The Omnipresent
The Lord is the Creator of the entire universe. He does not have to depend on anyone for this purpose. He has created everything by His own Will. Thus have Innumerable universes come into being.
With one Word of His, this vast creation blossomed into being; and a thousand streams (of Life) sprang into existence; […]
Jap Ji – Stanza 16,
edited by Kirpal Singh, 1894 – 1974
He projected everything by His own Will and He Himself pervades the entire creation. He is manifest in all things.
You created the universe through Your Will, and creating it You pervade it. You work through all, and thus manifest Your Immanence.
Maru M5, 1095-6
He is the doer, responsible both for the creation of the universe and the process of creating it. He is Himself the creation. There is nothing else beside Him. He is both the cause and the effect.
Without the Lord there is naught else. He is both the Creator and the Cause.
Gauri M5, 189-8
All this creation is the unfolding of the One only. There is no one except Him. He is Himself the warp and the woof.
Oh Master of all life, You motivate all. Nanak sees You pervading everything where can he see another.
Gauri M5, 292-17
All is the Lord, without Him is there naught. as upon one thread are strung hundreds of pearls, so is the Lord woven into the warp of the world.
Namdev, Asa 485-3
Where is the Lord? After creating the world, He is not apart from it. He is the Supreme Being. He dwells in the creation and pervades it. He is Immortal and Omnipresent. There is no need to seek Him in wildernesses. The need is to awaken the inner eye that can see Him.
Why do you wander, oh brother? He is omnipresent and is pervading everywhere.
Dev M5, Gandhari 535-6
Without actual personal experience it is difficult to understand this fact. We can, of course, make out something by using some illustrations. He is for example, pervading and resounding everywhere like the waves of a powerful radio station. Those whose minds have become subtle and who have attuned themselves to Him, hear Him and see His glory. As fire exists in wood and butter in milk, so does the Lord pervade everywhere.
As fire is locked in the wood, and butter in milk. So does the Lord pervade all creatures and His light illumines high and low.
Sorath M5, 617-3
Butter is in milk but we cannot see it. We even doubt this fact and argue that puris (unleavened cake) can be fried in butter but not in milk and halwa (pudding) can be prepared from butter and not from milk. But if someone prepares in our presence curd from milk and then churns it and takes out butter, we are convinced that milk, in fact, contains butter. Similarly, the Lord pervades everything, high or low and Saints through spiritual practices actually show Him to us.
The Lord's Naam is pearls, rubies and diamonds. The Master shows us that it is such a great treasure.
Ramkali M4, 880-16
He is all-pervading, as is the ether. Just as there is ether both inside and outside a pitcher and the ether is not affected by the breaking of the pitcher, similarly the Lord pervades everywhere and is not affected by Dissolution.
In thousands of pitchers is confined the same ether. The ether is not affected when a pitcher breaks.
Suhi M5, 736-12
We can understand the omnipresence and all-pervading quality of the Lord to some extent by using the example of the sun. When the sun rises, its rays radiate in all directions and light the entire world, but the bats cannot see it. Similarly, the Lord pervades every particle and every heart, but owing to our outward or centrifugal tendencies we cannot see Him.
As the rays of the sun light every corner, so does God permeate every being.
He pervades all the heavens and helps both the nether-lands and upper realms.
The One Lord pervades everywhere, He is in heavens, hells, nether-worlds and upper realms.
Gauri M5, 207-6
The Lord permeates all the fourteen regions and the four corners. He fills all the worlds, He dwells in all the ten directions. His glory is manifest on the earth and the skies. Sea, land, forests, mountains and nether-lands are all His dwelling places. The Lord dwells not only in the gross regions, but in the subtle ones also.
He is in the fourteen worlds and the four corners; His perfect glory shines in all lands. He fills all the ten directions; He is seen on the earth as well as in the skies. The Merciful Lord dwells everywhere, in the sea, land, the mountains and the underworlds. He is in the gross as well as in the subtle. Oh Nanak, a true devotee sees Him everywhere.
Gauri M5, 299-16
The tenth Guru in the line of Guru Nanak says that His light pervades both the earth and the skies. He is always the same. He does not increase or decrease. He suffers no rise or fall. He does not have the changeable nature of human beings. He is eternal. He dwells in all, and all exist in Him. His effulgence cannot be measured. It is also mentioned in the Bible that we all live, move, walk and exist in Him.
