Seeing God in tiny things

Prahlad had, much to the disbelief of his father Hiranyakashipu, convinced that he sees God in everything. Even after repeated attempts to help him see the truth, the father chose blindness over faith. 

The last nail in his coffin quite literally was him asking if God existed within the inanimate lifeless pillar, to which Prahlad obviously replied YES. Yet unable to believe, Hiranya ordered his men to break open the pillar only to come face to face with death.

The story at that time seemed ‘kiddish’ but over time, one realizes that these fables are not to be taken literally. They all bear some deeper meaning, a philosophic or spiritual truth that one understands or experiences later.

Being a student from the Aurobindo Ashram, I am quite aware of Sri Aurobindo's philosophy. It says that Matter must make itself aware of its dormant nature and use the physical body to help manifest the Divine Life upon earth.

This philosophy makes one look at all objects not as just things composed of matter, but one where Matter is trying to become self aware, with consciousness. While many may see just lifeless matter, I have been conditioned to sense some form of life within it.

To a certain extent, this is also something that is taught at home. But here, it was more about respect or reverence than belief. 

Especially for things associated with Saraswati — books, study tables, musical instruments, etc - which one is taught never to play with or touch using one’s feet. Reverence is a good starting point, but isn't the same thing as belief. Respect can happen without truly believing, but when one truly believes, respect follows suit.

The pillar instance in Prahlad’s story was triggered by a personal experience I had this morning, and a few mornings before that. I sat near a photo of The Mother in the meditation room, positioned at an angle where I could see the reflection of a pillar on the opposite wall just before one enters the meditation room. 

The angle was perfect - if I moved my head even slightly to the left, the photo disappeared and all I could see was the reflection of the pillar on the photo. And if I tilted my head a little to the right, the pillar disappeared and revealed Mother’s image.

And somewhere between one appearing and the other disappearing, was the perfect overlaid image of both Mother’s smiling face and the pillar together.

In the Ashram, The Mother and Sri Aurobindo are considered gods - not in the conventional sense, but as living divine presences. I pray to them the way others pray to their gods, try to follow what they taught, and look upon them as my gurus.

So in that moment, I experienced what Prahlad might have. A momentary yet deeply moving first-hand experience of God’s omnipresence - the feeling that God exists in all things, and that it is only for us, as individuals, to open our inner eye and see.

While all of this definitely has a scientific explanation, of which I am fully aware, the experience itself was spiritual.

Prahlad had his father to convince. I, like all mortals, have only myself. The fight isn’t external but internal.

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