Spirituality, & God (& Family): My Meditations on God

This writeup is one where you'll come across a LOT of quotes—to the point where it almost feels like a “my favourite quotes on God” compilation. But if you know me and read my blogs, you already know I write whatever pops into my head, in whichever order. So here we are.

Just to make one thing clear before we proceed: I am not comparing religions or debating which belief system is better. That’s not what this is about.

Now, for some context: I don’t really believe in God. Not in the conventional sense, at least. I’m not the type who’ll go searching for divine signs or think that the universe is ruled by an all-knowing being, and I am definitely not somebody who doles out words like "karma" and "dharma" and "māyā" like snacks at a party.

What I do believe in is being a good human being. Having principles.

And why? Not because a holy book told me so, or because I’m trying to win points with some celestial jury, or because it is something that my very good friend(s) follows.

It is just because I feel that way; because deep down, I believe it’s the right way to go about life.

Here I am not demeaning the people who find comfort in temples, churches, or mosques. Yes, I do point out facts that I do not follow, yet I have no wish to show them that their way is inferior in any way. No way is bad.

It is simply because I find comfort in being good for the sake of goodness itself. And in that sense, I guess you could say my "God" is my own conscience. A compass pointing me toward being a better version of myself. So, without further ado, let’s get into my meditations on this topic—wherever they may lead us.

[random tangent count: 01]

Alright, here comes a bit of a tangent (don’t worry, I know this is just the beginning of the writeup, I promise to circle back to the main topic soon—hang tight).

Following is one of the reasons I have such a fondness for certain portions of the Bhagavadgita [abbreviated as BG from now on]. Yes, I’m aware that like any religious text, it has its share of cultish behaviour and rigid preaching. But if you strip away those layers (from any text, not just the BG), what’s left is a collection of different philosophies. I doubt any other text comes close to encapsulating such a diverse range of thought as in the BG. Hence, I find BG very fascinating. No matter what problem you’re facing in life—whether it’s doubt, fear, ambition, or existential crisis — you can almost always find an answer in it (ay, I'm not asking you to read it, just stating that I do). And it’s like a manual for life’s most difficult questions.

And if you’re wondering where I’m going with this, don’t worry, we’re about to tie it all back together (you’ll see why I went off on this tangent soon enough). Now, back to our main discussion.

The BG (Chapter 3 verse 35) gives a beautiful shloka for the same:

ଶ୍ରେୟାନ୍ସ୍ଵଧର୍ମୋ ଵିଗୁଣ: ପରଧର୍ମାତ୍ସ୍ଵନୁଷ୍ଠିତାତ୍ | ସ୍ଵଧର୍ମେ ନିଧନଂ ଶ୍ରେୟ: ପରଧର୍ମୋ ଭୟାଵହ: ||3.35||

Devanagari transliteration: श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुण: परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात् | स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेय: परधर्मो भयावह: |

Meaning: It is far better to perform one’s natural prescribed duty, though tinged with faults, than to perform another’s prescribed duty, though perfectly. In fact, it is preferable to die in the discharge of one’s duty, than to follow the path of another, which is fraught with danger.

This verse from the BG makes a bold statement that I think (and have interpreted) preaches the idea of living authentically. What you truly need is a set of principles that you establish for yourself — principles that you believe in and are willing to stand by. If you follow that path — your very own path, even if it’s full of imperfections — you’re more likely to live freely and even find better ways to succeed. This is one of the teachings from the BG that I genuinely admire. To know that your journey, however flawed, is more meaningful and fulfilling than walking perfectly on someone else’s path, fills you up with a sense of self-belief. I think BG is one of the earliest self-help books hahaha.

And, take a moment to think about it. All these religious texts, all the self-help books, all the advice that you get from other people — they speak of somebody else's truth. The person who writes, says, gives you the advice, is coming from the sum total of experiences that they have experienced. I believe I have been born to live life in my own terms. To experience life for what it is to be me. Nobody else can ever replicate that, for I have a unique set of experience which no other person can have (and the same is true for every other person on this planet too!). My experiences have moulded me and my principles into something which serves me - maybe you have some other set of principles, or maybe you have none. Everything is completely fine, for you are you and you cannot be somebody else.

Whenever you listen to anybody or any advice, it is a suggestion. You do not HAVE to do anything.

