Why did God Create The World? How is His Creation Limitless?
Questioner: “Only the creator (God) who created the world knows when he created it. Limitless is his creation, and there is no end to his gifts (blessings).” ~ Japuji Sahib, Nitnem
Why did God create the world? Is it not us, the unliberated ones, who create this world within us and influence it and get influenced by it?
Acharya Prashant: Yes, Abilash, that's quite a scholarly thing to say, “that the world is created by us.” We project the world, and then we get influenced by our own projections, and so on and so forth. The cycle continues. But then the question still remains much the same. Even if you are the one projecting the world, who created you, and why?
So let's say you are the one who creates the world. Then the Nitnem is saying, “only the creator God knows why and when he created you.” Substitute “the world” with “yourself.”
“Why does God create the world? Why does God create you?”
All right, let's answer it.
Why does God create — what? You said “you.” Why did God create man? The question of has been substituted by the question of creation of man. And you are saying the question of creation of the world is not an important one because the world is created by man. So, we are now talking about the question of the creation of man.
What is the question? “Why did God create man?” Okay, so “why did God create man?” I'm asking, “why did God create what?” What? “Man.” What is that man? You're asking me, “why did God create man?” I'm asking back to you, why did God create what? You say “man.” I'm asking, what is that? Explain that to me first.
If I am asking, why did A create B, must I first of all not know what A and B are? There are three things here — A, B, and Why. You are trying to put the emphasis on Why. You are asking, “why did A create B?” According to you, the 'why’ is very, very important, right? “Why did A create B?” Why, why, why?
I'm saying, pause. Why did what create what? ‘Why’ will come later. First of all, we know what are these A and B that you are talking of, “what is God and what is man?” And if we do not know what A is and what B is, what business do we have extending the story any further.
Why did A create B? And I know nothing about A, nor do I know anything about B, yet I'm trying to solve the problem. Would I ever succeed?
Listener: No.
Acharya Prashant: Give me a funny word of your choice, any word – ‘Tinta.’ One more word?
Listener: Minta.
Acharya Prashant: Why did Tinta eat Minta? Should I go into the ‘why,’ or should I first of all ask, what is Tinta and what is Minta? What are you talking about? And somebody is running after you and questioning vigorously, “why did Tinta eat Minta?” What would I turn back and ask, first of all? “What is Tinta and what is Minta?” If I know what Tinta is and what Minta is, then probably I can answer, “Why did Tinta eat Minta?” Similarly, “Why did God create man?”
Who are you, and who is God? But don't we already know who we are? I mean, I am Suresh, I'm Abilash from Chennai. It's so very certain who I am. And God — we all know who he is. Even my three-year-old nephew knows who God is. Every evening he prays, ‘Om Jai Jagdish Hare.’ We all know who God is — there he sits in that temple. So I'm very confident about who I am. And God — he's a matter of general knowledge. Even the cows on the streets, they know everything about God.
I am a little skeptical, Abilash. I would rather inquire again, “Who are you, and who is God?” And if you can ask this question again and again, “Who am I? Who am I? What is this thing, God, or truth, or true self?” Then probably the “why isn’t” and “how isn’t” and such things will simply sublimate, disappear.
Questioner: When I read Nitnem or any other scripture about God, I usually replace the term God with myself in a liberated state. Okay, that's fine, but I get easily lost when I read verses like the one mentioned here. For instance, in this verse it's mentioned that God's creation and his blessings are limitless. What does that mean? Acharya Ji, I'm not sure if I'm reading the scripture in the right sense. Can you please help me understand this verse?
"Limitless is his creation and there is no end to his gifts."
Acharya Prashant: Abilash, one has to go into the scripture resonating with the gurus, the saints. This verse that you have quoted is an expression in gratitude, “Limitless is his creation and there is no end to his gifts.”
In what sense is his creation limitless?
You know of the utter expanse of the universe. You also know of the utter expanse of time. And you also know how time is changing everything every second. Now keep these two side by side and look at the kind of multiplicative effect they have on each other — an immensely inconceivable universe, unimaginable in its own right, is being changed thoroughly every moment by an infinite stretch of time.
