Ishvara the Supreme MasterSwami Nikhilananda SaraswatiIn our scriptures the term Ishvara is used to refer to God. Ishvara means the Master, the Supreme Master. There is only one Ishvara. Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati are all different aspects of that one Ishvara. Ishvara alone is called devi or devata. People are called by different names in different places according to the role they are playing a person may be called Pitaji ? by his children, his wife may call him by his given name, he may be addressed as Babuji in the neighbourhood, and Boss in the office. They are all different names of the same person. Similarly, God is one but some call Him by the name Brahmaji, some call Him Vishnu or Mahesh and yet others call Him Kali. Rama, Krishna, Ganesha are among the many varied names of that one Ishvara.

Where does Ishvara reside? Bhagavan reveals1 that He resides in the heart of all beings. People have funny notions that God is only in human beings. He is present in animals, birds and plants as well as in little insects, viruses, bacteria. In short, He is in all beings, sarvabhutanam. The word heart means the very core, the very essence. Ishvara is all pervading and resides even in matter. Being in all, He controls all. Therefore another one of His names is Antaryami. Remaining inside, He controls everything and everyone. Being the sky, He controls the sky. Being the air, He controls the air. Being in the hearts of all beings, He controls all.

What does He do? Ishvara makes all beings move like the unseen hand that pulls the strings of puppets. He makes them function. Individuals have the notion that I am acting. This is notion though it is very strong, is an erroneous belief. Ishvara resides in each one of us not as a part but as a whole. Bhagavan is complete in everyones heart. 100% God is there in everyone and it is He who makes everything move and function.

How? yantrarudhani like a mechanical device, a machine. Machines function according to the directions given in the manual. You can predict exactly how the machine will function if you have studied it thoroughly. Satellites are sent to other planets by man. There is no human crew on the satellite. A satellite which is sent to Mars, lands there at a pre-planned time and place. Samples of the soil are collected and analysed. Photographic images are transmitted back to Earth. All this is done without a human being present there. Now here is an interesting aspect to consider. Suppose you are on Mars and see the satellite landing, followed by the robotic machine coming out of it and doing its work. Even in your wildest dreams, you will never imagine that it is being controlled by some unseen men sitting on faraway earth. If someone were to tell you that it is being controlled by NASA, you will never believe it. Similarly, like the satellite and its movements, our body and its functions too are controlled by an unseen entity Ishvara. In fact, the entire cosmos is controlled by Ishvara through His power called Maya. God does not stay at a particular place and control from there. He is everywhere. The cosmos we experience is very different from the reality. Keeping this in mind, we should try to comprehend the nature and presence of Ishvara and dedicate all our actions to him. When we get tuned to Ishvara perfectly, we become free from the sense of doership.

We should allow Ishvara to function through us, without thinking that I am doing. We have to allow action to happen without interference from ahamkara, kama krodha, lobha, mada, moha, matsarya. This is true spontaneous action. This is real Ishvara ichha. This is very powerful. Understand it in the right perspective.

1ivarahsarva-bhtnmhrd-dee'rjunatisthatibhrmayansarva-bhtniyantrrdhnimyay

Bhagavad Gita 18.61

The Author is the Head of Chinmaya Mission Delhi and NCR.

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