There is one light that shines in the universe, which undergoes no increase or decrease, nor has any ebb or flow, which has no rise or fall, Which remains the same for ever. Such an effulgence illumines the dweller and the dwelling.
Akal Ustat
He is the True Lord. He is Supreme. In forests, seas, lands, nay in everything, is reflected the glory of the Compassionate One. His radiance fills the entire world. Heaven and earth remember His Name.
The merciful One pervades all, forests, mountains, seas and lands. He shines in His glory. His Name resounds everywhere.
Akal Ustat
The tenth Guru in the line of Guru Nanak has sung the praises of the all-pervading Lord in a brilliant way:
God is in the water, God is on the land. God is in the heart, God is in the forest. God is in the mountain, God is in the cave, God is on the earth, God is in the heavens. God is here, God is there. God is in space, God is in time. God is invisible, God is without creed. God is without sin, God is without enmity. God is deathless, God is shelterless.1 God is impenetrable, God is indissoluble. God is not moved by charms or spells; God has His own light, He cannot be moved by incantations.
God is without caste, God is without lineage. God is without friends, God has no mother. God feels no physical or mental suffering. God is without doubt, God is without Karmas. God is invincible, God is fearless. God is unbreakable, God is indissoluble. God cannot be punished, God is radiant. God is transcendent, God is inscrutable. God is unconquerable, God is imperishable. Repeat God's Name; establish God's Name in your heart; do penance to God and repeat His Name.
Oh God, You are in the water, You are on the land. You are in the river, You are in the sea. You are in the tree, You are in its leaves. You are in the earth, You are in the firmament. Your Name is repeated again and again. Your Name is fixed in man's heart. You are space, You are time. You are the occupant, You are the dwelling. You are unborn, You are fearless. You are impalpable, You are indestructible. You are continence, You are fast. You are deliverer, You are adviser. You alone are, You alone are.
Tav Prasad-Laghu, Naraj Chhand
It is also stated in the Psalms that there is no place without Him.
Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? Whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there, if I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me and Thy right hand shall hold me.
Psalms 139-7 to 10
Guru Arjan says that the Lord is always with us. Where can we run away from Him? We can get release only when He forgives us and then alone can we gain salvation.
Oh my mind, the Lord is always with you. Oh! How can you escape His presence? The Lord Himself forgives. He Himself redeems all.
Gauri M5, 170-4
No place is without Him. He is with us both within and without. He is the beginning, the middle and the end.
The all-pervading Lord is everywhere. Without Him there is naught. He is with us, both inside and outside. Oh Nanak, why say that He is far away?
Gauri M5, 259-17
On seeing Him one gets peace. There is no one as great as He. He is the beginning, the middle and the end. He pervades the land, the sea and the outer space.
Suhi M5, 784-15
He is not far from us. He abides in the inner recesses of our heart. He is not separate from us. Wherever one looks, one feels His presence.
Do not consider the True One to be afar off; He is within us. Wherever I look I find Him. How can I evaluate Him?
Asa M1, 421-6
It is said in the Yajur Ved:
He is omnipresent. He is the warp and the woof of the entire universe.
Yajur Ved, 32-8
That One working through Maya assumes wonderful forms. From One He becomes many and unfolds the universe. He pervades the seas and the lands.
The Lord and Creator pervades all, earth, sea and outer space. Oh Nanak, He is Ekankar – the One, that One is manifest in all.
Gauri M5, 296-11
It is said in the Atharva Ved:
The Light is one, but it shines in diverse ways.
Atharva Ved, 13-3-17
It is also mentioned in the Yajur Ved:
The Lord is omnipresent. He is present inside all.
Yajur Fed, 23-4
He is manifest in many forms. He pervades all, whether formless or with form; whether with qualities or without qualities; and whether manifest or unmanifest. All originate from Him and are His different forms.
He is the Absolute as well as the relative One. He has bewitched all by His power.
Gauri M5, 287-17
He is the relative One. He is the Absolute and Formless, He is the void and the trance. Oh Nanak, He creates all. He meditates on Himself.