Now tell me, what is it that you can gather out of this statement? The universe as it is in any moment of time is inconceivable. And the next moment, this inconceivable immensity changes totally into something else, and then into something else, and then into something else, and then into something else. Is that fathomable? In front of such a realization, the saints say, “Limitless is his creation.” And then they say, “And there is no end to his gifts, blessings.”
I am, I can know, I can see, I can even use the word “infinity” when there is nothing in my life that is infinite. I talk and sing of his name when he actually has no name. In spite of being so little, I keep talking of immensities. Is that not a blessing?
So, as big and wide his creation is, equally big and wide are his blessings. That I'm a part of his creation and I can also perceive the creation. These utterances spring forth when gratitude talks, when one has received and is full. When one is not full of grudges or dissatisfaction, you cannot intellectually or theoretically comprehend this verse. You can only resonate with this verse. You can only say, “Yes, I too feel like saying a big thank you.”
This verse is both an expression of thanks and a reminder that one must remain thankful.
Questioner: Acharya Ji, is there ever a stage when we are justified in asking, why did God create the mind?
Acharya Prashant: One is always entitled to ask any question, but the entitlement brings in its wake the responsibility to look for the right method to find the answer and the right dimension in which the solution would be found.
If there is a wave of mind coming forth with a question, you cannot turn blind to the question. If the question is there, it is there. Now that it is there, one's responsibility is to know how to deal with it. So, the mind has asked, “Why did Tinta eat Minta?” No point rebuking it. No point dismissing it. Then you tell the mind that just as you are very eagerly asking, “Why did Tinta eat Minta?” Equally eagerly must you ask, “What is Tinta?” and “What is Minta?” Good question, but it would be answered after you answer two other questions. You have asked a very good question. We will answer it after you answer two questions that are related to your question.
Listener: And I think it is actually two questions like knowing what Tinta and Minta are? Do we get to know them at the same time? Or do we have to ask, what is Tinta and then we know, what is Minta?
Acharya Prashant: You ask, “What is Tinta? What is Minta?” The question has a certain effect on the questioner. The question has a certain effect on the questioner. Who is the questioner who started out by asking, "Why did Tinta eat Minta?" So this question is already here, "Why did Tinta eat Minta?" We said, "Let it remain here. You first answer, what is Tinta? What is Minta?"
So the questioner is here (pointing towards one side). The original question is here (pointing towards another side). And now these are the two follow up questions, "What is Tinta? What is Minta?" Now asking, "Who am I? What is the truth? Who is a man?" And "Who is God?" is "Who am I?" and "What is the truth? Who am I? What is the truth? Who am I? What is the truth?"
When these questions are being asked, the questions are changing the questioner. Now the questioner is changing. To whom did this original question come? To the questioner. Now if the questioner is changing, if the questioner is no longer the one to whom that question had come, what happens to that question? Gone. Because that question was coming only to a particular questioner. Once that questioner is gone, this question is no more applicable.
"Who am I?" or "What is the truth?" — these are special questions.
Questioner: Are these two questions one and the same?
Acharya Prashant: They are one and the same. "Who am I?" and "What is the truth?" are one and the same. One appears a little more personal, the other appears a little more scriptural, but one.
Questioner: Acharya Ji, in a critical decision-making process in our life. Should we have to be slaves to our mind or should we have to believe in others' opinion?
Acharya Prashant: You mean, do you have to take others’ opinion from others or do you have to take others’ opinion from your so-called mind? There are two ways in which you can abide by others’ opinions — either by asking others directly or by using this mind that you think of as yours.
How does it matter whether I'm talking of the oil in my oil tank or the oil at the fuel pump or the oil in your car? It is all coming from the same well.
Opinions are opinions. There is nothing called ‘my opinion.’ All opinions are alien, foreign to you. They are always others. Even if they happen to be present in your mind, they are still others. It is just that you are so brain-identified that when an opinion is present in your brain, you start thinking that it is your opinion. And from where did that opinion come to your brain? It came either from biology or from society. How is the opinion yours then? From where did any opinion come to your brain? Either from biology or from society. How is it yours then?
So, when faced with crucial decisions in life, it is a good thing to start off with the humility that the decision is not known in advance. That all the certainty that one has is a borrowed certainty. One has to question, question ruthlessly and then light emerges on its own.
