The Advent of God upon Earth

THE ADVENT OF GOD UPON THE EARTH

Author: Priya Nath Mehta, M.Sc.,M.S.(Harvard)

President: World Prayer Day

GOD AND THE UNIVERSE

There is this vast and magnificent Universe around us only a fraction of which we are beginning to understand through the instruments of science. While religions had spoken of the Glory of God's Creation it was left to Science to actually fathom the extent of this Glory. Science tells us that beyond the reach of telescopes and other instruments of detection the Universe extends to all of Infinity. It is Infinite in Space and Time.

Science also tells us that the Universe arose out of a big bang billions of years ago. Highly compressed and condensed matter exploded producing the expanding universe as we see it. As to who put the compressed matter there, science has no answers.

Religions on the other hand speak of the creation of the universe as an act of God. God willed that the Universe come into existence and it came into being.

If we can believe in dead matter creating the Universe why cannot we believe in God creating the Universe ? Of the two theories i.e. whether dead matter created the universe or whether God created it, it appears more plausible to accept the concept of God as the creator.

There is a table before you. Its structure shows that it was made with some purpose. Surely the wood did not cut itself, and the nails did not hammer themselves in of their own accord. Science would never accept the concept of pieces of wood and nails joining together by themselves to create a table. The existence of the table points to the existence of a Carpenter who made the table.

There is a beautiful painting before you with a landscape, rivers and mountains and people portrayed in it. It has a variety of colors each placed in the right place. Would we accept the view that the painting arose out of a random explosion of paint and paint brushes? No scientist would be willing to accept it. The very existence of the painting points to the existence of an Artist who created it.

There is a beautiful prose before us with meaningful words, lines and paragraphs and pages, which carry a beautiful theme. Would we be willing to believe that this beautiful prose was created by a random spilling of ink on paper ? No scientist would accept that the random spilling of ink could give rise to pages and pages of meaningful prose. The existence of the prose proves the existence of a writer in whose hand the pen moved with ink and spelled out the innermost thoughts of his mind.

Then, again, no table can create another table, far less create a conscious being. So how can dead matter create an orderly universe with conscious beings in it, which has a definite purpose and in which mathematically accurate laws of science operate with such perfection ? Surely these laws were not the creation of dead matter.

The Universe is the greatest proof of the existence of its Creator, God.

And if someone asks: if God created the Universe, then who created God? The answer to that question is: that if we can say that the Universe was, it is, and it shall exist forever, why can we not say that God was, He is, and He shall exist forever?

If we can think of a Universe of dead matter existing all by itself since eternity, why can we not think of God existing all by Himself since eternity?

Also, the size and extent of the Universe show us that its Creator must be All Powerful, All Knowledge, and Infinite. When we think of God as being Infinite, the question of someone creating God does not arise. Only limited finite objects are created and destroyed, but not so that which is Infinite. He was, He is, and He shall be forever. He has been defined to be Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent.

God and the Universe

God is He before whom the entire Universe exists like a tiny mustard seed, and who can exist in His fullness even inside a tiny mustard seed; who can exist even within the tiniest of atoms in existence. There is not an iota of Space and Time that does not contain God. Separate from Him Space and Time cannot exist. All of Space and Time exist within His Infinitude. God is Omnipresent. He must be present in His totality everywhere. He is present within us all.

We cannot divide God into parts. Think of a string. God exists in the string. Now if we were to break the string into two halves, would we say that only half of God exists in each half of the string ? No we would have to say that the whole of God exists in each half of the string. If we break the string up into numerous parts, could we say that only a part of God exists in each part of the string? No. We would have to say that the whole of God exists within each and every part of the string. If we were to divide the parts into tiny atoms we would have to admit the whole of God within each of the atoms. And if even the atoms were to vanish we would have to admit the existence of the whole of God at every point in space and time.

Also when we assume that God is Infinite, then we have to admit that nothing can exist outside of God. If even one man were to assert his own existence outside of God, God would no longer be Infinite because one person would have been taken out of the Infinite, thus making it finite. Therefore for God to be Infinite everything must exist within the Infinity of God. And the great wonder of all wonders is that, though being Infinite, He exists in His fullness in each and every point in space and time within the Infinity of his own existence.

Scientists visualize an Infinite Space somewhat like this: Infinite Space is a circle with an unbounded circumference inside which every point is a center. We cannot think of infinite space as being an infinite circle with a well defined center. To speak of the "center" of infinite space is contradictory to the idea of an infinite space itself. There can only be a "center" in a finite space with definite boundaries. If space is infinite, every point in it is as much a center as any other. Thus we can visualize an Infinite Space being filled with an Omnipresent God at each and every point in Space and Time. God is an Infinite sphere whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere.

We can think of the concept of Omnipresence in another way as well. A man is singing in a radio station. His song goes out as radio waves. His whole song will be heard at each and every point of space wherever there is a receiving set. This means that the whole song is omnipresent in the space where the radio waves exist.

Two Schools of Thought

There are two schools of thought. The first says that everything that exists comes from Him. And the second says that everything that exists is He, Himself.

There is not much of a difference between the two, because if everything comes from Him, then it contains His qualities. He is the Artist and the Universe His painting. The artist is portrayed in his creation. A singer is portrayed in his song. A man is portrayed in the multiplicity of his thoughts. God is portrayed in the multiplicity of His Creation.

And if the Universe is He, Himself, then again the Universe must contain His qualities and attributes and be filled with His presence.

God: Finite or Infinite?

The first view says that God and His Creation are separate. We would then have to ask ourselves: is God finite or Infinite? If He is finite then the Universe He has created must also be finite. A finite God cannot create an infinite Universe.

If we were to think of a finite God, this would mean that a space would exist where the finite God would not be present. This would lead to the proposition that there could be another finite Being as well in that space. Because if God is finite, then there is place for another finite Being to exist. And if there be two finite Beings, then they could have two separate wills. One would want the laws of science to operate in one way, while another would want these laws to work in His own way. For example, one would want the sun to rise from the East, while the other would want it to rise from the West. And if both the Beings happened to be Powerful, the net result would be confrontation, total chaos and destruction.

