To Whom Is God's Door Open?Read

The path to liberation through single-minded devotion

Lord Krishna has explained that even someone of wrongful conduct, if they practise single-minded devotion, soon becomes righteous and attains liberation. Any practitioner of karma yoga who sincerely takes refuge in the Supreme Being, whatever their caste, gender or birth, can attain the supreme state—that is, liberation—through devotion. In this verse, he conveys the equality of devotion and tells all human beings that God's doors are open to everyone; no one is unworthy. This grace is available equally, not only to those considered “superior,” but also to people whom society regards with neglect.

The Gita's message: equality among all

Everything said in the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita is not merely an address to Arjuna, but truth spoken by God for all human beings in the world. To view or understand its meaning by restricting it to a particular person would be nothing other than a sin. When he has explained that the whole world has arisen from his lower energy, what distinction remains, and why make one? Nowhere has he said who belongs to him and who is distant from him. He calls everyone his own. Human beings, too, should therefore put an end to their discriminating way of seeing. This whole world can survive only because everyone is one; no one is separate. Yet if someone speaks of division, that person must be understood as an enemy of society; only then can humanity survive. It is also worth observing that when Shri Krishna said all this in the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, women, Vaishyas and Shudras often had limited rights in Vedic practices. At that time, the right to education and the opportunity to read spiritual texts were not equally available to everyone in society. Here he breaks that arrangement. That is why he says all this here. If he has said it, he must have said what is right; this should be accepted.

God's grace is for everyone

When he says that God's doors are open to everyone, this does not mean merely that anyone can enter a temple. Its meaning is far broader, deeper and boundless. It means that God's love, grace, compassion, forgiveness and guidance are equally available to every living being in all creation. Wherever a person may have been born—rich or poor, high or low, educated or uneducated, male or female, living with a disability, young or old—God has closed his door to no one. His love is like the light of the sun. The sun does not distinguish between the rich and the poor, between those in fine houses and those in huts. Its light falls everywhere equally. It is a person's own choice whether to open the window or keep it closed. In the same way, Shri Krishna's grace is equal for all; an open mind accepts it, while a closed mind cannot feel it and prefers to keep its window shut. A person's worth lies not in their birth, actions, clothes, appearance or lineage, but in the purity of their heart, their devotion and their truthfulness. He explains that he does not look at the outer covering; he looks only at the heart. The world may measure someone by wealth, caste, education, appearance, language or social status, but God gives no importance to these things. For God, every soul is equal, because every soul is a part of him. “मां हि पार्थ व्यपाश्रित्य येऽपि स्यु: पापयोनयः, स्त्रियो वैश्यास्तथा शूद्रास्तेऽपि यान्ति परां गतिम्”—that is, he is conveying this truth: no human being has fallen so low that I cannot lift them up; no one is so sinful that I cannot forgive them; no one is so unworthy that I cannot accept them. “व्यपाश्रित्य” means complete surrender: taking refuge in the Supreme Being with full faith, without ego, fear or doubt. This is the foundation of devotion: complete trust in God.

Devotion, repentance and God's forgiveness

He has explained that his doors are open not only to good people, but also to those who are broken, lost, tired, sorrowful or despondent, who have made mistakes, who are immersed in sin, and who feel that even God will no longer accept them. Such thinking is mistaken. God is the first hand to reach forward and lift a person when they fall. A person may run away from society, family and the world, but not from their God. God is never distant from them; they may become distant from the God within their own mind, but he does not become distant. No particular language, caste, qualification or wealth is required to approach God's door. God does not require you to know Sanskrit, know the method of worship, perform elaborate rituals or make large donations. Here Krishna has said precisely this: पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति…; that is, even a leaf, a flower, a fruit or a little water offered with devotion is acceptable to me. In this devotion there is no distinction of religion, caste, sect or high and low status. Devotion is the language of the soul, not something created by the body or society. For every person who takes one step towards God with a truthful heart, God takes a hundred steps to help them. God does not discriminate between human beings. Therefore, regarding anyone as lesser or greater in the name of religion, caste or status is spiritually wrong; this is the meaning of it all. There should simply be purity in the heart.

God's door being open also means that whether or not the world forgives someone, God will certainly forgive them if they sincerely acknowledge their mistake, try to improve and move forward on the path of devotion. God is gentle, not harsh; he believes in reform more than punishment. This is the sense of the verse discussed here. However many times a person falls, God is ready to lift them up. Those who think, “I am so sinful that God will not accept me,” are making the greatest mistake. Shri Krishna hates sin but loves the sinner, because the sinner, too, is a part of him, with the same divinity as everyone else lying dormant within. God's door is open to all also because every soul is equally dear to him. A mother loves all her children alike, whether beautiful or ordinary, intelligent or average, well-behaved or mischievous; a mother's affection never diminishes. In the same way, God's love is not only for those considered superior, but also for those whom society sometimes regards as unworthy, incapable or unsuccessful. God has himself said that he is both the mother and the father of human beings.

Drawing closer to God through humility

For God, there is only one disqualification: conceit. Those who are arrogant, consider themselves the best, fail to recognise the mistakes in their actions and regard others as inferior keep their hearts distant from God's light. But those who are humble, repent, learn, change, love and help others naturally draw close to God, because God himself awakens within their hearts. God's doors are open to those shattered by sorrow, to those with no support left, to those who once wished to move away from him but now want to return, to those who have never been able to perform worship, and to those who feel unworthy of him. God does not look at where a person has come from; he looks only at where they wish to go. If even a sinner says in their heart, “O God, I was wrong; draw me towards you,” Shri Krishna purifies that person's heart without conditions. This grace is his true nature. Nature teaches the same thing. Rain falls on roofs and on huts. Wind blows through palaces and fields alike. A river carries water for everyone, giving neither less to one nor more to another. God's door symbolises this all-embracing presence. There is no lock there; one only has to approach. God's grace does not remain only in temples; it flows through fields, homes, forests, mountains and oceans—everywhere. One only needs a pure feeling in the heart. When someone's mind calls to God, he answers at that very moment; time, distance and language make no difference. No human being should think, “I am not worthy of God.” Shri Vasudeva Krishna is saying, “I belong to everyone, because everyone belongs to me.” However far a person may go, they still belong to their Creator; God always waits for their return. That is why he has said that God's doors are open to everyone; no one is unworthy. This is the greatest truth of human life. The soul of one who understands it becomes free. For one who puts it into practice, the path to God becomes simple and natural. And one who accepts it never remains alone; God is always with them. To understand this in greater detail, read Shrimad Bhagavad Gita — Rahasyamay Gyan, Part 9.