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God-Realisation

God-realisation means God-discovery,
And God-discovery is nothing other than
The reclaiming of one's own
Ancient God-roots.

Sri Chinmoy 1

God-realisation means Self-discovery in the highest sense of the term. One consciously realises his oneness with God. As long as the seeker remains in ignorance, he will feel that God is somebody else who has infinite Power, while he, the seeker, is the feeblest person on earth. But the moment he realises God, he comes to know that he and God are absolutely one in both the inner and the outer life. God-realisation means one’s identification with one’s absolute highest Self. When one can identify with one’s highest Self and remain in that consciousness forever, when one can reveal and manifest it at one’s own command, that is God-realisation.

Now, you have read books on God and people have told you that God is in everybody. But you have not realised God in your conscious life. For you this is all mental speculation. But when one is God-realised, one consciously knows what God is, what He looks like, what He wills. When one achieves Self-realisation, one remains in God’s Consciousness and speaks to God face to face. He sees God both in the finite and in the Infinite; he sees God as both personal and impersonal. And in his case, this is not mental hallucination or imagination; it is direct reality.2

Video

Sri Chinmoy talks about the ultimate goal of trying to realise God.

Questions on God-realisation

Question: Is it the soul that realises God?

Sri Chinmoy: The soul is a portion of God and it is eternally for God. It is our body, vital, mind and heart that have not realised God. The soul knows who God is and where God is and what God is; but the human being only gets glimpses. The human being must practise spirituality and inner discipline and realise the Highest.

When the human in us realises the Highest, at that time there is no difference between us and God. At that time the body, vital and mind become inseparably one and they embody, reveal and manifest the Highest. There is no difference between that illumined consciousness and the highest Reality itself.

It is the human in us that realises God, not the soul. The soul has to manifest God to the world at large; that is why the soul has come into the world. 3

Question: What is the difference between seeing God and realising God?

Sri Chinmoy: There is a great difference between seeing God and realising God. When we see God, we can see him as an individual or as an object or as something else. But we do not consciously and continuously embody Him and feel that He is our very own. When we see God, it is like seeing a tree. We do not at that time consciously embody the tree-consciousness. And since we do not embody it, we cannot reveal or manifest it. But when we realise something, at that time it becomes part and parcel of our life. We may see a flower, but only when we realise the flower do we actually become one with the consciousness of the flower.4

Question: What is the difference between samadhi and God-realisation?

Sri Chinmoy: Samadhi is a realm of consciousness. Many people have entered into samadhi, but realisation comes only when we have become one with the highest Absolute. We can enter into some samadhis without realising the Highest.

Entering samadhi is like knowing the alphabet, but realisation is like having a Ph.D. There is no comparison between samadhi and realisation. Samadhi is a state of consciousness in which one can stay for a few hours or a few days. After twenty-one days usually the body does not function. But once one has achieved realisation, it lasts forever. And in realisation, one’s whole consciousness has become inseparably and eternally one with God.5

Question: Since God is within us and we know that one day we will realise God, why is it necessary to practise Yoga?

Sri Chinmoy: One day we shall realise everything which is natural. God is natural and so naturally we shall realise Him. But those who do not practise spiritual discipline will have to wait for Eternity to realise God. God has given us a conscious mind and conscious aspiration. If we do not want to use our conscious aspiration, then we can wait. God is not compelling us or forcing us. We can sleep if we want to. But if we consciously pray and meditate, then we will realise God sooner. Everybody will reach the Goal, but he who sleeps will not reach the Goal as fast as he who is running. One day everybody will realise God because in God's Cosmic Vision, He will never allow anyone to remain unrealised. But it will take a very long time.6

Question: Is it possible to realise God in one existence?

Sri Chinmoy: Certainly, it is quite possible to realise the Highest in this lifetime. But you have to know how sincere you are, how much you love God, how much you need God. If God comes first and foremost, if you feel that you can live without everything or everybody but not without God, if God is constantly in your mind, in your heart, in your living existence, and if you are under the guidance of a fully realised spiritual Master, then realisation is possible in one lifetime. If the Master takes full responsibility for the disciple and if the disciple is absolutely sincere, then God-realisation can easily be achieved in one lifetime. God-realisation is your birthright; it is not the sole monopoly of any individual. 7


  1. Sri Chinmoy, Twenty-Seven Thousand Aspiration-Plants, part 127, Agni Press, 1989↩︎

  2. Sri Chinmoy, AUM — Vol.II-1, No. 8, August 27, 1974, Agni Press, 1974↩︎

  3. Sri Chinmoy, The soul and the process of reincarnation, Agni Press, 1977↩︎

  4. Sri Chinmoy, The summits of God-Life: Samadhi and Siddhi, Agni Press, 1974, Agni Press, 1974↩︎

  5. Sri Chinmoy, The summits of God-Life: Samadhi and Siddhi, Agni Press, 1974↩︎

  6. Sri Chinmoy, My Meditation-Service at the United Nations for 25 Years, Agni Press, 1995↩︎

  7. Sri Chinmoy, Self-discovery and world-mastery, Agni Press, 1976↩︎