However one can reconcile oneself to the idea of separate Beings existing side by side, -provided they have identical Wills. Which would in a deeper sense imply that they would all have to be united and be considered as One. The concept of a finite God leads us into many difficulties, not the least of which is the limitless Universe around us.

Yet, the concept of a finite God can co-exist with the concept of an Invisible Infinite God. The finite God would then be the representative of the Invisible Infinite God. This would be like the President, the Prime Minister, etc., who are the representatives of an invisible power known as the Government. The Invisible Infinite God would then be like a government with various representatives, all of whom conform to the same laws.

The Universe: Finite or Infinite?

A Finite Universe:

If God is Infinite, then the Universe He has created must either be finite or infinite.

If we say that the Universe is finite we are thinking in terms of an Infinite God who has a finite universe outside of Him. But this would contradict the hypothesis that nothing finite can exist outside of infinity. To say that a separate finite world exists outside of an Infinite God would be to imply that the finite Universe begins where God ends. And if we think of God ending anywhere, it would mean that God has boundaries, and therefore He is limited and not Infinite, which would be contradictory to the hypothesis that God is Infinite. We therefore have to give up the idea of a finite Universe. The revelations and theories of science would also have us believe that the Universe is Infinite.

An Infinite Universe:

Now if we were to say that an Infinite God created an Infinite Universe, we would be implying that an Infinite God and an infinite Universe can exist side by side. However this goes against the definition of infinity. There cannot be two infinities existing side by side. There cannot be two unlimited entities existing side by side. To say that two infinities exist side by side would be to put boundaries and limitations on both of them. We would have to say that one of the infinities began where the other ended; which would mean that they would both become limited and finite. We are therefore forced to conclude that there is an Infinite God, and He is the only infinity in existence and that everything else that exists, including the infinite Universe, exists in Him and is not separate from Him.

God appearing as the Universe:

The second school of thought says that the Infinite God is appearing before us in the form of His Universe. If the Universe is He, Himself, then the Universe portrays the qualities and characteristics of God. It must be a manifestation of God Himself. God is that Absolute Existence in which everything exists.

God is like the blackboard on which the numerous shapes and forms of the Universe are exhibited but which have their reality only in the blackboard. God is like that screen on which the film of the Universe and everything that dwells in it is portrayed. Without the screen the film cannot exist.

The Universe exists in the thought of God. Think of yourself as dreaming. Your dream world presents a whole world in itself with people, places and events. All of them appear to be real. The people even appear to interact with each other, to love and quarrel, to cry and laugh and to have individual existence of their own. But they are in fact non-existent. It is you appearing as this myriad of images in your dream.

In a like manner this Universe and everything that it contains is the thoughtof God in which God Himself is appearing in the myriad images of His own Creation. When God chooses to dismiss this thought, the Universe will cease to exist.

Finding the Creator

H.H. Shri Bhola Nathji often recited this verse in Urdu:

"Maarfat khaalik ki aalam men bahut dushvaar hai,

Jab ke shaihre tan men khud apnaa pataa miltaa naheen."

"How canst thou find the Creator in His Universe,

When thou cannot even find thyself in the abode of thy body."

You say " I exist." But where is your "I" within your Body? Is it the heart or the brain, or the hands and feet, or the chest and back, or is it a combination of all the limbs and organs of your body? Where does your "I" reside within the body? You cannot say. It is there and yet you cannot say it is in any specific part of the body. You have to say it encompasses the entire body. If a part were to be separated you would still admit of the whole of the "I" within the body. It is difficult, if not impossible, to find your "I" within the complex structure of your body.

How much more difficult it is to find God in the Infinity of His Creation! He exists everywhere and yet he is nowhere to be found.

God: the Absolute Existence

God is that ocean of Existence in which the Universe and everything that exists in it, exist like numerous bubbles, waves, and whirlpools in an ocean. These names and forms arise in water and are nothing but water. God is Absolute Existence, and everything that exists in the Universe is a manifestation of that Absolute Existence. Numerous waves, bubbles and ripples are born in this ocean and die in this ocean of existence, but in reality they are neither born nor do they die, they are all different faces of the same ocean of existence.

You cannot fathom the full extent of the ocean, but you can see a wave on its surface. In a like manner you cannot fathom the Infinity of God but you can perceive Him in a special human form of His choosing.

God is like the SEED that gave birth to the Universe. The seed vanishes and produces a tree with a myriad of leaves, flowers and fruits. The seed is nowhere in sight but there is this great manifestation of diversity before us in the form of the tree. Ultimately the fruit on the tree produces the very seed which gave birth to the tree. The ultimate end of the evolution is in the seed itself. The Universe sprang from God and everything in it evolves towards God.

Science is struggling with the concept of an Infinite Universe and indeed with the concept of Infinity itself. Indeed all of philosophy and science and theology can scarce hope to describe the Reality of God. Therefore has it been said in the Hindu Vedas about God:

"Yato vaacho nivartante apraapya mansaa sahaa"

He is that, who is beyond thoughts, words and intelligence.

Indeed to seek to describe God with words and intellect is to limit the illimitable.

The human mind is not even capable of describing the taste of a fruit, using its entire faculties. You have eaten a mango. You are asked to describe its taste. You will say: "It is sweet." But how sweet? What is the exact taste of the mango? Can the mind and the tongue describe it? No. The taste of the mango would remain an indefinable quality. So it is with many things that the human mind cannot describe or define.

How then can the limited human mind be capable of describing the infinity of God? Man can at best experience God, but He cannot describe Him or define Him.

The Act of Creation

All the religions of the world are surprisingly unanimous about the act of creation. The Universe arose out of the Will of God.

The Bible says: "And God said, Let there be light and there was light."

And the Universe was created.

