GOD Lies in Details

"Moko Kahan Dhoondhe Re Bande

Main To Tere Paas Mein

Na Teerath Mein, Na Moorat Mein

Na Ekaant Niwas Mein

Na Mandir Mein, Na Masjid Mein

Na Kabe Kailash Mein

Main To Tere Paas Mein Bande

Main to Tere Paas Mein"

The time was 6 o' clock on one summer evening in 1996 and I was stunned looking at the notice board of School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi. My name was not one of the few lucky souls who got through the entrance exam of that college, that year. A college that was not less than a Temple to me. A Temple I worshiped ever since I was 10 years old, a Temple I so desperately wanted to be a part of, a Temple that was then my life. Today, fifteen years thereafter I am an Architect and nobody asks me the college I passed out from. All that people want from me is my experience that I have gained following the basic fundamentals of the language they call ARCHITECTURE.

Today, when I look back, I ask myself one question. “Why, today, I do not feel the same for the Temple that I loved so much fifteen years back?” The answer was very correctly expressed in words by a great Architect. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe said, "GOD IS IN DETAILS". I believe "GOD LIES IN DETAILS". The details are the basics and with basics one can solve or create even the most complicated. The detail that I was missing then was that I fell in love with the Temple to reach GOD but I forgot that to feel GOD, I need to truly love GOD and not the Temple.

Yes, this article is not about me, not even about Architecture. It cannot be. This article is about understanding and enjoying the basics of life.

We humans have a tendency to complicate things due to our lust for achieving something very fast. The lust so big that it erases all our sensuousness. We should not let ourselves be depleted of sensuousness as it is the greatest blessing of GOD upon us. It is our sensitivity, our consciousness. It is important for us to enjoy all the small things GOD has given us. As I said earlier, with the basics at right place one can solve or create the complicated. The basics are always small; they are never big in size. That is why we tend to ignore them. Remember, we can feel GOD only in small things as GOD is small. GOD is small till the time we start believing and enjoying all the small basics of life and once we do that GOD becomes VERY BIG. But, what are these small basics?

THE BASICS

OUR DAILY ROUNTINE (Din-Chariya)

The most important basic starts right from the time we wake up in the morning to the time we sleep at night. What does this mean? This is very well explained by Ruzbeh N Bharucha in his book, The FAKIR. He says,"Every morning nature responds joyfully, gratefully and humbly. But look at human beings, how indifferent most of us are to the bounties of GOD and nature. When was the last time you thanked GOD for a beautiful sunrise or rejoiced with nature over the break of dawn? When was the last time you thanked GOD for giving you the opportunity to live another day and thanked The Sun for giving you its light and warmth? When was the last time you thanked GOD for allowing you to drink the cool, thirst-quenching liquid? Tell me, do you thank GOD when you drink water? No. Why? Because you take it as your birthright and you take water for granted. But see the way an animal or a bird drinks water. There is a sense of gratitude. You know why? Because they are not certain when next time they will be able to acquire this nectar of life. Thus, everytime they have water there is a sense of gratitude to nature and GOD above".

Life is so simple. Such beautiful lines explaining the easiest to follow basics.

NO GREED AND A CLEAN HEART

Look at rich people. They spend their whole life just earning money. Their aim in life is just to earn money and when they earn a lot, it is still not enough. They want more. Once they are on top they realize that money has given them everything but happiness. Then they start returning the money to people from whom they had gotten all that money from and they name it Philanthropy. But do they still get happiness, the answer is NO. Money can bring us power, with it we can buy everything but LOVE, FRIENDSHIP AND GRATITUDE. These earnings give us happiness because this is where we will find GOD.

Look at people who believe in going to temple every morning but if a beggar or someone who is not as high as them in the society asks them for something they only have abusive words to give in return. Does this help us find GOD, does this give us happiness? No, Not at all. The famous poet Bulleh Shah says:

"je rab milda nahateyan dhoteya, te rab milda dadduan machiyaan nooo.....
je rab milda jangal phireyan te rab milda gayiyaan bachiyaan nooo.....
je rab milda mandir-masiti te rab milda cham chidikhiyan nooo.....

Ve miyan Bulleye, rab onhan noo milda, ati dil-eya achiyyan sachhiya nooo....."

I would like to translate it.

"if GOD was to be found by bathing and cleaning then
frogs and fishes would have already found GOD.

if GOD was to be found by roaming in jungles then
cows and other animals would have already found GOD.

if GOD was to be found in Temples and Mosques then
the birds and the bats would have already found GOD.

Bulle, GOD is found only by those who are true and good at heart".

Do I need to say anything more?

MEDITATE

Have you seen a Formula 1 race? In this race every car needs a Pitt Stop. Meditation provides us that Pitt Stop. It adds fuel to our soul, replaces our worn out tyres and cleans all the dirt from our body and soul so that we can rejoin this world fully refreshed and rejuvenated. When we are refreshed we are at Peace and when we at Peace we are with GOD.

FIND JOY IN OUR WORK

For me fifteen years back SPA was not important but I did not realize it then. What was important was my work and to find joy in my work. Osho says, "One should work not to be recognized but because it gives you enjoyment in being creative". The joy is not in achieving something, the joy is that we desired to be creative. When we start enjoying our work we reach a state of Trance. Once we reach this state we are in sync with GOD.

LOVE OUR CHILD AND SPOUSE

Our child is a piece of our heart and our spouse is the one whom we have given our heart. Remember, it is our heart where GOD resides. We should never forget to Love our Child and our Spouse.

RESPECT OUR PARENTS,

The creator is the most powerful and should always be respected most. Similarly our parents who have given us birth are nothing less than GOD. Their respect and care should be the most important GOAL of our life. All we should expect from them is their blessings because these blessings have the power to ward of all the ills and evils from our life. I find the blessings of our parents in a line from the great Lata Mangeshkar Ji's song, "tu jahan jahan chalega, mera saaya saath hoga". The blessings of our parents are the shadows of GOD.

If we follow these basics I am sure we will be following the path that leads to GOD.