God is omnipresent and omnipotent
Pt Ram Krishan Sharma
One day Akbar questioned, “Birbal, you keep on counselling me to meditate on God ….. but first tell me, where is He? How can I see Him? And what does He do?”
A volley of questions fired together! All very challenging! Birbal replied thoughtfully, “Emperor, give me a week. By then I will answer your questions.” Six days flew by. No satisfactory answer came to his mind. He was worried and undecided. His little son, observing his father’s sad face, ventured, “Father, what is worrying you?” Birbal told his son about the three questions. The little fellow replied, “Is that all? Please do not worry. I will answer them.” Birbal asked eagerly, “Tell me, son.” “No father, take me to the Emperor, and I will tell him.”
So Birbal took his son to the emperor and announced, “Sir, this little fellow will answer your questions.” Akbar looked with surprise at the boy, “Such difficult questions, and you will answer them?” Then added, “All right son, what is the answer to my three questions?” The boy replied, “Emperor, you have only recently arrived in India, and hence do not know our traditions. It is our custom to entertain a visitor with eatables and drinks first. Firing questions at him at once is not our way.” Somewhat sheepishly, Akbar said, “All right, what will you have?” The boy replied, “I am still a little child and would prefer milk.”
So milk in a bowl was brought and offered to the child. “Drink it,” said Akbar. The child took the bowl and peered into it. He peered hard from all sides dipping his finger in it, he made as if to retrieve something from inside. Akbar asked, “What are you doing? Why don’t you drink the milk?” Quick came the reply, “Sir, I have heard that milk contains butter, but I don’t find any?”
Amused, the emperor said, “You are still a child. Definitely, milk contains butter, but if you wish to see it, you have to add curd to it and allow it to set. After that, put it in a churner and churn it. When thoroughly churned, the butter will collect on the surface.”
The child then said, “Listen emperor, this is the very answer to your first two questions. God is omnipresent – in every atom He exists. You can see him only when the curd of ‘AUM’ Japa is added to the milk of the mind and allowed to set. This curd is thoroughly churned by Yoga – all eight stages. It is only then that the seeker in his heart beholds the Almighty. He clearly perceives Him. This is a definite fact.” The emperor exclaimed, “Well done, my boy! Two of my questions have been answered. My doubts have vanished. Now, what does He do?”
The boy saucily countered, “You ask this question as a guru (guide) or a disciple?” Akbar obliged, “As a disciple.” “You are a strange disciple. Your teacher stands on the floor, while you in a grand manner, sit on a high throne.”
Akbar descended from his throne and came to where the child stood. He picked and seated the child on the throne, “Now tell me, what does God do?” Laughing, the child replied, “This is exactly what He does, Akbar. He turns the tables of people’s fortunes. The lowly He raises to exalted heights, and the mighty He renders low.”
Moral: God is God. One cannot describe him. He is unfathomable! He lives with us constantly.
All the Devtas (Gods) had gathered for a meeting in heaven; Lord Indra was sitting on his throne. His favourite parrot was perched on his shoulder. The parrot was a very beautiful and a graceful bird, and Lord Indra loved it very much.
Suddenly the parrot’s eyes fell on the Lord of ‘Death’ and it started shivering. It started flying in fear here and there. All Devtas requested the Lord of ‘Death’ to keep away from the parrot. “He is a favourite bird of Lord Indra”, they told the Lord of ‘Death’, “So don’t take its life. Please spare the bird.”
“I have no say in the matter,” said the Lord of ‘Death’, “Only ‘Destiny’ has the final word.” So all Devtas approached ‘Destiny’ and asked her to spare the parrot. “It’s not in my hands,” said ‘Destiny’. “Only ‘Death’ decides the fate. Only He has the full authority to take the final decision.”
Again all the Devtas went to see ‘Death’, but as soon as ‘Death’ looked at the parrot, it died. Even a favourite parrot of the Lord Indra had to die and the Devtas could do nothing about it.
The Lord of ‘Death’ consoled them thus: “Every living being has to perish. A king or a beggar has to die and come to dust. Everyone has to bow down in front of ‘Death’. ‘Death’ spares no one.Once ‘Death’ makes up its mind lay its icy hands no someone, then the end of that person is inevitable. No one can interfere and change the destiny of that person. No one has exemption from “DEATH” and this is a rule.”
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