When you ask people of different beliefs the question, What is God?, you’ll likely hear a variety of answers. A Christian might describe God as a loving Father, an Islamic person might talk about Allah’s power and mercy, and a Buddhist may speak of God as an ultimate state of enlightenment or presence.
Each tradition offers its own understanding, shaped by its teachings and spiritual practices.
But what about in the Hindu or Yoga tradition? How do these philosophies define God?
In the Yoga tradition, particularly in Hinduism, God is seen as a vast, limitless, and all-encompassing presence.
The nature of God is not confined to any singular form, image, or specific characteristic. Instead, God is often viewed as both immanent (present within everything) and transcendent (beyond everything). God is the formless, infinite source that underlies all of existence, seen and unseen.
In this tradition, the essence of divinity is beautifully captured by the ancient Sanskrit phrase, Aham Brahmasmi, which translates to “I am Brahman.”
This statement reflects the belief that each individual soul (Atman) is fundamentally one with the universe, one with God (Brahman). It’s not about seeking God outside of ourselves, but rather recognizing that the Divine resides within us, that we are a part of the same eternal essence that makes up everything in the universe.
One of the most profound questions we can ask ourselves is: What is God?
It’s a question that transcends age, culture, and time. For thousands of years, seekers, sages, and everyday people alike have pondered this question. It’s a question that doesn’t have a single definitive answer, and perhaps that’s the beauty of it—it invites us to explore, to reflect, and to experience.
To illustrate this, let me share a timeless story from the Upanishads that beautifully addresses this question through the eyes of a child.
One day, a young boy, filled with curiosity, asked his father a question that even the wisest minds wrestle with: “Father, what is God? Where can I find Him?”
The father, wise and patient, didn’t answer right away. Instead, he took his son by the hand and said, “Come with me. Let’s find the answer together.”
He led the boy outside, where they stood in front of their home. “Look at this house,” the father said. “Tell me, my son, what do you see?”
“I see our house,” the boy replied, tilting his head, wondering where this was going.
“Good,” the father said. “Now tell me, before this house was built, what was here?”
The boy thought for a moment. “Nothing?” he asked.
The father smiled. “Not nothing, my son. Before the house was here, there was space. The house was built within that space.”
The boy nodded, starting to grasp the idea.
“Now imagine, someday, this house is no longer here—maybe it’s torn down, maybe it falls. What will remain?”
The boy paused and then answered, “The space will still be there.”
The father knelt down, meeting his son’s eyes. “Exactly. That space was here before the house, and it will remain after the house is gone. The house comes and goes, but the space is constant. It’s infinite and unchanging, always present even when we don’t see it.”
The boy’s face lit up with understanding.
“God is like that space,” the father explained. “He is not confined to a single place or form. He is everywhere and in everything. Just as space holds the house, God holds the entire universe. He is the foundation that allows everything to exist.”
The boy looked up at the sky and then back at the house. “So, God isn’t just in one place?” he asked.
“No, my son,” the father replied. “God isn’t a thing to be seen or touched. He’s not limited by shape or form. God is the presence that surrounds us, the energy that moves through us, and the stillness that holds us. Just like space, He’s always there—before, during, and after everything we experience.”
The boy was silent, but his eyes gleamed with wonder.
The father placed his hand gently on his son’s shoulder. “Remember, my boy, most of us spend our lives focusing on the ‘house’—the things we can see, touch, and own. But we forget about the space that holds it all together. God is that space. To know God is to recognize the infinite, unchanging presence within and around us. You don’t have to search far. Just look within.”
The Wisdom of the Story
This story is a beautiful reminder that God is not something “out there” to be found. God is the space within which everything exists—the source that supports, surrounds, and permeates all of life. When we stop searching for God in external forms and instead turn inward to experience the vastness of the space within, we begin to understand the essence of divinity.
In yoga, we often seek this same connection—not through intellectual debate but through direct experience. The poses, the breathwork, the meditation—they are all ways of clearing the clutter in our minds so we can feel the presence of that space, that stillness, that God within us.
When we ask, What is God? this story invites us to reframe the question. Instead of asking “Where is God?” or “What does God look like?” we can ask, What is the space within me that never changes, even when everything around me does?
Just like the space that holds the house, God is the constant that remains when everything else falls away. And when we embody this truth—on the mat, in our practice, and in life—we begin to see God everywhere, in everything, and in everyone.
So, the next time you ask yourself, What is God? remember this story.
Let it guide you, not to seek God as something separate from you, but to feel the boundless presence within and around you. God is the space in which all things exist—the ultimate foundation of life itself.
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