10. Can't See God Anywhere | Can See God Everywhere

A teacher was lecturing. When she asked the children to repeat after her, “I am an atheist,” they all obediently followed. She did, however, notice a silent student at the back. When she asked him why he wasn’t repeating, the young boy innocently replied that he wasn’t an atheist, but rather a Christian. In a more challenging tone, the teacher asked why. The student replied: “My mum is a Christian, my dad is a Christian, they taught me about Christianity, and now I am a Christian.” The teacher replied, “That’s not a very good argument - if your mum was lost, if your dad was lost, and if you were lost as a consequence, then what would you be?” The boy paused for thought. “Then,” he said, “I would be an atheist!”

Some people can’t see God anywhere. How incredible! The beautiful blue sky, the lively birds chirping, a carefree child chasing butterflies through a vibrant garden of blooming flowers, and the scorching rays of the dazzling sun. People marvel at nature’s beauty, yet conclude it’s all just random chemical reaction. They behold the deity of God and say, “This is just matter.” They look at the Bhagavad-Gita and say, “This is just fictional.” They hear of people’s spiritual experiences and say, “That’s just their imagination.” Despite the wonder of divine touch, they see only matter; they fail to detect the artist, the painter, the architect, the divinity behind the entire cosmos. They see but they don’t see.

Having encouraged Arjuna to find a natural absorption in spiritual consciousness, in Chapter Ten Krishna goes on to explain how every sight of the world can trigger that awareness. Krishna says: “I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, and the ability in man.” Whether it’s that matchless experience of quenching our thirst with chilled water, the sheer brilliance of the luminaries in the sky, or the expertly gifted people that we encounter, we understand it all has its source in divinity. In a pure state of consciousness, the creation naturally reminds one of the creator, the design triggers thoughts of the designer and the artistry is an impetus to identify the artist.

In reality, however, we don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are. What stands out in life is largely dependent upon the state of our own consciousness. Those who assimilate the teachings of Bhagavad-Gita can see God everywhere, but those who don’t may well struggle to find God anywhere.

But why isn’t it blatantly obvious that God exists? How can masses of people miss the most crucial aspect of existence? Wouldn’t such an astounding divine beauty shine out above and beyond everything else? Why is there even a shadow of doubt? It’s actually an amazing exhibition of God’s ingenuity to create the possibility of atheism. He designs the world in such a way that people can argue Him out of the equation! He leaves room for explanations that (at least externally) seem to coherently explain the universe in purely mechanistic terms. In other words, He doesn’t make it a completely ludicrous proposition to not believe in Him. Since He wants a loving relationship, forged out of free will, He endows us with independence and offers an array of options. When we lovingly choose Him, we’re able to interact face-to-face. That’s the ultimate proof that we’re all looking for.

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