Beautiful question.
But the larger question is ‘Whether you understand the true essence of God?’
Reminds me of a story.
There was a great Saint – his name was Eknath Maharaj and he lived in Paithan. Although he was an enlightened being, he was also a married man. And he was also the wealthiest man of the town!
Now this is something unbelievable to the common man’s mind. Because how can a SAINT live a grand luxurious life? Because the common belief always has been that a SAINT have to live his life in poverty – in rags and NOT in riches.
But one of the greatest Saint – Eknath Maharaj had shown the world that a RICH MAN can also experience GOD – can also attain the beyond!
The other belief is that a SAINT cannot live a married life.
Eknath Maharaj was such a great man – he executed all his responsibilities towards his family with much love and affection.
One day Eknath Maharaj decided to visit KASHI – he went all the way to KASHI. During those days – such pilgrimages happened once in a lifetime! Eknath Maharaj collected the holy water of the GANGES and was on his way back home – when he came across a thirsty CROW! There was no source of water – and so Eknath Maharaj offered the HOLY WATER OF GANGES to the thirsty crow!
Now tell me – and this question is specifically to my close followers – tell me – “What is it that the CROW would have seen in the MAN who offered him water and saved his life?”
GOD.
You see – any other man or woman would have hesitated because the scriptures say that such a HOLY WATER OF GANGES is for POOJA and RITUALS and for HUMAN BEINGS – but a CROW?
NEVER.
But Eknath Maharaj was a man of awareness – consciousness!
Consciousness knows NO RELIGION, NO GENDER and NO CUSTOMS.
GOD is the ultimate fragrance of your CONSCIOUSNESS.
And it is through CONSCIOUSNESS that all the QUALITIES (PLANETS) within you can EXALT at some point – in some cycle of birth.
Now why we worship PLANET as GOD?
That must be your next question.
Always remember – you are blessed with the QUALITY of a ‘DEITY’ that you worship.
If someone is worshipping VENUS – he will enhance the VENUSIAN qualities within his being.
If someone is worshipping JUPITER – he will enhance the qualities of JUPITER within his being.
If someone is worshipping RAHU – he will enhance the qualities of RAHU within his being. (don’t be surprised because there are many who worship RAHU – because you will worship exactly that planet/deity whose essence (tatva) is already existing within you and is in surplus!)
If someone is worshipping MARS – he will enhance the qualities of MARS within his being.
If someone is worshipping SATURN – he will enhance the qualities of SATURN within his being.
If someone is worshipping KETU – he will enhance the qualities of KETU within his being.
If someone is worshipping MOON – he will enhance the qualities of MOON within his being.
If someone is worshipping SUN – he will enhance the qualities of SUN within his being.
You see – whosoever deity you worship – you enhance the qualities of that deity WITHIN your being.
And then there are those few beautiful souls – who simply worship SHIVA, KRISHNA – the source of CONSCIOUSNESS!
Some call it KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS, some call it SHIVA CONSCIOUSNESS, some call it CHRIST CONSCIOUSNESS – the name differs, the essence remains the same – CONSCIOUSNESS!
Someday you all must read my book – “Gift of Consciousness”.
PLANET represents a certain QUALITY.
While KRISHNA, SHIVA, BUDDHA, JESUS, MAHAVIRA, PROPHET – they are the supreme source of CONSCIOUSNESS – because GOD is CONSCIOUSNESS.
But people are many – this human world is so VAST – so VAST that the MIND simply cannot contain the VASTNESS of this human world – but – CONSCIOUSNESS can!
The majority is busy in appeasing the PLANETS – and so they have made the PLANETS as GODS – which is perfectly fine – because you always worship those whom you ADMIRE – whose QUALITY you want to instill within you.
And then there are those who are in MINORITY – these fellows simply worship the SUPREME CONSCIOUSNESS – by following the PATH of KRISHNA, SHIVA, BUDDHA, JESUS, PROPHET, MAHAVIRA!
The choice is always available – whether you want to follow a certain PLANET or whether you want to follow something that is much HIGHER than the PLANET!
Based on every person’s level of consciousness – he/she makes a choice and walks on the chosen path.
If you ask me – then there is absolutely NO other path as beautiful as divine and as joyous as the PATH OF LOVE & DEVOTION!
GOD is LOVE. And LOVE is REAL.
When you come closer to the state of consciousness, when you are able to expand your level of consciousness – then slowly and steadily all the QUALITIES (PLANETS) within you – start growing, making you a FULL MOON!
It is said that Buddha was born on a FULL MOON day. Buddha attained enlightenment on a FULL MOON day and Buddha left his body – also on a FULL MOON DAY.
Full Moon day is indeed significant day – it is the ‘completion of one full circle’! This one completed circle represents a certain matter, quality, goal!
Always remember – all GOOD QUALITIES comes from the source of GOD CONSCIOUSNESS.
Christ Consciousness or God Consciousness or Krishna Consciousness – the source always is the CONSCIOUSNESS!
The Upanishads mention “AHAM BRAMHASMI” – meaning “ I AM THE WHOLE UNIVERSE.”
In other words the whole universe is within ME! And that is how the UNIVERSAL CONSCIOUSNESS (GOD) is also within us – but since we are SLEEPING (Ignorant) we simply take birth as humans and leave this human world without experiencing – without taking efforts to self-realize and expand the consciousness within us!
And that is the real tragedy of human world – out of million – just a few- very few realize and out of those very few – one or two attain the state of consciousness!
