My Obeisance to the Divine In You!

Image by Enrique Meseguer from Pixabay

So, you think you are a scriptural being?

Imagine a dark room with loads of stuff suddenly exposed to bright light. Everything in the room is visible now; technically, everything existed before but was not visible due to the darkness. Regardless of the darkness in the room, the stuff will still exist, not visible but indeed accessible. But the light is required to see the things so one can access them swiftly if needed.

Something similar happened to me when I heard my beloved Guruji saying, “My obeisance to the Divine in you.” Something clicked in me then, and everything made sense, like a bright sunny day in the middle of midnight.

My Mother’s Teaching

Growing up, my mother (Aai) always taught us to see the Divine. She used to say, “The Divine lives in every soul; always acknowledge and respect. See the Divine in our house helpers, street cleaners, blue collar workers, the unfortunate ones begging on the street, stray animals looking for water and food, and the wicked ones, full of negativity in the family and friend circle and beyond. The good, the bad, and the ugly, always see the Divine in all.” We grew up with her teachings and the Divine’s blessings.

Eventually, I ended up in America, the promised land. My mind got busy enjoying worldly life, family, and work (I can add many more excuses to convince myself and you), and whatever came in its way got dumped into the dark room of my mind. I didn’t bother to knock on the door or peek in that dark room for many years till I met my beloved Guruji. In the back of my mind, I always knew the existence of that room and the accessibility in need. The knowledge was not visible in the dark, so I never bothered to reach it. Life went on, and I moved on with it. The world wasn’t making any sense, but the Maya convinced me that it was just my imagination and that everything was perfect. There was no need to make a fuss.

Long story short, I have full access to that room now; it’s bright and sunny with the blessing of Guruji, and I see the Divine in all, no exception.

Has anyone noticed how we choose to see the Divine in others per our comfort and convenience? There are categories divided very efficiently per our needs.

Here are the most common ones — My obeisance to the Divine in you if you are:

· Same religion or race — This is a must
· Same skin colors — Preferably must, but one can pretend to ignore it for a short while due to social pressure.
· Same educational or financial background — Is preferable; if not, one may acknowledge the Divine in others but expect quickly to return to their comfortable lives and demand no interference.
· Family and friend circle.
· Same intimacy preferences — It has to match; even the law agrees!
· Unfortunate Human vs. non-human (animals) — Depends on the convenience and cuteness of the subject.
· Language, political preferences, geographical area, hunters vs. nonhunters, vegans, nonvegetarians, etc.

So many boundaries and so many restrictions. How can we see the Divine in all? Are we just pretending?

The Good Ones Do Exist

Yes, we all have met many good souls who respect the Divine in others and acknowledge it. Suppose a human being is helping with all the love and dedication. We may notice the Divine in that helping hand and express our obeisance, regardless of their race, religion, the color of their skin, or any other category mentioned above.

If we are in need and someone helps us, we notice and appreciate the efforts and offer our obeisance to the Divine in that person — A soul cleaning our toilet or providing treatment for the bed sores and giving bedpans to our loved ones. Yes, offering our honor and obeisance to the noble one is respectful as a human being but does that make us a spiritual person?
This is the least expected if we are good human beings. Won’t you agree?

The Challenge For a Spiritual Being

Eliminating all the restrictions mentioned above, can you see the Divine and offer your obeisance:

To the person you despise?
The one who makes you uncomfortable and beyond your comfort zone?
The non-human one (spider, ant, any other animal, a tree, river, rock)?
The one you love and the one you don’t?
The one who wronged you, cheated on you, or hurt you?
Beyond the conditions of your social norms, religion, culture, body, mind, and thoughts?
The one who is either physically or mentally/emotionally injured or dysfunctional?
The one who has been proven guilty or wrong.

Congratulations, your heart is big enough to offer your obeisance to all. You are indeed a spiritual one.

The meaningful one:

Offering our obeisance to the beautiful Divine in others, are we mindfully showing compassion, kindness, and gratitude towards all? Are we offering our helping hand to the one in need?

If yes, double congratulations! You are not just a spiritual being but on the path of being awakened.