How do we relate to God?

All of us, in our own way, believe in God. 🙏

One of the beautiful things about Hinduism is that we are free to experience the Divine in the form that speaks to our heart. God may be for us the One Supreme Being, an all-pervading energy, or a form we can love, relate to, and even make our friend.

For some, it may be Krishna; for others, Shiva, Devi, Ram, or simply a formless presence.

So I would love to ask you all: How does God feel to you? And if you were to give God a form or personality that you could relate to, what would He or She be like? ❤️🙏

I have received several beautiful responses to my question: “How does God feel to you? And if you were to give God a form or personality that you could relate to, what would He or She be like?” ❤️
It is such a deep and personal question that I have decided to share and respond to one answer each day. I hope, as we read each other’s responses, we discover how differently—and yet how similarly—we each experience the Divine.

Mala says:
“Good morning. Very interesting and deep question.
To me, God is a figure—Sai Baba, Hanumanji, my Lord Krishna—and He is also an invisible force.
I talk to Him all the time. I share my innermost thoughts, my pain and my concerns with Him, with absolutely no filters. I have no fear with Him.
Sometimes I receive guidance, or I hear something that I feel is His answer. Sometimes I even feel a hand on my right shoulder, and I believe that it is the Lord.”
I , Shakun say to Mala:
Mala, what touched me most in your answer is “I have absolutely no filters and I have no fear with Him.” 🙏
Perhaps that is what it means to truly make God your friend—not merely to pray to Him, but to be able to tell Him everything, just as you would tell someone you completely trust.
And I love that your God can be Krishna, Sai Baba, Hanumanji, and also an invisible force. It beautifully illustrates the freedom we have to experience the Divine in whatever form our heart connects with.🙏😊❤️

As I said earlier I shall take one reply of readers every day , so we may absorb how different people connect with the Lord , so anonymous says:
There are times shakun when i have been mean to someone..I justify to myself , you said this to me , it was not ok …..
Without me trying ( & I promise you this ) , its like someone is calmly talking to me .
” was there need to say this ? “.
Where did it come from?
And I have found myself going & apologising .
This is a true friend guiding me not just siding with me .
I , Shakun reply:
I think you have described something very profound about having God as a friend. A true friend doesn’t always agree with us or take our side. Sometimes, a true friend has the courage to gently ask, “Was there really a need to say that?”

And the fact that you listen, reflect, and then go back and apologise makes it even more beautiful. Perhaps that quiet voice is not only guiding you towards being kinder to others, but also helping you become more honest with yourself.

A friend who always agrees with us may comfort our ego; a true friend helps us grow. ❤️

Nisha says: To me anything that radiates love & light & is pure energy is God ..But i believe. in all Gods like Shiva Parvati Ganesh Krishna Hanuman Sai Baba Guru Nanak Maa Durga Lakshmi maa Ram Mother Mary Jesus 🙏 for me thinking good thoughts doing the right actions speaking intentionally without hurting the other & being disciplined meditation chanting Gods names are all signs of seeing God in my life 🙏

I , Shakun particularly love what you say about seeing God through our thoughts, words and actions.
Maybe that is the most beautiful way of experiencing the Divine—not only in temples or during prayer, but in the way we think, speak, behave and treat another human being… when love, kindness and purity begin to show up in our everyday lives, we are not just thinking of God—we are experiencing Him.

Shanti says : …sometimes I think of God as formless,sometimes Light,sometimes every form of God that I believe in,Jesus,Mary Krishna,Shiva… definitely my best friend.on days that my ego takes a bashing from close ones n I am.a bit out of balance, within a few minutes I will get a thought to open messages n such comforting,n elevating thoughts are sent that right away I am in gratitude n start blessg the person/s n sending love.
In other words
He makes His presence Always felt in my mind,heart n life!

I , Shakun say:
love the way you describe God as your best friend—sometimes formless, sometimes Light, and sometimes taking the form of Jesus, Mary, Krishna or Shiva. Perhaps the form changes, but the love and presence remain the same.

