Who is God? Does
he exist? Why does he choose to remain invisible to us? What are the attributes
of God? Can monotheism/polytheism be proven? Is God fair to all or does he
allow the innocent to suffer? Does God answer prayers of a sinner? Is God
loving and forgiving or is he cruel and punishing? Is it wrong to be angry or
feel disappointed with God? Does God seek our love, devotion and worship? Can
God really perform miracles? Does God speak to humans? Etc. We all have
struggled with such questions pertaining to God at some or the other point in
our lives. Since time immemorial many scholars, philosophers, gurus have
attempted to understand the answers to all such questions about God. All the
influential religions of the world have described God through their teachings
and scriptures. There are around seven billion
people in this world and each person has his or her own views about God that
are influenced by his religion. I was always fascinated with the fact that
though God has been described in millions of ways yet he enjoys the position of
being indescribable.
My quest to explore God dates back
to my childhood. My maternal grandma played a significant role in orienting me
towards God. As I was growing up she used to narrate me stories related to God,
imparted spiritual teachings and made me understand the subtle messages they
conveyed. I remember visiting Temples and attending Satsangs with her and since
a very young age I actively participated in the discussions pertaining to God.
To my astonishment everybody had varying views about God and they all spoke
about their opinions with outstanding confidence as we speak about our dear
ones. As a child this made me even more curious to find out which view was
appropriate. As I grew up, I realized that there is plethora of views regarding
God varying from individual to individual. Their views can be placed on a long
continuum ranging from the views of people who completely believe in God to the
views of those who are atheists and deny his existence. From nothing to
everything, God enjoys different significance in each and every person’s life.
My interest further collated when I enrolled in a course on Indian Psychology
during the second semester of Post Graduation in Psychology. The course gave me an impetus to look into the
various aspects of our life where we feel the presence of God. As a child I was curious to know his miracles
and now as an adult I was curious to understand his exceptional role in our
lives.
I
often wondered what made god ‘The God’? Is it the product of our imaginations,
faith and beliefs or are we a creation of his imagination? Is it that humans
have created God to establish law and order or is the law and order established
because of God? Is it that we need God or is it that God also needs us? The
questions were many whereas the answers need to be individually looked for. I
began my journey to understand God by exploring his status and relevance in the
lives of different people belonging to various stages of life; and gender. This
exposed me to multiple roles that God plays for them in their day to day life.
Each time I met a new participant my journey became more exhilarating as my own
perspective about God was either strengthened or questioned. However, I was
delighted to know that a majority of people believe in God and his Divine
presence around us. Some of the elderly participants even shared their
experiences about how they realized God in their lives. This motivated me to
work with zest all throughout the study.
My own thoughts and beliefs were
rejuvenated in the process of the research project I had undertaken as a part of the Masters program. Now when I look back I realize that I
have gained an unmatchable experience for lifetime. My perspective to look at
myself, others and God has changed a lot. There might be one God that we all
worship but there are innumerable ways to look at him. After getting an
opportunity to know so many people’s perspectives and point of views, my
personal belief is that God is Faith which is garnered by the Love and Devotion
of a believer. Just like beauty is in the eyes of the beholder similarly God is
in the faith of the believer. The believers see him in the flowers which bloom,
the birds which chirp, the water that flows through the rivers into the oceans,
the sun that gives energy, the moon that gives calmness and everything of the
universe. He manifests himself as love we experience for self, others and
nature. I appreciate that God’s grace has no limits and I am utterly certain it
exceeds any imagination a human being might have of it.
Oh Lord, I seek
you through knowledge, I know of you
I seek you through others, I see your reflection
I seek you within,
I behold you clear
But when I seek
you through all the three, I was illumined
