Let us reflect on why God — who is everything, the source and sustainer of all creation — chooses to keep this earth functioning for millions of years. Why does He continue to ensure the smooth running of the cosmos, even after granting free will to billions of beings? In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna offers a profound explanation: “There is neither any duty for Me in the three worlds, nor anything to gain or achieve.
Yet, I am constantly engaged in action” (3.22). He adds, “If I were ever to cease acting, humanity would follow My example, and all these worlds would fall into ruin” (3.23–24). Why does God act if He has nothing to gain? Because He includes us within Himself — we are His parts and parcels (15.7). Though He is complete, creation is an expression of His divine will, a playground for the soul’s journey. Most of us, however, are not eager to merge with the Divine; we wish to experience life through our senses, independent of God.
To facilitate this desire, He created the earth — a space where we can exercise free will and experience the illusion of independence. To make this illusion complete, God gave us ahankar — the ego — the feeling that “I am the doer.” Were we to see the results of our actions clearly, we might restrain ourselves; hence, God made the material world “upside down” (13.1–13.3). What appears pleasurable often leads to pain, while what seems difficult — like discipline and austerity — brings real growth. This inversion sustains our journey through learning and experience. God has also given us all that is needed for existence — air to breathe, water to drink, sunlight for energy, and fertile soil for food. Along with these essentials, He has created sensory pleasures for our eyes, ears, tongue, skin, and nose. Yet, this freedom operates within a divine system of justice. Governed by the Karmaphala principle — “as you sow, so shall you reap” — this cosmic law ensures balance.
The Divine Authorities, working under God’s supervision (9.10), administer justice impartially, guided not by emotion but by dharma, the eternal moral order. God does not interfere, allowing this law to guide the moral evolution of all beings. What, then, of those who recognise the futility of material indulgence and turn towards God for guidance? Lord Krishna speaks of four kinds of devotees: “the distressed, the inquisitive, the seeker of wealth, and the wise” (7.16). He calls all of them noble (7.18), acknowledging that few truly seek Him. To those who come sincerely, God responds — always within dharma. For the wise, divine assistance appears through intuition, a true guru, or subtle communication in brahmavela — the still hour before dawn. Sometimes God manifests in a murti or image to offer companionship and grace.
Just as Krishna expressed emotion for Arjuna, God too responds with infinite love, guiding us towards liberation. In the end, each of us must choose — to remain trapped in desire or to seek refuge in the Divine. I have chosen the latter. His mercy (kripa) refines me gently, day by day. The love of God surpasses even a mother’s love — limitless in patience and grace. That is His true purpose: to draw every soul back into His shelter, guiding us tenderly towards freedom.
The writer is a spiritual teacher
