainted. At the time of death it does not die, but leaves the body and enters into a new one (Chapter 2.22).

"vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya
navani grhnati naro ’parani
tatha sarirani vihaya jirnany
anyani samyati navani dehi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 22)

"Sri Krishna said: As a human being puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones."

According to Bhagwat Gita, the Soul, or Atman has the properties that Weapons cannot pierce it, fire cannot burn it, water cannot moisten it and wind cannot dry it (Chapter 2.23).

"nainam chindanti shastrani
nainam dahati pavakah
na chainam kledayanty apo
na sosayati marutah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 23)

"Sri Krishna said: The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind."

According to Bhagwat Gita, the Soul, or Atman, is impenetrable, incombustible, all pervading, stable and immobile (Chapter 2.24).

"acchedyo ’yam adahyo ’yam
akledyo ’sosya eva cha
nityah sarva-gatah sthanur
achalo ’yam sanatanah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 24)

"Sri Krishna said: This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same."

According to Bhagwat Gita, the Soul, or Atman, is invisible, imperceptible and immutable (Chapter 2.25).

"avyakto ’yam acintyo ’yam
avikaryo ’yam ucyate
tasmad evam viditvainam
nanusocitum arhasi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 25)

"Sri Krishna said: It is said that the soul is invisible, inconceivable and immutable. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body."

"atha chainam nitya-jatam
nityam va manyase mrtam
tathapi tvam maha-baho
nainam socitum arhasi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 26)

"Sri Krishna said: If, however, you think that the soul [or the symptoms of life] is always born and dies forever, you still have no reason to lament, O mighty-armed."

"prakriteh kriyamanani
gunaih karmani sarvasah
ahankara-vimudhatma
kartaham iti manyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 27)

"Sri Krishna said: The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature."

Lord Krishna knew the limitations of human consciousness to gauge the true nature of the inner soul. So in the Bhagwat Gita it concurs that no one can exactly know what a soul is. Someone looks at It with great surprise, another speaks about It with great surprise, some another hears about It with incredulity and yet another after hearing about It knows it not (Chapter 2.29).

"ascharya-vat pasyati kascid enam
ascharya-vad vadati tathaiva chanyah
ascharya-vac chainam anyah srnoti
srutvapy enam veda na chaiva kascit" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 29)

"Sri Krishna said: Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all."

Below verse tells how Soul is superior to matter; mind, senses & intelligence:

"indriyani parany ahur
indriyebhyah param manah
manasas tu para buddhir
yo buddheh paratas tu sah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 42)

"Sri Krishna said: The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he [the soul] is even higher than the intelligence."

So in this way Soul is a Mysterious thing & can be understood if you have faith in God & in religious scriptures.

Jai Shri Krishna

Prayers that God hears

Those who have faith in God, generally Pray for Him. Prayer is an act of addressing the God with devotion for the purpose of worship. Prayer is a way of having a personal experience and intimate connection with our loving God. Prayer can be done during the worship or can be done just silently in our mind. Through prayer we have a personal experience & an intimate connection with our loving God. If we pray to God with sincerity then He shall answer to our prayers immediately.

Below are some beautiful Prayers that God responds to very quickly:

1) "O My Lord, You are My Supreme God. You are the Giver of everything in my Life. Each and every moment, You cherish and nurture me; I am Your child, and I rely upon You alone. Your greatness cannot be described by the tongue as you are Unlimited, Infinite Lord and Master of everything in this world & no one knows Your limits.

2) "O My Lord, as I am ignorant one, so You destroy all of my sins and teach me in different ways. O Lord, be always merciful on me & always save me. I seek Your Sanctuary as You are my only hope. You are my companion and my best friend. Save me, O Merciful Savior Lord."

3) "O My Lord, Give me the strength and understanding to resist anxiety, anger, envy, depression, bitterness, hopelessness, loneliness, fear and guilt. Help me to live in Your joy and peace. Save me when “my heart within me is distressed. Pl. help me so that my life is free from all such negative emotions. When I am tempted to give in to them, show me Your Truth & Grace."

4) "O My Lord, I give you my hands to do Your work; I give You my feet to go Your way; I give You my eyes to see as You see; I give You my tongue to speak Your words; I give You my mind that You may think in me; I give You my spirit that You may reveal in me. Above all, I give You my heart that You may love in me - love the Lord and love all humankind. I give You my whole self, Lord, that You may grow in me, so that it is You who lives, works and reveals in me."

5) "O My Lord, You Are My Mother, Father, You Are My Kinsman And Friend, You Are My Wealth Of Knowledge, Strength, Power And Velour, You Are My All God Of Gods, so have mercy on me".

6) "O My Lord, by the power of Your quickening Spirit, let me touch the lives of others for good, whether through the word I speak, the prayer I speak, or the life I live. O Lord give me the strength to live in Your Spirit".

Just like Prayer to God, Chanting is also used to invoke the God. Chanting can be done individually or as a group practice. "Divine Chants" are chanting the names of God which give peace of mind. Listening to these chants regularly gives lot of peace of mind. These Divine Chants can make people dancing to it's tune to ecstasy. Some of the beautiful chants are here. Just click on the link to see these chants.........Divine Chants.

