Where to find God?

The battle-royal between theists (Astika) and atheists (Nastika) regarding the reality of God has tested and taxed the wits of the warring wizards for long.

Theists expect prior-acceptance of God before proof of His existence can be provided, as God is more of an internal experience.  Atheists reiterate that what does not stand to reason is not acceptable even if the highest authority were to declare it as a dictum. The following enquiry is an attempt to resolve the catch-22 situation, without contesting the conditions of the atheists, or contradicting the contention of the theists. 

The riddle:

1. Many people wonder if God exists. Some again wonder why they can't see the Omnipresent God, despite Scriptures claiming that 'Everything is verily God (Sarvam Khalavidam Brahman)'.

2. Many people wonder if God created life and the lifeless  (life= 'I'/ Jeevas. Lifeless = Nature/ World). Some again wonder when and how creation started, and whether it will have a permanent end (Samhara).

Many people wonder why individuals undergo birth-life-death. Some again wonder if and why they will be born again, and whether they can have a permanent end (Moksha).

3. Many people wonder why they have sleeping, dreaming and waking states (Avasthatraya). Some again wonder why they undergo unending experiences in waking and dreaming states, but not in sleeping state.

The Preamble:

Let us start with riddle 3, by far the simplest to analyze and understand.

Our day (waking state) is followed by night (of almost equal duration). The night has alternating cycles of sleep-dream (of unequal duration). The cycle begins and ends in sleep, with dream state in between.

Correlating/ extrapolating this microcosmic fact with that of macrocosmic existence can be an exercise in confusion/ controversy, unless the associated assumptions appeal to an analytical mind.

Assumptions will be acceptable if they conform to certain conditions of Occam's razor principle.

Simply put, the principle postulates that among competing/ contradictory hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected; then, any change in assumption will not alter the already accepted solution.

Our enquiry actually starts with just one assumption, and that is:

The Created (= Individuals) are made in the image of the Creator (= God).

The offshoot of the assumption is that individuals have the same qualities/ powers/ experiences as that of God, though not on such a grand footing, but on a much smaller setting. (Actually, it's not an assumption, but a fact whose QED we will witness in the end)!

If so, microcosmic experience of sleeping-dreaming-waking states must be similar to that of Creator! It means that a Day of Creator is followed by a Night (of equal duration). It also means that Creator's night has alternating cycles of Sleep-Dream-Sleep.

Creator's night cycle begins and ends with sleep, with dream in-between. But in contrast to humans, God's dream and sleep are of fixed frequency, definite duration and predictable pattern. 

God's dream state is called Manvantra, and His sleep state, Sandhya. In all, there are 15 Sandhyas (Sleep) and 14 Manvantras (dream) during one night of Creator (the cycle always starts and ends in Sandhya).

Now the fascinating part/ fact unfolds:

What we call/ consider/ experience as Creation is actually the dream state of God. We are, therefore, dream-figures in God's dream.

Just like the dream-figures of our dreams have no knowledge about the dreamer's identity, similarly, in God's dream, the dream figures (the Created) have no knowledge about the Dreamer (Creator). This is the reason why no one can see/ know God, despite He being Omnipresent (Sarvavyapi).

Now, let us look at certain concordant and contrasting details between individual and God's dream:

Individuals (Jeevas) being Alpajni (limited knowledge), they have very little memory of their dreams/ dream characters. God being Omniscient (Sarvajni), He has perfect knowledge of His dream process/ figures.

Individuals being Alpashaktiman (limited power), they have no power to start or stall dream, nor control its tenor and tenure. God being Omnipotent (Sarvashaktiman), He has total control over the dream-process and the dream-figures, besides complete control over its commencement and conclusion.

Individuals being Alpavyapi (limited presence), their dreams have limited content and context. All the happy and haphazard happenings are as per karmic template. God being Omnipresent (Sarvavyapi), Creation has infinite canvas. There is countless type, frequency and intensity of objects, people and situations.

A dreamer (individual) is not amused/ outraged in the least, despite all the happening in the dreams. God (the Dreamer) is not sullied/ surprised in the least despite all the happenings in Creation (Individuals and World).

The dreamer (individual) is just a (helpless) witness. God is a detached witness (Sakshi).

For individuals, Dream is a spontaneous event. For God, Creation is a spontaneous event.

In dream, Jeeva sports with itself. In Creation, God sports (Lila) with Himself!

For individuals, dream is an effortless event. Despite all the excitement and exhaustion in a dream, a dreamer doesn't expend any energy. For God, creation of our universe of immeasurable proportion, similarly other/ infinite universes, is simply an effortless endeavour.

In/ through Creation, God creates, sustains and destroys. In dream, an individual creates, sustains and destroys.

