[Advaita-l] Jagadguru Speaks: God has no Likes or Dislikes

[S Jayanarayanan via Advaita-l]

(Around the beginning of the month, a nugget of Wisdom from the Jagadguru may be posted on the list,
as on the Chaturamnaya list: http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/chaturamnaya )


http://svbf.org/newsletters/year-2013/the-jagadguru-speaks-5/



God Has No Likes or Dislikes

Joy and sorrow as also ups and downs, are routine in a man’s life in tune with the times.
They must be accepted with equanimity.

While enjoying comforts one must not be blindly pompous; neither should one be dejected
in sorrow. Understanding that all this is the result of precious karmas (actions), one must
continue to do one’s karma and keep praying to God ceaselessly.

Some people claim credit for the good things in life and put the blame on God while in
distress. This is not just.

God treats all people alike. There is no such  thing as God liking some people and
disliking some others. That is why he is called Bhagavan. Hence a bhakta who worships God
under all circumstances endears himself to him. This is what Sri Krishna Paramatma says in
the Gita:

 समोऽहं सर्वभूतेषु न मे द्वेष्योऽस्ति न प्रियः |
 ये भजन्ति तु मां भक्त्या मयि ते तेषु चाप्यहम्‌ ||

In that case, the question may arise, are others not dear to God? It is wrong to think so.
When a lamp is lit in a house, it burns bright uniformly. Objects near it are visible
clearly, while those at a distance are not so. Can the lamp be blamed for this?
Similarly, is it not just if one who worships God under all circumstances is happy?

Sri Bhagavadpada explains thus the sloka in the Gita:

 दूरस्थानां यथा अग्निः शीतं न अपनयति,
 समीपम्  उपसर्पताम् अपनयति…
 तथा अहं भक्तान् अनुगृह्णामि, न इतरान्…

Therefore, let all understand that one’s own deeds in the past are responsible for the
comfort or sorrow now; so avoid blaming anybody else and become dearer to God by worshiping
him with intense devotion.