I have travelled to different parts of the world, experiencing diverse cultures, faiths and religions. No matter where I went, I always encountered upon the concept of God – the higher power or divine supreme being. Every culture across the world has its own festivals, rituals, and practices that connect deeply with this higher power. Yet, the core belief remains the same: a strong faith in a power greater than ourselves.
As I visited hundreds of temples across Maharashtra, India and Nepal, I witnessed people praying with unwavering faith in God, hoping to find answers to their problems and seeking divine miracles in their everyday lives.
In moments of doubt, fear or pain, we instinctively turn to God for strength, courage and hope. When faced with the uncertainties of life, we seek reassurance from the divine’s powers. Our search for God begins because, at some point, we feel incomplete within ourselves. So we seek something larger than ourselves who can be our guiding force leading us to the path of peace.
The famous poet Kalidas once wrote:
“I was like the musk deer, running around the forest, searching for the divine scent that was inside me.”
The musk deer’s story resonated deeply with me. Throughout my life I was running after external achievements, relationships, and experiences, unaware that the treasure I was looking for was already inside me. After visiting so many temples and spiritual destinations, I realized one undeniable truth: God is not out there. God is inside me.
In simpler terms, the outside world cannot give you long-lasting happiness, fulfilment, or meaning. You bring these gifts into the world through your connection with the divine inside you. And yes, there are places on Earth where the spiritual energy feels the strongest, allowing you to connect deeply with the higher powers. The ancient temples, pilgrimage sites, holy cities and places like Varanasi or Kedarnath serve as tools to help you access the connection with the Divine inside you. They are powerful spiritual places because they create an environment conducive to introspection. But these places are just tools – not the destination.
The magic you seek resides inside you. It is not confined to any place, person or thing. You are the magic, placed on this planet to experience, create and connect with other beings. So, in other words, Nothing external brings happiness or fulfilment to you.
It is you who brings value to the external world.
Searching for God in the external world – physical places, inside temples, or in religious experiences is very easy. But if God resides inside us, then how do we find him? How do we connect with him?
The answer lies in a single word: Karma
You can discover the God that resides inside you through your own Karma. The only way to truly experience God is through extraordinary work. Once you realize that you are a limitless being and a source of infinite energy, then you can achieve anything that is – possible or impossible.
If you are alive on earth, you have a purpose that is unique to you. And this life is an incredible opportunity to experience and create something that will make a difference in this world. Whether you are a Chartered Accountant, Doctor, Engineer, Artist, Chaiwala, or into any profession, you have a unique talent and a unique purpose on earth. Your inherent talents are divine, your work is your worship and the worship of your work is greater than the worship of God.
Your actions, when performed with extraordinary focus and purpose, become a gateway to self-realization. Through your Karma (or work), you uncover the divine essence inside you. When you pour extraordinary focus into your work, something magical happens. The universe aligns with your purpose, allowing you to achieve extraordinary results. Hence, the only way to experience God inside you is to use your natural talents and do extraordinary work, without having any attachment to the results. Here, I would like to refer famous verse from the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, Verse 47
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन |
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि || 47 ||
karmaṇy-evādhikāras te mā phaleṣhu kadāchana
mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo ’stvakarmaṇi
You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.
This universal truth transcends all faiths: the divine resides within us. Let’s look at how this idea manifests across major religions:
These teachings remind us that God is not confined to temples, scriptures, or rituals. The divine essence is in every living being, waiting to be discovered.
While God resides inside us, the ancient temples offer a pure space to enhance this connection inward. The architecture of ancient temples, traditional rituals, and mantras practised at these places are all aligned together to achieve a single goal. The goal of ancient temples was always to offer a pure space that could raise your positive vibrations and remove the negativity from your mind. The ancient temples are Yantra (ie. tools) where Tantra (ie. traditional rituals) and Mantras (ie. specific sound vibrations) are practised. Together, these three practices harmonize and align the mind (brain), body (heart), and soul (spirit). When these three are aligned and working together in sync it leads to your transformation, spiritual awakening, and great success in the material world.
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