Chapter 7 :: THE BHAGAVAD-GITA FOR CHILDREN

[Guest guest]

10.0pt">SELF-KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING Jai: How was our whole universe

formed, Grandma? Does it have a creator?

4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in">Grandma: There is a creator behind any

creation, Jai. Nothing can be created without somebody or some power behind it.

Some power is needed not only to create but also to support and run it. We call

that power God, the Absolute, the Supreme in English, and Krishna, Ishvara,

Bhagava

mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">n, Shiva in Sanskrit. Other religions call that

power Allah, Father, Jehova and many other names. In a real sense, God is not

the creator of the universe, but He Himself becomes everything in the universe.

He manifests as Brahma, whom we call the creator. Actually, Brahma and all other

deities (gods and goddesses) are just names of different powers of the one and

only One God. Due to lack of true knowledge, people think Hindus worship many

gods and goddesses. This is the highest philosophy that you may not understand

it completely now.

Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"> Jai: How does one God become so many

things in the universe? Grandma:

11pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">

According to the Samkhya theory of creation, God’s energy (Atma or spirit)

becomes itself as Nature or matter, made up of the five basic elements. The

entire creation is born and sustained by different combinations of these two

energies: spirit and matter. (Gita 7.06) He is in the form of light in the Sun

and the Moon; He is in the form of mind and strength in human beings. He

digests our food and supports our life. We are all connected by the same spirit

as jewels in a necklace are connected by the same thread. (Gita 7.07)

1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in"> Jai: If God

is everywhere and in everything, why doesn’t everyone understand and love and

worship Him?

5.0in 5.5in 6.0in">Grandma: That is a good question, Jai. Generally,

people have a false idea of God because everyone is not given the power to

understand Him. Just as some people can’t understand calculus or even

elementary mathematics, so people who have no good Karma, can’t know,

understand, love or worship God.

1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in">Jai: Then who

are the ones who understand God? There are four types of people

who worship or seek to understand

God: (1) those who are sick or in some kind of trouble or seek help in doing

well in their studies or work, (2) those who are trying to get the knowledge of

God, (3) those who want money, and (4) the wise ones who know God. (Gita 7.16)

Lord Krishna considers all four types of people as devotees. The wise one is

the best because a wise person worships God without wanting anything from Him.

Even such wise ones completely know God only after many births. (Gita 7.19)

TEXT-ALIGN: justify; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in

4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in"> Jai: If I worship Krishna, can I get good

grades in an examination or get rid of sickness?

FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"> Grandma:

Yes, He fulfills the desires of all who believe in Him and who always worship

and pray with firm faith. God is both our Father and Mother. You should ask God

what you want in a prayer. He fulfills the desires of His sincere devotees.

(Gita 7.21)

FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"> Jai: Then

why doesn’t everybody worship Krishna? Why do we worship Lord Ganesha, Shri

Hanumana, Mother Sarasvati and many other deities?

5.5in 6.0in"> Grandma: Lord Krishna is the name of the Supreme God.

Some sects of Hinduism call the Supreme God as Lord Shiva. People of other

religions call Him Buddha, Jesus, Allah, Father, etc. Other

deities (gods) are a part of His power. Just as all rain water goes to the

ocean, so worship of any deity goes to Krishna, the Absolute. But a beginner

should chose just one of the many deities and establish a personal relationship

by doing Pooj|, or at least Namask

10.0pt">|ra, everyday to the chosen deity. The personal deity then becomes your

personal guide and protector. The personal deity is called IshtaDev or

IshtaDevi, your personal god.

mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">Jai: You said that the entire universe is only

another form of God, is God formless or can God take forms? Grandma:

This big question not only confuses

children, but puzzles adults also. This resulted in creating various sects or

groups in Hinduism. One sect, called Arya Sam|j, believes that God cannot have

forms and is formless. Another group believes God has a form. A third group

believes God is formless and takes forms. Still others believe God is both with

form and without form. I believe everything has a form. Nothing in the world is

formless. God has a form, which is invisible to our physical eyes. He cannot be

understood by the human mind or described by words. Supreme Being has a

transcendental (or out of this world) form and a Supreme Personality. He has no

origin but is the origin of everything. He has no beginning or end. The

invisible God is the cause of the visible world. Invisible does not mean

formless. Everything we see is another form of God. Here is a story about

seeing the Supreme in all beings.

2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in"> 7. See God in All Beings

FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">In a forest lived a

holy man who had many disciples. He taught them to see God in all beings and to

bow down before them. One day a disciple went into the forest to get wood for

fire. Suddenly he heard a shout. “Get out of the way! A mad

elephant is coming!”

10.0pt"> Everyone but the disciple of the holy man ran away. He saw

the elephant as God in another form, so why should he run away from it? He

stood still, bowed before the elephant, and began meditating on God in the form

of the elephant. The mahout (trainer) of the elephant shouted: “Run

away! Run away!”

FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"> But the

disciple didn’t move. The animal grabbed him with its trunk, threw him to one

side, and went on its way. The disciple lay unconscious on the ground. Hearing

what had happened, his god-brothers came to him and carried him to the

hermitage (monastery). With the help of some herbal medicine, he regained

consciousness. Then someone asked, “When you knew the mad elephant

was coming, why didn’t you leave the place?” He answered: “Our

guru has taught us that God is in all beings, animals as well as human.

Therefore, I thought it was only the elephant-god that was coming, so I didn’t

run away.” At this the guru said: “Yes, my

New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">child, it is true that the elephant-god

was coming; but the mahout-god asked you to get out of way. Why didn’t you

trust the mahout’s words? Also elephant-god does not have the Self-knowledge

that all are God!” God dwells in all beings. God is even in the tiger; but you

cannot hug the tiger on that account! Be close only with good people, and keep

away from the evil-minded. Keep away from the unholy, the evil, and the impure,

but don’t hate anybody.

justify; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in

5.5in 6.0in"> Chapter 7 summary: There is only one God, who is called by many

names. Devas, Devis, or deities in our religion are nothing but the names of

different powers of One Absolute God. Deities are different names and forms of

God’s powers to help us worship and pray. Four types of persons worship God.

The entire creation is made up of five basic elements and the spirit. God is

both formless and with form. God can take any form. One

cannot know the true nature of God unless one has spiritual knowledge. "Gurur

Brahma Gurur VishnuGurur Devoh Maheshwar;Gurur Shakshat ParambramhaTashmai Shri

Gurur Veh Namah"May the Merciful Sri Sai Baba always shower His grace on us and

our families and remove our problems and anxieties by giving us all - strength

, goodluck, success and happiness with peace of mind.Sai bhakt,Deepa

Hdebu7366