Seeing God in everyone - A Practical approach
My efforts to get out of a 'spiritual' stagnation...
From childhood, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has been my Lord and Master. All my spiritual growth has been nurtured and cared for by Him. Today, when I look back at my student days, I remember one incident very vividly. That was the incident that gave me an insight on how my future sadhana should be to see God in all - see my master, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in all. Before I launch into how I have understood it, I must narrate that special experience.
During my post-graduate days, I felt a sort of ‘spiritual stagnation’ envelop me. Of course I was privileged to be a student in Swami’s Institute and I had darshan from close quarters on a daily basis. I also participated in the prayers and bhajans on a regular basis. And yet, I felt that I must do more Sadhana. I often wondered as to what would be the best Sadhana to do. It was at that time when I happened to read about the experience of the great Ramana Maharshi. The Master has spoken about this experience of his and I present it in his own words:


The shock and fear of death drove my mind inward and I said to myself mentally
“Now death has come. What does it mean? Who is it that dies'? The body dies.”
And at once I dramatized the occurrence of death. I lay with my limbs stretched out and imitated a corpse to give more reality to the enquiry.
"Well then,” I said to myself, 'this body is dead. It will be carried to the burning ground and then burnt and reduced to ashes. But with the death of the body, am I dead? Am I this body? It is silent and inert but I feel the full force of my personality and even the voice of 'I’ within me apart from it. So I am the spirit transcending the body. The body dies but the spirit transcending it cannot be touched by death. That means I am the deathless spirit.”
All this was not dull thought; it flashed through me as a vivid living Truth which I perceived directly, almost without thought process. ... From that moment onwards the 'I’ or Self focussed attention on itself by a powerful fascination.
After that experience, Ramana was a totally changed person. I too thought of going through the same ‘exercise’ or ‘drama’ so that my then ‘stagnant’ spiritual life would spring alive with vitality and vibrancy. And so, every night, as I slept in the massive prayer hall of the hostel, I would tell myself that I was not the body. With intense thought, I would picture myself as ‘residing’ in my body and tell myself that I was a soul with a body and not a body with a soul. This was definitely the Jnana Marga, or the path of wisdom and I felt that I must take to it.
Then, I began a new venture. I figured that since only the body needs air and I was not the body, I did not need air to breathe! So, I would simply hold my breath thinking that nothing should happen to me as I was the ‘indweller’ and not the body.
The reader needn’t get carried away because I did not advance much if i advanced at all! Each day, I would be successful in increasing the time I held my breath. I would add a few more seconds to the previous figure. Thus, apart from developing a better lung capacity, I did not progress much spiritually.
The Divine clarification ... and a new Sadhana
And then came the Dasara of 2005. As per the tradition, on a daily basis during the dasara yajnam, Swami’s divine discourse was scheduled. I can never forget the discourse that day - the 9th of October, 2005. Swami began his introductory verse. It was about how people misunderstand sadhana. Swami said,
“Without sleeping at night and talking a lot during day considering it as sadhana! This is foolishness!”
I was stunned. I felt Swami was mocking me in full public view. But as I looked around, I realized that it was only me feeling so. Everyone else was simply absorbed in the discourse that had begun. I too began to listen carefully. And Swami revealed a ‘secret’ in public. He explained the way to salvation for everyone. He said,
“I often reiterate that I am God. But, I also remind you that you are verily God. You should not give scope for any confusion and difference of opinion in this regard. Everyone of you are embodiments of divinity in reality. When you develop such a firm conviction, you can visualise God in every human being. It is only in keeping with this concept that the expression Yad bhavam tad bhavati (as is the feeling, so is the result) asserted in the scriptures. Since people are not aware of the real nature of divinity, they refer to certain individuals as father, mother, uncle, etc., keeping in view their physical forms and the relationships with them. If people are so deluded on the basis of physical relationships, they are bound to get confused about the real nature of divinity. Lord Krishna declared once while revealing His omnipresent divinity that there was none other than Him in the entire universe. The same truth is contained in the declaration Ekam Sath viprah bahudha vadanti (truth is one, but the wise refer to it by various names).”
It was here that I seriously considered what Swami said was the best Sadhana - to see God in everyone; to love God in everyone.
Here is another amazing thing which I realized many years later!
