Let us see what the oldest scriptures of the world, the Vedas, say about our chances of becoming God.
Many spiritual teachers and Vedic scholars say that there is a possibility of you and I becoming God. Now we conditioned souls do have a desire to become God. But merely having a desire is not sufficient.
We also have to see the possibility of it getting fulfilled. So, let us see our chances of becoming God and most importantly let us see what the Vedas say about it.
Did anyone succeed in becoming God in past?
If we turn the pages of history, we find that no mortals have ever succeeded in becoming God. And the devotees of God never ever desired or tried to become God. They always remained happy serving God.
For example, Hanuman, a great devotee of Lord Rama loves to call himself a servant of Lord Rama. He never desired to become Lord Rama.
Similarly, in Vrindavan, Gopis never tried to become Krishna. They just loved serving Krishna. Seeing the love and dedication of the Gopis for Krishna, Uddhava, another great devotee of Krishna wanted to become a grass in Vrindavan so that he gets an opportunity to touch the lotus feet of gopis.
Vedic scriptures clearly delineate who is God and says that all the living beings should try their best to become a sincere and pure devotee of God. Vedas do not say that we can become God. Vedas do not give any example of living entities becoming God.
Fate of those who tried to become God
In fact, the thought that we can become God itself is very dangerous. Those who had this desire had to suffer terribly. Ravana and Hiranyakasipu thought that they can become God by defeating God but ultimately got defeated.
Great conquerors want to get feeling of God by conquering vast tracts of land on earth. But all these great conquerors be it Alexander or Napoleon or any other ultimately was conquered by death.
God’s special qualities
God is eternally God and you and me are eternally His parts and parcels, his servitors. Scriptures do say that if we practice devotion to God and become pure then qualitatively, we become like God but still quantitatively there is an ocean of difference.
Just like a drop of the ocean has same chemical composition as that of the ocean but there is vast difference between the ocean and the drop of the ocean. We are like the drop of the ocean and God is like the ocean.
Parāśara Muni’s definition of God
Scriptures also explain about the special qualities of God which no one can possess. Parāśara Muni, a great sage and father of Vyasadeva, gives the definition of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
aiśvaryasya samagrasya
vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ
jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva
ṣaṇṇāṁ bhagam itīṅganā
(Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47)
He says that “Bhagavān means who possesses these six opulences in full: all riches, all strength, all influence, all wisdom, all beauty, all renunciation.” Other than Lord Sri Krishna and his plenary expansions, no one possesses any of these six opulences in full. So, Krishna is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Yes, you and I can also have these opulences but in minute quantities. For example, God is rich because he is the proprietor of entire creation. We may also be rich but not rich like God. Even the richest person of this world, for example Bill Gates, do not own all the wealth of the world.
Krishna’s beauty is eternal, and it attracts all. He always has a youthful body; he never grows old. Have you seen any picture of Krishna where he is having wrinkles on his face? No. But you and I grow old and whatever beauty we may be having deteriorates in due course of time.
Scriptures also explain that Krishna, the Supreme Lord, has 64 qualities and the living entities like you and me can have maximum 78% of these qualities. So, how can we say that we are God or in future we can become God?
Have we forgotten that we are God?
Some say that we were once God but somehow after coming to this world, we forgot that we are God because of the influence of maya. According to them by engaging in certain spiritual activities we will regain our lost memory and will become God.
The argument itself is ridiculous. If we were once God and we forgot about it, then how can we say that we are God. God never forgets, he does not have memory loss like conditioned souls. If God is subjected to forgetfulness or Maya, Illusion, then Maya would be more powerful than God. Then what would be the meaning of the word God?
We the living entities are not God, so we are influenced by maya, God’s illusory energy in this world. Under the influence of maya, we forget that we are eternal servants of God.
Why Krishna is God?
We do not find anywhere in the scriptures that God ever tried to become God. For example, when Krishna appeared in this world then he appeared first in a four – handed Visnu form.
Krishna did not do any meditation or anything else to become God.
He was God from the day he appeared in this material world to perform various pastimes, lila. Krishna killed Putana when He was just few days old. He lifted the Govardhan hill when He was just a seven years old.
In the battlefield of Kurushetra he displayed his Vishvarupa (Universal Form) to Arjuna and performed several other incredible pastimes which no one ever has performed.
Can we do these extraordinary things? We don’t have control even on our bodies then how can we ever think of becoming the controller of the universe. If we have toothache, we cry in pain and take shelter of a painkiller.
So, we have to understand and accept that we are not God & we can never become God.
Krishna explains who we are
In Bhagavad Gita Krishna explains who we are.
dvav imau purusau loke ksaras caksaras eva ca
ksarah sarvani bhutani kutastho ksara ucyate
“There are two classes of beings, the fallible and the infallible. In the material world every entity is fallible, and in the spiritual world every entity is called infallible (Bhagavad Gita 15.16).”
Here Krishna is clearly saying that all the living beings living in this world are fallible i.e. come under the influence of maya. But the living beings in the spiritual world are infallible because they are pure devotees of the Lord.
Krishna further says:
uttamah purusas tv anyah paramatmety udahrtah
yo loka trayam avisya bibharty avyaya ishvarah
“Besides these two there is the greatest living personality, the Lord Himself, who has entered into these worlds and is maintaining them” (Bhagavad Gita 15.17)
Here Krishna is distinguishing between the living entities and the Supreme Lord. He says that living entities are innumerable – some are conditioned, and some are liberated as discussed above but none are God.
Krishna further says that besides these two living entities there is the Supreme Lord, whom he describes as the greatest living personality. That supreme Lord as paramatma pervades the universe to maintain it.
Conclusion
Thus, we can clearly infer that living entities whether in conditioned state or liberated state are not God but are always subordinate to God. Vedas clearly explain logically and also through various examples that we can never become God. In fact, as per Vedic scriptures, we should not even think of becoming God.
God is the creator, maintainer and destroyer of this universe. You and I struggle to maintain ourselves then how can we maintain the universe.
So, if someone comes and say that they can make us God then we should look into his eyes, smile a lit bit, pat on his back and with compassion say to him – My dear friend you are not God, you can never become God and you will never be successful in making me God.
But instead, let us try our best to become a devotee of God.
