Interviewer:
Gurudev, I offer my respects.
Gurudev:
Bless you, my child. Tell me, what is on your mind?
Interviewer:
One of your viewers, Tridip Roy, posted a comment in the box. His question was, “Who is God, and where does He reside?”
Gurudev:
That is an excellent question. I appreciate it. Who is God? We say, “You are God.” You are God yourself. You do not need to look outside to find Him. He is within your heart. You will not find Him anywhere else in the world, no matter where you go, which temples you visit, or what you do. God is within you. If you can establish Him within your heart, you will need nothing else. Look at Hanumanji, the dispeller of obstacles. He established Ram and Sita within his heart and could show them to others by opening his chest. This may be a mythological story, or it may have happened; we don’t know. But it provides an indication—it tells us that God resides within, not without. You won't find Him in the sky or the air, no matter where you look. He is established within you. He is your controller, your guide, and your creator. So, the point is, we wander from temple to temple in search of God, but He is not there, child. He is within you. If you can establish Him in your heart, there will be no need to search for Him. Truly, there is no need to seek God; He is within your heart and your body. Remember Him, meditate on Him, and one day you will experience self-realization. Once you have realized yourself, you will find Him. Then you will not have to ask me who God is or where He resides. God is your controller, your creator, and your driver. You are the chariot, and He is the charioteer. Ram Prasad once said, “You are the chariot, and I am the charioteer; I go as you lead.” He said this from his own realization. So, God Himself is driving the chariot from within you. Establish Him within, and clear away all the inner impurities—the prejudices and dogmas that are harming you rather than helping. Where will you go? Where will you find God? I have visited many temples, but I haven't found Him anywhere. Even now, in my old age, I sit waiting for His vision, hoping for a glimpse of Him. But He is within me; of that, there is no doubt. He drives me, He is the controller, and He is the creator. He is everything. When we can realize that we are guided by Him—that everything we see in this universe, day and night, the moon and the sun, is Him—then we understand. Everything is Brahman; God is everywhere. If you can establish Him within your heart, you will have no more need for seeking or for these questions. Establish Him within your heart, remember Him, and meditate on Him every day without fail. You must always keep this in mind. As the Vedanta says: "Yaschaayam asmin aakaashe tejomayo'mritamayah purushah sarvaanubhooh..." It means the Lord of the Universe, who resides in the sky, should be established within the heart. Then you will receive His vision. Once you have self-realization, you will see Him. So, there should be no more questions about where God is or why He exists. Vedanta says: "Yaschaayam asmin aakaashe aatmani tejomayo'mritamayah purushah sarvaanubhooh... Tameva viditvaa'timrityumeti naanyah panthaa vidyate'yanaaya." This means you must remember Him who resides in the heavens. Your soul should always be devoted to Him without interruption. And only by knowing Him can one transcend death; there is no other way. Continue to remember and meditate on Him until death, and you may receive His vision. God is within you; you can surely see Him. Establish Him in your soul, as the Vedanta teaches. I have answered your question because it was a good one.
Interviewer:
Gurudev, you say that God is found through self-realization. But I want to ask: when I find God through self-realization, will He appear before me in a physical, human form?
Gurudev:
That is a matter of debate. Certainly, God manifests in human form. When He resides on Earth, He does so in human form. If your "Third Eye" is open, you will see Him. You must have that Third Eye. We see trees and other things with these two eyes, but we need the eye of self-knowledge—the Third Eye—to see God. Until that eye opens, seeing God is impossible. God may be walking among us in human form even now. I have heard in many places that Lord Shiva wanders in the guise of an old man to protect people. In Ranchi, I heard about "Buda Baba" (the Old Father) who is said to wander the streets as an old man. I have heard many such stories. From this, I have also concluded that you are God yourself. God controls you; He is your creator. Remember Him, meditate on Him, and the day will come when you achieve self-realization, and you will surely see Him. God is hidden within you; seek Him out, and you will find Him without having to go anywhere else. That is what I wanted to say.
Interviewer:
Gurudev, many want to know if you have seen God.
Gurudev:
That is difficult to say, and perhaps it should not be said. However, I am waiting; I am sitting here for the vision of God. One could say that those who see God do not remain in this world for long. Great souls who have seen God leave this world shortly after. We follow in their footsteps, as they have said that once you have seen God, you cannot stay on this Earth. We too are waiting; a time will come when we leave, and before that, we will feel the "pulse of death." When the pulse of death arrives and we know the end is near, we will see our Lord, our Supreme God, and then depart. This is the rule; there are no exceptions.
Interviewer:
In that sense, we can think of those who suddenly disappear as having seen God or gone to "Gyan Ganj" (a mythical spiritual land) to see Him.
Gurudev:
Yes, there are many such cases. Why wouldn't there be? Where He chooses to give you His vision is something you will never know beforehand. His glory is difficult to comprehend. He might lead you somewhere—whether it is Gyan Ganj or elsewhere—to grant you His vision. We must wait until we realize death is approaching, then we do our part, see Him, and depart. Not before then, for several reasons. Once I see Him, I will no longer remain in this world. Many great souls have done this, though people may not know it. High-level seekers see Him and then depart. Where they go is hard to say.
Interviewer:
But Gurudev, my question is: if they leave this world immediately after seeing God, what is the proof? How can we know they have seen Him?
Gurudev:
They say it before they die. Before the soul leaves the body—which is a profound thing, as the soul does not want to remain in this "cage" and struggles to get out—in that short time, they can go wherever they wish. Death is a mysterious thing. It is a mystery.
Interviewer:
Those who are close to a great soul can understand?
Gurudev:
Yes, the master tells them. He says, “I have seen God, and now I am going.” Great teachers like Buddha said it; Vamadeva said it; Tailang Swami said it. They all said it before they died. Those closest to them were told when their time had come. They would give some final instructions to their closest disciples. Those instructions are very valuable.
Interviewer:
That was a profound answer, Gurudev. We never imagined you would explain it this way.
Gurudev:
It is not just an explanation; it is the truth. Ordinary people may not know how high one can rise; they remain at a lower level. But what I have told you is the absolute truth. When a high-level seeker realizes their time has come, they tell their companions what to do with their body—some ask to be buried, which is called "Samadhi" or "Samaj," while others ask to be cremated. It depends on the seeker. But the soul leaves the body much earlier. It may go to another realm or to Gyan Ganj, where many great seekers reside. The body remains here, but a new body may be formed there. There are great Mahatmas there, starting from Babaji Maharaj. They can re-form the body. It is an amazing thing. You leave the body here, and it is re-formed there. These are deep matters that perhaps shouldn't be discussed so openly. They are very profound. To discuss this would take much more time.
Interviewer:
Gurudev, listening to you has been wonderful. We have learned so much. I offer my respects.
Gurudev:
Bless you, my child. Bless you.