The eternal search for man's God
God must be searched ceaselessly. But as God is still elusive and unfathomable, how about being devotees and followers of someone who could be seen?
23 Oct 2017 4:16 PM GMT
Common sense says that there must be God. An ultimate creator of the universe. A supreme and superior form and force of supernatural, invisible, indivisible, invincible, inaudible divinity which surely was instrumental in the creation of human life or/and the lives preceding thereof. Nevertheless, as no human being possibly (so far) has proved to have either seen or known God, or possessed, or given, any credible or clinching evidence (direct, indirect, circumstantial) to reveal address, or where-about of the "God Almighty" to the people at large, human mind (including this author's) nevertheless does have abiding faith in omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience thereof. Hence the relentless pursuit of, and search for, God continues. However, as the human mind is flexible and fertile, imaginative, inquisitive, critical and analytical, there could always be someone to challenge the standard justification/argument for believing in the existence of God thereby making his/her act an act of sacrilege in some society. Denial or an expression of doubt about the "God Almighty" could not only be inexcusable but an unacceptable act of sin too, thereby resulting in punishment commensurate with the gravity of the offence. That is understandable. Why? Because, culture and tradition of human evolution, since ages, appear to be based on abiding faith on super and supra-natural forces which surely and steadily gave birth to the concept (should it be referred to as conviction!) of the God Almighty. Hence, anyone not falling into "system", or doubting conventional wisdom, is bound to face the prospect of being ostracised or isolated from convention-believing society consisting of members who consider themselves as children of the God Almighty. Renegade(s) simply have no place in established social order founded on convention and conviction of faith and belief.
Thus, once homo sapiens accept God as indispensable and inseparable, though invisible, part thereof, the next mystery-resolution step would arise pertaining to abode thereof. Where does God reside? Which is the sanctum sanctorum of God? In what form, shape, size, colour can God be glimpsed? This one, the sole issue could have as many views as the number of human head perhaps. If God's abode is "somewhere up there", in the sky, beyond stratosphere or ionosphere, chemosphere, or exosphere - which most people are likely to believe - then at what altitude or height, location or position of the endless sky could the abode be? Because, none possibly would know or can manage, or even imagine to manage, to either fathom or measure the length or breadth, depth or distance one has to traverse to verify the limits of the sky, to find the address of the abode of God Almighty high!
Nevertheless, one possible way could be thus. Even if God's address is not known or is likely to be easily known, there is no harm making an attempt to reach God through a medium. God must be searched ceaselessly, and tried to make "Him" reside somewhere near the dwelling of those whose abiding faith in/on/of God is unshakeable down the ages. Here again, one has to think the next step owing to the inability of the human mind to come to terms with any unanimous decision to first form an opinion on the address to be had of God Almighty nearer home of the devotees. The problem starts with the number of devotees. There are too many of them. And there is every possibility that each of the devotees would like the God Almighty to reside near his/her dwellings. Hence unanimity is neither possible nor feasible. So what next?
The next then could be to solicit as many views as possible to synchronise with numbers thereof. There will be some convergence, but also divergence aplenty, of opinion. As God is still illusive and unfathomable in any form, how about being devotees and followers of someone who could not only be seen to be some sort of super and superior human being, but who could also be projected to be "humane face" of The God Almighty to the small mortals in the universe? If found possible and acceptable to mankind, can he then be addressed or referred to as either God-man? Should then he possess mendicant-like virtues? Devoid of all human vices? Resorting to renunciation of all wishes and desires which a small mortal is afflicted with? From cradle to coffin? Once found feasible to have one, what magic-wand the God-man or Guru is supposed to reveal to give result to hope, expectation and prayer of the disciples and devotees? Indeed, can the God-man really resolve all ills of human life? Bestow happiness and peace of mind? Prosperity? Make people healthy? Wise? And shower his blessings to act as a tonic for the amelioration of all day-to-day grievances of followers?
The possible emerging fact-of-matter from above is that since humans crave for spiritual, extraterrestrial and metaphysical, being insatiable, it is also as old as lives of humans in society itself. It could be inferred as an inexplicable, yet mysterious, form to explore the divine. A desire to go beyond the materialism despite being in the midst thereof. It could be because of the fact that even if materialism is craving compulsion, exploring the divine, even if temporary and fleeting, becomes a compelling pleasure with or without pain. It is an attempt to get out of, nay disentangle oneself from, daily chores of life which had been perceived three hundred years ago by the wise as "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short"! Hence the need to overcome monotony. The monotony of material pleasure could be agonising at times. Resulting in mental anguish, as the ecstasy of materialism could have its own inherent limitations. Thus, patient and protracted search for pleasure or pain for The God Almighty, even if through God-man, could be seen to be a desire born out of either melancholy or mental probity for most, to reach beyond the physical existence and human mind. Trying to see beyond the horizon. Trying to probe for a glimpse, however fleeting, for the God, even if it is beyond visual range.
Yet things may or may not fall in proper place for those in an eternal search for the God Almighty through Godman. Else, how does the icon of Indian history, Subhash Chandra Bose, out of his compelling desire to leave home in search of God during his adolescence, after stealthily visiting several famous holy places of India, had this to say:- "I returned home a wiser man having lost much of my admiration for ascetics and anchorites"? Nevertheless, the young Subhash tried again and "almost found it" when one day he came in contact with a young ascetic from the Punjab, on the bank of the Ganga. The sadhu created tremendous impact on Subhash Bose's mind as he never took shelter under a roof and followed the ideal-
"The sky the roof, the grass the bed
And food what chance may bring" (An Indian Pilgrim- by Subhash Bose).
The man almost lured Bose with his pristine asceticism. Nevertheless, destiny of Bose certainly played its role. Differently, though it was. How many of contemporaries, in search of Guru or God-man, have found or faced an ascetic which Subhash Bose experienced?
(The views are strictly personal.)
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