Essentially, the text from BG is saying (anticlimactic for a religious book, hahaha) that you don’t necessarily need a religious book like the BG, the Qur’an, the Bible, or the Torah to show you the way. You mould your principles, you make your rules.

Fairly recently, I was reading "The Forty Rules of Love" [abbreviated as FRoL from now on] by Elif Shafak and it quickly became one of my favourite books. By now, I've read it completely twice, and on days that I don't feel so good, I just take out that book and read out some random part (I am lying, I have my favourite parts that y'all shall see). Very obviously, while reading I stumbled upon a few quotes about God with which I resonated strongly. Now, how will my 4-5 readers not know of this beautiful book? You will find a lot of reference to the book in this write up, because, you guessed it right, I LOVEEDDDD the book (yes, all-caps,-repeating-letters good).

NO SPOILERS going ahead.

Also, note that all the quotes where I do not mention the author or book name, it is referring to FRoL by Elif Shafak.

Opening with one of the quotes that I resonate with the most:

To each his own way and his own prayer. God does not take us at our word. He looks deep into our hearts. It is not the ceremonies and rituals that make a difference, but whether our hearts are sufficiently pure or not.

These lines are one of the most important lines from the FRoL and arguably, my favourite.

Each person is unique. And to have a uniform way of worship is undermining the very nature that created you so different from everybody else that exists. If we were all made different, why shouldn't our ways of expressing devotion reflect that? Why must worship be a one-size-fits-all?

And, it is very important to learn that like God, we should also not take people at their words, rather look deep into their hearts. It’s so important to see beyond the surface with people, just as we try to see beyond the names and rituals of God. People are much more than the words they say. Beneath the layers of language, habits, and roles, there is always something deeper, a glimpse of their true nature.

[random tangent count: 02] See, how love and devotion are so connected? It’s fascinating, isn’t it, how closely they mirror each other? In Indian aesthetics, the Shringār rasa—the rasa of beauty and love—represents both romantic love and devotion to the divine. That’s not a coincidence. Both love and devotion are acts of surrender, of giving yourself over to something greater, something beyond yourself. When you’re truly in love, you devote yourself to the other person, putting their happiness and well-being above your own. Similarly, true devotion is a kind of love, a longing for closeness with the divine, a desire to serve without expecting anything in return. In both, there is vulnerability, a stripping away of ego, and a willingness to lose oneself. Now you know my theory of why FRoL is named so.

It is reiterated in the BG Chapter 4, verse 11:

ୟେ ୟଥା ମାଂ ପ୍ରପଦ୍ୟନ୍ତେ ତାଂସ୍ତଥୈଵ ଭଜାମ୍ୟହମ୍ | ମମ ଵର୍ତ୍ମାନୁଵର୍ତନ୍ତେ ମନୁଷ୍ୟା: ପାର୍ଥ ସର୍ଵଶ: ||4.11||

Devnagari transliteration: ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् | मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्या: पार्थ सर्वश:

Meaning: In whatever way people surrender unto Me, I reciprocate accordingly. Everyone follows My path, knowingly or unknowingly, O son of Pritha.

Quotes like this are like armour for me. They help me safeguard my beliefs in a world that’s always quick to question or challenge them. What this particular verse does is really interesting—it feeds the ego of anyone who believes in an entity, be it God, Krishna, or whoever they choose to associate with these words. It reassures them that their approach is valid, that they’re being seen and reciprocated by a higher power.

At the same time, it offers a certain peace, a live-and-let-live kind of sentiment that leaves me free to believe in my own way, without the pressure to conform to a certain God or justify my belief.

It’s like a paradox that I find oddly comforting: everyone, knowingly or unknowingly, is on their own journey, following their own paths, and that’s perfectly okay. This shloka, in a way, is permission to just be. And sometimes, that’s all the validation you need.

It is not upto us to judge and measure each others' devoutness.

All that we know about God, is language and religion. We have these names—Saraswati, Jesus, Allah, Benzaiten—and each one carries layers of culture, history, and tradition. Yet, despite all these names and stories, the essence of what we call "God" is beyond words and beyond any one belief system.

I remember once, a friend asked me, "Do you believe in God?" It was one of those questions that sends you spiralling into deeper thought. What does it even mean to "believe" in God when every person seems to hold a unique version of divinity? We like to claim that there is but one God, yet the way we connect, worship, and perceive is so personal, so varied. You might pray to Jagannatha, and I might pray to Jagannatha too, but are we really praying to the same deity?