And what touched me most is how you experience His presence when your ego is hurt or you feel out of balance. Somehow, the right thought or message appears at just the right moment and lifts you back into gratitude, love and blessings. ❤️

I , Shakun say:
I love the beautiful idea that God becomes a living presence for her, especially in moments when she needs Him most
Maybe that is what a true friendship with the Divine is—He doesn’t necessarily remove the difficult moments, but He gently reminds us that we are not alone in them. And when we move from hurt to gratitude and from pain to sending love, perhaps we become an instrument of His love too. 🙏❤️

My Approach to God — on Janmashtami

I don’t approach God as someone sitting somewhere above me, waiting to reward or punish me.
In fact, I question the very idea of a separate God.

I am drawn instead to Brahman—the formless reality, the consciousness underlying everything. Yet I don’t want spirituality to remain merely an intellectual exercise. I want something my heart can relate to.

And that is where Krishna enters my life.

I don’t need to prove that Krishna is literally standing somewhere. I can love Krishna as the form in which the formless becomes lovable, approachable and intimate.

I can talk to Him.

I can laugh at Him.

I can even get irritated with Him when He hides my pendant under the washing machine! 😅

And then I can take Him out of the cupboard and pin Him close to my heart.

I can still sit quietly and wonder about Brahman. To me, there is no contradiction.

Perhaps my deepest approach to God is:

I may not know what God is.
I may not even believe in God as a separate being.
But I know what love feels like.
So I can love Krishna—and perhaps that love itself can take me towards the Truth.

My analogy of gold helps me understand this. Gold can take many forms, yet the substance remains gold. In the same way, Krishna may have a form, but the reality shining through that form can still be Brahman.

So perhaps my prayer on Janmashtami is not:

“Krishna, please come into my life.”

It is more:

“Krishna, I don’t know exactly who You are.
I don’t know whether You are a person, a manifestation of Brahman, or both.
But I love having You in my life.
So play with me, tease me, hide from me if You must—but keep reminding me of the Reality behind the form.”

Perhaps this is my particular kind of bhakti:

I don’t surrender my questioning in order to love Krishna.
I bring my questioning into my love of Krishna.

And maybe that is enough.

For I don’t have to completely understand Krishna to love Him.

I can simply love Him—and allow the mystery to remain a mystery. ❤️

Happy Janmashtami. 🦚❤️

https://shakunkimatrai.com/janmashtami/

Viveeta says:
Whenever I sit to pray ,I pray to whichever Image of God that comes to me . All Gods are the same and the images just make it easier to concentrate. I know our Hindu scriptures have depicted each different God for different purposes eg Hanumanji and Ganeshji as the remover of obstacles , Goddess Laxmi for wealth , Shivji at the time of death etc. but I just pray to any Deity which comes to my mind . 🙏
I Shakun say:
I love the simplicity of this. 🙏❤️ You don’t choose the form of God—you allow whichever form comes to you in that moment to become your focus. And yet, behind all the different images, you recognise that the Divine is one.
Maybe that is the beauty of the forms: they give the mind something tangible to hold on to, while the heart knows that the One we are praying to is beyond the image. Different forms, different qualities, but ultimately the same Divine presence.

And I especially like your thought that you simply pray to whichever Deity comes to your mind. There is something very natural and unforced about that—almost as though the Divine chooses the form in which you need to meet Him that day. 🙏❤️

Anonymous says:
I see God as my father figure.. who loves unconditionally, holds your hand when in pain, gives strength, guides even day to day.. as I do pray each day for his guidance .
Just as
Father doesn’t want his children to forget him even God wants us to remember Him .. in any which way be it going to the temples, church …
In meditation..
as a Father keeps blessing his children even God blesses n showers us his Grace if we are good children..
so my God is my Father
I never saw my Father so when I saw MAHARAJ JI FIRST TIME… I took him as my father .
Blessed to have him as my Father .

I , Shakun say:
I can understand why you experience God as a Father—a presence who loves unconditionally, holds your hand when you are in pain, gives you strength and quietly guides you through life.

