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Paramatma is the sustainer of all
Nobody will stay in this world forever. It is more like a lodging place. Your presence here, and the rare opportunity of a human birth, have empowered you to cross this ocean of becoming. Only with this [human] body can knowledge and devotion arise. If you fail to face this now, then when will you? The Lord is omnipresent, but we are present only in a particular location. Hence the all-pervading Paramatma has to be made manifest through bhakta in one particular location [here]. Only then will we succeed. What is unmanifest, and what is manifest? Fire is inherent within an entire piece of wood, but will not bum on its own. If you just put wood in the hearth, and would like to make flatbread, can it cook? Once the wood is lit, and you make fire appear, then you can do whatever you wish.
Paramatma is undivided in all space, time, and matter. There is no such thing anywhere in which the Lord is absent. But even though He is omnipotent, there is one power He doesn’t have. Even if He wants, He cannot separate himself from us. Yet despite our being inseparable from God, we are still unhappy—so you tell me, whose side is mistaken here?
Take the example of Draupadi in her time of distress. All her five husbands, each a great charioteer, each more valorous than the last—Kripacharya, Dronacharya, and the others—just sat there while a lady was dishonored. See the resignation of the worldly. What greater shining example can one find than this? You can get some help from a father, son, brother, sister, or husband, but complete help is impossible from them. If the Lord doesn’t come to our rescue in our times of trial, all our relatives will give up. But for Paramz‘itma, we have no support. It’s absurd to feel that someone else will protect us. When great warriors gave up in resignation without helping Draupadi, what is the point of counting on your own helpers? Maintain only polite relations with those in samsdra, don’t become attached. Bhagavan came to rescue Draupadi only when she gave up hope in all the worldly people around her. In the case of Prahalada, He manifested himself y from a pillar.250 This shows the omnipresent nature of the Lord. But we don’t benefit from the pervasive Bhagavan. You cannot do your work with the fire inherent—but unmanifest—in wood. For work, wood has to be ignited so the fire is manifested in a particular place. Similarly, only when one makes Paramatma manifest in a particular spot by updsana will there be benefit. For Bhagavfin to manifest himself in a particular place is not difficult because He himself declared [Bhagavad Gitd 4.7-4.8]:
Yadd yadd hi dharmasya gld’nirbhavati bhdratal
abhyutthdnamadharmasya taddtmdnam srjdmyahamll
Paritrdndya sddhfindm vinds’dya ca duskrtdml
dharma samsthdpandrthdya sambhavdmi yuge yugel [252
Not (my this, but he has also said [Bhagavad Gitd 4.11:
Ye yathd mam prapadyante tdmstathaiva bhajdmyahaml
This means, “However one remembers me, so do I remember him.” What a great assurance Bhagavan has given. If we do not want Him even now, then alas it is our great misfortune.
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