Chapter 10 :: THE BHAGAVAD-GITA FOR CHILDREN

[Guest guest]

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

love of God is called devotion (Bhakti). If you have devotion, God will give

you the knowledge and understanding of the Self. (Gita 10.10) The more you know

and think about God’s glory, power and greatness, the stronger your love will

grow. Thus the knowledge and love of God go together. Jai:

1"> God is so great, and powerful, how can I really know Him? Grandma:

Nobody can fully know God. He is the cause of cosmic energy and power, a

cause that will always be a big mystery. God is unborn, without

beginning or end. Only God can really know God! (Gita 10.15) If anyone says, I

know God, that person does not know. Anyone who knows the Truth says: I do not

know God. Jai: Then what can we know about God, Grandma?

5.5in 6.0in"> Grandma: God knows everything, but nobody can know God.

According to Sankara, the entire creation is nothing but another form of God.

The creation has come out of God’s energy called Maya|. Everything comes from

Him and eventually goes back

to Him. God is One, but has become many. He is everywhere and in everything.

(Gita 10.19-39) He is the Generator or creator, Operator or maintainer, and

Destroyer of all beings. He creates everything, including the sun, moon, stars,

wind, water,

air, fire, and even our thoughts, feelings, intellect, and other qualities. We

can see His glory and greatness throughout creation. The beautiful sky with

earth and all the planets you see is only a small part of His glory. Seeing God

everywhere purifies our mind and makes us a better person. Here is a story about

how and why we know very little about God.

6.0in">12. The Four Blind Men Four blind men went to see an elephant.

10.0pt">One touched the leg of the elephant and said, “The elephant is like a

pole.” The second touched the trunk and said, “ The elephant is like a thick

club.”

2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in">The third touched the

belly and said, “The elephant is like a big jar” The fourth touched

the ear and said, “The elephant is like a big hand fan.” Thus they began to

quarrel amongst themselves as to the shape of the elephant. A passer-by,

seeing them thus quarrelling, said, “Why are you all quarreling?” They told him

the problem and asked him to be the judge. The man said: “None of you has seen

the elephant. The elephant is not like a pole; its legs are like poles. It is

not like a thick club; its trunk is like a thick club. It is not like a big

jar; its

belly is like a big jar. It is not like a fan; its ear is like a fan. The

elephant is all these --- legs, trunk, belly, ears and much more.” In the

same way, those who argue about the nature of God have seen only one form of

His Reality.

That’s why sages say God is “neither this, nor that”. Jai: What about

people who do not believe in God? Grandma: Such people are called

atheists or disbelievers. They do not believe in the existence of a creator

because they cannot think that such

mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"> a cosmic person or power can exist. So they

question and doubt the existence of God. Their doubts may someday be erased if

they meet and sincerely inquire from a real spiritual master or guru. Atheists

are those whose journey towards God has not yet begun. Doubts arise even in the

minds of believers, so just have faith, believe in God, and do your duty.

Chapter 10 summary:

mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"> Nobody can know God, the Supreme Being, because He

or She is the origin of all beings, the cause of all causes. Everything,

including our body, mind, thoughts, and feelings, comes from God. He is the

creator, supporter, and destroyer of all. He is infinite and has no beginning

or end. The entire universe is the expansion of a tiny fraction of His energy.

(Gita 10.41-42) All deities are just the names of His various powers.

Worshiping God, using any name and form, with faith gives us what we want and

helps us become good and peaceful. "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