If God exists why doesn't he want to be seen?

Question

It is a question which has bothered me for a while. If we know that God exists why doesn't he want to be seen? Why is it that no human being has a true description of the God?

Answer 1

The Lord is all around you, but you cannot see God because you have since the instance of your birth been bombarded by your senses to perceive the world. Your senses have been bombarding you to see the outer world and not God. Your mind has been hypnotized into seeing this world alone, what is needed is to be de-hypnotized. This hypnotization is called Adhyasa, or superimposition. We see Reality, but it is distorted through maya. In many scriptural instances it is compared to silver in mother-of-pearl. The shell is real, but the silver on the shell is not real.

Sankara says that it is not through learning, or scriptural study, that the Lord is seen, but only through an intense hankering. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa told the story (Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna) of the man who asked his guru what was necessary to see God. The guru took him to a river and had him stand in it next to him. The guru then suddenly pushed the man's head under water. After a while, he let him above the water. The guru said "What did you feel?" The man replied "The intense desire for a breath of air completely consumed me." and the guru responded "When you have the same longing for God as you had for a breath of air, you will see God."

The Mundaka Upanishad (III. ii. 3.) says:

This Self is not attained through study, nor through intellect, nor through much hearing. By the very fact that he (the aspirant) seeks for It [vrnute tena - seeks to reach by that fact of hankering], does It become attainable; of him this Self reveals Its own nature.

Swami Shivananda (disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa) says (For Seekers of God):

Spiritual efforts without sincere love of God are fruitless. Sincere love is what counts. The Master [Ramakrishna] used to say that when the three attachments--that of a devoted wife to her husband, of a mother for her child, and of a miser for his wealth--become one, then one realizes God. If anyone feels the same intense longing as would result if these three attachments were united, only then does he have God-vision. Sincere love brings God-realization and in that alone is genuine peace and joy.

Why is there no human description of God? Because God is beyond description. There are no words to describe God. Krishna says (Gita XI. 12.):

If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst forth at once in the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One.

Have sincere love for God, hanker after God alone, then say whether or not you can see Him.

Answer 2

God's description, his deeds as well as his very own lessons to humanity (Bhagavad gita) exist in form of books. If one desires to know about him its only as far as few months of reading some books. Of-course such delicate and subtle topic cant be completely understood just by reading books. There are people who already have a thorough understanding in this field, they would gladly help if anyone seeks for the knowledge.

It is not really appropriate to say that god doesn't wants to be seen where there is so much information lying about him. As a matter of fact in out cut through competitive world we hardly get any time to spare for God, that is perhaps the reason why we know so little about him. Its us not willing to go to great lengths to know about god, rather than him not wanting us to know about him.

This is the basis of kali yuga actually, humans grow insensitive towards subtler spiritual knowledge and try to seek mundane material knowledge and pleasures. In the past yugas there were lot of gurus who would teach about god and philosophy, singers sang songs of god, children were told stories of god. While now thats not the case, we prefer a lot of other things over the knowledge of god. That is the reason out modern society is so ignorant about god.

Answer 3

Bhagavad Gita 7.25

नाहं प्रकाशः सर्वस्य योगमायासमावृतः ।

मूढोऽयं नाभिजानाति लोको मामजमव्ययम् ॥

Meaning:

I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My internal potency, and therefore they do not know that I am unborn and infallible.

Explaination:

According to Shankara, this verse states about the reason why qualified Brahman cannot be realised. Being covered by Yoga-Maya, Lord only manifests some devotees only. As a result they don't know that Lord is unborn and infallible.

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Prabhupada says when krishna lived, only a few people understood that Krishna is supreme and others had no idea that Krishna is supreme. He was not revealed to the non-devotees and the common man.

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Answer 4

That is because God is formless and cosmic consciousness There is just 1 God represented by sound OM and he is OMnipresent, OMnipotent and OMniscient. Singular, Formless,All pervading and Father of all

Ekam Brahman, Dvitya Nasti Only one Brahman/Father/Cosmic consciousness and nothing else.[Brahm Sutras]

1. "Ekam evadvitiyam" "He is One only without a second." [Chandogya Upanishad 6:2:1]
2. "Na casya kascij janita na cadhipah." "Of Him there are neither parents nor lord." [Svetasvatara Upanishad 6:9]2
3. "Na tasya pratima asti*" "There is no image of Him." [Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19]3**
4. Na samdrse tisthati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati kas canainam*." "His form cant be seen; no one can see Him with the body’s eyes." [Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:20]4

6 "shudhama poapvidham" "He is bodyless and pure." [Yajurveda 40:8]

Yama's explanation to Nachiketa is a succinct explication of Hindu metaphysics, and focuses on the following points from

2. The sound Om! is the syllabus of the supreme Brahman
3. The Atma(Cosmic Conciousness), whose symbol is Om is the same as the omnipresent Brahman. Smaller than the smallest and larger than the largest, the Soul is formless and all-pervading and cant be seen with human eyes.

Answer 5

Becaues whoever sees God gets liberated and if all get liberated, God's play in form of the world will end which God being a playful One does not want-- thus spake Sri Ramakrishna in His gospel.