Oh My God!

DOES GOD EXIST?


The existence of God or otherwise has been a point of debate from time immemorial. We are familiar with the story of Bhaktha Prahlada in the Puranic age who proved the existence of God to his father Hiranyakashipu who was a staunch atheist. Even in the present age, Kaliyuga, a latent doubt persists and pervades all discussions and debates over the existence of God. This is enough proof to show that God experience is a
personal and individualistic experience and does not fall under the purview of generalities.

All religions and scriptures claim that God is realized experientially and through Jnana. In other words, explaining this experience is analogous to describing the taste of sweetness. One can experience sweetness only by tasting it. Besides, sweetness itself has many shades of taste. For example, both jaggery and sugar are sweet but the taste of jaggery is different from that of sugar. Likewise, it is not easy to see God just as it is not possible to see ghee in milk even though we all know that ghee can be extracted from milk after a series of processes. A similar purposeful stirring and determination is needed to know and experience God.

We hear of God; we read of God; we speak of God; we visit temples. Mosques, churches etc and we sing songs and hymns in praise of God. But we do not know exactly who God is to enable us to define and describe him. This is because we have had no experience of God. We have not seen him; we have not spoken to him; we have not heard him; we have not touched his lotus feet. Little wonder that an ever increasing number of young men and women today question the very existence of God. Many indeed echo the famous words of the famous German philosopher and thinker Nietzche “God is Dead”.

This very doubt about the existence of God haunted the mind of young Narendra [later famous as Swami Vivekananda] who asked his Master Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa “Have you seen God?” Quick came the reply “Yes. I have seen God. I see him more dearly than I see you”. Young Narendra was not convinced. He asked the Master “Can I see god?” “Yes” replied the Master “Every one can see God”. Then, after a minute’s silence, the saint said “But where are they who are eager to see God? Men weep for women and women weep for men. Boys shed jarfuls of tears for girls and girls shed tears for boys. Where are they who shed tears in love and longing for the Lord?
Verily, this I say to you that if you will but weep for the Lord with deep yearning in your heart, God will surely reveal himself to you!”

Many decades ago when Marxist communism was in its heydays in Kerala, the Rationalist Movement was spreading its tentacles in Kerala by giving lectures openly not to believe in the existence of God. At a religious meeting, a young man, apparently a communist, got up and said “All this talk about God is nonsense. There is no God! God is only a superstition created by some interested people to dupe the masses. If God really exists, let him strike me dead within three minutes”. So saying he jumped on to the stage, held out a watch and kept on looking at it.

People heard the challenge being thrown in the face of God. The atmosphere at the meeting got tense and charged with suspense. One minute passed. Nothing happened. Two minutes! Two minutes and thirty seconds. The suspense increased. Two minutes and fifty five seconds. No change. Three minutes over and the man continued to live. He declared triumphantly “Did I not tell you that God is dead. If, as you say, an omnipotent God really existed, he would have struck me dead by now. He would have accepted my challenge. But God does not exist. All talk about God is mere nonsense”.

In the meeting was present a simple man—a lover of God and a servant of suffering humanity. He was a person who was moving from place to place [a Parivrajaka] who had dedicated his entire life for the sake of alleviating human suffering in his own limited way. He used to spread the gospel of the love of God towards humanity. He was a Malayali sage by name Sadhu Ittiyana. He saw that the statement of the communist had profoundly affected the audience and thrown many people into confusion. He got up and said to them “Do not for a moment believe that God does not exist. God does exist! And God is Love! Even if you deny him, his love continues to take care of you. He is our heavenly father, more real and more loving than our earthly father. Which father amongst you would be prepared to strike his son dead, only to prove his existence?
If your son threw a challenge at you saying ‘Father, if you really exist, kill me within three minutes’, you would merely laugh at his foolishness”
Hearing this, a wave of joy spread over the meeting. The hearts of the listeners were filled with new faith and they declared and departed shouting loudly with one voice

“God exists! All Glory to Him!”

“For what are men better than sheep or goats
That nourish a blind life within their brain,
If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer
Both for themselves and those who call them friend?
For so the whole round earth is every way
Bound by gold chains about the feet of God”

--Tennyson in ‘Morte de Aurthor



B.M.N.Murthy


ARTICLE NO 479----DOES GOD EXIST
Created: Friday, December 19, 2008 10:41 AM