Does God exist? Most of us might have asked this question at some point of our life. I have come across many people who challenge the existence of God. They say, “If God is there then show me where he is?”
It is true that with our material senses we cannot see God. People think that just as we see the President or Prime Minister of a country, similarly, we should also be able to see God. Truth is that most of the people may not have even seen the President or Prime Minister, they mostly see them on television or read about them in newspapers or magazines.
But nevertheless, it is a fact that we do not see God with our material eyes just like we see other living beings. We do not know what he is doing now or where he is now. So, the question is genuine whether God exist or not? Or is it that God has been made in the imagination of man?
There are many scholarly articles which gives many proof that God exist and there are also articles which proves that God does not exist. In this world we can counter almost everything just to prove our viewpoint.
I would like to share what were my reasons to believe in God. I arrived at this conclusion before reading any books on whether God exist or not.
Life originated from chemicals – True or False?
I remember the first time I read, most probably in Class VI, that life originated from chemicals and also got introduced to Darwin’s theory. Our science teacher explained in detail that how each cell of our body is made of chemicals and how the environment at the dawn of creation was suitable for the formation of life. And during that time there were multiple chemical reactions and so life originated. I am not going into all the scientific explanations which are given in the science books to prove that life came from chemicals because that is not the purpose of the article.
Although I was just a student but still, I was not able to accept this logic that “I am just made of chemicals.” I had faith in my science book but “life came from chemicals” appeared unscientific and unreasonable. I was in utter confusion. After coming from school, I went to the terrace in the evening, and I looked into the sky. I saw the evening sun in the blue sky. Near my house was a huge tree. People would say that it is hundred years old. I saw birds chirping on the tree. Since it was evening so many birds were flying back to their nests which they had made in the tree. I saw people laughing and walking. Children running here and there and playing. Soon the stars and moon lit up the night sky.
How I concluded that God Does Exist
I was thinking that are these things happening only because of some chemical reactions? Men, women and children are talking, laughing, joking, walking, playing just because there are some chemical reactions in the body? If I observed any single part of our body, I found that it had remarkable features. For example, my eyes. I was seeing everything through my eyes. Can such eyes be made in any factory of this world? Answer is obvious.
And what about our emotions? When we see our mother, father, brother, sister, friends we feel so happy. Is it just because of chemicals?
If it is so, then why machines which are also made of material elements do not start having feelings or emotions. The more I thought, the more I got confused. By logic it was impossible to deny the existence of God or some higher power.
Next day when I went to school and when I asked this question to my science teacher, she said that “I am teaching you what is in the book, and I also do not completely believe what is in the book.” She further said that “I also believe in a higher power whom we call as God.” I was studying in a convent school, and they all believed in God. Later I found that even many of the great scientists accept that there is some higher power.
There are many things which exists, but we cannot see
One important question which always haunts a believer in God is that if God exists then why can’t we see him? And if we do not see him then why should we believe in him?
To answer this question let us first try to see if it is justified to put so much faith on our ability to see.
There are many things in this world which we cannot see with our eyes but still it exists. Radio waves, electromagnetic waves, x rays cannot be seen with our naked eyes, but it exists. Our eyes have limitations. We can see things clearly only up to a certain distance. We may see stars which may be millions of light years away, but we do not see it exactly as they are. They appear just like a spot in the sky to us.
Why to talk about how far our eyes can see? Something which is very close to our eyes, we cannot see that too. With our eyes we cannot see our eyelids, not even our lips or teeth. So, our eyes have many limitations. Now what we discussed was seeing material objects. Although many of these objects we cannot see with our eyes, but we can see them with mechanical instruments or devices.
But there is something which can never be seen, but it exists. And these are our emotions – feelings of joy and sorrow. Can you see it with your eyes or with any mechanical devices? Definitely not.
So, if we cannot see something with our eyes then it does not mean that it does not exist.
It implies that if we cannot see God with our eyes then it does not mean that God does not exist.
Remarkable features of the world
Now, pause for a moment, and try to closely observe the world, your surroundings. You will be struck with wonder to see the beautiful and extraordinary features of this world. Many times, we may not notice it because we have a habit of taking things for granted. Everything in this world is perfectly managed and governed. However, there are many unscrupulous scholars who deny the existence of God and say that everything is happening in this world just by chance.
Few Examples
Let us see reflect on some of the remarkable phenomenon of the world.
- All the necessities of our life like food grains, fruits, water, oxygen etc. we are provided to us by nature. These important items are must for our survival and are not manufactured in any man made industries.