Gauri M5, 290-16
All the creation can be divided into four categories:
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The Egg-Born – Andaj
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The Womb-Born, from a foetus – Jeraj
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The Moisture-Born, or sweat-born – Setaj
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The Seed-Born, or earth-born – Utbhuj2
He pervades all these beings as well as the sea and land. Wherever you look, He is to be found there.
He created the egg-born and the foetus-born. He created also the sweat-born and the earth-born. I see His glory in all. He pervades all.
Sorath M1, 596-16
You pervade all beings, be they in sea, land or outer space. Oh Nanak! the Master sends His Grace, and one gets the bliss of the Lord.
Bhairon M1, 1127-17
Oh Lord! You are the omnipresent Light in the universe.
Yajur Ved 5-35
This universe is the dwelling place of the Lord.
Yajur Ved 40-1
He pervades all and is yet detached. He is free from all bondage.
The Master has removed all doubts. Oh Nanak, sing the praises of the Lord. He is the fountainhead of all virtues. He is omnipresent but detached. He pervades all.
Sorath M5, 617-5
Those deluded by attachment and Maya think Him to be far away, but He is ever-present. He is with us, both inside and outside. He is so near us that there is nothing nearer than Him. He pervades every heart.
Be not deluded by attachments. Do not consider Him to be afar. Oh Nanak! why say He is far away?
Gauri M5, 210-12
The all-pervading Lord is everywhere.Without Him there is naught. He is with us, both inside and outside. Oh Nanak! why say that He is far away?
Gauri M5, 259-17
He fills the sea, the land and outer space. He pervades all hearts.
Suhi M5, 778-13
Glory to the Immaculate One.He is both within and without. He abides in all hearts. He pervades all as Truth.
Bhairon M1, 1127-1
He pervades all beings and regions. He pervades in all directions; both above and below, and He is in every particle of everything.
Just as oil is in the sesame, butter in curd, water in cascade and fire in wood, similarly does the Lord pervade everybody but can be perceived by the soul only by the practice of truth and austerities.
Swetashvatar Upanishad, 1-15
He Himself is present in the devotee (bhakt) and in the Lord (Bhagwan), in the disciple and in the Guru, in the servant and in the master, in the king and in the subjects. He sustains them all. All the forces of nature emanate from Him and are sustained by Him.
He is the devotee, He is the Master; He pervades both of them. Oh Nanak! He pervades all, He is seen everywhere.
Gujri M5, 498-9
The Lord is One, but He manifests in different forms. He pervades every heart. Oh Ravi Das, He is near. He can be realised if He wills it.
Ravi Das, Sorath, 658-2
He pervades all and is ever with us. But because we are always engrossed in objects of the world, we cannot see Him. The sun is not to be blamed, if the bats cannot see it. The sun is shining equally for all. The Lord is all-pervading. Then why do we not see Him? The reason for this is that the eyes that can see Him are as yet unawakened. Those eyes which can see Him everywhere are different from the physical eyes.
Oh Nanak! those eyes that can see Him are different.
Maru Var M5, 1100-1
We can see subtle things only when we ourselves become subtle. The Lord is extremely subtle. Unless we become as subtle as He is, we do not get connected with the Lord. It is a basic principle that the instrument with which we see must be appropriate to the thing to be seen. Our eyes cannot see light that is extremely bright or extremely dim. Similarly, we cannot hear a sound which is either above or below the range of our hearing. Therefore, we have to use various scientific instruments with the help of which we can hear them. Thus, with the help of the instruments we magnify these subtle sounds so that we can hear them. We can see far-off things through a telescope and minute things through a microscope. But this applies only to gross things. To see astral things however it is necessary that our inner eyes become subtle. The Lord is the subtlest of the subtle. To realise Him we have to be equally subtle.
He who reaches His height, He alone may glimpse Him.
Jap Ji – Stanza 24,
edited by Kirpal Singh, 1894 – 1974
The Lord pervades everywhere both inside and outside, but so long as we do not become subtle within and one-pointed and our inner eye does not also become equally subtle, we can never see Him. This subtlety can only be gained by inner exercises or by what is described as 'going within' by the Saints as They alone can teach us the correct technique. Some say that the Lord resides in the South, others say that His Abode is in the West; but actually He is everywhere and we should search for Him within ourselves.
