The ParamBrahman or the Divine Force is present in all of the creation – living and non living. Before the beginning of creation, only the Light existed and this Light created the Universe as it is today. It is logical that the Universe is made up of the Light of God. We are made from the matter that the stars are made of. In this world, nothing exists but the light, love, power and force of God. The spark of God called the soul is what gives life to this body. Without soul, the body is dead meat and is fit only for burning or burial.
We are taught by the elders of home, the priest and pundits, by Gurus and Realised Ones that God is in all and everything and we must not make a distinction in forms of life. We understand this statement to our convenience and twist it to suit our desires and demands. God is in all – so He is there in lust, in greed, in money, in wealth, in drugs, in drinks, in all the things that we want badly. We indulge in all vices and say that God exists in those. For all our depraved behaviour, we use God as excuse and witness and satisfy our desires. Such behaviour finally leads to pain, misery and self destruction and we blame God for it. We conveniently forget the warnings given to us by the saints and elders regarding walking the right path and dos and don’ts of life. When God is present in all, He is also present in the voices of those who warn us and try and guide us in ways which help us to go closer to the Light. We must live our life with prudence.
Let us see this story told by Sri Ramakrishna of a man who blamed God for what happened to him. A saint lived with many disciples in an ashram in the forest. He always said: See God in all beings. He is present in every living creature – whether it is a man, animal, bird, insect or fish. Recognizing His Presence in all, bow in reverence to Him.
Once, his disciples were in the forest gathering wood for the sacrificial fire. Suddenly they heard someone shouting: Get out of the way! Move quickly! An elephant which had gone berserk was running their way. All disciples scattered away like leaves before the wind except one. This disciple stood in front of the mad elephant saying to himself repeatedly: See God in all. He is present in all -even this mad elephant. So I cannot be harmed! He stood still and bowed in front of the animal and began to sing in its praise. The mahut or the elephant handler kept shouting: Run away, run away. But the disciple did not move.
The elephant seized him with his trunk and cast him aside and went on its way. The force of the throw bruised the disciple and the others came to his help and took him to the ashram. Someone asked him: Why did you not move away when you heard the elephant come? The disciple replied: Our teacher has told us that God is in All and He has taken the form of all creation, man and animal. Therefore I thought that the Elephant God was coming my way and I did not run away.
The saint replied: It is true, that God is in All and the Elephant God was coming your way. But the Mahut sitting on Him asked you to move away and save yourself. Why did you not listen to Him? Live with prudence!
All creation is form of God. Water is form of God. But some water is fit only for washing clothes, some for bathing and some for drinking. The waters of certain holy rivers are used in ritual baths of Gods in temples and at homes. The salt water of sea gives salt and is not used for daily work at home. If we drink salt water, we will be sick and vomit. God exists in the heart of all – the good, bad, ugly, evil, impure, the righteous and unrighteous. When we mix with some people, they cause distress and depression in our hearts and when we move with some others, they uplift us and show us the way to peace and love. We should use prudence and select the right company. God is in all. We are given discrimination and intelligence as to select whom to mix with and what to use and how to be in life. We should not blame God for our lack of application of common sense.
