Maharshi - God - #6 & last

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Question: They say that the jiva (individual soul) is subject to

the evil effects of illusion such as limited vision and knowledge,

whereas Iswara has all-pervading vision and knowledge. It is also

said that Jiva and Iswara become identical if the individual discards

his limited vision and knowledge. Should not Iswara also discard his

particular characteristics such as all-pervading vision and

knowledge? They too are illusions, aren't they?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Is that your doubt? First discard your own

limited vision and then there will be time enough to think of

Iswara's all-pervading vision and knowledge. First get rid of your

own limited knowledge. Why do you worry about Iswara? He will look

after himself. Has he not got as much capacity as we have? Why should

we worry about whether he possesses all-pervading vision and

knowledge or not? It is indeed a great thing if we can take care of

ourselves.

 

Question: But does God know everything?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: The Vedas declare God to be omniscient only to

those who ignorantly think themselves to be people of little

knowledge. But if one attains and knows him as he really is, it will

be found that God does not know anything, because his nature is the

ever-real whole, other than which nothing exists to be known.

 

Question: Why do religions speak of Gods, heaven, hell, etc.?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Only to make the people realise that they are on

a par with this world and that the Self alone is real. The religions

are according to the view-point of the seeker.

 

Question: Do Vishnu, Siva, etc., exist?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Individual human souls are not the only beings

known.

 

Question: And their sacred regions Kailasa or Vaikuntha, are they

real?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: As real as you are in this body.

 

Question: Do they possess a phenomenal existence, like my body? Or

are they fictions like the horn of a hare?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: They do exist.

 

Question: If so, they must be somewhere. Where are they?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Persons who have seen them say that they exist

somewhere. So we must accept their statement.

 

Question: Where do they exist?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: In you.

 

Question: Then it is only an idea, which I can create and control?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Everything is like that.

 

Question: But I can create pure fictions, for example, a hare's horn,

or only part truths, for example a mirage, while there are also facts

irrespective of my imagination. Do the Gods Iswara or Vishnu exist

like that?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Yes.

 

Question: Is God subject to Pralaya (cosmic dissolution)?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Why? Man becoming aware of the Self transcends

cosmic dissolution and becomes liberated. Why not Iswara who is

infinitely wiser and abler?

 

Question: Do devas (angels) and pisachas (devils) exist similarly?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Yes.

 

Question: These deities, what is their status relative to the Self?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Siva, Ganapati and other deities like Brahma,

exist from a human standpoint; that is to say, if you consider your

personal self as real, then they also exist. Just a government has

its high executive officers to carry on the government, so has the

creator. But from the standpoint of the Self all these gods are

illusory and must themselves merge into the one reality.

 

Questioner: Whenever I worship God with name and form, I feel tempted

to think whether I am not wrong in doing so, as that would be

limiting the limitless, giving form to the formless. At the same time

I feel I am not constant in my adherence to worship God without form.

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: As long as you respond to a name, what objection

could there be to your worshipping a God with name or form? Worship

God with or without form till you know who you are.

 

Question: I find it difficult to believe in a personal God. In fact I

find it impossible. But I can believe in an impersonal God, a divine

force which rules and guides the world, and it would be a great help

to me, even in my work of healing, if this faith were increased. May

I know how to increase this faith?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Faith is in things unknown, but the Self is self-

evident. Even the greatest egotist cannot deny his own existence,

that is to say, cannot deny the Self. You can call the ultimate

reality by whatever name you like and say that you have faith in it

or love for it, but who is there who will not have faith in his own

existence or love for himself? That is because faith and love are our

real nature.

 

Question: Should I not have any idea about God?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Only so long as there are other thoughts in the

Heart can there be a thought of God conceived by one's mind. The

destruction of even that thought of God due to the destruction of all

other thoughts alone is the unthought thought, which is the true

thought of God.

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BE AS YOU ARE, DAVID GODMAN