In the Hindu Scriptures, it is written that, in the beginning, God said"Akohambahusyaam. I am One let there be many." And the Universe, theBrahmaand, came into existence.

In the Mohammedan religion it is written that in the beginning there was the Creator who said: "Kun !" i.e. "Exist!" And the Universe came into existence.

In the Sikh religion it has been said : " Nirguna aap, sarguna bhee ohi" i.e."All that exists before us, the Invisible and the visible, is He Himself."

The question arises: If in the beginning there was only God, the Creator, then from where did He get the enormous matter with which to create the Infinite Universe?

The answer is : The Universe was an act of His Will. The Universe exists in His Will. The Universe exists in His thought. If a man can create a dream world full of mountains, rivers and living beings in his sleep, why cannot God create such a magnificent Universe in His thought or His Will?

Before a singer begins to sing, the song is within him. When he starts singing, his song comes into existence. The song is not separate from the singer; it is He, Himself, in the form of his song. The song originates in Him. The Universe exists in the Will of God and shall continue to exist for as long as it is His Will to preserve the Thought of Creation.

As it has been said in the Bible:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

A seed disappears, but it appears in the form of a tree with branches, leaves and fruits. Though the seed is no more visible yet it exists in the form of the tree and its multifarious manifestations. In a like manner God concealed Himself like the seed, but manifested Himself in the form of the Universe.

Question: Why did God create this Universe?

The only answer to this question is that it was His Will to do so, and it is only He who knows why He created it. No human being is capable of deciphering the Will of the Creator. The imperfect cannot understand the perfect. A child in grade school cannot understand a Ph.D. Man, who can hardly understand the full extent of the Universe around him, can hardly be expected to understand why God created the Universe. As a matter of fact man cannot even understand God. Only God knows about Himself.

A man cannot fully understand another man, no matter how close he may be to that other person. He can only tell as much about that person as that person reveals to him, and it is difficult for him to know everything about that person, it is difficult for him to fathom the innermost recesses of the other person's mind.

As a matter of fact, a man cannot even fully understand his own self, because he does not understand his entire personality and his thoughts to their fullest extent. No man can predict what thought is going to enter into his mind at the next moment or how he is going to act in any unforeseen situation. Therefore no man can fully understand himself or introduce himself to another person, far less introduce another person.

Thus when man is incapable of introducing or understanding his own self or even his closest friend or relative, how can man introduce God to anyone?

How can man understand God? The imperfect cannot understand the perfect.

Yes, man can only understand God to the extent that God reveals Himself to him. A father who knows that his child cannot run, must walk slowly with the child at first, and later make the child walk with him when the child has grown up. As man evolves more and more spiritually, God reveals more and more of Himself to him, and he comes to have a greater and greater understanding of God. But even then no man can understand God in His totality. The finite limited self of man cannot understand the Unlimited Invisible Self of God, unless God reveals Himself to him. You can see the Sun only with the light of the sun.

There are some who look upon the Universe and say (in Persian):

"Haq jaane jahaanasto jahaan jumlaa badan Tauheed hameenasto deegar haa hamaa fan ."

"God is the Soul of the Universe, and the Universe His Body,

This alone is Truth, and the rest is conjecture. "

A Scientist's View

Albert Einstein, the greatest scientist of the twentieth century, had this to say about God :

" The most beautiful and most profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the power of all true science. To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the Highest Wisdom and the Most Radiant Beauty which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms - this knowledge, this feeling is at the center of true religiousness."

Science has helped man to learn about the vast inexhaustible storehouse of God's Knowledge in the Universe. Scientists are thus revealing the Face of the Knowledge of God, which is that of the Highest Wisdom and the Most Radiant Beauty.

God is described in the Hindu scriptures as:

Satyam Shivam Sundaram

He is Truth, He is Eternal, He is Beautiful.

God has also been described in the Hindu scriptures as:

Sat - Chit - Anand

Truth - Consciousness - Bliss

Indeed these attributes exist in the Universe around us. However most of the time man perceives only the Truth and the Consciousness. Bliss is evasive. It comes only when man has reached God. Therefore in order to attain everlasting happiness or eternal bliss one has to realize God. Herein lies the significance of God Realization.

Does God Care for the World He created?

The question arises: even if there is a God who is All Powerful, Infinite Omnipresent and All Knowledge, how do we know that He cares for us? How do we know that He loves us and will help us when we need Him? How do we know that He cares for the world He has created?

The people who really tell us about God directly are the saints and sages, the prophets and saviors, the avatars of God that come into the world from time to time. They contain in their personalities certain qualities that ordinary humans lack, and which are altogether divine. These are the qualities of God. It is these messengers of God that tell us that God loves His creation and is concerned for the welfare of humanity. If we believe in them, God becomes a reality for us.

For example, intoxication cannot be proved in the wine. It cannot be proved in the bottle or the cup. But it can be proved in the person who has drunk the wine and whose actions and words show as much. In a like manner even though we cannot directly perceive the qualities of God, we can see these qualities manifested in those persons who have God within them. And these personalities universally tell us that God is Love and God is Peace, that He loves us and cares for us and wishes to grant salvation to us and that salvation is another name for everlasting happiness - eternal bliss.

The Eternal Quest in Man

One thing is very clear that the foundation of human existence must be on Love and Peace. Bereft of these two qualities mankind would destroy itself in no time. We cannot experience Love and Peace in the insentient matter that surrounds us in the Universe, vast though it be. We can experience it only in the midst of living beings.

Everyone in the world desires a happiness that never ends, a love that brings fulfillment, a life that is eternal, a knowledge that is limitless, a strength that is insurmountable, achievement that is unsurpassable, a peace that is everlasting.

Atheists and believers both desire this. And these are the attributes of God, Heaven and Salvation as well. Therefore in that sense all are consciously or unconsciously going towards God. Knowingly or unknowingly all have the desire for God within them. This has been placed in their hearts since the dawn of creation. It is a need inherent to life itself.

