Is the voice of conscience always the voice of God?
Transcription :
Transcribed by: Keshavgopal Das
Question: Is the voice of conscience always the voice of God?
Answer: God sometimes speaks to us through the voice of conscience. It does not mean that whatever the conscience speaks to us is always the voice of God. Sometimes, the voice of conscience, because of our conditioning, become disconnected with God.
Basically, it’s a matter of reciprocation. Just like radio (now a days FM), the more we tune in to the frequency the better we get the broadcast. The more we tune out of the station the less we get the broadcast. In the radio sets, there is a main tuning button and a fine-tuning button. The main tuning button changes the frequency more rapidly, but the fine-tuning button will change the frequency slowly to get more clarity of the sound. Similarly, although God is present within us, he speaks to us. However, some of us may be completely tuned out of God. If our consciousness is working at an entirely different frequency, then we cannot hear the voice of God.
For example, a shining jewel is effulgent in itself, but if it is covered by some paper, its effulgence will come out only partially. If it is covered with a cloth the effulgence may come out even less. If a jewel is covered in a stone box, the effulgence may not come out at all. Similarly, we may have different level of conditionings. If the conscience is deeply covered like a stone box on a jewel, the people may not even know that there is jewel inside.
Some people may be so conditioned that they may not feel any presence of God at all. That is why, we first will have to tune ourselves to God. That tuning comes by living a life in harmony with God’s ways. God, before he reveals himself through the inner voice, first reveals himself through the outer voice. The outer voice is the word of God which comes through spiritual teachers, saintly people, books etc. To the extent we align our life to the principles of morality and spirituality, to that extent the gross tuning happens. We cover the right stations and as we refine our consciousness by spiritual practices further then only we tune in to the inner voice.
God is present within us to guide us but if we are not interested in the guidance then he will not force his guidance on us. God speaks to us through the voice of conscience but that does not mean whatever voice is coming within us is the voice of God. That voice may be socially, culturally, educationally conditioned and it may be a distorted voice not the divine voice.
End of transcription.