Glimpse of God

A young seeker used to to go temple religiously. One day he gathered courage and asked the priest, “Sir, please tell me the truth. Have you ever had the glimpse of God?”

The old priest kept silence for a while and then with the tears in his eyes, he said, “Son, I am close to eighty years old and have been performing these rituals in the temple for more than sixty years. But it seems I am not fortunate enough to get the glimpse of God.”

Astonishingly the young seeker asked, “But Sir, you have been giving bhog (offerings) to the God before every meal throughout your life. Still you think that God is not real to whom you give offerings and to whom you perform prayers day and night.”

The old priest couldn't say a word. But the young seeker couldn't rest peacefully. He went to the saint who used to live in the adjacent town and asked him about his doubt the very next morning.

The saint replied him patiently, “Son, one is assumed God and another is the true all pervading formless Sat-Chit-Ananda (eternal-conscious-blissful) personified God. Which God are you talking about?”

Now the young seeker was even more confused. Looking at the expressions on his face, the saint smiled and continued, “The assumed God is different for different people. Based on the religion of your parents and your upbringing, you make a notion about the God – be it in the form of Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesh, Devi Maa, Jesus, Nanak, Buddha or any other God with some form and personality. However, the God of all Gods, on whom all the prophets meditated upon, who resides inside every heart, who is omnipresent, who is Satyam-Gyanam-Anantam Brahm (Truth-Knowledge-Infinite Supreme Consciousness) is beyond the reach of five senses. So, your question about the glimpse of God, with the help of your eyes, itself became irrelevant.”

There was a silence for a few moments and then the saint continued, “The old priest has been doing prayers and performing rituals for the God for more than sixty years. But deep within, in his subconscious mind, he knew that – that is not the real God and it is only the sculpture representation of God. He lacked understanding of True God and realization of Truth. His mind was deluded due to lack of true wisdom and realization of supreme Truth. Unlike that priest, you should strive for the realization of True God. Unless and until that True God is realized, human mind continue to be illusioned by the deceptive powers of Maya and it cannot get rid of all the sorrows or attain a state of supreme peace and blissfulness. Only the fortunate ones with pious mind and deep desire to realize the Truth can gain that blissful state of Self realization which is coveted even by those who resides in heaven.”