Some people hold, “We are all Gods, for we are all the same impersonal omnipresent spirit that is commonly known as God.”

This monistic claim is questionable, both logically and scripturally. Logically, if we were Gods, why aren’t we omnipotent? Why are we controlled by time which forces us to grow old, get diseased and die?”

Scripturally, the Bhagavad-gita states clearly that we are parts of God (15.07). And this is not a conditioned vision, but an enlightened vision – Those in knowledge see that all living beings belong to God and are situated in him (04.35). Meaning we are God’s, not that we are Gods. 

These two understandings differ only in an apostrophe, but failing to understand that difference can lead to a catastrophe. How? By depriving us of love and grace. 

Deprived of love: If we are ourselves Gods, then there’s no being outside of us that we can cherish as an object of love. Liberation becomes reduced to spiritual solipsism, wherein we alone exist as undifferentiated consciousness with no one to love or be loved by. Such lonesome liberation is hardly a recipe for bliss. 

Deprived of grace: To get to liberation, we have to struggle lifelong through this temptation-filled world. During that demanding journey, monism leaves us with no higher being to seek help from; our reason is our only weapon. And battling temptation with mere reason unaided by spiritual love and divine grace is a recipe for failure. 

Even if we have some spiritual inclination, our monistic misconception massively misleads us; the missed apostrophe sets us up for a catastrophe. 

How can we overcome monistic misconceptions? By studying the Gita, we can gain proper self-understanding and embrace bhakti-yoga. Practicing this yoga of love, we can access divine grace and progress toward everlasting ecstatic devotional liberation.  

 

Think it over:

  • How is monism questionable, logically and scripturally?
  • How does monism deprive us of love?
  • How does monism deprive us of grace?

 

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04.35 Having obtained real knowledge from a self-realized soul, you will never fall again into such illusion, for by this knowledge you will see that all living beings are but part of the Supreme, or, in other words, that they are Mine.


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