In Search of Enduring Bridges - God is the Central Bridge

Continued From The Second Part

Resolving conflicts within our minds and that of living with others in harmony is an urgent need of our times. But we can resolve conflicts only when we discover the core of unity that binds us together. Sri Krishna describes God as the thread that runs through all, connecting them together like a necklace of pearls. God, therefore, is the central bridge that connects us together. God is the unifying link that binds the whole creation into one. But the question arises, if we are united with God, why do we not feel connected with him? Explains

Swami Vivekananda:

'In the New Testament it is taught, “Our Father who art in heaven"—God living in the heavens separated from men. We are living on earth and He is living in heaven. Further on we find the teaching that He is a God immanent in nature; He is not only God in heaven, but on earth too. He is the God in us. In the Hindu philosophy we find a stage of the same proximity of God to us. But we do not stop there. There is the non-dualistic stage, in which man realises that the God he has been worshipping is not only the Father in heaven, and on earth, but that “I and my Father are one." He realises in his soul that he is God Himself, only a lower expression of Him. All that is real in me is He; all that is real in Him is I. The gulf between God and man is thus bridged. Thus we find how, by knowing God, we find the kingdom of heaven within us."

The Mundaka Upanishad (II.ii.5) too describes this, saying:

'Know that Self alone that is one without a second, on which are strung heaven, the earth and the inter-space, the mind and the vital forces together with all the other organs; and give up all other talks. This is the bridge leading to immortality."

To know God is to walk over the ocean of relative existence and reach the other shore, the shore of absolute existence. God is the bridge that takes us across the ocean of relativity made up of wants, helplessness, meaninglessness, pain and fleeting moments of pleasures. A man who has experienced God, on the other hand, is full of lasting peace and joy.

In Conclusion

Swamiji speaks of great men themselves as bridges. Such men are great lovers of mankind. Having crossed over the ocean of relative existence, they passionately feel for others and want them to cross over also. It is this desire, this sacrifice that makes them great. Says Swamiji:

'Great men are those who build highways for others with their heart"s blood. This has been taking place through eternity, that one builds a bridge by laying down his own body, and thousands of others cross the river through its help."3

Are we ready to become such human-bridges? If yes, then we have to experience the presence of God—the central bridge that connects us all—in our own lives first. Our willingness to embark on this journey is the first bridge we need to build.

About the author

Swami Atmashraddhananda

Swami Atmashraddhananda is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order and editor of The Vedanta Kesari from the year 2004 .

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