What is God like?

 

**What is God like? Where does He reside? What is His color? Can anyone describe His form or appearance?**

— *Priyanshu Seth*

Unless we gain knowledge of these matters, how can we recognize our Beloved? How shall we understand in whose presence we stand, or whose vision we have attained?

Once Yājñavalkya said to Gārgī:

> “Those who know Brahman call Him *akṣara*—the Imperishable, the Unchanging. He is neither thick nor thin, neither short nor tall. He is not red like fire. He is without attachment, without shadow, without darkness. He is neither air nor space. He is without relation, without taste, without smell. He has no eyes, no ears, no speech, no mouth, no measure.”

> — *Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.7.7*

“He is great, divine, and of inconceivable form. He appears subtler than the subtlest. He is farther than the farthest, yet right here, near us. To those who can see, He is hidden right here in the cave of the heart.”

— *Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.7.7 (expanded sense)*

And the same Upaniṣad further states (2.2.1):

> “He is manifest everywhere, close to all. He is known as the indweller of the heart-cave. He is the great support in whom all this is strung—He who moves, breathes, and blinks. All the gross and subtle forms you know are woven into Him. He alone is worthy of worship, supreme, and beyond the comprehension of beings.”

**The Vedas describe Him in this manner:**

1. *“This entire universe—past, present, and future—is only a portion of His glory. All beings in the three times constitute but one quarter of Him. The remaining three quarters, immortal and imperishable, exist in His own luminous realm.”*

> — Ṛgveda 10.90.3; Yajurveda 31.3

Meaning: He has no limit. This world—all worlds, all planets, all stars—constitutes just one part of Him; three more parts still remain beyond.

2. *“The wise describe that One Being in many ways—calling Him Indra, Mitra, Varuṇa, Agni. He is the radiant, beautiful Lord. The same effulgent One is called Yama and Mātariśvan.”*

> — Ṛgveda 1.164.46

3. *“He alone is Agni, He is Āditya, He is Vāyu, He is the Moon, He is Śukra, He is Brahman, He is the Waters, He is Prajāpati.”*

> — Yajurveda 32.1

4. *“He who made the trembling earth firm, calmed the blazing mountains, expanded the mid-space, and upheld the heavens—that mighty One is the Lord.”*

> — Ṛgveda 2.12.2

5.“Some ask, ‘Where is He?’ Others even say, ‘He does not exist.’ Yet He alone is the One who crushes the pride and power of the wicked like a strong wrestler bends his opponent. Have faith in Him—He is the mighty Lord.”*

> — Ṛgveda 2.12.5

6.*“He strengthens the weak, hears the cry of the distressed devotee, and protects those who live a life of sacrifice. Truly, He is the beautiful, graceful Lord.”*

> — Ṛgveda 2.12.6

7.*“The earth is His footstool, the mid-space His abdomen, and the heaven His head. Salutations to that Supreme Brahman!”*

> — Atharvaveda 10.7.32

8.*“The sun and the ever-renewing moon are His eyes, and fire is His mouth. Salutations to that Supreme Brahman!”*

> — Atharvaveda 10.7.33

9.*“That Prajāpati dwells within all. Though unseen, He manifests in countless forms. This entire universe arises from just one portion of His power; what is left is beyond description.”*

> — Atharvaveda 10.8.13

10.*“The sun rises from Him and sets in Him. Truly, He is the greatest; none can equal Him.”*

> — Atharvaveda 10.8.16

---

**Where does such a God dwell?**

There is no place where He is not. And yet, His vision is attained only within the heart.

The Upaniṣad gives His complete address:

> *“With faces, heads, and necks everywhere, the Lord resides in the heart of every creature. He is all-pervading. Therefore, that auspicious God is present everywhere.”*

> — Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3.11

> *“The inner Self, the size of a thumb, is eternally situated in the hearts of men. Realized through a pure mind and a serene heart, those who know this Supreme Person attain immortality.”*

> — Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3.13

> *“The Lord, subtler than the subtlest and greater than the greatest, is hidden in the cave of the heart. By His grace, the sorrowless sage sees Him and His glory.”*

> — Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3.20

> *“Know That which eternally resides within the Self. Beyond this, nothing else remains to be known.”*

> — Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 1.12

Śaṅkara Bhagavān, quoting from the *Śiva-dharmottara*, says:

> *“Yogis see Śiva within their own soul, not in images.”*

---

In this way, through simple examples and scriptural evidence, the answers to these questions have been explained.