To my parents, for instance, Jagannatha is revered with a mix of respect, tradition, and fear. They follow rituals, appease Him, and avoid actions that might offend him. But my Jagannatha? He's different. My Jagannatha is like a younger brother, a friend, someone I can scold, laugh with, even ignore on occasion. I don’t approach him with that same sense of fear. For me, there are no rituals that I must follow to keep him "happy". I have flipped the game and asked him to keep me happy.

It’s a bit ironic, isn’t it? We might say "God is one," yet, for each of us, this "one" God wears a different face, has a different relationship with us. In a way, it’s the most intimate and personal connection, shaped entirely by our individual experiences and expectations. And maybe that’s the beauty of it. God is One, yet God is many—an endless reflection of the bond we each hold, uniquely our own.

And now comes the perfect time for the dramatic entrance of yet another quote (sort of reiterating my point):

How we see God is a direct reflection of how we see ourselves.

I am reminded of a beautiful phrase which was recited to me by Dr. Shyam Rastogi (former lecturer at Utkal University of Culture) while we were having a philosophical discussion in the classroom (I am one of the only two students of the Sitar Department in the University, and hence we used to discuss an array of topics, and that I feel, is the right kind of education. Hereby thanking him for being a great teacher for the short stint that he had in UUC). These words are from "Bālākānd" of Shri Ramcharit Mānas by "Bhaktashiromani" Shrimat Tulasidās Gosvāmi:

जाकी रही भावना जैसी, प्रभु मूरत देखी तिन तैसी

This translates to "As is the feeling of the person, so is the image of the Lord seen by him". Goswami Tulsidas explained that whatever the feeling was within a person, he saw Shri Ram in the same form.

His Holiness Sri Srimad 108 Namcharya Sidhdha Sachinanadan Das Babaji

[random tangent count: 03]

Breaking off into another tangent now. There is an interesting nugget of information that I have, this time one that is very close to my heart. I have always wondered where my spiritual side comes from. The obvious answer? My paternal great-grandfather, Bāyābābā (Sri Srimad 108 Namcharya Sidhdha Sachinanadan Das Babaji). He was a revered sage, and he adopted my grandfather when he was a young orphan. My grandfather, hence, spent his entire childhood in the āshram, surrounded by an atmosphere of nāmajapa, devotion, and spiritual teachings. That, coupled with the fact that I spent a substantial amount of my childhood with my grandfather- my parents say that my grandfather was overly fond of me. He hadn't played around with any kid (not even my father or his brothers or sisters) and I was the first and the only one to have that honour. Yes, company does matter and I feel my grandfather affected me much more than than my great-grandfather ever could. Maybe what they say is true- "You become like those you spend your time with".

Even till date, I remember him fondly, as do my parents. I bow to him, and ask him for a fist bump wherever he is!

Coming back to the topic, it doesn’t take much to connect the dots and see where my spiritual inclination might come from.

Shri Ramcharit Manas in Odia by Shri Rajkishore Kanungo

But here’s where it gets even more fascinating. I always assumed my writer-self was just an offshoot of that same spiritual side, but recently, I found an interesting connection on my maternal side as well. My maternal great-grandfather was a writer, and not just any writer— he translated the entire Shri Ramcharit Manas into Odia, and got it published by the Odisha Sahitya Akademi. I mean, how wild is that? Oh, and he also went on to be awarded for his work by OSA too!

To think that the pull toward writing may run as deep as my bloodline, carried across generations on both sides of my family.

On a completely different note, I feel that this Shri Ramcharit Manas is going to be very close to my heart in the coming days. Not sure of it. But I have a strong feeling. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. I’m not going to force myself to love something just because it carries a familial connection. That would be dishonest, and I’ve always believed in being true to oneself. Still, there’s a sense of anticipation, like an open-ended chapter.

Finishing off this writeup with a quote from, yes you've guessed it right yet again, FRoL. I won't dive deep into it (in some future edit, I might).

There is only one place to find God's abode- in the heart of a true lover.

P.S.- sometimes I feel, I write more on the random tangents that I break off into rather than the main topic which I declare in the title. Says a lot about me, doesn't it? I don't know if its for the better or worse. I don't need to know.

And as always, thank you for reading till the end. Consider subscribing to my blog. It is free. Comment, and all.