We see around us that for every need in the world there is an answer. And the answer to the need has been provided by the forces of Nature even before the need arose. For the eyes there is light, for the lungs there is air, for thirst there is water, for hunger there is food, for the tongue there are things to taste, for the ears there are sounds to listen to, for the mind there are thoughts and inspirations.

For the helpless child there is the protective mother. For every need in life there is a corresponding answer. Imagine the state of man if he had been given thirst but no water had been created to satiate the thirst! Or if he had been given lungs but no air to breathe.

The Answer to the perennial need: God

In a like manner there is an answer to the perennial need in man for a never -ending happiness and eternal life. And that answer is God. Every problem in the world must have a solution. And if there is a problem to which there is no solution, then such a problem is without meaning it is a fiction. The answer to every question lies in the question itself. Three plus three is equal to six. But from where did we get the six? From three plus three.

Imagine you are looking at a word in some foreign language which you cannot understand. You will merely see the design and lettering of the word without being able to understand more. But if you know the language, you will see, not only the word, but also its meaning. This Universe is like a word before us, and the meaning of the word is God.

There are some who look upon the world and say that God is nowhere. And there are others who perceive the same world and say that God is Now Here.

When we look upon the Universe only externally we fail to see God in it. However when we understand the real meaning of the Universe we see God within it and we see GOD IS NOW HERE in the midst of GOD IS NOWHERE. We have only to change our angle of vision and place the W with the NO to make it NOW HERE from NOWHERE.

The eyes that see a word are different from the eyes that see the meaning of a word. Wisdom alone is not enough. A purity of the heart is essential in order to know God.

As Lord Christ said in the Bible:

"Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God."

If God is Omnipresent - present in all places at the same time - it should not be too difficult to find Him.

As H.H. Shri Bhola Nathji said:

“He who has not given up the ways of vice,

He who cannot control himself,

He whose mind is not at rest,

Can never realize God,

Though full of learning of the world."

"His Glory is in every sphere

And all things whisper, 'God is here.' "

"O He, after whom I ran from place to place,

Suddenly I found Him sitting in my heart, face to face."

In Persian it has been said:

"Choon dil raa saaf kuni chu aayinaa

Beshak jamaale yaar numaayed moaayinaa"

"When we clean our heart so that it becomes like a mirror

We shall see within it the reflection of our Eternal Friend."

The Question of Faith:

HH. Shri Bhola Nathji once met a philosopher who had come from Europe.

Philosopher: " All the religions of the world stand on a belief in God and an after life - what if there is nothing beyond? "

HH Shri Nathji : " And what if there is ? What is the harm in believing?"

Philosopher: " I can only believe in that which I can see with my own eyes. I have not seen the Kingdom of God or God so why should I believe in them?"

HH Shri Nathji: "You told me that you had come from Europe. But I have never seen Europe. Therefore using your logic I can state that I do not believe in the existence of Europe because I have not seen it with my own eyes."

Philosopher: " But I can prove the existence of Europe."

HH Shri Nathji: "Then, please do so."

Philosopher: "Many things come here which have been made in Europe. They prove the existence of Europe."

HH Shri Nathji: "We have this Universe before us. It could not have created itself. It has been made by God. It proves the existence of God."

Philosopher: "There are many books that come here which have been printed in Europe. They prove the existence of Europe."

HH Shri Nathji: " There are many books that come from God that prove His Existence - the Vedas, the Bible, the Koran, the Zendavasta, the Grant Sahib, the holy books of all religions of the world."

Philosopher: " But there are people who come from Europe and who prove that Europe exists."

HH Shri Nathji: "There are persons who come from God and who prove that God exists. These are the saints, sages, prophets, saviours, and avatars of all the religions of the world. I, too, have come from there."

Philosopher: "Come, we can settle this point once and for all. I have come from Europe, I will take you there."

HH Shri Nathji: "But why should I believe you? How can I go with you to a place the very existence of which I doubt ?"

Philosopher: "I have come from Europe. I am not misleading you. You must accept my honesty and integrity. You must believe in me. You must have faith in my words."

HH Shri Nathji: "If the whole matter comes down to FAITH, then why don't you have faith in me when I tell you that there is a Kingdom of God and that I have come from there?

All the religions of the world exist on the foundation of FAITH. The saints, sages, prophets, saviors and avatars of all the religions of the world who came down upon this planet earth, claimed to have come from God and to have brought His message with them. They were men of truth and purity, with an unquestionable honesty and integrity. They desired nothing from anyone and had only the welfare of humanity in their hearts. It was unthinkable that they would try to mislead anyone. To believe in their words is the easiest way of reaching God. "

Philosopher: "But there are many false guides."

HH Shri Nathji: "One should be happy that there are false guides. They only go to prove that there is a genuine guide. Imitations merely prove the existence of the real diamond.

If there is truth within you then you shall surely find the truth. When the desire for God arises within you like an intense thirst, you will not have to find the real guide, he will come and find you."

God the Seed
God was like a seed that disappeared from sight and brought forth this multi-splendoured Universe. A seed that goes into the ground vanishes at first but later appears as a colourful tree with numerous branches, leaves, flowers and fruits. The seed that was ONE manifested itself as MANY. Unity revealed itself as Diversity.

The same atoms and particles that constituted the Universe gave rise to the existence of man.

The world was a vast place. Numerous races and inhabitants dwelled therein. All of them had been created by God. And God loved them all equally. He revealed Himself to various people upon earth at various times, appearing before them in the garb best suited for them, speaking the language they spoke, and being one of them in their midst. Over the ages, whenever a need arose for God to manifest Himself upon earth through some Being, such a personality was born upon this earth.

God the Sun

We can understand the relationship of God with man if we think of God as the Sun and the human beings like its multifarious rays. The Sun is light and only light. Its rays are also light. However when the rays begin to think of themselves as separate entities that exist outside of the Sun, they become mentally separated from the Sun. But when the rays think of themselves as light and only light, they become united with the Source of Light, the Sun.

