The truth is that we are children of God and His light shines within us in the form of our soul. For reasons known only to Him, He has separated tiny parts of Him- the souls and clothed them with bodies and created life. Every single thing in existence is a part of Him and we are all reflections of Him. Understanding this truth, experiencing and realizing this within us and living in this truth are the goal of life.
This wonderful truth of life is camouflaged by the beauty of Nature around us and by our sense organs which clamor for fulfillment Intellect and ego operate in us and hide the truth of God within us and around us. We think that we are the body and we are born to fulfill the desires of eating, tasting, seeing, hearing and touching. We are focused on earning name, fame, wealth and power in order to fulfill our endless desires. We are unable to see the forces of Dharma which surge around us everywhere and uphold all creation. We think we do everything. We forget that the body is only a vehicle and its purpose is to help us to live in the right manner and do spiritual practices which lead us back to God. The truth is there beneath our noses but it is hidden under the ego, body, sensory urges and pile of desires just like the truth was hidden from the police officers in the story given below:
Criminal activities were increasing in the town. The police informant had leaked the news to the police that the road outside the town leading to the Creek was being used for smuggling. Smugglers used that route for sneaking goods across the causeway into the town. Security was increased and round the clock checking was on. Policemen were watching all trucks and their drivers and conducting checks on trucks and goods. All suspicious looking characters were taken in for questioning.
A man used to pass by the check-post regularly. He used to ride a bike and carry a huge sack strapped to the rear seat. The first time he went by, he was stopped and the sack was checked by the police. The man claimed that it was sand and he was carrying it to his construction site. On inspection, the sack contained what the man said – only sand. He used to pass by daily riding the motorbike carrying a sack of sand. After several times of thorough checking and finding the claims of sand in sack true, the police officers stopped looking at him. They had no proof of his wrong doing. Sometimes the officers frisked him to check if he was carrying anything on his body. But they never found anything.
One day, one of the policemen on duty at the checkpoint went to a bar after duty. He saw that man sitting there having a drink. The policeman collected his drink and joined him. After a few sips of the drink the policeman spoke to him: I know you are smuggling something. My instincts scream out aloud every time I see you drive pass by. We have checked you enough but never found anything on you. You are very smart. You have always outwitted us. Just between the two of us, can you tell me what is it that you are smuggling? I promise I won’t tell my fellow officers.
The biker looked intently into the policeman’s eyes and decided to tell him the truth. He said: You are right. I have been smuggling something. You policemen are all too smart. You have not been able to guess what it is. He paused. The policeman looked at his face and waited expectantly.
He said: What I have been smuggling was not in the sack on the back seat of the bike. It was the bike itself!
Truth stares at us in the face at all times. But we are unable to see it. We look at only a part of the picture and not the whole and hence cannot see the truth right in front of us. We look for it in all wrong places. Let us learn to see Truth within us and around us. The practices of SitaRam mantra japa, meditation and following the teachings of the Guru help us see the truth and the whole picture of creation. Let us work for to experience this truth by our regular and disciplined practices.
