How to Know God

Question

Who am I? How to self-realise ourself?

—Yuvaraj, India

Answer

Thank you for your question. This question encompasses the whole of the spiritual path and a very good one! And a wonderful aspiration to have!

The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita especially in chapter 31, the final chapter of the book, entitled ‘You Shall Attain Me’ will be a great resource for you.

https://www.ananda.org/video/the-essence-of-the-bhagavad-gita-2/

To know one’s Self is to know God! To know one’s self is to know everything! To become perfect in oneself is to attain the Infinite! These are powerful statements from The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita. This is ‘who we want to be’ and ‘who we really are’.

So how to go about the ‘knowing’. First, there is no need to seek outside the Self for the knowing or wisdom. The inward knowing comes through meditation. After contacting God in meditation listen for the ‘whispers’ in your heart for everyday directions to focus on. This isn’t a reasoning process but a holding the mind up to that higher aspect of knowing which will provide the best insights and solutions.

The Gita maps out the necessary qualities for ways of that inner knowing. Serene self surrender, finding solitude, controlling the body, the speech, the mind, the diet, relinquishing attraction to consciousness of ‘me’ and ‘mine’ are a few things to work toward. As we attempt to guide our life toward these goals, during the heat of the battle, be preoccupied with the struggle (introspection comes at the end of the day’s battle) and always giving to God our efforts in the good fight to attain that perfect realization of Self.

In other words, the self offering to God of all our efforts to attain Him, also, should be to please Him and feel His love and presence in our hearts. If we attain all these qualities and we are not pleasing God we are not moving forward. Be open and trust for your answers.

Many Blessings on your sincere efforts.