God, Power and Peace

The way we perceive God in relation to our materialistic terms of life is very important, as from that relation springs many misconceptions and a wrong road to spiritual illumination.

First, I would like to declare as a law that God is not associated with material things or material phenomena. In fact, God can be attained only by giving up all material phenomena. ‘Immortality can be attained only by renunciation and by nothing else, not even by wealth or progeny’ says the Upanishads. The highest religious life of any religion demands renunciation and purity. That is why we find the great religious teachers of the world spend their best part of their lives in completely isolated places for spiritual practices. Because these places are bereft of any material affluence. We find the great teachers, some spending their lives in forests, some in deserts and some in isolated places etc.

Buddha Meditating in an isolated spot

But the notion of God only in relation to spiritual benefits stop with the great men. The great rulers of earth wanted power. They found God to be synonymous with power. They held innumerable sacrifices to propagate their power and wealth. They found God appeased and grant them power and wealth. In ancient Egypt and in Rome we find this. We also find innumerable instances even in our country. The great Cholas erected huge temples to glorify their power. The Great Raja Raja Chola erected Brihadeeswara temple after subduing neighboring states. We find in one sculpture, that the great King was coronated by God Shiva himself.

Raja Raja Chola coronated by God Shiva.

These Kings even go to the extent of identifying themselves with God. Because with the aura of authority of God and rituals, they subjugate people as they like. They enforce rules in the name of God, and the people are bound to obey, as they are made to believe that these rules are decreed by God himself. But what the Kings failed to realize is the transitory nature of their wealth and Kingdom. These kings disappeared with their kingdoms in due course of time. These Kings, instead of desiring immortality, at best utilized God as a law reinforcement agency.

The next category of people, we find are very dubious. The proverb goes, ‘Beware the sanctimonious, beneath there is boiling dirt’. This is with reference to the people who pose themselves as custodians of God but utilize God for gratifying their greed and selfish interests. From ancient times, the institutions of God, are closely guarded by these men, and at best they bar people from direct access to God. This is very prevalent even now. One can find even now, some priests sitting close to Lord Jagannath in Puri, and demanding money. You are saved if you give some; otherwise, be ready for a volley of abuses and curses. These dubious priests, instead of desiring immortality, at best utilize God, to satiate their greed.

Therefore, one must be careful, whenever God is associated with material phenomena. There is an incident of Jesus whipping away traders and money changers inside the temple. Here is the actual passage from the holy book.

Jesus driving our money changers from Temple

‘And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.’

I feel, one must use God and its associated places solely for the purpose of nature – spiritual, and not as a medium of propagating wealth, and not as medium for satisfying greed and selfish desires, not as a medium for business and trading, because immortality is not attained through these.

Thank You.

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