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“One person says “I believe in God”. Another says “I do not believe in God”. God is an idea the mind evolves. Similarly, ‘no God’ is also an idea evolved by the mind. What is common in both is ‘I’ and ‘my belief’.

Q3: Some people have faith in God and some do not. Both of them live and accomplish their tasks. The former attributes success to God, the others to themselves. Swamiji, can you explain the difference between them?

PS: I am very happy that you have raised this question. In fact, I want people, especially the  youngsters of the world, to raise this question and have the answer.

What is God? God is a word coined by the human mind. In fact, all the words we articulate are our own productions.

One person says “I believe in God”. Another says “I do not believe in God”. God is an idea the mind evolves. Similarly, ‘no God’ is also an idea evolved by the mind. What is common in both is ‘I’ and ‘my belief’.

Only when I am there, I have ‘belief’ in God, equally so, ‘no belief’ in God. So, between these, the truth is – ‘I am’. I am free to have a belief in God, I am equally free to have no belief in God.

Good performance is accomplished by qualities of the mind and intelligence. Body and senses cannot work by themselves. It is the mind that employs the body and senses. Intelligence directs the mind with wisdom and discrimination.

When there is a close harmony between the knowing intelligence and the willful mind, equally between the external body and senses, good and effective actions proceed and they bring about the desired outcome. Otherwise not. Whether you believe in God or not, does not matter. What is required is a conscientious striving.

There is a Subhashitam very relevant to the subject:

उद्यमं साहसं धैर्यं बुद्धिः शक्ति: पराक्रम:।
षडेते यत्र वर्तन्ते तत्र देव: सहायकृत् ॥

Where there are six virtues like dedicated effort, the spirit of adventure, courage, intelligence to discriminate between matters, power of performance, and valour, automatically Providence will come to your help.

– Vicharasethu–May 2022