- We inhale Oxygen and exhale CO2 which is a waste product. Plants uses CO2 and through photosynthesis converts it into O2 making it available for us. Such a symbiotic factory wherein the waste product of humans becomes raw material of plants and waste of plant becomes raw material for us is a unique feature.
- Cow eats green grass which is abundantly available everywhere and converts it into white nutritious milk which nourishes the life of millions of people all over the world. Have we been able to build a machine which can transform raw grass into wholesome milk?
- A single tiny seed contains within it the entire banyan tree. And each banyan tree contains hundreds of seeds and each of the seeds again has the capability to produce a huge banyan tree. Have we been even remotely successful in creating any machine which can produce multiple machines on its own?
- Airplanes build by us occasionally crash or lose track or collide with other planes in the air. But the planets which are millions of times bigger than the airplanes floats like swabs of cotton and never crash or lose its trajectory or collide with other planets.
- Energy emitted by sun/sec is so phenomenal that even if we switch on all the bulbs of the world then also all the bulbs together would not emit even a fraction of the energy which sun can emit.
World is governed by universal laws
Although the non-believers say that everything in this world is happening just by chance but the argument is ridiculous. Can all these natural phenomena happen by chance? I don’t think so.
It clearly shows that there is an intelligent brain behind this wonderful creation. And the universe is being governed by universal laws. If we just analyze ourselves, we will find that our body is a complicated machine and it runs perfectly well without our intervention.
Dr. Tony Buzon. British Psychologist, educator & author says, “The human brain is made of a trillion brain cell….and each one of these is more powerful and sophisticated than most computers around the planet today.”
Our digestive system is so well designed. We do not do anything to digest the food. We just enjoy the food. But our digestive system functions so well that the food gets converted into energy inside our body.
Scientists on Existence of God
This is why the greatest brains on this planet have humbly accepted that there is a God behind this wonderful creation.
- If you think strongly enough, you will be forced by science to believe in God: Lord Kelvin
- There is a perfect brain behind all the natural physical laws: Albert Einstein
- This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being…This Being governs all things, not as the soul of the world, but as Lord over all, and on account of His dominion He is to be called Lord God, Universal Ruler: Newton
Vedic Scriptures on Existence of God
What about the Vedic scriptures? If we turn the pages of our ancient Vedic scriptures, we find that it unequivocally says that “God Does Exist.” Vedas not only say that God exist, but it also informs us that everything which exists in this world is created by God.
In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna whom the Vedic literatures describe as the Supreme Lord says,“I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me.” Bhagavad Gita 10.8.
In Bhagavad Gita 7.7, Lord Krishna says, “Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.”
In Brahma Samhita also it is mentioned that Krishna is the Supreme God and he the cause of all the causes i.e. everything what we see comes from him. “Kṛṣṇa who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.” Brahma Samhita 5.1.
Śrī Īśopaniṣad, Mantra 1, says, īśāvāsyam idaḿ sarvaṁ/yat kiñca jagatyāṁ jagat. “Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord.”
Srila Prabhupada, Iskcon founder, on Existence of God
In the purport of this verse, Srila Prabhupada, founder acharya of Iskcon, writes, “The Lord’s proprietorship over everything within the universe is confirmed in the Seventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā (7.4–5), where parā and aparā prakṛti are discussed. The elements of nature – earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and ego – all belong to the Lord’s inferior, material energy (aparā prakṛti), whereas the living being, the organic energy, is His superior energy (parā prakṛti). Both of these prakṛtis, or energies, are emanations from the Lord, and ultimately He is the controller of everything that exists. There is nothing in the universe that does not belong to either the parā or the aparā prakṛti; therefore everything is the property of the Supreme Being.”
Srila Prabhupada dedicated his life in educating people all over the world that God exists. He would say that if people accept God and start living as per the direction of scriptures then they can live happily in this world. He established Iskcon and opened temples all over the world. In the temples he established deity worship. He also wrote several books. All this he did so that you and me can get connected to God and establish relationship with God.
Earlier we had discussed that if God is there then why can’t we see him? We cannot see him with our material eyes because our eyes are impure. However, God appears in this world in his deity form. And when we see the deity with our eyes then we are actually seeing God. And once our senses become pure, we develop genuine love for God then we will not just be able to see God but we will be able to talk to him, sing with him, play with him and dance with him.
Conclusion
The whole material world consisting of innumerable planets, stars, the sun, the moon, the gigantic oceans, the mighty wind, the plants, trees, animals, reptiles, you and me are created by God. God Does Exist and he is the supreme cause of all causes. He is the creator, maintainer and destroyer of this world.
