The Relationship between God and the Soul (How Do We Visualise and Think About a God with Form and Qualities)? Part 3

A Speech delivered by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj in 1984 at Sadhana Bhawan

Brahm, known as the Formless aspect of God, does not directly benefit souls. To uplift and liberate souls, God manifests with a Form and qualities. So with His Form, souls are able to receive His Grace. When followers of Brahm realized that the Formless, attribute-less God could not free them from the clutches of Maya (illusion), they turned towards God in His Form with Divine qualities. By engaging in Bhakti (devotional worship), they sought and received His Grace. 

Thus, when the all-powerful, Formless, and attribute-less God decides to take a Form with qualities, He becomes directly beneficial to us. This God with a Form and qualities is capable of granting us anything and everything we desire—be it liberation (moksha), divine love, worldly opulence, or even hell.  He fulfills every wish, much like the ‘Kalpataru’, the Divine wish-fulfilling tree said to exist in heaven. Just as one standing under the ‘Kalpataru’ can have any wish granted, God in His personal form can bestow upon us worldly grandeur, celestial powers, liberation, or the highest gift—Divine love.

What you desire from God, however, depends on the knowledge you have gained from your Guru. The soul, being limited in knowledge, cannot fully comprehend what is available from the Spiritual Government. Only the Guru can enlighten the soul about this divine realm. The nature of your desires—and the wisdom to seek the highest gift—will depend on the type of Guru you are blessed with, which in turn is determined by your destiny. However, regardless of the nature of your wishes, all desires are ultimately fulfilled only through God in His form with qualities.

The Form that God assumes has the power to act, to Grace others, and to elevate them to greatness. It is through this Divine Form that God becomes truly useful to us. Only with the Grace of this Form of God can the soul overcome the control of Maya (illusion). Therefore, it is essential to attach our mind to God’s Form, such as Shri Radha and Shri Krishna.

As I mentioned earlier, God’s mercy knows no bounds. He did not confine Himself to a single name, form, quality, pastime, or abode. Instead, He created infinite names, forms, pastimes, and abodes, giving souls the freedom to choose according to their own preferences and inclinations. This incredible mercy means that you can visualise any form of God that resonates with your heart. You can adorn Him in the way you like, imagine Him performing pastimes of your choice, and engage with Him entirely through the creativity of your mind. God has left it all to you!

Even the most inexperienced or naive individual can visualise God’s form in their mind according to their interest, and through this personal connection, experience His Divine grace. Such is the boundless compassion and accessibility of God with form. A great artist will visualise a stunningly beautiful form of God in their mind, while a layman from a small village might imagine a simple and ordinary form of God. Meanwhile, an artist from heaven may visualise an even more exquisite and divine form of God. The rule, however, is the same for everyone—each soul can visualise God with their mind, according to their own interest and capacity.

The only condition is that the mind must become attached to God. Once we attain God, the form of God that was originally visualised by the material mind will manifest as real, radiating unlimited Divine bliss. It doesn’t matter how one imagined God before—whether in simplicity or grandeur. In the end, all souls will attain the same God, full of infinite beauty, grace, and Divine Bliss.

You are free to visualise God in any form you wish. He can be a simple black round stone, like Lord Shaligram. He can take the form of a human with two hands and legs or a Divine being with millions of arms and legs. He could even appear as a blend of human and a lion’s body form. You can adorn God however you like, give Him any name you wish, and even imagine Him performing pastimes of your choosing. God has left everything up to the soul’s imagination and preference. He did this to ensure that no soul could claim it is too difficult to connect with or attain Him. 

There are absolutely no restrictions when it comes to forming a relationship with God. In contrast, performing common Karmkand (ritualistic worship) involves fulfilling numerous conditions. For example, you must sit at a specific place, purify it, wake up at 4 a.m., take a ritual bath, sit facing the east, maintain a particular posture (asan), and purify the meditation area with prescribed verses—all before even beginning the ritual.

God, in His infinite mercy, removed all such conditions for souls. He made Himself accessible to everyone, regardless of their circumstances, so that even the simplest soul could approach Him with ease and devotion. In God’s Divine realm, there are no restrictions of place or time. There are no rules or regulations binding a soul’s devotion. A devotee can belong to any section of society—be it Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, or Shudra.  

God Himself declares, “My devotee is my life.” Even if someone is as exalted as Lord Brahma, if they lack Bhakti (devotion) in their heart, they are not dear to God. Conversely, anyone with genuine devotion, regardless of their societal standing, becomes God’s beloved. The path of Bhakti is truly remarkable because it places no conditions on eligibility. Each and every soul is eligible to walk this path. There is no discrimination, no prerequisites—only a heartfelt desire to connect with God. Everyone is eligible to walk on this path. 

If someone is born blind and thinks how can he see God?  There is no need for eyes too.  Because God cannot be seen with these material eyes anyway. So you are blind even if you have eyes. Because when you become eligible to see God (by purifying your mind), your Guru will give you Divine vision within your material eyes.  With Divine eyes you will see God. You can hear God’s words through Divine ears, you can smell his fragrance through a Divine nose. This means you cannot receive God’s Divine subjects with these material senses. 

That is why I have explained to you many times before –  you have seen Shri Ram and Shri Krishna standing before you infinite times in past lifetimes. Yet, you did not gain any benefit. Why? Because God’s real, Divine form cannot be perceived with these material eyes. Therefore, you will not see God’s real Divine form with these material eyes.  Whether one is blind or has perfect vision, both will require Divine vision upon God-realization. It is only through this Divine vision, granted by God’s Grace, that you can truly see His real Form. Similarly, Divine ears, a Divine nose, and other divine senses are needed to hear His words, smell His fragrance, and experience His presence. 

This is why physical senses are not a prerequisite for practicing Bhakti or attaining God. No soul can stand before God and complain about having bad eyes, ears,  tongue, or any other bodily limitation. God doesn’t care about the condition of your material senses—what He seeks is the surrender of your mind.

Watch and listen to this full lecture by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on our free Sanatan Vedic Dharma (SVD) App –  (God, Soul and World Series Part 3)

To be continued in Part 4

*A brief introduction of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj*

(Known by His devotees as Shri Maharaj Ji)

The original title of Jagadguruttam (Greatest Spiritual Teacher of the World) was bestowed upon Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on January 14, 1957, by Kashi Vidvat Parishad (a council of 500 greatest scholars saints of India). He composed divine texts like Prem Ras Madira, Prem Ras Siddhant, and Radha Govind Geet to lead us on the right path of devotion. He also gave priceless monuments as gifts to the world which include Bhakti Mandir located in Bhakti Dham, Mangarh, Prem Mandir located in Vrindavan Dham, and Kirti Mandir located in Barsana Dham. Shri Maharaj Ji also built hospitals for the impoverished, the Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Vrindavan, Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Barsana, and another one in Pratapgarh. All three help millions of underprivileged to gain free access to medical care. His Kindergarten, School, and College for impoverished girls Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Education is located in Kunda and provides completely free education.