THEISTIC APPROACH TO LIFE
P. Sitaramabrahmam
Whatever names and forms we give to God as
aids to outgrow our ignorance and weakness, it is unanimously accepted that the
highest God is a formless spirit. How does the formless Spirit God reveal
Himself to us? How does He communicate His messages to us? How does He remind
us of Himself? The answer is through the wonders of the Universe, splendours of
Nature, dramatic events of Life, stirring experiences of the soul. Any object,
event, occasion, situation, scene, experience that touches our heart, that
evokes emotional response, that causes surprise, that responds to our
aspirations or any flash of thought - we should understand as God’s
communication to us. It may be that He is reminding us that He is; that He is
near us; that He is interested in us. It may be that He is conveying a message
or giving an instruction as to what we should do in a situation or what we
should not do. He may be revealing an aspect of His nature or one of His
attributes. Nature and Life are media for him to reveal and for us to
recognise. Rabindranath Tagore says that flowers are love-letters of God to the
human heart written in coloured ink.
With this attitude, let us try to understand
the right approach to life. Before making that attempt, let us know the aim of
life as intended by Nature. In creation, Matter came first. After thousands of
years came Life as a result of long struggle. Millions of years later, the Mind appeared which was full of limitations
and is still controlled by Matter and Life. This cannot be the final stage of
evolution. Out of the mind are evolving Moral Values and Spiritual sense. We
cannot conceive anything beyond Spiritual Perfection or Supreme Consciousness.
What comes out last in the scale of evolution was behind creation, the origin
of the Universe. That which is the origin and the Ultimate is through the
Universe supporting the law of evolution. Manifestation of the Supreme
Consciousness or God-realisation is the aim of creation as intended by Nature.
Hence, Life is pot an end but a means, not a destination but a journey, not the
final achievement but an occasion; an opportunity. Life is not purposeless or
meaningless, not just for merry-making. The process of Nature, the course of events, man’s efforts knowingly or unknowingly are all driving to that goal of Self-realisation or
God realisation.
When this truth becomes evident to us, there
comes about a revolutionary change in our outlook, in our attitude towards
things, events and values. What is generally considered very important looks
trivial. What is trivial to the worldly-minded is of immense significance to
the new outlook. We begin to read meaning in apparently negligible incidents.
We read books in running brooks. We hear sermons in stones. Tongues in leaves
speak eloquently. Messages constantly come to us from all quarters. They are
continuously travelling in the space, floating in the air, swimming in water,
resonating in the bird’s song, revealing in the rosy dawn, shining in the
stars, tinkling in the grass roots under our feet. Each of the many is
struggling to reach the One in harmony with all others. The finite is
endeavouring to exceed the limits of finitude. The perishable is moving towards
the Imperishable. Everything momentary is revealing the Eternal.
Experiences happy or unhappy have not much
meaning in themselves but only in their correcting influence on us refining,
disciplining, culturing, training our nature in the image of the Divine.
Appointments, disappointments, honours, humiliations, successes, failures,
unions and separations have a role in moulding our nature. Some experiences
widen our outlook. Some broaden our sympathies. Some disillusion us. Certain
experiences suggest that God is all-powerful and nothing stands against Him.
Man is something if God’s grace abides on him. If the grace is withdrawn, he is
nothing. Certain events humble our pride. Some awaken in us inner strength and
confidence. Some experiences enable us to overcome selfishness and fear. Some
convert us into saints. Some experiences help us positively and serve as
warning signals. All experiences are thus useful if we keep our aim of life –
God-realisation clear in our hearts and make use of them. In tune with God, we
are something worthy; out of tune, we are nothing; like a drop of water in
union with the ocean or away from the ocean. As long as the drop is in the
ocean, it enjoys and participates the glory, immensity, vastness, depth of the
ocean. If the drop is separated from the ocean, it becomes insignificant. It is
of little use to itself or to others. It soon dries up. We should learn to fall
in line with the will and ways of the Divine; not grudgingly or helplessly but
joyfully.
In living life, we have to follow Swadharma,
the law of one’s being. One’s way of doing should be according to one’s law
of being. Change of nature for the better is possible only in line with the
innate temperament. Each soul comes into the world cast in a particular mould
to play its role in the Divine drama of life. To discover that by keen
self-analysis is a must. Circumstances, opportunities, situations on the one
hand, aptitudes, abilities, temperaments on the other help in discovering one’s
Swadharma.
Whatever work we do should be done as God’s
co-worker, in co-operation with God, as God’s work in the spirit of worship. We
should be working constantly like nature–with body, heart or mind. For a spiritual aspirant,
there is no such a thing as big or small. All work is necessary. Every work has
a place in God’s scheme. One’s moral and spiritual growth should be the highest
result of doing work–not spectacular achievements.
God is the invisible Master behind the human
master. If we do our personal work, we do it with interest. We do not grudge if
the work is heavy. If we invite a great man to our house, we clean up, decorate
and give a festive appearance to our home and give a treat accepting all the
strain and stress with enthusiasm. If we believe that God is our master for whom we are working, we do not
feel the burden, We feel proud. We consider it a privilege that we are chosen
for the work. Joy, the highest reward for the work, we get immediately, cash
down. Serving God and seeing God in service are simultaneous. Each object and
event is in link with many objects and events. We cannot know all the causes
and consequences of chain reactions in the complicated, complex mechanism of
the Universe. Hence, anxiety for the result of our work should not come near
about our minds.
God, who is taking care of us is the guiding
charioteer of our lives. Feeling the thrill of his touch or the inspiration of
His nearness, referring to Him when in doubt, enjoying without desire for
possession, we should accept situations, rise to occasions, face challenges,
tackle problems, pass through ordeals and live with joy and dignity like a
sword, like an arrow. The sword has a joy and dignity in being made for a
heroic purpose, has a joy and dignity in being broken while striking. The arrow
has a thrill, a joy in leaving the bow with a hissing sound to hit the target.
The flower has the delight in exhilarating the environment with colour and
fragrance. The river has a song of joy throughout its journey in being useful
to creatures and crops. The bird leaving the nest before sunrise soars high and
moves in the infinite sky day long. Though environed by a thousand dangers, it
is carefree and deludes the forest with the melody of a song, glorifying God
for His providence. All these are practical lessons and demonstrations to
experience and to express the delight of existence.