On that day, in that discourse, Swami actually never said, "Without sleeping at night...". He actually said, "Pani Leka" meaning, "without working" which I somehow distinctly heard as "Panko Leka". If you hear the audio of that discourse, Swami's voice is quite shaky. And you will agree that one can make a mistake of hearing 'Pani' as 'Panko'. But I do not think it was a 'mistake'. As explained in the secret of Sathya Sai speaking, each one hears what one is supposed to! Even my 'misunderstanding' of what Swami lead to the proper understanding of Sadhana!

The practical problem with that Sadhana...the beginnings
Proceeding with that story, I decided that my Sadhana should be to see God in all. Here is a practical difficulty - How do I actually see God in the people whom I interact with on a daily basis? It may seem easy to see God in my mother, father and siblings but what about doing the same with my boss, my maid, the driver or the beggar on the street? I can imagine worshiping my mother, pressing the feet of my father but doing the same for my maid or having showing that kind of love to my boss - never!
If there is someone that I don't like or positively detest, how can I see my dear Lord in him/her? What did it mean to see God in someone?
As I sat pondering about this, one of Swami’s most famous aphorisms transformed itself and appeared to my mind’s eye. Swami says,
“Life is a Game; Play it.”
This aphorism transformed itself to,
“Life is a Play; Be game for it.”
And suddenly, there was a solution.
The whole world is one big stage and all of us are merely actors. This has been indicated numerous times in our history and literature. In fact, William Shakespeare said,
“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players”
Though he said the same in a slightly different context, he seems to have hit the nail on the head.

The 'Sholay' example
Just imagine the sets of a movie. That is what this world is. Each one of us have been given our roles – some are ‘big’ while some are ‘small’; some are ‘positive’ while some are ‘negative’; some are ‘happy’ while some are ‘tragic’. However, these roles remain only as roles - nothing more, nothing less.
For instance, consider the all-time Bollywood classic, Sholay. When the heroes of the movie, Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra pounce upon and bash up the villain, Amjad Khan, it feels so great. We are so absorbed in the movie and we hate Amjad Khan (the notorious Gabbar Singh) for all the ‘evil’ he has done. We even celebrate his death as the victory of the good over the bad.
For a moment now, step out of the shoes of a viewer and step into the actors’ shoes. Though both Amitabh and Dharmendra show anger and hate towards Amjad Khan in the movie, once the shooting is done, they sit together on the sets for a cup of coffee. They talk nicely to each other and have nothing against the other! All their ‘animosity’ ends on the scene. In fact, if one actually sees into their hearts during the scene as well, there is no animosity. Of course, there is anger on the face and venom in the words – but there is no such thing in their hearts. They are fully aware that they are only playing a role – nothing more, nothing less.
Ah! That is the secret to seeing God in everyone!
Juxtaposing the Sholay example in our lives...
It is not as if I should worship my maid or press the feet of my boss (though there are a few who consider that very lucrative and career-advancing) because I see God in them. Seeing God in a person means - carrying no ‘feelings’ in the heart towards him/her because of the ‘role’ that he/she has been put into.
Of course, we have to abide by the rules and guidelines for each role - I have to respect my boss and be a boss to my maid. But this is done only because the roles demand it. In our hearts, we know that all are equal – actors doing their roles as ordained by the Director. In that sense there is nothing special about the President of a country for that is the role which the Director ordained for him/her. In the same vein, there is nothing low or debasing about a beggar on the street for that is the role which the Director ordained for him/her! Simple isn’t it?
If we can lead our lives with this equanimity and equality, we will learn to respect and love everyone for all are but roles. At the same time, we continue to play our roles. If our role demands us to scold/rebuke someone, we do it only for that reason. We carry no actual animosity for the person. If our role demands us to express affection towards someone, we do it only for that reason. We feel no actual attachment or longing for the person!
And now if we examine the lives of saints and men of God, they have lived it this way. That is why we say,
“When Swami gets angry, it is only to correct us. He is never angry!”
He simply is playing His role to perfection and hoping that we too do it without getting lost in our roles! We are so involved in the ‘character’ we are playing that we forget the ‘actor’ that we actually are - and for that matter, the ‘actor’ that everyone else is. This is in fact the Inconvenient Truth that we must realize.
And that, in my opinion, is the way to see God in all - involvement without attachment!
Secret to living life...

Comments
Loved the insight on how the the actors shared coffee together after a scene, even a fight scene.
