Believer or Non-believer
Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj points out that the surest way to judge whether you truly believe in God or not is to ask yourself the following questions:
Do I always realise the presence of God at all places? Does the world no longer hold any attraction for me? Do I sincerely long to see God? Can I no longer live without God?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, then you cannot call yourself a believer.
The definition of a true believer is found in the Bhagavatam (11.2.53): “One who does not deviate, not even for the twinkling of an eye, from the constant remembrance of the divine feet of Shri Hari, is a devotee.” So, can we call ourselves believers? Obviously not. Had we believed that God knows our thoughts, the word ‘private’ would not have existed in our vocabulary. Our private thoughts and actions are in fact an indirect expression of our disbelief. If we happen to find a $100 note in a crowded room, for example, we will announce it for fear of being seen. But if we happen to find it on a deserted street, we will quietly slip it into our pocket, without bothering to find its owner. Why? Because we forget that God is watching everything we are doing.
None of us would like to admit that we do not believe in God, but what is the reality? Even those of us who go to the mandir regularly, cannot call themselves believers. While in the mandir, we feel that God is watching us, but the moment we step outside we slip back to our normality because we no longer feel His presence with us. This is proof that we just put on an act for God. We try to fool the same God whom we admit to being omniscient and omnipresent. We bow to Him physically and remain attached to the world internally.
Saying that we are believers is like saying that someone is celibate, yet he has fathered ten children. If someone remains celibate for fifteen minutes in twenty-four hours, can he be called a celibate? Similarly, if we believe in God for a few minutes every day, can we really be called a believer? Saint Tulsidas says, “Had we sincerely believed in God, all worldly pleasures would have lost their charm for us and would have become as pale as candlelight before the noonday sun.”
A true believer in God lives in longing to see his Beloved Lord. If his restlessness increases with every passing moment to such an extent that each moment without Him seems like an age, the Lord will surely manifest Himself before him.
Spirituality in Daily Living, Vol. 3, p10–12
Jagadguru Kripalu Bhaktiyoga Tattvadarshan, Vedic knowledge revealed by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj, and presented in English by Dr Vishakha Tripathi, president of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat.
https://www.jkpliterature.org.in/en/product/spirituality-in-daily-living-set-of-4