This is God Realization. A realized soul is one who has understood that he stems from God like a part from a whole.

God the Ocean

We can think of God as an ocean and the numerous human beings as drops of water that exist in the ocean. When the drops are inside the ocean they are a part of it and experience their oneness with the ocean. But when they are scattered hither and thither from the ocean they experience their littleness and desire to be united with the ocean once again.

When this desire for re-union becomes intense, it propels them through space and time. All of Nature extends a helping hand. The winds evaporate the drops of water, and they fly high up into the sky where they become a cloud. After days of wandering, the cloud finds a place above the ocean and the drops see their goal below and wish to be united. Finally, they come down as drops of rain. There is then the final and inevitable union of the drop of water with the ocean.

And even as the drop of water falls into the ocean, there is a voice that says: "I am the ocean." The voice is not that of the drop of water but rather that of the ocean, which has merged the drop into itself.

God and the Individual Soul

In a like manner, the individual soul was one with God, but for some reason it became separated from God and was born into the world. For years it wandered hither and thither searching restlessly for its goal. And when it finally found God, it merged into God. There was then a voice that rang out: "I am God." The voice was that of God and not that of the individual soul, which had merged into God.

Indeed a human being cannot say: " I am God." This would imply a limited human "I" which is separate from God and which is proclaiming that it is God. This would be a contradiction. It is only when the limited "I" has annihilated itself by merging into God that a voice rings out saying: " I am God." And the Voice, then, is the Voice of God.

To merge into God is to annihilate one's ego, to acquire a purity where one sees God and only God within oneself.

There are some who come into this world and acquire these virtues, whilst there are others who are born with them. They are like the fish that knows how to swim from birth. Others may learn how to become excellent swimmers but no one can become like a fish.

These are the great saints and sages, the prophets and avatars who have no ego within themselves and who have annihilated their "I" to merge into God. The voice that says ," I am God" is the voice of God within them.

The Advent of The Great Souls

There was the advent of Zoroaster in Ancient Persia who spoke about the Glory of God -Ahura Mazda. There was the advent of Ram and Krishna in India, who were regarded as incarnations of God. There was the advent of Buddha in India who was regarded as a great savior, and even as God, Bhagwan Buddha, by many. There was the advent of the great prophet of the Jews, Moses, who heard the voice of God and conveyed His commandments to the people of Israel. There was the advent of Jesus Christ who called Himself the Son of God and who was considered to be one with God. There was the advent of the Holy prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammad, who revealed the Holy Covenants of Allah through the Holy Koran. There was Guru Nanak in India who preached a message of love and unity that gave birth to the Sikh Religion.

These are recorded instances of the advent of these great souls upon the planet earth, all of whom claimed to have brought a message of Love and Peace to mankind from God. It is possible that other Great Souls appeared in other parts of the world as well, who did their work and left the planet earth as silently as they had come without leaving a trace of themselves in the history of mankind.

Since the world was a vast place with different people speaking different languages and living in different regions with different customs and beliefs, God had to provide for them all by sending different Beings at different times in different regions and different countries. Yet all these Great Souls were the manifestations of the One Great Reality, God.

Surprisingly, even though these personalities appeared at different times and in different places all over the globe, they all preached a message of Love and Peace.

The Advent of Religion

Later, religions were built around these personalities. These religions became draped in orthodoxy and ritual. The followers of these religions began quarreling with the followers of other religions, and thus there were wars and persecutions in the name of these Great Souls, all of whom had preached a message of Love and Peace. Instead of uniting man as they were intended to do, religions became yet another barrier between man and man. The fault lay not with the founders of these religions, nor with their message, the fault lay with their followers who indulged in wars and persecutions and who lost the essence of their Masters' Message.

He, who despises the religion of another, has in fact not understood the tenets of his own religion, because no religion preaches hatred or war. Deep down in the core of very religion there is God and His Love.

Is the knowledge of God finite or Infinite?

The obvious answer is that the knowledge of God must be Infinite because God Himself is Infinite. Scientists are discovering more and more of the marvels of His creation at each and every stage, at each and every moment of time. The knowledge that lies in the infinite stretches of the Universe is yet to be reached and deciphered. Perhaps man may never be able to fully comprehend the Infinite Knowledge of God.

What about the spiritual knowledge that was revealed on earth by the Great Souls? Was that knowledge finite or infinite? It was obviously finite, as it was capable of being written down in books that were limited in length. We cannot say that that knowledge contained everything that God had to say. We cannot say that the spiritual knowledge of God was finite and could be compressed into a few thousand pages in the scriptures of various faiths.

Since His knowledge is Infinite, theoretically no books on earth would be large enough to capture all of it. There is obviously much more of God's Knowledge than that which was revealed to man through His saints, sages, saviours, prophets and avatars.

For example if God is an infinite ocean of knowledge, He poured forth only that much knowledge as the limited vessel of man could contain.

We cannot say that more revelations shall not be forthcoming from God, or that He will be subjected to restrictions or limitations by rigid dogmas of mankind. He is Master of His own Will, and the most powerful of all, who can do as He pleases, whenever He pleases to do so. God cannot be bound down by rigid, orthodox beliefs that force Him to remain Invisible or Visible, or to confine Him to any particular religion or sect or people. God is universally meant for all. The great religions of the world are meant for all the people of the world not for just one race or region. God revealed His sacred truths upon earth so that they could reach out to the entire world.

Isolation in the ages past

However during the times when these great religions of the world appeared, people were cut off from the rest of the world. Science had not sufficiently advanced to allow news to travel across the globe as quickly and as easily as it does now.

Since the Great Souls appeared during a time when the people of the world were relatively isolated from each other, it was natural for every tribe or sect to think of itself as a especially chosen people and to forget about the rest of the world.