Below are verses of Bhagwat Gita in which Lord Krishna is telling about His devotees & how He always protects them:

"ye tu sarvani karmani
mayi sannyasya mat-parah
ananyenaiva yogena
mam dhyayanta upasate"

"tesam aham samuddharta
mrityu-samsara-sagarat
bhavami na cirat partha
mayy avesita-cetasam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Twelve verse 6-7)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, But those who worship Me, giving up all their activities unto Me and being devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and always meditating upon Me, having fixed their minds upon Me, O son of Pritha—for them I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death."

"mayy eva mana adhatsva
mayi buddhim nivesaya
nivasisyasi mayy eva
ata urdhvam na samsayah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Twelve verse 8)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Just fix your mind upon Me and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt."

"ye tu dharmamritam idam
yathoktam paryupasate
sraddadhana mat-parama
bhaktas te ’tiva me priyah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Twelve verse 20)

"Sri Krishna said: 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 let's always engage in devotional service of Lord. Let's read spiritual literature, always sing His glories so that He can always be merciful on us. If we shall do such devotional service to God then we shall get special mercy of the Lord & we shall attain to the devotion of the Lord.

Jai Shri Krishna

Bhagwat Gita quiz contest conducted in Pakistan School

Karachi, Jul 4: At the time of religious intolerance in Pakistan, shlokas from Bhagwat Gita reverberated at a school here during a quiz competition to test the knowledge of Hindu boys and girls about their religion, leaving the minority community having something to cheer about.

For months now, the Hindu community in Pakistan's southern Sindh province has been complaining of bias and injustice over the issues of kidnappings and forced conversions but for a change they celebrated being able to organise a religious event without any problems.

The quiz competition testing the knowledge of the Hindu boys and girls about their religion - Sanatan Dharma - was enthusiastically participated by at the Santa Maria school in Karachi's Gizri area. Read More................Bhagavad Gita quiz contest conducted in Karachi school

Supreme Power of The Universe

All the religions of the world, whether it is Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Taoism etc. believe in "One Supreme Power". This Supreme Power is given a different name in all these different religions but all say that there is One Supreme Power out of which this universe has emerged. This "One Supreme Power" is eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent, and complete in all respect.

This "One Supreme Power" is the Originator of the Divine Law through which this whole Universe works in Divine order. Such Divine order can be seen in our day to day life like rising of Sun, Nourishing of all nature born species etc. We can see all such Divine order, all around us. Human mind let's us understand the outer natural world, but human insight makes it possible to experience the Divine Law in nature. This Divine Law is Supreme. This Earth, Heaven & all the Cosmos were created according to that Divine law. This Supreme Divine law can be understood from below analogy:

Every morning, Sun emerges from the eastern horizon & dispels the darkness of the night. With the help of light of the Sun, whole world gets lit up & all creatures are able to sustain themselves. Sun is the source of energy to this world & it's energy nurtures our earth just like a mother feeds her children. Now just imagine, if Sun stops rising in the morning. In such a case all the creatures including us shall come to perish for the want of sunlight & it's energy.

Who has created this Sun & who in this Universe is ensuring that it rises daily from the east to sustain all creatures? Certainly no human being has done this. Sun was created by the Supreme Power called God & only He is ensuring that it rises daily from the east & that all creation is maintained. It all happens according to that Supreme Divine law which is maintained by that "One Supreme Power" called God.

In general God is the faith of human beings that a Supernatural Power exists in this universe who has created us & all other universal forms. He is having supernatural powers, who is omniscient (knows everything), who is omnipresent (who is present everywhere), omnipotent (who is having all the powers & is all powerful), who is Infinite in size, knowledge & powers, one who is imperishable & indestructible. Faith of humans in such a big & great entity having all the powers is known as God.

In Bhagwat Gita Chapter Ten, Lord Krishna is saying that he is the source of all beings & gods. Not even that as per Lord Krishna, all these universes & creations spring from but a spark of His splendor only.

This whole world has it's existence in that Universal Soul (God) only. God is like the ocean & you are like a wave of that ocean. We all are waves of the same Ocean. There is no higher or lower wave. As the waves and the ocean are one, so are you, part & parcel of God only. One's ego only separates one from the God. Just lose your ego & dive yourself in the ocean of Universal Soul.

When a fire is burning, many sparks come out it. Similarly, all these souls have come out from that Universal Soul. "Mundaka Upanisad" explains that only:

"tat etat satyam yatha su-diptat pavakad
visphulingah sahasrasah prabhavante
sa-rupah tathaksharad vividhah saumya
bhavah prajayante tatra caivapi yanti"

The Supreme God is real and eternal. As many thousands of sparks come from a blazing fire, so many different living entities are manifested from the imperishable Supreme God and then again go & merge into Him.

In Bhagwat Gita also God says that this whole world & it's people are nothing else but part & parcel of Him only. Just like clusters of Yarn-Beads are woven on a thread, so is this whole world threaded in Him. So You are nothing but a "Spark of the Divine".

"mattah parataram nanyat
kincid asti dhananjaya
mayi sarvam idam protam
sutre mani-gana iva" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Seven verse 7)

"Sri Krishna said:
There is nothing else besides Me,
Like clusters of Yarn-Beads,
Formed by knots on a thread,
All this world is threaded on Me (universal soul)."

So let's believe in that "One Supreme Power" & worship that Supreme Power who is ruling this Universe, someone who is all powerful. One who is all knowledge, one who is imperishable & indestructible. Such a divine entity having all the powers is called GOD.

Jai Shri Krishna