WHERE IS GOD?

Once upon a time, a monk wearing the ochre robe chanced to enter a village full of atheists. He fell in with a gang of defiant youth who challenged him to show them that the God, whom he was adoring, actually existed. He said he could, but before doing so, he asked for a cup of milk.

When the milk was placed before him, he did not drink it. He sat looking at it, long and silently with increasing curiosity. The youths became impatient. Their clamor became insistent. The monk told them, “Wait a minute. I am told that there is butter in milk. I must say this cup does not have it, for I do not see any of it, however hard I look into it!”

The fellows laughed at his innocence and said, “Silly man! Don’t rush to such absurd conclusions. Milk has butter in every drop. That is what makes it so nourishing. If you must see it as a separate, concrete entity, you have to boil the milk, cool it, add sour curd, wait for some hours for it to curdle, then churn it and roll the butter that floats into a ball.”

“Ah,” said the monk, “that makes my task of showing you God much easier! God is in everything, every being and atom of the Universe. It is because of this that they exist and we can cognize them and enjoy them. To see Him as a concrete entity, you have to follow a prescribed procedure, earnestly, strictly, and sincerely. Then at the end of it all, you can experience His Grace and His Glory.” - Baba

Illustrations: S B Sai Krishna, SSSIHL.