Today, as India celebrates one of it’s many religious festivals, “Mahashivratri“, I thought this was a great time to understand our idea of the supreme power! Just share a few observations about how through the ages our ideas and perceptions of the supreme energy have evolved and continue to do so and how each of these ideas, irrespective the path chosen (read- religion/faith)

The greatest lesson that one can learn being born in India (pretty early in life- at times even before you are born!) is to learn to believe- As a nation we have this deeply enshrined value system of believing- having faith and being always sure that no matter how much sad, bogged down and screwed up or miserable your life seems to be- there is a reason to believe that the next sunrise will be better then the earlier one and things will change- and the best part of this eternal belief system is that this is a common fabric that runs across all the faiths and belief systems that you encounter in this great land and almost across the world!

The child in me, being the inquisitive one like always- has and still continues to wonder multiple facets about this whole concept of God and The Supreme Energy- What is actually the concept of God!? What is this all about anyways? Why should we place belief in something that we cannot see and why should we believe in God and not believe in negative forces (read ghosts etc.) I have spent close to 25 years learning, studying and observing this facet, reading through religious scripts (across faiths), talking to enlightened ( and at times not so enlightened Gurus and respected teachers and community leaders) all with one aim- to try and understand what is this all about anyways and how do we fit in this space! Well, going by the limitations of the blog, in the next few passages I will share with you what I learnt and possibly we will conclude by arriving at a broader inference and then move back into our own private spaces to pursue our pathways to realize the supreme power that we believe in!

Irrespective of the pathway (read here religious or belief system) you choose, the final goal seems to be that of assimilation into the supremely sublime and all encompassing Universal Energy which interestingly each of the pathways believes to be the beginning- the present, the end and also a dimension and space beyond the end ( something which never ends- read eternal). The magic around this one aspect that many pathways converge around is that – each of the pathways within their own rights- has a given code of direction to achieve this evasive yet magnetic state- a state wherein as a human you become liberated once and for all from all the trials and tribulations and also are able to enjoy a state of bliss through “who you are” well this is where you have the concept of “Your Soul” coming in- The whole discussion around the space of achieving eternal bliss is for the contentment of your soul- for that is the final destination of your soul- so say all the pathways!

Certainly there are variations, no doubt- Some pathways believe in multi- energy supreme state (God), few believe in a system where the Supreme power is one and only with none other (at times bordering at the lines of despise and anguish towards all those who consider to be even little accommodating for anything else) and then few pathways see the entire life as a gift of the supreme power and that what we do , say , touch, hear or speak must always deem fit to the supreme power’s aura (for it is whose creation we all are!) Till this point all is fine- all looks great- different pathways – achieving something similar (if not the same) and seemingly non-interfering into others’ majorly. Unfortunately- this is the point from where digression begins and for once – Human societies the world over have shown that no matter what a particular belief or faith says- when human being decide go manipulate it and use it for ulterior motives there is no one coming to rescue anyone of us- not even the supreme power!

As a student of Geography, we all learnt -that climate impacted human evolution and development- in fact stretch this concept further back- possibly qualified anthropologists would be happy to guide you on how human beings evolved and how different streaks of racial features developed under different geographical and climatic conditions- and yes each of these developments had nothing- absolutely nothing to do with any Supreme Power of belief system- at least until that point!

As humans began to get more and more control around their immediate geographical surroundings and social structures started to get develop- formats of instructions to conduct daily routines and rituals possibly began to emerge- The greatest mystery across all religions and all pathways of the belief system will always be and remain- How exactly did this Life’s Instruction manual get decoded- by a few or in some pathways by a single individual (who no doubt would have had a streak of some supreme being within!) But once it was decoded enough (and the interpretation goes on across the human landscape to this day (on what was said- by whom- when – why- what it meant then- what it means now and so on and so forth), fortunately or unfortunately for making- many of these pathways and belief systems started to get hijacked by a few people for one or the other reason- either by creation of systems and processes within or otherwise- which further got shaded and colored with average human biases and distractions – which over centuries have lead astray many a pathways and in few unfortunate cases have set them up in complete disarray from their higher objectives of being able to serve and service the larger and greater good of humanity!

What started as a simplified and genuine approach to unravel the mysteries of our own self to connect with and reach out to the supreme powers that govern the universe, ended up being rather ordinary and self-serving to drive earthly agendas for the glory and misery of humanity- Of course yes, thankfully not all have gown down that way and few genuine pathways exist and operate and that is evident from the very fact that no matter which corner of the world you are in- even today you would have at least one stranger approach you and offer you help- expecting absolutely nothing in return! That is undoubtedly the greatest gift that any of the genuine pathways/ belief systems have given to mankind- A universal duty of care”!

If you ask me, through my personal engagements with learned people (across faiths and belief systems) the concept of God, Supreme power, all rests in simple aspects of life- reaching out and doing good for others- without expecting anything in return- staying grounded- being humble and very importantly Staying Human. This according to me is the very essence of the whole concept of God, serving others, serving yourself, your community, society,nation- Serve fellow humans with kindness, goodness and dignity and rest assured, irrespective the pathway and the belief system you choose- at the end of the day- You will be rewarded with what you seek through your pathway- Just by serving fellow humans! For God/ Supreme Power resides not only into the uncertain and unknown spaces of the big known and unknown universe- this energy and power resides, reflects and resonates within each one of us- living/ non-living and service to each one of us is service unto that supreme power!

I leave you with these thoughts and allow you to seek your connect with that great power on this auspicious day and hope even as you seek your eternal reward you exercise ” A universal duty of care” unto fellow humans- irrespective of the pathways and the belief systems that we choose! Always remember- Stardust is what we all are- each one of us and that is what we eventually become- Stardust!

Ciao for now, will catch up with another fleeting piece soon, until then- stay connected and stay wise!