Hello and welcome to episode 42 of the Ask Sri Vishwanath show. It’s a wonderful morning here. Such a beautiful blue sky! Today I want to talk to you about Gods appearance. What does he look like? Can we see god as we see each other?
Today’s question is from Tetra. Tetra says “many great people have seen God but I’m curious. What does God look like? Is it humanly possible to see God in one lifetime?”
That’s a really interesting question. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all see god. The thing is…we can see him. Let me show you how.
Throughout 55 verses in The Yoga of the cosmic form Krishna describes God for us. Firstly it’s important to know that God may appear differently to everyone. Krishna says “behold hundreds and thousands of my form with varied shape and form. Behold Aditya’s Rudras, Vasus and Ashvins.”
Manifestation
The great ones speak of two things: Unmanifest and manifest. In manifest God may appear with attributions. He may appears as Krishna, Christ or Buddha however the God within is always the same (the unmanifest).
I want you to ask yourself a question. How would a dog visualise God. How would a cat see God? How would it describe him? A dog would visualise God as another dog. A Greater and higher dog but a dog all the same. A cat would visualise cat God as a great and powerful cat…but still as a cat!
We see god in the same way. As a greater, more powerful human. We do this because we are limited by who we are and how we conceptualise things. We take what were are and multiply it by 100 to be able to see God as a better version of ourselves. That’s why spirituality is so subjective.
Within these 55 verses Krishna speaks about parallel worlds, the earth and the world beyond. I cover this in more detail in my books and courses but it’s just really beautiful.
See God in 3 days
This is important. Remember this. How you will see God is really dependant on how you see yourself but God is God and we are human beings.
Whenever you talk about God you shouldn’t think through your mind just as a dog or a cat shouldn’t think through their minds. You need to speak with reverence. Know that God is wholesome so to see God you too must be whole.
Krishna says that you can see God in as little as 3 days. If you want to see God, if you want to talk to him and know him you must read the book of Sri Ram Krishna Paramhansa and other great masters. You’ll be so pumped up that you can really see God in 3 days. You’ll also need to do other things.
Firstly you must become obsessed with God. Are you mad about God? People become obsessed about women or men, wealth and power. Your obsession for God must be higher than anything else. If you want to see God you must become obsessed with this goal like you would with wealth or anything else.
Vivekananda says that religion begins with tremendous dissatisfaction with the current state of mind. You must come in contact with your consciousness and become obsessed with wanting to know God. Increase the amount of time spent in prayer, devotion, meditation and reading.
Secondly you must find a great teacher. Great teachers will be your shortcut to seeing God. They have already made all the mistakes and been through all the pitfalls that are necessary. Vivekananda says the whole of nature is bound by law so whatever has happened before will happen again.
So many people have gone on a journey to see God and they have been successful and they’ve written about it. Learning from them will make your journey easier. For you this means that what would normally take ten or twenty years may only take you two or three.
Thirdly. You must possess the qualities of a good student. So what are the qualities of a good student? You must have perseverance and the ability to devote long hours to meditation and prayer. Always remember, when the student is ready the teacher will arrive. So to find a great teacher you must be a great student. A Great teacher will then help you to see God.
You must also remember to practice the Yoga of Krishna. Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita “He who perseveres embued with Yoga sees the jiva dwelling within the inner self while those of un purified mind not having mastered the senses fail to see me despite perseverance.”
Repeat this to yourself. He says even if you persevere, without the Yoga of Krishna you will not see the jiva. You must have complete control of your sattvic, rajasic and tamasic emotions. Detach yourself from these waves and focus on the script.
It may take a while but if you don’t do this you simply will not be able to see God. Remember he who perseveres sees the jiva in the inner self. Others will fail despite perseverance. Don’t be the one that fails despite perseverance. Don’t let all your hard work go to waste.
All that’s needed is a slight change of mind-set. Do this and you’ll achieve your goals much faster. You may even see God in as little as 3 days!
Thank you and remember. You keep asking questions and I’ll keep answering them.
