God is beautiful

Whenever people see this picture of Govinda, God, they are most usually astonished, aside from His being blue, or His wearing jewelry, by the fact that He is beautiful. They would say, why? And I would kid them, why not? Then they would say that it's very hard to believe for God to actually look like this amazing person. And I'd say, He is God and He wants all of us to love Him, He's supposed to be amazing. After this volley of innocent inquiries, a few actually hit a sensible question which is a great opportunity to discuss the further glories of God. Questions like "How did you know God looks like that?" "Who told you He actually looks like that?" etc. 

Aside from the Holy Bible there are other scriptures which similarly contain truths directly revealed by God or as told by His devotees. From the Bible however we are not given a very detailed description of God, Who is simply described as an ocean of light, or a burning bush; in the Qu'ran, it is even considered bad to describe the Lord. These conditions do not make these scriptures false or less important, but to get a better picture, we have to resort to other scriptures that actually describe God in a more detailed manner. Scriptures like Srimad Bhagavatam, Bhagavad Gita and Brahma Samhita, provide us with authoritative facts regarding the name, form, abode and activities of the Supreme Lord. In these scriptures we get to know not only what God looks like, how He smells, what color are His palms, etc., but also His exact address, who lives with Him there, and what His favorite activities are. 

Therefore scriptures like Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita are like a mother, and God is our Father Who we have not yet seen. Naturally, the only person who can tell us truthfully about a father we have never seen is our mother. So we regard scripture as an authority about God. If we don't believe in God then we got nothing to talk about. But if one believes in the existence of God, and believes that the scriptures are His words, then he cannot deny scripture as a proper foundation for this belief. 

What God looks like as described in the scriptures is the absolute truth. Fortunately, there are three ways to check whether something is the absolute truth or not. Aside from scripture; there is guru, or the pure devotee of God and knower of the actual conclusion of scripture; then God Himself as the Lord in the heart. One can know if something is the truth or not by sifting it through These three. It is an absolute necessity that all three must be in agreement. Scripture alone is dangerous without the other two, for we are left to rely on our own imperfect understanding. Hearing from guru only without checking scriptures is similarly unwise, for we are presenting ourselves open for exploitation by false gurus who are merely cheaters and charlatans.  And the danger of simply relying on listening to the Lord in the heart is that it may not be the Lord we are actually hearing, it may just be our mind or something else. 

With scripture, guru, and the Lord Himself within our hearts, being there ready to give us guidance, we must be able to appreciate the fact that God provides all necessary facilities required for us to actually know Him. But sometimes our hearts are so hardened that even God, in His form, or as His holy name, is right there in front of us we doubt Him, His beauty, His opulence, etc. We think, I know what God is supposed to look like. "He's an old guy, right Michelangelo? They said He's the oldest, so I suppose He must have long hair, all white. And I've heard He's the strongest too, so perhaps His body is buff, with six pack abs." That is our mind's idea of God. 

Yes, based on our material body, the oldest has white hair. Based on our material body the strongest is muscular. But that's where the fault of this theory lies. We are judging God according to the material conditions of our bodies. This is all speculation. Based upon ignorance of the absolute truth revealed in scripture clearly saying that God has no material body. That His form is eternal and spiritual. 

I find it ironic that people tend to question the reality of a form that is in fact the only real manifestation in this dimension in a sense  that it will exist beyond the dissolution of this realm. And on the other hand believe firmly the forms of themselves, their loved ones which will eventually disappear in time. God's form is not only beautiful, it is real, it is eternal.  And I tell myself everyday that instead of struggling with the why, to try to realize the plain truth that I know nothing, and that in order for me to know I must approach those who know. I have to place my faith in the fool proof process of the three checkpoints, scriptures, guru, and the Lord in the heart. And They all confirm that God is the most beautiful. He is in fact the source of all beauty. 

But what is more important, my teacher said, is not to see God. For to see God is actually easy. What is better than seeing God is loving God. He concluded that in fact to see God is to love God. Jesus Christ, another authority in God, said that the greatest commandment is that we love God the Father, with all our heart, mind, and entire being. In other words, all saintly personalities agree on this conclusion. God made it so easy for us to love Him. He is the most beautiful. He is supremely lovable. Now it is only up to us to open our hearts and love Him. 

The greatest gift God gave us this day and age is His Holy Names. God and His Holy Names are non-different. His Holy Names are as beautiful as God. And when one chants His Holy Names, he easily comes to the platform of love for the Lord. Therefore it is stressed in scripture that there is no other way in this age of quarrel and confusion but to chant the Holy Names. Haribol!