July 15

Wherever People Glorify a Thing, I Am There

Question: The Bible talks about “false gods.” What is a false god?

Sri Gurudev: If God is omnipresent, what could be called a false God? God is present in name, in fame, in money. The Bhagavad Gita says, “Wherever people glorify a thing, I am there.” What would be a false God then? Anything that you don’t see as the expression of God. The falsehood is in your approach. In the way you look at things. If you see everything as the expression of God, it’s all God. That is the difference between real God and false God. God is everywhere, but often we forget that.

What makes it a false God? It’s not somebody else worshipping God in some other form that makes it a false God to you. When you don’t see God in something, it becomes a false God then. It’s still God’s manifestation, but because of superficial things you don’t see it that way. Then it becomes a false God to you. People should see everything as God’s expression; they should worship, adore, love, respect and approach it that way.