E-Paper
Becoming God-like
Great souls like Rama and Krishna by their communion with God, become God-like.
Maharishi Jamini, a great scholar of the Vedas, was teaching his pupils about the Vedas' concept of God. While listing various attributes of God, he described Him as Unborn, one who doesn't take birth. This sent one of his disciples into a tizzy. He asked his preceptor, "Gurudev, if God is unborn, why do we consider Rama and Krishna as Avatars, as God descended on this planet at different times, who had wives and children like any other human being?"
The sage was immensely pleased with his pupil's analytical approach and replied, "My children, neither Rama nor Krishna were gods and for that matter nobody who takes birth can be a god. But great souls like Rama and Krishna by their communion (Upasana) with God, become God-like. When the soul comes close to God, it rids itself of all impurities, sorrows and shortcomings and its nature, attributes and character become pure like that of God, just as a man shiv ering from cold ceases to suffer by coming close to the fire. From time to time such noble souls tread the earth and after meeting them, a spontaneous reaction is, 'It looks as if God himself has descended on earth!' But in fact, these no ble souls are those people who with their Upasana attain the state of salvation."
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The learned sage added that communion with God (Upasana), which literally means, "to come close to God", uplifts the soul to a state of infinite bliss and leads to salvation. However there are a few prerequisites for a person who wants to commune with God. First he must accept that God is omnipresent and lives within us. Secondly, by practice of yoga and self-control, he needs to free his mind from malice to any living creature and overcome the five enemies and deterrents: anger, arrogance, lust, greed and worldly attachments.
On this the Upanishads say: "No tongue can express that bliss which flows from communion with God to the soul of one purified by yoga. That happiness is felt in the inner self alone."
