God Essentially a Super Artist
Harpreet Kaur Bains
Man has been obsessed with an idea of determining the real form of God since his acquiring maturity of mind and some spiritual sense. But more he pondered over this complex question, more confused and clueless he became. He, however, did not give up efforts of identifying the invisible power which appears to have created the universe and is running it in a perfectly smooth and systematic manner. From time to time, philosophers and founders of religions made attempts to reveal the true form of the Supreme Power by specifying some of his notable attributes. Some leading religious personalities laid emphasis on his being the Creator of the universe. With the passage of time, some more attributes were added in order to define the divinity. But a few religious persons highlighted an important distinguishing characteristic of the Ruler of the universe: He is an out-and-out artist.
It goes without saying that in his creation a touch of artistic hand is clearly visible. If one looks around carefully and closely at the objects of his making, one would certainly be convinced with his being an infallible, accurate and super artist. Guru Nanak gives a number of attributes of the Supreme Being in the first few lines of his chef-d’oeuvre Japji Sahib, which are considered to be an essence of his thought. A study of this work as a whole leaves no one in doubt that he was fully conscious about the artistry of the Almighty. On many occasions, he describes his creations and marvels at them. For instance, while referring to “paataalaa paataal lakh aagaasaa aagaas” (there are nether worlds beneath nether worlds and hundreds of thousands of heavenly worlds above) he seems to be in the know of the endless creativity of his Master. But a common man cannot hope to have the vast vision and wisdom with which the Guru was blessed. In order to appreciate the art and skill of the Creator of the universe, even a man in the street can spare some time to have a look at some of his enchanting and artistic creations: breath-taking beauties, majestic birds with long beaks and colourful wings, tall animals with lanky legs, towering mountains, bewitching valleys, beautiful beaches with large stretches of sand, variety of flowers growing on the shrubs and trees, roving ripples in the rivulets running down the mountainside, water-laden clouds during the rainy season, panoramic views of the moon and the sun, twinkling stars in the sky, star-lit nights, etc. If the hum drum of present-day life does not permit to do so, one can, at least, observe the constitution of one’s body which is no less than a wonder and certain parts of which remain something of an enigma to the modern medical science, so advanced. A minute observation of the human body has the potential to convert a non-believer into a believer and someone severally critical into so much spiritual.
In this regard, case of Robert Challe, a great French philosopher and writer, is to the point. He was anonymous author of a number of original works and thanks to the discoveries of some dedicated researchers his spiritual itinerary is now very well-known to the lovers of literature. Born in the Roman catholic religion, he became critical of the religion in his youth and turned to “deism” (belief in existence of God) in the evening of his life. As a believer in God, he says that God’s existence can be perceived in human body, animals, plants, skies, earth, etc. He explains that in order to give shape to the universe, it was necessary to foresee all its difficulties understand all its parts and combine all its relations. Challe adds that only a limitless power with extreme wisdom could have taken in hand such a gigantic and tedious task. Giving life to the human beings, animals, plants, etc; making a marvellous arrangement for the functioning of this world; assigning an admirable movement to the moon and the sun are the incredible feats which only God could perform, asserts the French philosopher.
The creation of the universe is thus marked by elegance, beauty, grace and art. Execution of such a stupendous project in a flawless manner clearly shows that God is not only a creator but also an artist par excellence. This artist was, perhaps, at his best while shaping the human body each part of which he must have designed and put at the proper place with utmost care, love and at a lot of leisure.
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