Who is the One and Only God in the World?

He asked six questions:

1. किमेकं दैवतम् - What is the one divine entity?
2. को धर्मः - What is the ultimate duty?
3. किं लोके एकं दैवतं - Who is the one and only God in the world?
4. किं वा अपि एकं परायणम् - What is the one ultimate refuge?
5. कं स्तुवन्तः मानवाः शुभं प्राप्नुयुः - Whom should humans praise to attain auspiciousness?
6. कं अर्चन्तः मानवाः शुभं प्राप्नुयुः - Whom should humans worship to attain auspiciousness?
7. को धर्मः सर्वधर्माणां परमः - What is the highest among all duties?
8. किं जपन् जन्तुः जन्मसंसारबन्धनात् मुच्यते - What should one chant to be freed from the bonds of the cycle of birth and death?

These were the six questions. The first question is:

किमेकं दैवतम् लोके - Who is the one and only God in the world?

'लोक' means to illuminate, to make something perceivable through vision, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. The world exists only if we can perceive it. If your five senses are absent, there is no longer a world for you. That is why they say that the world is not a reality; it doesn’t exist because the world is dependent on the senses of the perceiver.

Imagine you walk into a movie hall for the first time in your life. The movie has already started playing. You see the events on the screen. You are in awe of all the light, sound, story, and images. Then, you come out after some time, before the movie ends, unaware that the screen goes blank.

After coming out, how would you describe your experience inside the movie hall to others? You would describe it as you saw it, as you heard it. There was a time before the movie started when the screen was blank. There was a time after the movie ended when the screen was blank again. You are not aware of this. You are not aware that the movie was just a projection onto a blank screen. For you, everything that happened there was real, whereas it was only a projection – some light and sound playing tricks on you.

'Loka' consists of what we see and perceive all around. In the 'loka' or world, who is the only God? Being the cause of that light that illuminates – that enables us to perceive all that is around us, which is the 'loka', He is the 'daivatam deva'. This illusion is His 'leela'. He is entertaining Himself through this 'leela'. Like the operator inside the projector room who knows that it is just a roll of film and some light, He enjoys how people get trapped in it. He enjoys watching them. He enjoys His own 'leela'.

For the people watching the movie, it is all happening for real. They get involved in it. They laugh, cry, cheer, and swear. But for the operator, it is just his job, his routine. He is only waiting for the movie to get over so he can go home. He is the only one who knows it is just some rolls of film and light. At times, when the noise of cheers and claps from inside the movie hall goes up, he might open that small window of his projector room and peep out, smiling scornfully at how crazy these people are. They think it's all real. That is what Bhagawan does.

He alone is the source of all knowledge. Perception leads to knowledge. He illuminates and makes things visible, audible, and perceivable through touch, taste, and smell. That gives us the knowledge that 'this is this' and 'that is that'. This is a book. This smell is of a rose flower. This water is hot. So, being the source of all that knowledge – though illusory – He alone is the one and only God, 'daivatam', 'deva' in the world.

Knowledge Bank

Who is Acchoda?

Acchoda was Satyavati in her previous birth. She belonged to the clan of ancestors called Barhishada Pitrus. She did intense tapas and the Pitrus appeared before her. But she got attracted towards one among them. When the ancestors realized this, they cursed her to take birth on earth as Satyavati. She got relief from the curse after she married King Shantanu and gave birth to two sons. Then she returned to Pitruloka and is now worshiped as Ashtaka.

Mother of Gandharvas

Arishta is the mother of Gandharvas. Their father is Kashyapa.