
There is no creation without an intelligent and powerful creator. The world we see around us and the millions of extraterrestrial bodies visible in outer space are the handiwork of the Supreme Creator, who is also the regulator of the universe. The Creator dissolves this universe which contains all the above celestial bodies after a fixed time span only to recreate it. All sentient living beings including humans are his subjects. But why does the Creator create humans?
Humans are essentially souls which were never created and can never be destroyed. They are eternal. The Creator gives physical bodies to these souls to usher them on their celestial abodes. Alongside the physical body, the Creator provides mind, intellect and ego-self to the human soul to make him a complete organism, capable of independent existence. He creates water, food grains, vegetables, fruits etc. for the sustenance of humans.
Does the human being take birth only to eat, drink, sleep and procreate? It is far from it. These activities are performed by lower animals, too. The human being, who is the highest of creations, has sublime goals to reach. For this, the Creator Ishwar gives humans high intellect and knowledge in the form of the Vedas so that they can lead a civilised existence and evolve to perfection.
The prime purpose of human life being understood is to follow the instructions, guidelines and injunctions laid down in the divinely revealed Vedas. These texts are verily the operation and maintenance manuals of humans akin to the maintenance manuals of cars given to buyers by car manufacturers.
Man is innately weak and limited in knowledge and understanding, while Ishwar is omniscient. Humans stutter and stumble through life, and they are liable to err. They often progress in fits and starts, which is why they constantly need divine guidance to navigate life successfully. The Vedas provide it. But the same Vedic texts also enjoin the humans to maintain a constant connection with Ishwar. But why is it so?
The reason has already been cited above. Humans need Ishwar's hand-holding to make the best of our lives. We are imperfect and grossly limited by knowledge and power, so we need to maintain a direct connection with the omnipotent Ishwar.
Direct connection with Ishwar precludes any intermediary. No middleman is needed between me and my Creator and Benefactor, Ishwar. If any person lays claim to possessing the power to enable my connection with Ishwar, he is a liar, a charlatan.
There are plenty of such self-professing godmen. Persons who rely on such middlemen end up in grief. This is because many a time such middlemen exploit their so-called devotees who follow them out of rank ignorance of facts and are driven by the instinct of hero-worshipping. There are examples on record of many fraudulent godmen who landed up in jail.
I share with my Ishwar a multifaceted relationship—that of a child-parent, student-preceptor and beneficiary-benefactor. Ishwar is my friend, philosopher and guide. So, why have an intermediary between us? I need to keep a direct connection with the divine Creator. It is essential to my mundane and spiritual progress.
I have to keep this direct connection with the Lord alive through regular worship which has three components—stuti (praise of the Lord), prarthana (prayer to the Lord) and upasana (meditation upon the Lord). This will keep me in tune with the prime purpose of my existence. It will prevent me from going astray. It will prevent me from violating Dharma, the code of good living and successful living.
Keeping direct contact with the divine will enable me to catch the corrective signals emanating from Ishwar who dwells within me and outside. These signals will prevent me from blundering out of ignorance and foolishness.
Indeed, the divine Creator gives internal warning signals to the human being when he is about to commit a wrong or sinful act which violates Dharma. These signals are in the form of doubt, fear and shame. The person who maintains a direct connection with the divine Creator catches these signals and corrects his course. He maintains the tempo of his material and spiritual progress. The disbeliever or the one who relies on a human intermediary for divine beneficence is deprived of these benefits.
Let us all advance fast forward in this tumultuous journey called life by keeping ourselves directly and well connected with our Creator Ishwar. He will never fail us.
Atul Sehgal is the author of Guide to Inner Wellness and The Essence of Bhagwadgita—70 Verses at its Core (Rupa Publications)