The Age of Communication

Now that the world has entered a phase where communication has become easy and the peoples of the world appear to be closely knit and integrated, and where the advancement of science and civilization has brought the people of the world together as never before, the time has come when the Great Souls and the Great religions they represented shall become universally accepted by all - as belonging to the people of the earth. Had these Great Souls appeared before mankind in an age of scientific advancement people would have had a very different concept of religion today.

Imagine seeing Christ, Buddha, Krishna over satellite television and listening to their words. Imagine the Sermon on the Mount in the original voice of Lord Jesus, or the Geeta being narrated by Lord Krishna Himself, or the eightfold path being explained by Lord Buddha Himself. Imagine having all these personalities speak to you in your homes through your television sets or computer screens.

The people of the world would have come to know of them and to accept them or not accept them according to their own choice or inclination. Orthodoxy and bigotry as it exists today would have no place in such a modern setting.

What an experience it would have been to have actual films and photographs of these Great Souls instead of the images and icons based upon the imaginations of devout artists. Mankind would then have seen with their own eyes what Divine Glory and Divine Beauty the countenances of these Great Souls carried, and how these personalities were different from the rest of mankind.

Life on other worlds

With the possibility of life on other worlds in the Universe becoming a distinct reality, we can think of the religions that must exist in other worlds as well and of the Messengers and Incarnations of God, and the Prophets, and Avatars that must have been born there. It is clear that if God cares for His Creation. He must provide for all the peoples who exist in his Universe in whatever galaxy or stellar system they may be.

Indeed it would be a very narrow view that would state that God sent His messengers and saviors, prophets, and avatars only upon this planet earth and ignored the rest of His creation consisting of billions and billions of worlds in outer space in the Universe.

It is quite obvious that the evolution of religion must keep pace with the evolution of science.

There was a time when people believed that the earth was the center of the universe and the rest of the universe revolved around it. Although it was comforting to those who believed that the people on earth were especially chosen by God, yet the theories were wrong.

People had to accept the advancement of science which showed that the earth was merely a tiny speck of creation in the Infinite Universe. As a matter of fact it was so small in comparison to the stars and galaxies and clusters of galaxies in the infinite stretches of the Universe that its existence could be ignored - except for the fact that it was the people on the earth who were discovering these facts.

The discovery of the Infinite Universe by mankind leads at once to the concept of a God who exists not for just one man, or one religion, or one nation, or one planet, but for the entire Universe.

We have to think in terms of a Universal God - the Grand Creator of the Universe-

Who appears in different places at different times in various garbs.

As H.H. Shri Bhola Nathji said :

"All have one Father and all are His children. In this thought all religious differences can cease to exist."

It has been written in the Geeta, the Holy Book of the Hindus:

(Sanskrit)

Ye yathaa maam prapyadante tanstathaiv bhijaamiham

Maam vartmaanuvartante manushya paartha sarvasha

No matter which path man may choose to come to me,

I go out to meet him along that very path.

It is also written in the Hindu scriptures:

"Ekamsad vipra bahudaa vadanti"

He who exists is One, sages call Him variously.

God within us

God is Omniscient. He is present everywhere at the same time. Therefore each and every person in the world already has God within him, though in a concealed form.

The Invisible Electric current cannot be seen in the Power House, it cannot be seen in the electric wires. It can be seen only in a bulb in which it manifests itself as Light. In a like manner the Eternal Invisible God can manifest Himself through a human form of His own choosing.

Since God is All Powerful and All Knowing He can do whatever He wills at any time and at any place. There is no one who can place a restriction on him, for no one is as Powerful as He.

He can come down upon the earth as many times as He wants to. He can come down for the sake of the entire world, or just for the sake of a few. He can come down and be recognized by the whole world or else He can come down and be recognized by no one. His is a Truth that can stand all by itself.

God is Love

God exists within us as Love. Love is the foundation of human existence.

Within every man there are two faces: the face of his human existence, and the face of the God within. He is filled with qualities that are altogether worldly and selfish, and qualities that are altogether divine. The forces of evil, selfishness, hatred and war exist within him, side by side with the forces of goodness, unselfishness, mercy and love.

There are qualities within him that are altogether bad, and qualities within him that are altogether good. When the baser instincts in man overshadow the godly qualities within him then he becomes the personification of "man". But when the godly qualities within him overpower the evil tendencies within him, then he becomes the personification of God. Indeed this is the difference between an ordinary person and an avatar of God. This is what distinguishes the Great Souls from ordinary humans.

God is present in the hearts of all as Love. Whenever selfless love manifests itself in any person, the person finds himself drawn towards goodness and peace, and everything that can be described as godly.

A person may deny the existence of God, but he cannot deny the existence of Love. We love ourselves, we love our family and friends, and in general we love the world, and we exist on the foundation of this Love. God is Love.

Good and Evil

We see around us two opposing forces. There is Light and there is Darkness. There is Love and there is Hatred. There is Peace and there is War. There is Evil and there is Good.

It is a natural law that man must go from darkness to light because that is his basic need. Similarly a man must go from evil to good because that is his basic need.

Evil is a veil between man and God.

Let us look at the word EVIL. If we read it backwards we get LIVE. Thus evil tells us to live. But where? In Evil ?

No. Darkness tells us that we must live in Light. Darkness forces us to seek Light. It is a very good teacher. When we stumble in the darkness we are all at once forced to seek Light.

In a like manner when we cannot find any satisfaction in evil we are forced to go to GOOD. In other words Evil forces us to seek Goodness.

When we come to GOOD and begin to live in it we find some satisfaction in it, but at the same time we are filled with the pride of being good. This, once again brings before us our baser instincts and we cannot find complete satisfaction in being Good.

This is because our ego begins to assert itself. It is only when we remove this ego from within us and become like a "zero" that we reach God. Think of yourself like a "zero" a "O", and remove it from GOOD. What do you
get? GOOD minus "O" is equal to GOD.

It is thus that we reach the God within us. A Zero by itself is nothing but when it comes before ONE and acknowledges its own nothingness, it becomes TEN by this Union. Similarly when man humbles himself before God in all earnestness and good faith, he becomes filled with the Glory of God.

