By Hasmukh Adhia
The universe is a complex creation, marked by perfection. The laws of the universe are perfect in every respect. The sun is never late in rising, Earth rotates exactly the way it should, and the ecological cycle brings seasons in time. It never happens that when you sow wheat grains, rice plants sprout. Each small seed is endowed by nature with the capacity to blossom into a huge tree.
Can there be such an intelligent creation without any creator behind it? We may call it God or by any other name. But He exists. That is why all sects have a notion of one God, worshipped as the creator by different names.
Well, even if one believes that God doesn’t exist and that the universe was created by chance, there are several benefits to believing in God. They are not available to those who don’t believe in God. The concept of God is that of a protector. If I believe that God always protects me in all situations, it gives to me relief. Devotees always feel that ‘my God is always there to protect me, and He will never let me down.’ This emotional connection with God is a great form of psychotherapy. Some studies say that those who believe in God have a better quality of life and live longer.
Fear of God dominates some people’s understanding. ‘What if God is unhappy with me?’ God is not a judgmental authority who decides on reward or retribution. Results are based on the fruits of past karm.
The infinite scientific knowledge that pervades this universe is an autopilot system in which definite, predictable results are obtained for every action. The karmkarmfal equation is part of this autopilot mechanism. Understanding this mechanism immediately liberates us and makes us secure. We have the freedom to choose: if we make the right choices in life, we are more likely to be happier. Making the right choice is dharma. God doesn’t arbitrarily decide the sukh and dukh of every being.
One may have a question. If the results of our actions are determined by our karm, what role does God play, and how can prayer to God come to our rescue in times of difficulty? A simple answer is that the Divine can forgive one’s sins and provide relief if one prays to Him with a pure heart, just as a country’s president can grant clemency to a man convicted by its supreme court.
Vedant philosophy proclaims that Brahman is the substratum of everything we see in this universe, including all beings. It is the material as well as efficient cause of the universe. It is Sat, existence, Chit, consciousness, and Anand, bliss. The real Self of every being. If God is the self within, can one ever doubt one’s own existence? But it is difficult to see God in the nirgun, abstract form, so we worship God in the form of an avatar such as Ram or Krishn. Belief in God makes us secure. It also creates punya karm. Why then should we not believe in God?
The writer is a former finance secretary of India
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