Hindus see the Lord in the South; the Muslims see Him in the West. Search for Him in your heart; Your heart is His Abode.
Kabir, Prabhati, 1349-12
All the universe is His form. The disciple, by carrying out spiritual practises as enjoined by the Master, realizes Him in himself.
The world you see is His manifestation. It is the Lord Himself that you see.
Ramkali M3, 922-4
He pervades everything in the form of the Guru – Shabd (Word).
The Lord pervades all beings, He is the inner-knower of all hearts. He who contemplates on Him, through the Guru's Word, sees the Lord pervade all beings.
Suhi M4, 775-9
How can one know Him, the One Being who pervades all? The Adi Granth says that only he on whom He showers His Grace to make Himself known alone becomes fit to see Him. It is through the Master that the inner eyes that can see the bewitching Lord everywhere are developed and all doubts are banished.
The Master has shown the Lord. The Lord is captivating. He is present everywhere. He is present in all hearts.
Asa M5, 407-2
The Lord is in every heart, when one meets a Master, He manifests Himself.
Basant M4, 1177-16
The Master has removed all doubts. Oh Nanak, sing the praises of the Lord. He is the fountain-head of all virtues. He is omnipresent but detached. He pervades all.
Sorath M4, 617-5
All are illumined by His Light. All shine because of His refulgence. One begins to see the Light by following the directions of the Master.
All are illumined by His Light. All shine because of His refulgence, the Guru's teachings show the Light. Whatever pleases Him is true worship.
Dhanasri M1, 663-9
This state, however, is attained only by a few devotees namely those who are very dear to the Master.
Gross and subtle, both are God. Oh Nanak! only a devotee knows the Lord.
Gauri M5, 299-18
What is true knowledge? It is to see the imperishable One pervading all.
In the Bhagwat Gita, Lord Krishna says:
That knowledge with which one sees the One indestructible Reality in all beings, the unseparated in the separate, know thou that knowledge as Satvik (pure).
Bhagwat Gita 18:20
The Saints, on seeing Him pervading everywhere are overjoyed. The One Lord pervades all. Nanak sees Him and is overjoyed.
Kanara M5, 1299-16
On seeing Him pervading all, no one is our foe, nor are we the foe of anyone. This knowledge, however, can be had only from the Guru. We make friends with all and all become our friends. Hatred is then banished from the heart. In this way, we unite with the Lord.
No one is my foe and I am no one's enemy.The Lord pervades inside;
The Master made me realize this. All are our friends and we are friends to them. The feeling of separateness has vanished, and I am united with my King.
Dhanasari M5, 671-7
Guru Arjan says that when one thinks ill of another he is surrounded by evil. But when one gives up the feeling of mine and thine, no enemy remains. When we begin to differentiate, we suffer but when we know the One Lord who pervades all, we know the Reality of all things.
When one looks on another as evil, he is encircled by evil on all sides. When he gives up mine and thine, he has no foe left.
Gauri M5, 235-12
When he considers himself separate from others; he suffers, woe, misery and privations. But if he considers all to be One, he becomes all-wise.
Gauri M5, 235-16
We should not have feelings of enmity for anyone. We should not upbraid anyone because the Lord pervades all hearts, the sea and the land.
Have feelings of enmity for no one; for the Lord pervades all hearts. That one is present in both the sea and the land. He who sings the praises of the Master is however very rare.
Gauri M5, 259-18
Who is bad, who is good? The Lord is in all. This is the Truth, that the Master reveals.
Asa M1, 353-10
He who has found the Lord in every heart has fulfilled his life's mission. His coming to this world is blessed; He knows the Lord is in all hearts.
Gauri M5, 198-1
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Footnote:
1) He is everywhere and therefore cannot be found (exclusively) in a particular home or house.
2) Egg-born: Andaj – those born from eggs, like birds, snakes, fish, etc.
Seed-born: Utbhuj – those that sprout from seeds, like trees, shrubs and vegetables.
Moisture-born: Setaj – those that grow out of sweat, filth, etc., like lice and worms, etc.
Womb-born: Jeraj – those born from the foetus, like men and animals.
Man biologically belongs to the mammals; the difference between him and the other Jeraj – the Spiritual Dimension – is due to the presence of the fifth element, akash – usually translated as 'aether' – which is non-physical.