Sleeping state:

Sleep state is the causal state for God as well as all living beings. In this state, the subject (God/ Jeeva) has no objects to play with/ experience. The subject experiences itself. In sleeping state, both God and individuals have similar 'experience-less' experience, oneness with oneself.

Waking State:

In waking state, individuals indulge in incessant and interesting activities due to innumerable desires. In contrast, God has no action to perform (Naishkarmya), as He is desireless (Aspruha). In that state (daytime), God remains in ‘meditation’.

Actually, God has one desire and one action: "I am one, let me be many (Eko'ham, Bahu Syam)" is His only desire, and that is what triggers Creation.

Austerities (Tapas) is His only action. No wonder, it's Tapas which sustains Creation, and not surprisingly, it is equated with Brahman (Tapo Brahmeti).

God's desire being a universal desire (Nishkama), it has no karmic residue. Similarly, God's action being an actionless action (Naishkarmya Karma), it has no karmic residue either.

His desire is the 'seed' of Creation. His one desire is the 'source/ cause' of created beings' infinite desires, never-ending and ever-changing.

His action (Tapas) is the axis of 'wheel' of Creation. (By definition, the axis (God) doesn't move, but the wheel (world) is ever-moving and never-ending).

Every created being's actions is an austerity (Tapas), in tribute to/ directed towards God (like Akashat patitam toyam sagaram prati gacchati ...).

Now another interesting fact:

For the created, creation exists as three dimensional – Space, Time and Causation. Hence, we are subject to mass, movement and modifications (changes).

With respect to Creator, however, creation is a mental process, hence, two dimensional – Time and Causation. This is the reason why individuals' dreams are also devoid of Spatial content/ constraint.

But relative to each other, His dream figures experience creation as three dimensional, constrained and contoured by space, but all within the confines and configurations of His two-dimensional dream/ mind.

In sleep state, God has no 'experiences'; He is all by Himself. He exists as one dimensional – Causation.

Similarly, our sleep state is also devoid of Space and Time content/ context. Absence of time means, there is no movement and change. Consequently, we have no experience in sleep. Jeeva is all by itself. Rather, Jeeva experiences itself.

Beyond Death:

At the end of His life, God ceases to exist, i.e. dimensionless. He integrates with Unity of existence, also called Pure Consciousness (Brahman).

Similarly, on liberation (Mukthi), individuals (Jeevas) also cease to exist. Individuals' liberation may be Instant (Sadyo) or Gradual (Krama) depending on what they integrate with.

Individuals, who are Self-realized, attain instant Liberation (Jeevan Mukthi). They directly integrate with Brahman.

 

Individuals, who meticulously lived as per tenets of Law of Dharma, attain gradual Liberation (Krama Mukthi).  They reach Creator immediately on death, but later integrate with Brahman at the end of Creator's 'life'.

 

Either way, they have no more births and deaths (na Punar avartate ...). 

Individuals who fail to cross this milestone, are subject to Law of Karma. They pass through karmic-life/ transmigratory journey again and again.

Thus we have the ultimate proof of the greatest spiritual declarations: 

1: God is the Truth (Brahman Satyam): God is the Dreamer. He alone exists, prior to, during and post Creation (dream). God is, thus, the only Truth.

2: World is a myth (Jagad Mithya): Mass, Movement and Modification which define and drive Creation ('I' and World), is a simple mental process of God. They have validity with respect to the created, and relative to each other.

But with respect to the Creator and in absolute terms, they have no reality. This validity sans reality is called Maya. Everything created experience Maya.

Creator is the puppeteer par excellence pulling Maya's infinite strings. As a corollary, individuals are 'robots' in Lord's eternal play. The dream world/ figures appear and disappear as per His will and wish. World is, thus, a dream/ a myth.

3: Individual is not different from God (Jeevo Brahmaiva naparah): Just as a dream figure has no existence, identity or experience apart/ different from the dreamer, similarly the created beings have no existence, identity or experience apart/ different from the Creator. An individual is, thus, not different from God. Our original/ only assumption that individuals are made in the image of God is proved quid pro quo.

Thus,

God is an absolute and the only existence.

'I' and World are products of His imagining mind. Consequently, every development in world/ life is a cosmic design, brilliantly camouflaged as natural event/ individual experience.

Because individuals are His dream figures, no one knows his or His true nature or origin.

This is also the reason why an individual can't exit his existence, unless blessed by God (Ishwar Anugradeva Pumsam Advaita Vasana).

No wonder, Scriptures settle our search for the elusive God through a profound proclamation (Mahavaakya), 'You are That (=God) (Tat Twam Asi)^'.