When practicing seeing God in everyone, I've found using a simple breath technique ("Love Breathing") helps tremendously. It's described at:
http://www.howtolovegod.org/2012/03/17/seeing-god-...
It also helps to imagine God wonderfully enjoying Himself playing the part of the person you see or are thinking about.
In Humble Submission, would like to point out a small correction.. "Seeing God in a person means - carrying no ‘feelings’ in the heart towards him/her because of the ‘role’ that he/she has been put into".
In my viewpoint..."Seeing God in Person means - Recognizing the Indweller in everyone as God and respecting the other person without being too attached the role that the person is playing in this Divine Drama"
Thanks for sharing, just theanswer to a question I was pondering earlier today!
An excellent article dear Arvind. You showed the way How to see SWAMI in all and play our assigned roles without getting attached to the role itself. Sairam and thanks for Navigation on Spiritual path.
What a great post. I have never had any formal training in philosophy, but what i write about comes from my inner self. Reading this wonderful hub, makes me feel like i am not on the wrong track after all.
You have shown me that my "role" in life is to try to enlighten those who are so brainwashed that they are missing out on what life is truly about. If we see ourselves as playing a role in life ( on a global stage, or in a video game) and we are all part of one universal whole existence, it makes us more acutely aware of the sense that we all contribute something to this earthly existence after all, no matter how small, it is still somehow significant in the greater picture.
The best quote that summarizes things up for me is: "Everyone of you are embodiments of divinity in reality".
When we go to Sai centres or when we are at Prasanthi or when we are surrounded in the 'SAI' atmosphere, it seems to be easier to be close with Swami, thinking about Him at all times and practice His teachings. But once we step our foot to the outside world, where there are non-devotees and the 'grasp' of Swami, it seems to be difficult to feel all the 'bliss' and 'joy' and also practice His teachings. How to overcome this problem? Can this method be used?
Sairam Aravind, you make it sound so simple. I will try to follow Swamys words and you have helped me grasp the idea
good post but i don't know how to " practicalise" it.... even if i treat all the happenings of a day as a short play and wish to maintain my feelings of harmony and love towards the other actors with whom i interact thruout the day, i find that their reactions are not so pleasant after the act! In short Gabbar Singh keeps his anger intact and is not friendly anymore even tho' he deserved to get the treatment that he got bcoz of his role in the play !
I hv even prayed hard n long to SWAMI to help heal hearts and dissipate the negative vibrations around... but it seldom works...what more can i do, i wonder !
Each day, I would be successful in increasing the time I held my breath. I would add a few more seconds to the previous figure. - So, You must be a pretty good swimmer (lol). I should not be laughing because if I had learned this story a few years ago, I may have tried holding my breath too ... I have tried a lot of things (lol).
"Of course, we have to abide by the rules and guidelines for each role - I have to respect my boss and be a boss to my maid." - As I learned from some teachings, the Yaqui Indian (Mexican Natives) sorcerers called these roles we have: "the tonal". And as explained, we each have a tonal and it is advisable to work at our tonal and build it to be strong. At the same time though, a sorcerer knows how to go beyond the tonal to the spirit world and they call that the Nagual. To be complete would mean to be able to shift between the two: the tonal and the nagual.
Haha ... I just went on a serious tangent. I suppose now I can go a little further and say that this article reminded me of a clip which I thought about sending You a couple of days ago or so. It does go hand-in-hand with your piece of writing here. Well, the part about people being actors and that we should just have fun with it. Here is the short clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KQaWxUI-g8
Thank You for the fun read Mr. Aravind! It shot-up an entire array of thoughts in my mind.
Cheers!
Thanks aravindb1982 and readers for sharing these views and experiences. Being a Christian, some of it is above my head, but it is always interesting to hear what other people believe and why.
so many thoughts, so many experiences. but self realisation has to come from within as the bolt to the door has to be opened from inside. I did learn from you brother Arvind. thanks. it is better we do sadhana along with other sai devotees which will make it faster than doing alone. seeing God in others is sadhana. others seeing God in us is the goal.
Wonderful article brother.very happy to read it.May swami bless you abundantly for the excellent service you are doing.very well written and a great message for all...
Sairam
Excellent one! The last line of this post, is what Swami has said time and again - "be 'in' the world and not 'of' the world" ...
Here is an enriching quote from Swami with respect to the 'drama'. BE part of the drama and respect your and others role. Do your best(by following the MASTER).
