What Is God

Bhagavad Gita with Commentaries / What Is God

What Is God

The Bhagavad Gita considers God in the following aspects: Ishvara, Absolute, Brahman, Avatar.

In other languages, Ishvara is called the Heavenly Father, God-the-Father, Jehovah, Allah, Tao, Primordial Consciousness, Adibuddha. In the ancient history of Slavs, He was called Svarog. Ishvara is also the Highest Teacher, the Goal of every one of us.

The second aspect of the word God is the Absolute or Everything, that is the Creator existing as one with His multidimensional Creation. The Evolution of the Absolute goes on in cycles (universal pulsation), which are called Manvantaras (chapter 8:16-21). A Manvantara consists of a Kalpa (“Day of Brahman”) and a Pralaya (“Night of Brahman”). Each Kalpa begins with the creation of the world and ends by the end of the world. The meaning of such cyclic recurrence consists in creation of new conditions for continuing the universal Evolution (Evolution of God).

The third aspect is Brahman. It is called also the Holy Spirit. As to the Christian tradition, the best description of the Holy Spirit is given in the Orthodox prayer Heavenly Tsar, which I deem to be the best of all Orthodox prayers. Here it is:

Heavenly Tsar, the Consoler, the Spirit of Truth!

Omnipresent and All-pervading!

Treasury of all good and Source of all life!

Come and abide in us!

And cleanse us of all impurity!

And save our souls, O Blissful One!

Now let us consider the process of positive evolution of human consciousness.

In the beginning, people develop on the material plane. At this stage of development, they experience themselves only as material bodies and perceive only the world of material objects. When saying “I”, they mean the body. They mean the same when thinking or saying: “it hurts”, “it’s hot”, etc.

Those who have learned something of the “non-material”, have come in touch with various magical phenomena, have got some abilities in this area — become representatives of the astral plane.

Development on this step is driven by intellectual search, aspiration to studying the multidimensional space and not just the objects of the material plane. Such people, in particular, cognize what is multidimensional universe, what is magic, spirits. Having accepted in their outlook God, they inevitably begin to study God’s intention on how we should live and what we should become. This is the mental plane. Thus an intensive ethical transformation of oneself begins.

Having changed themselves to a considerable degree in accordance with the will of God, they ascend to the evolutionary step, which is referred to as the supramental plane.

The next stage of development is the near-divine plane. It is the stage of true spiritual leaders. At this step, they continue perfecting themselves on the parameters of Love, Wisdom, and Power, serving God and people with their spiritual knowledge.

The next stage is cognition of Brahman (Holy Spirit) in all His main manifestations and Mergence with Him.

And the final step in self-perfection is Mergence with the Creator.

Mastering of the two last steps implies cognition of the Nirvana in Brahman and Nirvana in Ishvara.

It is clear that a person passes through all these stages not in one but in many incarnations.

There is one more manifestation of God on the Earth — Avatar, Messiah, Christ — man-God merged as a Consciousness with the Creator. An Avatar — from the Divine level — helps people to find the Way to the Creator.

Krishna, presented us with the Bhagavad Gita, Jesus Christ, Babaji, Sathya Sai Baba, and many Others are examples of Avatars.