Thus it is that we come to the God within us, a God who is always there but who is veiled by our baser instincts, selfish desires and pride. When we empty ourselves of these, we come face to face with God.

Think of a glass filled with water. How can you bring air inside it ? You cannot catch the air with your hand and force it into the glass of water. The easiest way is to throw the water out of the glass - and air shall enter into the glass by itself. Similarly, the heart of man is filled with the desires of the world. He cannot, try as he may, bring God within it. But if he throws away his desires, God enters within his heart all by Himself.

O He, after whom I ran from place to place,

Suddenly I found Him sitting in my heart- face to face.

The Avatar of God

The human form that God chooses to make His appearance in the world is known as an Avatar of God. The Universe is a great miracle of God, and the advent of the Avatar in it is another great miracle. An Avatar is an answer to the need of the times.

We may look upon the concept of the Avatar in another way. Think of the Sun. If it were to come down in the fullness of its Light and Heat everything would perish. However the sun sends a ray of light from a distance. The ray enters your eye, and it reveals the sun. The Avatar is like such a ray of light. He is in human form. It is a form that man can understand. Behind the finite human form there is the Infinity of God.

By choosing a special human form in which to make His appearance, God does not become finite. He remains Infinite in his own true Self. We can understand this by thinking of the space around us. It is infinite in extent. Suppose we place an empty glass in this ocean of space. There will be space in that glass as well. The space in the glass will be the same infinite space that exists outside of it as well. By virtue of the limited glass vessel the space may appear to be limited, but it is in fact Infinite in its true extent reaching out everywhere in the vast stretches of space. If the glass were to break there would just be the Infinite Space as always.

Therefore even when God manifests Himself through some personality in human form, He remains Infinite and Invisible at the same time, and is present everywhere in the Universe as always.

The lives of the Great Souls reveal to us that these Great Souls were absolutely bereft of ego. They were emptied of self and possessed of God. Their actions were absolutely unselfish. They desired nothing from mankind. They had come only to give freely of themselves and to bring the eternal message of Love and Peace to mankind. They had come to relieve mankind of its sorrows and sufferings on the physical plane, and to bring humanity to salvation on the spiritual plane.

When God reveals Himself in human form through a personality of His choosing, He curtails His Infinite powers within the sphere of the human body, while outside of the human body He is His usual Infinite Self. The Avatar lives upon earth like any other human, with the same frailties of the human flesh. If at all the Avatar uses his divine powers it is for the benefit of the people, and not for his own glorification.

God manifests Himself upon earth in human form in accordance with his laws which are for the betterment of mankind. Whenever there is a dire need for His appearance upon earth He dons the mantle of a human being and is born upon earth to live as a mortal amongst mortals.

The Advent of the Avatar

The Advent of God upon earth is given in the Urdu verse below by H.H. Shri Bhola Nathji:

"Jab kabhi chalti hai baade intazaare raihbari,

Seenaye dariyaaye Haq kartaa hai ik soorat ayaan."

Whenever the winds of expectancy sweep the earth for the coming of a Great Soul,

That Great Ocean of Truth produces from its bosom such a Personality.

Lord Krishna who was regarded as an Incarnation of God Himself, said this in the Geeta:

"Yadaa yadaa hi dharmasya glaanir bhavate bhaarat,

Abhyuthaanam dharmasya tadaadmaanam srijaamiham

Paritraanaye saadhunaam vinaashaaya cha dushkritaam

Dharm sansthaapnaarthaaya sambhavaami yuge yuge"

Whenever evil is exalted and righteousness is on the decline,

Then I myself come Forth;

To protect the righteous and to destroy the evil doers

I come into this world from age to age.

The question may arise: is such a personality a Messenger of God or is He God Himself in human form?

The answer is: that there is not much of a distinction between the two. We may accept Him in any manner that appeals to us. A messenger of God brings the message of God and comes armed with the powers vested in him by God. On the other hand God in human form would also carry the message of God and be armed with the powers of God. What mankind is concerned with is the message the personality brings. And that in either case is the Message of God.

In a strictly physical sense such a personality may appear to be separate from God because of the limited human body in contrast to the Infinity of God, but on the spiritual plane the two are united. Such a personality is one with God and is a manifestation of God upon earth.

The personality that comes upon the earth is in answer to the need of the times.

Since the personality must be born in a particular place at a particular time he must of necessity come in the garb of the people of that region, speaking their language and being a part of their culture. However despite his identity with the people of the particular region where he is born, He is meant for the whole world. Even though his work be confined to that particular region and to the people there, in a greater sense his work is meant for the whole world.

The Saviours of mankind

Coming back to the prophets and saviours of old, we see that they appeared in the world at a time when they were most needed. Throughout the ages whenever the forces of evil, unrest and darkness had begun to prevail, some Personality had to appear upon earth in that particular region to show mankind the way. In India there was the advent of Lord Rama at a time when evil had reared its ugly head as Ravana; then there was Lord Krishna who appeared at a time when spiritual values were again on the decline and evil had appeared in the form of Kansa and the Kauravas. In early Persia there was the advent of Lord Zoraster who brought the eternal message of Light at a time when darkness was on the rise. There was the great prophet of the Jews, Moses, who came to lead the people of Israel out of slavery. Then there was Lord Christ who came to show the way to salvation to mankind at a time when The Roman Empire had become a force of oppression. There was the Holy prophet of Islam who brought righteousness and the Holy Message of Allah to the people of Arabia at a time when it was needed most. There was Guru Nanak in India who sought to revive spiritual values.

These are the recorded instances of the great souls. However one does not know how many times and in which regions other such Great Souls appeared where their advent was not recorded.

If we study the teachings of these Great Souls we come to the conclusion that deep down in the core of every religion there is God and His Love.

Recognising the Great Souls

The question arises: how can one recognize such personalities who are either messengers of God or can be described as God Incarnate ?

