The Abundance of God

by Swami Krishnananda

(Spoken on April 25 early morning, 1972, on Swamiji's 50th birthday.)

Master of the worlds, great God of the universe, hallowed be Thy name. Every word that we utter, knowingly or unknowingly, be Thy praise. What else could be the words that we utter falteringly, unknowingly in our ignorance? All our actions are Thy worship. All that we humbly speak are Thy glorification. In various ways, in different manners, in various forms, do we all offer humble obeisance to Thee. Thou seest everything within us as well as without us. With Thy hands, infinite in number, do we appear to work, sometimes appear to do many things. With Thy unlimited eyes do we see this majestic glory of Thy form as this universe. With Thy infinite ears do we hear Thy majestic glory in the form of all the sounds that come from the various corners of creation. It is with Thy infinite tongues that we taste, with Thy infinite senses that we cognise this vast creation. Thou art sahasra shirsha. What else can we speak? Where is the strength to lift our fingers? Where is the energy to talk or to walk or to work? Where is the knowledge with which we can speak, think or act? Because of Thy existence we are. Because of Thy supreme consciousness we think and breathe. Because of Thy oceanic flood of infinite ananda we seem to be occasionally titillated and satisfied and happy. Our prostrations be to Thee.

With two hands, how can we receive the abundance which God can bestow on us with His infinite hands? And why do we cling to petty things? If He starts drawing everything from us with His infinite hands, how much can we grab? He will suck everything if He wants. So there is no use clinging to small things, and also no use craving too much as if we are poverty-stricken, uncared for. Nothing of the kind. We have become poverty-stricken due to our own making.

The abundance of God is everywhere, and the few words that I spoke were only to illustrate the great point involved in this beautiful pendant in the gospel of the Bhagavadgita. Ananyāś cintayanto māṁ ye janāḥ paryupāsate, teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yogakṣemaṁ vahāmyaham (B.G. 9.22): “For those who contemplate Me undividedly with a pure heart, having full faith in Me as the All-nourisher, All-purifier, All-father, All-mother, for those who contemplate Me in this manner, taking care of them is My responsibility.” This is a great gospel truth on which we may lay full trust so that we may not be worried. Everything shall be wonderful, everything shall be beautiful, everything shall be grand in this vast creation of God, this vast Ramrajya. “God is in heaven and all is well with the world,” said the great poet. It is a great truth, and it is certain that with His infinite eyes He shall take care of us; with His infinite hands He shall provide everything that we need. But—there is a great ‘but' and a great ‘provided that'—we shall not desert Him, and He shall not desert us. If we do not desert Him, He will not desert us. It is certain. We have heard this said many times. This is nothing new. But yet, foolish that we are, we are accustomed to forget all that is good for us and cling only to all stupidities of life.

May we offer our humble obeisance to the Almighty that He bestow upon us understanding that we may not forget His presence, and make the Realisation of His majesty the supreme goal of our existence. This is our prayer.