As mentioned by the divine master Paramhansa Yogananda – that all the planets and all the stars and the whole universe has evolved through the cosmic CONSCIOUSNESS – to which we address as Krishna, Shiva, Buddha, Christ, Prophet, Mahavira – because these are the supreme masters who have become ONE with the cosmic consciousness and so they are GODs – they are the COSMIC CONSCIOUSNESS that drives this whole universe – from an ant to a human being!
And so instead of focusing on GOD – we must realize that significance of GODLINESS. Because GOD is not a person.
The Believer never KNOWS God and so he says “I believe in GOD”
The Seeker KNOWS God. Through his penance, through his deep devotion, through his persistence and perseverance – he has experienced GOD and so he never says “I Believe in GOD” – instead he says “I KNOW GOD.”
A Saint will never say “I believe in God.” – He will simply say “ I KNOW GOD.” He has seen GOD – He has experienced GOD – so there is no question of belief – it is a FACT that he KNOWS God.
That is exactly what the Holy Bible mentions:
When you are ABSENT – HE (GOD-CONSCIOUSNESS) is PRESENT!
Buddha always wanted SEEKERS and not BELIEVERS. He always used to say to his disciples “Talk only to seekers, address yourself only to seekers. Don’t waste your time with childish people who are curious about each and everything. Their questions may look great but their hearts are not in their questions. They have asked just to ask; they are not interested in finding the answer and they are not ready to risk anything. If they can get the answer free, maybe they are ready to listen, but they are not ready to pay. And life’s real questions are NOT to be solved in such a cheap way. You have to pay and you have to pay with your whole being. You have to get involved, it needs commitment.”
A student is just curious. He cannot commit. He is already in rush to gather as much knowledge he can – so that he can start his business.
A disciple is not in rush. A disciple can wait and wait and wait – and that is indeed the very first lesson – to BE PATIENT! A disciple is a seeker – he is willing to JUMP – he can RISK his life – and that is exactly what a real master wants – TOTAL COMMITMENT – TOTALITY in DEVOTION and LOVE.
That is why SAINT KABIR used to say “ If you want to come to me – then you will have to CUT your HEAD.”
It means that you have to drop all your LOGIC and just walk with unwavering FAITH in your heart!
People have FAITH in PLANET because from ancient times PLANET have been worshipped as GOD. If you are an artist – an actor – a model – then you would always want to worship the GODDESS APHRODITE (VENUS)!
Just like our Indian society – the ROMANS/GREEKS worshipped PLANET as GOD. And each planet (QUALITY) was allocated a whole temple. Those were the times – PRE-CHRISTIAN ERA – when the whole EUROPE (ROMANS, GREEKS) were idol-worshippers! The Romans and Greeks had build huge temples of Gods and Goddesses and it was general practice as it is in India to worship the Planet Gods and Goddesses.
The ROMAN GODS were primarily named after specific PLANETS. The 12 Roman Gods were: Jupiter, Juno, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Venus, Apollo, Diana, Minerva, Ceres, Vulcan, and Vesta.
The Romans, Greeks (Europe), the Middle East, the MAYA, INCA civilization of the FREELAND which is now known as the AMERICAS – the FAR EAST countries – all civilizations were idol-worshippers and this is now an open secret. It was after the arrival of Christianity and Islam that many civilizations stopped idol worship. But otherwise the whole human world was worshipping idols and many of those idols were also of PLANETS.
Even today – we read news of Lord Ganesha Idol found in parts of the world where nobody knows who is Lord Ganesha? Lord Ganesha idol has been found almost all over the world – from Mexico to Japan!
It is natural for human beings to worship PLANET and STARS as GOD because we resonate with specific qualities of planet and the planet, stars play vital role in influencing the matters on this planet – our mother Earth!
And so all Planets have been worshipped and will be worshipped as GOD – though the whole purpose of my sharing is to help my readers and followers to realize that beyond PLANETS and STARS there is a COSMIC POWER that regulates this whole UNIVERSE and it is called – CONSCIOUSNESS.
You can work on expanding your consciousness, raise the level of your consciousness by meditating – by chanting the holy name of the Lord!
In this AGE – the most simple and sweet way to come closer to the state of consciousness is the way of reciting the holy mantra – the name of your Lord with utmost devotion and unwavering faith. And when you chant – chant with love and not with expectation. A son serves his mother out of love and not expectation. A mother showers her love with no expectations – her love has a fragrance to it – because it is SELFLESS.
That is how your LOVE should be – SELFLESS – with no expectation. And then there is a dance to it, a music, a song – then life starts changing for good because YOU start transforming – the real transformation is the transformation WITHIN.
When transformation begins – slowly the poor quality (PLANETS) within you also start enhancing – that is how a Buddha is reborn – that is how Mahavira is reborn – you will also reborn – only when you start turning inwards – when you start self-realizing that what you SEEK is within you – that GOD is within YOU. The WHOLE UNIVERSE is within you.
The whole message for all my readers, followers and fellow travelers is simple – Do not waste your time in worshipping the PLANETS outside you – because nothing is on the outside – everything is WITHIN you – to find the source – to uplift a certain Planet – you first have to turn inwards and start meditating.
Meditate every day – chant the name of the Lord and always remember – transformation is slow process – and so it is necessary to remember that GOOD THINGS always take time.
A true spiritual seeker is always patient – he perfectly understands that everything happens when the TIME is RIGHT.
Jai Shri Ganesha. Jai Guru.
