Who is God?

Sri Siddharameshwar Maharaj

The disciple asked the Master, "Who is God?" His answer was, "The Life-Energy, or Chaitanya, is God." The Life-Energy is your Being, or Existence. Gods of clay and stone are manufactured, or made up gods. The gods created by imagination die when the great cosmic cycle, the Kalpa ends. Chaitanya is the base, or the root of all the incarnations of Vishnu such as Rama and Krishna, or incarnations of the Mother Prakriti, such as Ambika, or Saraswati. Vishnu is the Life-Energy. That Life-Force is God. Lord Shiva told Parvati that the Life-Force that moves everything is God. That is inherent in all. That is God, which is the Pure Chaitanya. The one who recognizes him is also called God. The Sage Yajnyavalkya was asked by his disciple, "Who is God?" He said to the disciple, "You are God." Think about this fact that you are God.

Two disciples, one God and one a demon went to a Guru. The Guru advised them, "You are That." The demon went home and continued his meat eating. The first disciple, who was God, started thinking, "How am I God?" He went to his Guru again and said, "Please show me how I am God." The Guru said, "God is that which activates the body. The body is not God. The Life-Energy is God and that is you yourself." What is the difference between the dead and the living? There is Life-Energy moving in the living and not in the dead. That is the difference. There are seven main factors that make a body, such as bones, muscles, blood etc. These are all called Dhatu, or essential elements of the body. This is the physical body. All these run the mill called the body, and the product of this mill is nothing but shit. I am not the physical body. I am not the subtle body. This body is constantly punishable, which means that everyday the body is receiving punishment. The individual, the jiva, is always suffering punishment. Who is it that should be called a monk? One who gives up external things and calls himself a renunciate (Sannyasi)? No, simply giving up external things does not make you a sannyasi. When I am not the mind, and I am not my intellect, the actions done by the mind and intellect, whether good or bad, are also not mine. One who knows this is liberated.