And the last part touched me deeply. You never experienced your own father, and when you met Maharaj Ji, you found in him that fatherly presence. Perhaps sometimes God comes into our lives through a person/Guru who helps us experience the love, protection and guidance that our heart has longed for.

What a beautiful way to experience the Divine—not as someone distant, but as a Father whose hand is always there to hold. 🙏❤️

Abha says:
I really don’t know how God is….. Sometimes one sees idols which remain in the heart …as when one visits temples a certain vibration fills the space. It could be the state of mind.
Sometimes when I sit alone and wonder about various things in my life …I feel His presence guiding me to understand….no form just a different feeling which I can’t explain but I feel relaxed and safe hence I think it’s God. It makes me happy and back to my energetic self.

I, Shakun say:
I love the honesty in “I really don’t know how God is.” 🙏❤️ Maybe we don’t always need to know what God is—we can recognise Him by what we experience.

You describe something very beautiful: sometimes it is a form or an idol that touches your heart; sometimes, sitting quietly by yourself, there is no form at all—just a feeling of being guided, safe and at peace.

And maybe that is one way of knowing the Divine: not through an explanation, but through the transformation it brings in us. If the experience leaves you peaceful, happy and once again full of energy, perhaps that feeling itself is your way of recognising His presence. ❤️🙏

Vanisha says:
I would personally feel that God means the whole universe….He is the ultimate,he sees all,listens to all but does at his will,even though I get angry at Him many times due to that,but that is G OD.We are his children who he keeps rewarding correcting in many ways you can say Karma but it’s him n only him….I see him in all the idols as Hindus we pray too🙏🙏he is omnipresent in living n non living things….The only way we can connect to him is by being a honest, kind and compassionate person. Kaam karte chalo naam japte chalo….. Yaad aayegi unko kabhi na kabhi,Krishna darshan to denge Abhi aur yahi…..we have to be patient and pray devotedly to all his swarups🙏🙏.God will never dissapoint us.I have ultimate faith n trust…..this too will pass.🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

I, Shakun say:
I love that you can even get angry with God and yet your faith and trust in Him remain intact. Perhaps that too is a sign of a real relationship—you can question Him, complain to Him, and still know that He is your own.

I also love your thought that God is not only in the idols we worship, but omnipresent—in everything, living and non-living. And therefore, perhaps the simplest way of connecting with Him is exactly what you say: be honest, kind and compassionate.

“Kaam karte chalo, naam japte chalo” says it beautifully—continue doing what has to be done, while keeping Him in your heart.

And perhaps the last line sums up your approach best: “This too will pass.” With faith, patience and trust, we continue the journey. 🙏❤️

Asha says:
I have always loved God and prayed to Him. When we were young, Shakun, we had a beautiful temple at home. It was my mother’s sacred place, where she used to pray for hours.

We grew up with so many traditions—Shivji ki pooja on Mondays, when we used to fast; Gyaaras, now called Ekadashi, when we had only fruits and milk; and the full moon Satyanarayan Puja, which was also compulsory. Honestly, I could never fast!

But when I got married, my lovely mother-in-love—God bless her—gave me the most beautiful advice. She said, “Poonam, just believe in one Guru and do Simran.” She took me to her Guru, who gave me Naam.

There were no restrictions, no pressure to become vegetarian, and no pressure to give up anything. Just do Simran all the time.

I feel so blessed and relaxed. Of course, I love all forms of God. I enjoy visiting temples, listening to Satsangs and Bhajans. I feel that all we need is faith in God, and I feel so blessed and happy. 🙏🙏

I , Shakun say:
❤️ Your journey seems to have moved from many rituals and traditions to something wonderfully simple—faith, one Guru and Simran.

I especially loved what your mother-in-law told you: “Just believe in one Guru and do Simran.” No fear, no pressure, no complicated rules—just remembrance.

And perhaps that is what makes your relationship with God so relaxed and joyful today. You can still enjoy every form of God, visit temples, listen to Satsangs and Bhajans, but underneath it all there is that simple faith and remembrance.

Sometimes spirituality becomes complicated because we keep adding things. Maybe sometimes the deepest faith is simply to remember—and trust. 🙏❤️