The Ultimate Truth
Many of you would claim that you are a theist, that is, a believer in God. But are you really? Let us reflect on this.
Most of you would be familiar with the saying ram naam satya hai — God’s name is the ultimate truth. It is a common custom in India to recite it during funeral processions. But how many of you believe it? In our country of 1 billion people, we would not find even one hundred such people.
Suppose you are carrying your loved one to the cremation ground. You and all your fellow funeral goers are chanting ram naam satya hai, and all of a sudden, your loved one sits up! Immediately the chanting would cease. Anyone who dared to continue would be shouted down or physically restrained in order to stop. Everyone would say, “Look! He’s alive!” Most of you would react exactly in this way because you ignorantly believe that this slogan is something to be recited only after someone’s death and is definitely not something to be said at any other time. People believe that the person who is now alive could die again if ram naam satya hai is recited, and so out of fear everyone stops. What kind of faith in God is this? Isn’t God’s name always the truth?
Suppose you go to a friend’s house and as you go inside you are welcomed with ram naam satya hai. You would make an abrupt about-turn and walk out. Similarly, if it was sung at your daughter’s wedding, then you would sack all those involved. The truth is that people believe in God only verbally, and therefore, when it comes to practically applying that belief in their daily lives, they fail miserably.
Just look at all the ignorance that plagues spirituality in our country. Such-and-such a temple’s deity possesses great power. If you go there and wholeheartedly pray, all your problems will be resolved, and you will get whatever you want. When this belief becomes widespread, hundreds of thousands of people flock to that temple in the hope that their long list of desires will be fulfilled. Some people even take great risks to travel to isolated places under the assumption that the God there is somehow better than the one in their local neighbourhood. Ask yourself, “Do I really believe in the omnipresence of the Supreme Lord?”
A man realises himself to be a man twenty-four hours a day. He never falls into doubt and wonders whether he is a male or a female. Not only this, we also constantly remember that we are Punjabi, Bengali or Madrasi. Similarly, you should accept that God’s name is always the truth in all places. Once you accept it 100 percent, then you could say that you are a believer in God.
Spirituality in Daily Living, Volume 4, p9–12
Kripalu Bhaktiyoga Tattvadarshan, Vedic knowledge revealed by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj as 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
