by Sri Bimal Mohanty
VOL No. 41
July. 2004

ATTEMPTS TO DESCRIBE BRAMHAN - Part 15

"Based on the lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty"

For the last so many chapters or discussions, we have been trying to explore and understand some isolated aspects from the many unaccountable aspects of that concept of consciousness that we call Bramhan.

The ON-OFF relationship with God….

If each of us now pause a little and ask ourselves, 'how much closer have I come to understand Bramhan?' we all know what our answers will be. None of us, if we are sincere in our hearts, will be able to say 'I think I have some idea'. If ten doubts have been cleared in our minds, twenty more new doubts have cropped up. If some of us felt frustrated in the process and have even stopped in their spiritual journey, it is but natural. That is why so many of us who at a particular time of life start sadhanA with lot of zeal and enthusiasm, become drop-outs.

But do these people succeed in completely turning themselves away from the Lord? The paradox is that, they simply can not do so. This is indeed a strange aspect of yoga sadhanA. Every human being goes through periods of intense craving for God and periods of loss of intensity. This game may go on for a life-time, a few life-times or even many, many life-times. It is somewhat like the situation between two lovers. Some misunderstanding and then patching up, further misunderstanding and further patching up and it goes on. Psychologists say that this process is indeed the process that tests your love. It makes your love run deep.

Our love affair with the Lord is also similar. When you have these periodic cycles of warming up and cooling off, do not get alarmed. It calls for truly self-introspection. Know for certain that your sadhanA, your love for The Lord, is constantly under test. Purer the love, more severe becomes the test, so that at the end only pure love and adoration shines like the gold burnt in fire.

These temporary lapses on our part are completely forgiven by the Lord, when we again return to his fold. Like a true lover, which he is, his welcoming arms are always open for all. All are forgiven. We have a saying that one who wanders away in the morning and returns home in the evening is not considered lost. The Lord knows that none can stay away from Him. All of us will return to him one day or the other.

This is a strange natural relationship we have with our creator the Bramhan. No matter what, we all are attracted to Him.

Why we are attracted to God?

Our scriptures and our teachers tell us, that you receive happiness when you realise God. Can any body tell us how is it so? A concept like this is very difficult - although not impossible-

to prove by examples. But the truth of the matter is that, we continue to get attracted to the Lord, the Bramhan. The generations before us did that and the future generations will also continue to be attracted.

What is the rationality behind this strange attraction?

Let us try to analyse this feeling and by that we shall get some other glimpses of that Bramhan.