The answer is that such personalities can only be understood by those to whom they choose to disclose their real selves. The sun can only be seen with the light of the sun.

The lives of these Great Souls is above desire. They do not live for their own sake but for the sake of the world. They are like the candle that burns only to give light to others and has no other purpose for its existence. They carry within them the flame of Love for all of humanity.

God: Invisible and Visible

If people can believe in an Invisible God , or God in the form of images, icons and idols, then it should not be difficult for them to believe in God in human form. H.H. Shri Bhola Nathji would often quote a verse in Urdu which contained the feelings of a poet yearning to see God:

"Na too phool ban ke chaman men aa,

Na too maah ban ke falak pe aa,

Ye tamaam jalve samet kar

Kissee aam faim phaban men aa"

Appear not before me as a flower in the garden,

Appear not before me as the moon in the sky,

Keeping all these glories with Thyself,

Appear before me in a form that I can understand.

H.H. Shri Bhola Nathji would also quote the famous Urdu poet in India, Sir Iqbal,who expressed his yearning for God in human form in the se words:

"Kabhi ai haqueeqate muntazar nazar aa libaase majaaz men

Ke hazaaron sajde tarap rahe hain meri jabeene niyaaz men "

"O Thou much awaited Reality, appear before me in Human Form,

For thousands of prostrations await their fulfilment upon my forehead."

God in human form

Man, being in human form, finds it easy to understand God when God appears before him in human form. Man, being in a human body, can relate to God in human form. Consider a man and a woman. The two can only marry when both are in human form. If one of them is and visible and the other is invisible, no marriage can take place.

God knows of the hearts of all. For those who desire God in an invisible form, He remains Invisible, and for those who desire God in a visible human form , He assumes a human shape.

All the people in the world are free to worship God in any form they may choose. They stand united together in the knowledge that they are all worshipping the same God in different forms and different names. This is like all the rivers flowing down to the same ocean.

Unity in Diversity

Let us look at a circle. It has a circumference, radii and a center. When we look at the circumference from the center we see a variety of different radii that diverge along different paths. However, when we look from the circumference towards the center, we see the radii converging to the center. In this world around us with its manifold diversities we can either focus on the differences that surround us or else see an underlying unity.

The concept of God has existed in the heart of man since the dawn of creation. It is like a latent thirst. When the thirst becomes intense, man begins searching . Call water by any name you like, in any language of the world, but water is basically that which satisfies your thirst. One can drink it from a cup or a glass or a jug, but it shall remain what it is - water. In a like manner there is this spiritual thirst in man which can be fulfilled in a variety of different ways. Each person is welcome to choose his own path.

When man starts getting an answer to his prayers - whether from an Invisible God or God in human form - he is convinced of the Existence of God. Think of yourself standing outside a closed house. You call out and ask for something. And that thing is thrown out of the house towards you. You call out for something else and even that is given you. You become convinced that there is someone inside who is listening to your prayers and who has the power to grant you your wishes. Your Faith then becomes firm. Even if later there were to be no answer from within the house, you would know that there is someone inside, who had earlier answered your prayers.

The World in Waiting

People of all faiths and beliefs had been waiting for someone to come. The Hindus envisioned the coming of the Kalki Avatar in the Age of Darkness, that was the twentieth century. The Christians envisioned the second coming of Christ. In the Muslim faith there was the reference to the Imam Mehdi. The Buddhists envisioned Lord Maitreya. So much so that every sorrow stricken soul in the world was waiting for someone to come and heal the wounded hearts of men.

Now either all these different Beings were to appear separately or else they were to appear as One Being in which each would find his own. For long now religion had become the unwitting cause of separation and division amongst the people of the world, even though all the Great Souls had preached the same message of Unity and Love.

The process of evolution was to bring upon earth a Being who would confirm that all the people in the world were the children of the same God, and that they were all brothers, regardless of their differences in race, religion or colour. That their Creator was One and His real face was that of Love. And it was He who had been appearing before them over the ages in some form or another.

H.H. Shri Bhola Nathji

It was in keeping with the Divine Law that H.H. Shri Bhola Nathji came down upon this planet earth. In his incredibly beautiful and divinely radiant personality each found His own. In him all differences vanished and people became conscious of the overpowering Love of God that transcended all boundaries. He came upon the planet earth at a time when weapons of mass destruction were threatening to engulf the entire human race in a nuclear holocaust. His presence upon the earth at such a critical time saved the world from the most terrible disaster in its entire history.

His voice rang out in Persian as he called out to all of humanity:

"Baaz aam dam , baaz aam dam, baaz aam dam.

I have come again, I have come again, I have come again."

The Advent of H.H. Shri Bhola Nathji shall always remain as one of the greatest events of the twentieth century. It was a century in which God chose to come again upon the earth in human form.

H.H. Shri Bhola Nathji said:

“For those who desire God in an Invisible form, I remain Invisible,

And for those who desire God in human form, I take on a human shape.

But in myself, I am neither Visible nor Invisible."

”Sometimes I reveal myself,

Sometimes I conceal myself,

But within myself, I am neither revealed nor concealed."

"Remember, I am yours,

When I am near I am yours,

When I am far I am yours,

In every sorrow I am yours,

In every joy I am yours,

In life I am yours,

And in death I am yours."

Prophecy about the Internet

In l932, when computers and the Internet had not come into existence, H.H. Shri Bhola Nathji had predicted the advent of the Internet, which he described as the "Office of the World ".

In his book "Zahure Haqueeqat" i.e. "The Revelation of Truth", published in Urdu and Persian in l932, in Lucknow, in India, he had written this verse in Persian :

"Hargiz na meerad aanke dilash zindaa shud ba ishq,

Sab dast bar jareedaye aalam davaame maa"

"He never dies whose heart is made alive by Love,

In the Office of this World, the Seal of Immortality shall be mine. "

Priya Nath Mehta
M.Sc.,M.S.(Harvard)
nathji@hotmail.com

Copyright © Priya Nath Mehta