"You must use your intelligence to discover what is best under the circumstances and in the situation, considering the status and the profession which you have won. The barber should not treat all things equal and use his razor to peel vegetables, cut pencils and paper, bamboos and beards alike. Each instrument has its own special use and purpose; every individual has some skills and responsibilities. The king should be treated as a king and the farmer as a farmer. But make sure your activities leave no scar on your faith in Unity. Though in principle all is Brahmam, in dealing with them in day-to-day activity, you cannot follow the non-dual approach. There should be Bhaava-adhwaitha, not Karma-adhwaitha, that is to say, the underlying faith should be in the Unity of all, though the outer activity may be different for varied entities."
- Divine Discourse, May 23, 1965
@impressed reader: I completely agree with your last point. I have seen few who wantingly talk / act in totally unpleasing way. In such people I only would feel Swami in hibernate mode! The reason for such behaviour is either insecurity feeling or superiority complex. May be not hurting them back and ignoring them will testify our consciousness.
@aravind: Agree with your point that corrective measures need to be taken. My observation is if we could do it under complete control overcoming our emotions once, such situations won't arise in future.
That was real good thinking .. My questions are clarified .. I'd write a mini post if I were to start on what I got from it .. So I shall stop with a big thanks :)
I burst into laughter imagining you closing your nostrils etc., had someone around you noticed, it would have been a great entertainment for them ;)..The thought "See God in all" often used to trouble me as well. Even yesterday I was thinking about my attitude towards my little one and questioned myself if I really showed love to him as in the recent times I find myself often being impatient with him. I was convinced that I am doing my duty(dharma) as a mom and knew this attitude is the result of immense love I have for him. There are times when I even used to feel bad looking at my pregnant maid. This feeling prompted me to chant Gayathri, vedas and play bhajan or discourse while she is around. This thought was prompted by Swami to show love in a different manner for the maid and baby inside. By showing love / care towards someone I feel that I have respected God within that person and made him happy.
Prof G.V had spoken about this very beautifully giving the example of an ant. Seeing God in such a small insect is the greatest thought one can ever have. We can hardly believe it has a brain and has 250,000 brain cells! If it not for God who can carry 20 times heavier object than its own weight?
good one simple and very practical
This post has set me thinking ..
Does it then mean that we are all free from responsibility towards the negative thoughts, words and deeds that we may sometimes indulge in? Since we are just actors.. Or is this applicable only when I look at others?
Because I still feel that we all have free will when it comes to the way we react to a situation .. When I am angry with someone, I can certainly restrain that look on my face and the words that are waiting to tumble out and stab the other .. I cannot simply allow my emotions to take control of me and then rid myself of the responsibility, can I? Similarly if I were to wilfully deceive someone, it is done with complete knowledge of right and wrong ..
Continuing in that vein, when I see that someone has done negative actions in spite of having the capability to act otherwise, it makes me feel a certain bitterness towards them .. In such cases, I somehow find it impossible to believe that the script was written that way .. The only thing I find doable to get rid of that bitterness is to pray to Swami to give me the ability and heart to forgive them and get rid of the animosity that is seething inside ..
Excellent stuff brother. The movie example really clinches it for me. Thank you for this great service.
What a timely post!
I, for the last 6 months or more have been asking Swami to show me a way so that I don't need to sleep. Idea is to put that time into productive use for learning and for spiritual progress by reading scriptures, meditation etc. Of course i cannot do all these during day as "I am busy and don't have time" :).
I prayed to Him in letting me know the Bala Atibala mantra. After sometime i got it and used to chant but i used to run to my sleep everyday. I was still tired and sleepy. Then i started searching in net for Yogic postures that might help. The ones I saw scared me. I want my spine to be intact without injury.
Then some days back i opened the Gita to see if there is any message for me. I can't recollect the exact verse in sanskrit, but the translation was something like this 'The one who doesn't sleep and is always interested in eating food will not reach me ' (i might be wrong with some part of translation). It was a shocker for me. And now I see this post. I am clear now. Thanks !
I have every reason to believe that Swami used 'sleep' that day :)
Aside, I am trying my best waking up early in the morning and trying my meditations. Earlier i used to feel that Swami is not supporting me by making me feel sleepy etc. Now I am able to understand it in a different perspective called small 'tests' to me
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