Does God exist ?

 (adapted from Swami Paramarthananda’s talk)

    Even the people who perform Iswara Puja regularly with devotion may at one time or other get a doubt whether God really exists.  Even if one does not get by himself, reading some of the works of atheists and agnostics may make one wonder whether, apart from faith, any logical or scientific proof can be advanced to counter their arguments.  This question has been dealt by several people in several ways, because this problem doesn’t belong to Hindu religion only and other religions also have to face this question. Because, most of the other religions including Christianity and Islam accept the existence of a God. Now, let us see how the Vedic tradition approaches this question.  If one asks a traditional teacher the proof for the existence of God, it will be met with a counter question as to what is his definition of God.   For, if one is not clear about the definition, any explanation will only add to the confusion because of the communication gap.  To avoid this the traditional teacher seeks to clarify the questioner’s idea of God so that both of them refer to the same concept and there is no communication gap in further discussion.  So let us first see the definition of God as per Vedas.

    According to Vedas, God is defined as Chaitanya swaroopa and Chaitanyam is the principle of Pure Consciousness. So God is defined as “Pure Consciousness”.  Lord Yama defines this principle in Kathopnishad (2-1-3) as:

 Yena roopam rasam gandham shabdaan sparshaan cha maithunaan I

etena eva vijaanaati kim atra parishishyate. Etat vai tat II (2-1-3)

Through this alone one knows colour, taste, smell, sounds, touches, and conjugal pleasures. What is there unknowable to That in this world?  This is verily That.

So God is that Consciousness principle because of which everyone is aware or conscious of everything around them.  Now that this definition of God is made clear, we can rearrange and rephrase the next question as “Does Consciousness exist or not”.  Every experience of anyone is because of the Consciousness.  Therefore, every single experience of everyone is a proof for the existence of Consciousness i.e. proof for the existence of God.  Lord Krishna tells Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita (15-10);

Utkraamantam sthitam vaapi bhunjaanam vaa gunaanvitam;

Vimoodhaa naanupashyanti pashyanti jnaanachakshushah. II10II

The deluded do not see Him (Consciousness, that is Athma) who departs, stays and enjoys; but they who possess the eye of knowledge behold Him.

Every experience of life, every activity of life is possible because the person is endowed with Consciousness and Is conscious. So there can be no doubt regarding the existence of God as God is Consciousness.  This is the reason why a spiritual person, well-versed in scriptures always feels the presence of God in him and in all his actions always.  But this is an enigma even now to scientists as this does not come under matter principle and also not under energy principle. Again to quote Lord Krishna, He says in Bhagavad Gita (15-18):

Yasmaat ksharam ateeto’hamaksharaadapi chottamah;

Ato’smi loke vede cha prathitah purushothamah. II18II

As I transcend the perishable and am even higher than the imperishable, I am declared as the highest Purusha in the world and in the Vedas.

This means that God is that spiritual principle which is different from matter and is different from energy and that spiritual principle is Consciousness and that Consciousness experienced by every one of us is the God –principle. It is transcendental and beyond Time and Space and all the laws governing the material Universe and is referred to as Chaitanyam, in the Hindu scriptures. This asangha, anantha, Chaithanyam is God, referred to by Lord Krishna as Purushothama.

Now a doubt may arise in a devout Hindu without Iswara Jnanam that “If Chaithanyam is God, what about Brahma, Vishnu, Siva and other gods, with form and location, described in the scriptures?”.  Here we should remember that the  asanga, anantha, Chaitnayam alone is the primary God and all other gods with form and location elaborately described in puranas and scriptures are only temporary presentation for the sake of one’s sadhanas.  They are only Gauna Iswara, a temporary presentation of a compromised version of God.  This is called a compromised version because Gauna Iswara has, a given form and also a location like Vaikunta, Kailasa etc. while the Mukhya Iswara, the primary God, is beyond any limitations of form and location.  Gauna Iswara is temporarily presented for the sake of refining one’s mind through sadhanas and then with a refined mind, one can later come to know the Mukhya Iswara, the primary God.

The various finite personified Gods which are located in places of worship and which are elaborately described in puranas or scriptures, are only different versions of Gauna Iswara.  Gauna Iswara is extremely important for one’s sadhana purposes.  For karmas like puja, abhisheka, Shodasa upachara and for upasana or meditation one requires Gauna Iswara.  And since, the tastes of people are different, we have got several versions of Gauna Iswara, which are very useful, both at the individual level as well as at the collective level.  Further all festivals are based on various versions of Gauna Iswara and the stories connected with them in the various puranas and ithihasas. We have also a rich religious culture covering art, architecture, painting, music, dance etc., drawing inspiration from the puranic stories. But one does not seek proof of Gauna Iswara or look for the Darshan of Gauna Iswara as this will lead to mysticism and hallucination instead of taking one to the Jnanam of Mukya Iswara.  So one uses Gauna Iswara for karmas and upasana, and for exploring the existence of God, goes to Mukya Iswara who is “asanga, anantha, Chaitanyam”.

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