There God is! – Part 3
The letter ‘D’ represents Destroyer!
From morn till night we are preoccupied with work, worries, etc. A man working at the office is expected to do so many things. He is expected to shoulder several responsibilities. He is answerable to many bosses. He faces problems if he fails to live up to their expectations. At night he is unable to enjoy peaceful sleep if he leaves any work incomplete.
Further, at home he also has to meet the expectations of his wife, children, parents, friends, neighbors, relatives. He has several social responsibilities like attending a friend or a relative’s marriage. He has to take care of his children’s education. He has to take sick family member to the doctor. He bears the burden of financial responsibility of the family. Official, social, family expectations have all to be met by him.
Therefore, from the time he moves out of bed in the morning till he retires to his bed at night several thoughts keep rising in him. Varied thoughts – official, social and family obligations – fill his mind. Will he not break down if these thoughts crowd him round the clock, day in and day out?
Therefore, God, out of great compassion has blessed us with sleep. This is the greatest compassion of the Lord. From morn till night our mind is constantly at work; the various parts of our body may rest but the mind is constantly at work.
What is the mind? Simply a collection of thoughts. If there is no thought, then there is no mind. So, at night, God offers rest to the mind for almost ten hours. We deem sleep as the rest for the body. But in truth, it is not so. The body rests as a result of the mind resting. At first, it is the mind that rests in sleep. This is called mano laya. The mind subdues, there is no thought. Therefore, the body receives ample rest. The buddhi also rests. We are able to start our day all over again afresh in the morning only because of the rest enjoyed by the mind at night.
The first sign of mental sickness is loss of sleep. A person with mental instability is unable to sleep. As a result, various kinds of thoughts seize him; worthless thoughts leading to inferiority complex fill his mind. Fear grips his mind. The doctor, at first, gives him medicine that puts him to sleep, as his mind needs rest. Disturbance of mind begins with sleeplessness. To enjoy good health, good sleep is necessary. So, the greatest compassion (krupa) of the Lord is sleep.
We are born over and over again and in each birth we undergo various experiences. When we take repeated births we become exhausted. Just as one requires good rest in the form of sleep after an exhausting day, so too, a long sleep is required after undergoing various experiences (sufferings) over many births. We need to stay away from creation (srishti) for a time.
A school going child has holidays two days a week – Saturday and Sunday. Our daily sleep is akin to these holidays. The child also enjoys annual holiday for a month or two. Moving constantly in the cycle of birth and death – punarapi jananam punarapi maranam– the jiva (soul) feels exhausted. God, out of deep compassion brings about pralaya (dissolution of creation). The jiva gets drawn into the Lord and rests there for thousands of years. He does not take birth for a long period. He enjoys a long rest. This is a long sleep. Thus, God is the destroyer, as He destroys the world. That is, God draws everything unto Himself.
Thus, G O D is verily Generator, Operator and Destroyer. One who creates this world, One who sustains this world and One who ultimately destroys the world.
So do we turn towards God because He has created the vast ocean, the huge mountains, stars, planets and innumerable other units? Or is it because He protects us that we turn to Him? Or is it because He is the Great Destroyer of the world that we go to Him? Why do we seek God? We seek God only because He is the very personification of compassion (karuna). It is verily this nature of God that draws us to Him. Compassion is His very nature. It is natural to Him.
How do we say this?
Let me explain it with the natural scenes in villages. Cows are tied in their shed. They are milked every morning around 5 or 6 AM and at 4.30 or 5 PM in the evening. If, the cow is not milked around this time it begins to moo. She calls out to any person who walks past. She becomes restless to give out her milk. She moos, “Oh, somebody please come and take the milk from me”. I have seen that when nobody comes to milk her, the cow will sit down and press her udder with her leg and give out her milk. Just as the cow feels great restlessness to give out her milk, so too, God deeply desires to pour forth His compassion. He is always ready and willing to pour out His Grace. Grace keeps pouring forth from Him but we are not ready to receive it.
Well! What should I do? Should I carry a pot or a huge cauldron to receive God’s Grace? Or should I offer Him flowers or fruits or coconuts or incense sticks or camphor for receiving His Grace? What should I offer Him in order to receive His Grace?
Nothing! You need not offer Him anything. At the beginning didn’t I speak of submission? Yes. Submission. So, where is God? Where your head bows down there God is!
