What is our relationship with God?

It is an age-old question that makes us wonder what we have got to do with God and how we are related. The same question was put forward by Arjuna to Lord Krishna on behalf of forthcoming generations.

Lord Krishna: Those who take shelter in Me, they become free from the cycle of birth and death and realize Brahman, the Absolute Truth.

Arjuna: What is Brahman, the Absolute Truth?

Lord Krishna: Your Self (Atma) is an imperishable spirit and that is the Absolute Truth. There is perishable matter and imperishable spirit in this creation. Besides these two, there is a Supreme Person, who is the Supreme Spirit. He enters this creation to support all living entities.

Those who understand Me as that Supreme Person are in full knowledge. Your Self is a fragmented part of Me; that same Supreme Spirit as well as the Supreme Person.

Let us dissect this dialog between Lord Krishna and Arjuna and identify the key points:

The benefits of taking shelter of the Lord:

• Liberation (mukti): Freedom from the problems of body and mind

• Self-realization: One regains the eternal and original nature i.e. spirit

The question still remains what does it mean to take shelter of the Lord. Shelter means protection from something harmful or bad. When there is a wildfire or tsunami, the Government provides shelter to the affected population. The people understand that they don’t have anything left to depend on and they go to the Government provided shelters where they know that not only their basic needs such as food and clothing are taken care of but also that is the safest place. Similarly, someone who is intelligent takes shelter of the Supreme Lord where he knows that his efforts alone are inadequate for him to overcome the problem of human existence and to attain self-realization because the material energy is extremely strong. He puts forward his best foot but at the same time completely depends on the support of the Supreme Lord on the outcomes of his effort. He prays to the Lord for mercy and mentorship.

The relationship with God:

• Our original nature is imperishable spirit and not the material body

• We are a fragmental part of that Supreme Spirit. For example, God can be compared to the fire and we can be compared to sparks emanating from the fire. We are not God but we are godly. Both are imperishable spirit but we are a part and God is the whole

• God is the Supreme Spirit and the Supreme Person: God is not only an infinite spiritual energy but also has an all spiritual personality i.e. form, characteristics, qualities, energies (shaktis) etc. There is no difference between God’s soul and God’s body

• Lord Krishna is the Supreme Spirit and the Supreme Person who supports all living beings

• Lord Krishna and his incarnations are eternal spiritual manifestations. Each manifestation exhibits some aspects of the Supreme Person but Lord Krishna is the most comprehensive all spiritual manifestation

• Lord Krishna is not an incarnation in a typical sense as explained by Srila Vysadeva in the Vedas. He is the source of everything. He is considered an incarnation only because he appeared on this Earth for our benefit. He is revered in the Vedas also as Vasudeva and Adi-Narayana