God wants us to follow dharma because dharma is the basis of creation
What are these? I will mention a few. God wants us to follow dharma because dharma is the basis of creation. It is founded on sound principles of fairness, justice, etc., out of which the ‘karmaphala principle’ occupies a premier position, and that is so simple: “What you sow you reap.†Throughout our lives, we are doing karmas with our bodies, minds and words. These generate karmaphalas of two kinds: good and bad. They come to fruition in the future. If we act according to dharma with others, we will create trust and goodwill. These are great assets to be able to live a quality life. Similarly, God expects us to do our duties, which pleases Him enormously, because that is only right given to us. Results are in divine hands. When we are dutiful, we please people around us; our families, persons related to our profession, etc.; all are pleased, and we benefit.
God expects us to love Him, and He does likewise, which brings us many rewards. If we follow the same practice i.e. of loving others, we are loved in return. Don’t we usually evoke a similar response in our dealings with others? Similarly, God expects us to serve Him by preaching supreme knowledge amongst His devotees. God expects us to seek His guidance because He is omniscient. Only God can give perfect guidance
God encourages us to seek His help because we small souls are capable of doing small acts only, unless our past karmas from previous lives are coming to fruition. For example, someone becomes very rich in a short period. Whatever that person may think, he is benefiting from his pious deeds of earlier lives. I follow this instruction to seek help from God whenever I am stuck and from others, who can help. Likewise, God encourages us to take His shelter. Not only should we do that but also benefit by approaching someone who can help us by having a similar mood of surrender. This practice has helped me tremendously in my dealings with others.
God encourages the mode of goodness, which essentially means that we should be good overall. We should behave well towards others, eat what is good for us, speak what is useful to others, etc. Don’t we know that being good pays rich dividends? It is a known fact that people help good people rather than bad ones. Similarly, God encourages humility towards Him. When we do that towards God and practice the same in our relationships with others, we benefit immensely. What about being kind? God is a perfect example of this. He never condemns anyone; He punishes, yes, but never condemns. (The Bhagavad-Geeta 9.30-31) Similarly, when we are kind towards others, we reap rich dividends. In the same context, God forgives if someone is truly repentant.
There are plenty of other qualities we can learn from our beloved God. Purity is another. God is purity personified. We can be at least reasonably pure. Purity is such a valued quality that Lord Krishna specifically mentioned that yogis perform acts by body, mind, intelligence and by sense also for self-purification only. (5.11) God wants us to give up ahankara and take His shelter; we will benefit in every facet of our lives. Because this ego pulls us down again and again in our lives. God is so generous that He has allowed us free will, but we mistake it for being independent, which no one can ever be. Why? Because we are always bound by our karmaphalas. When we have good feelings about God (18.65), we become dear to Him.
(The writer is a spiritual teacher)
