Does GOD Exist?

This is a question that has been debated over the eons and is still a matter of debate. Will it be settled one way or the other? Let us see if that is possible at all!

Peter Drucker, the famous management Guru said, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” Very true. Similarly, unless you clearly define a thing, its existence or otherwise cannot be established. So, the first thing to be done is to define what we seek to establish.

Can GOD be defined?

There have been many definitions of GOD. Starting from worshipping nature and thus defining GOD to natural elements, more sophisticated definitions of GOD have been postulated over the millennia. But, in my opinion, none can put the definition of GOD so succinctly and in an unequivocal and sublime manner as Vedanta, the philosophical portion of Sanatana Dharma. Vedanta calls GOD as “Brahman” – which means one that expands without limit. In English you can call it “The Vast” without any qualification – like a vast universe etc., It literally means “Infinite”

The next question is “what is the definition of Brahman?”

Taitriya Upanishad (2.1.1) defines Brahman thus: “Sathyam Jnanam Anantham Brahma.”

That is, Brahman is Satyam, Brahman is Jnanam and Brahman is Anantham.

Just as you need to unzip a file to know its contents, the above statement needs to be unzipped to get a clear understanding of the definition of Brahman.

Let us start with the word Anantham. It is a Sanskrit word that means unlimited or infinite. When something is said to be unlimited, what are the factors that could limit such a thing? As per Vedanta, three things can limit an entity from being unlimited. They are

Desha – space; Kaala – Time; Vastu – Object

Let us see one by one. An object is limited by space if it has definite boundaries in space and cannot be at two places at the same time. For example, I am currently in my living room and hence I am not in my bedroom. I am therefore limited by space. Brahman is not limited by space by definition and hence Brahman is omnipresent – sarva vyapi in Sanskrit.

Similarly, I am limited by time, meaning my body never existed before it was born and will not exist after it dies. Hence my body is limited by time. Vedanta says Brahman is not limited by time meaning there was no time when Brahman was not there and there will be no time when Brahman will not be there. Hence Brahman is beyond time and is eternal – Nithyam in Sanskrit.

The third limitation is a slightly abstruse concept called the law of identity. For example, the pen I hold can only be a pen and not a pencil. An object can only be itself and not any other entity.  That is why we have an Aadhar card and I am identified by it and no one else is me! Vedanta states that Brahman has no object limitation meaning that nothing is different from Brahman – that is, there cannot be even one entity apart from it. In other words, there is ONLY Brahman and nothing else. It is called non-dual – Advaita in Sanskrit.

The definition seems to be a brilliant one but is it an esoteric abstract philosophical construct or is it something real? If it is real, then obviously, Brahman must be present in the here and now and in every object that was, is and will be. The beauty of Vedanta is that it is not a belief system but one that should be validated and experienced. Hence, we need to test this hypothesis before we accept it.

But before that, first two words also need to be explored. The word Satyam means real. To test this against the definition we just discussed, let us take a real object – say a Pen. Will it transcend the limitations of Space, Time, and Object? All three tests will fail because a Pen cannot be here and there also, it was not there before it was manufactured and will cease to exist once it is destroyed and it is only a pen and not anything else. Thus, if we stick to Satyam’s original meaning ”real,” it contradicts the earlier definition of Brahman. In such cases of contradiction, Sastras prescribe that the implied meaning of a word must be taken.

In the same example, the Pen exists, laptop exists, you exist, I exist etc., Every known object exists. The underlying common factor in all these objects is Existence. So, if we were to take the implied meaning of Satyam as Existence, then the earlier contradiction will not be there. If you take any object in the entire universe, it exists and Existence is the underlying principle. The objects themselves may have various shapes, forms, and functions, but they all exist. So, if we take Existence principle as Satyam, it will clearly be congruent with our definition of Brahman as Anantham. Existence is not limited by space, time, and object. Even if all the objects in the universe are destroyed, for argument’s sake, Existence continues in the unmanifest state but will be manifest only through objects that we can perceive. It is like the ocean and the waves, with the ocean being the Existence and the waves of different heights and forms being the objects. The ocean exists even if all the waves die down.

Now, let us take the second word Jnanam. The direct meaning of this word is “knowledge.” It is obvious it will fail the test of Anantham just as the direct meaning of the word Sathyam did. I do not have the knowledge that you have, like for example, you may have knowledge in Sanskrit but I do not! Hence extending the same arguments that we put forth for Sathyam, if we take the implied meaning of Jnanam, ie. awareness or consciousness, then it will pass the test of Anantham easily. Pure consciousness or awareness, called Chit in Sanskrit, is not limited by space, time, or objects. All knowledge and all our experiences happen in awareness. And like existence, awareness is the underlying principle because of which we experience the entire universe.

Hence Brahman is Sathyam, Jnanam, Anantham or Sat, Chit, Anantham meaning Existence, Awareness, Infinite. It is self-consistent without any contradictions. We can test this definition against anything in this universe and it will be valid!

Now, that the definition of GOD has been clearly established, let us come back to the original question, “Does God Exist?” I shall rephrase the question and ask you “Do you Exist?” Your answer to this question is the answer to the former as well. Vedanta goes one step further and states that there is ONLY Brahman and nothing else and emphatically states “Tat Tvam Asi” meaning you are verily that Brahman – That Thou Art.