SPIRITUALITY
The knowledge of soul, God and the relationship between the two is called spirituality. Soul and God are not physical entities. Eyes cannot see then, ears cannot hear them, nose cannot smell them, tongue cannot taste them and skin cannot touch them.
There is only one God in the whole universe. The same one God is called by several names like Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh etc. (Rigved 1-164-46). There are innumerable living beings in the universe. Everyone of them has a soul. Therefore the number of souls is infinite. Nyaya Darshan says that who so ever has the qualities of knowledge, effort, desire, hatred, happiness and sorrow has a soul in it. Knowledge and effort are the natural qualities of soul. Other four qualities are acquired by soul when it is in a body. A body is living only became of the presence of the soul. Without soul it is a dead body. The universe is living because of the presence of God.
God and soul are never born, nor they ever die. They always remain there. No one creates them. Soul is not a part of God. Every soul is a different and independent entity.
Soul is extremely small, but God is omnipresent. He is large like the sky. Soul has a little and limited knowledge, but God is omniscient. He knows all that has happened in the past and all that is happening now. God knows even whatever is there in the minds of all living beings. Soul has a limited power, but God is omnipotent. He is capable of creating, running and destroying the universe. He has no agent or middleman like Peer, Pagember and Avtar to help him do His job. He does everything from His inside as there is nothing outside of Him. The whole universe is His body. God does not do His job with hands or feet as He has no such organs. He does everything just with a wish.
He is full of bliss. He is always in a state of ecstasy. He has no special love or hatred for anybody. He is free from lust, anger, greed, attachment or pride. One gets comfort by getting close to God as he gets comfort by getting close to fire in the winter. God is formless. One can realize His presence with a pure mind only as he feels pleasure and pain in the mind.
The soul is free to act when it is in a human body. God gives pleasure or pain and next birth according to the deeds done while in a human body. Lives other than humans act either under someone else’s orders or according to the natural instinct. They have no thinking power. Therefore they are not liable for the results of their actions in these lives. They bear fruits of their actions done in previous lives only. Human beings bear the fruits of their previous actions as well as they do new deeds freely.
I am a soul and not a body. Body is a means to live and deal with the world. It is the soul that is the actor and bears the fruits of its actions. Pleasure and pain are felt by the soul only.
Soul is neither male nor female and not even a third gender. It is said to be of the same gender as that of the body it gets as water is said to be of the same colour as put in it.
You cannot worship God the way you serve human beings. To obey God’s orders of acting truthfully and be just in all dealings is the only way you can worship God.
Kath Upanishad compares the human body to a horse cart. The soul is the owner and rider of that cart, brain – the driver, mind – the bridle and five senses (touch, smell, see, hear, taste) – the horses. Soul the rider of the cart will achieve its goal of right and good deeds only if brain – the driver drives the senses – the horses on the right path by having full control of them through mind – the bridle.
God is the father, mother and friend of all of us. He wishes us well. When a man is about to do a good deed he feels joy, encouragement and fearlessness. That feeling comes from God. When he tries to do something wrong he gets a feeling of fear, doubt and shame. That feeling is also given by God.
Krishan C. Garg
0172–4010679
kcg831@yahoo.com
