God Is Not a Person. God Is the Absence of Your Illusions
Nidhi | Jun 19, 2025, 16:36 IST
( Image credit : Pexels, Timeslife )
What if God isn’t a person, but the reality that remains when illusion ends? This article dives deep into Vedantic philosophy to uncover how Hinduism's highest texts — the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Puranas — describe God not as a being with form or will, but as pure existence, awareness, and bliss. Through the lens of Advaita Vedanta, we explore why the personal God is only the beginning, and why true liberation begins when that illusion is finally seen through.
“न त्वहं कामये राज्यं न स्वर्गं नापुनर्भवम्।
कामये दुःखतप्तानां प्राणिनामार्तिनाशनम्॥”
— भागवत पुराण ९.२१.१२
“I seek not kingdom, nor heaven, nor even liberation — but the relief of suffering for all living beings.”
This is not the voice of ego, ambition, or reward. It is not a plea from a soul trying to reach God, nor the proclamation of a deity seeking devotion. It is a glimpse into divine consciousness itself — a state where separation dissolves, and what remains is pure compassion, without identity.
This shloka doesn’t describe what God wants. It reveals what remains when the personal self — the “I” — has vanished. It speaks not from the realm of form and desire, but from beyond illusion, where God is not a person to be pleased, but a presence to be realized. And in that realization, the illusion of God as “someone else” is the first to dissolve — leaving not emptiness, but unbounded presence and unity. 
“सदेव सोम्य इदमग्र आसीदेकमेवाद्वितीयम्।”
— छान्दोग्य उपनिषद् ६.२.१
Before anything existed, there was Being — one, without a second.
In Vedanta, Sat is not “something” that exists — it is existence itself. It is not a person who exists, but that by which anything can be said to exist at all. The concept of a personal God implies finitude, characteristics, and form — which are all contingent. But Sat is unconditioned — it is what remains when all transient phenomena dissolve.
To say “God exists” is misleading. Existence is God. And when we drop our ideas of names, forms, and roles — we don’t encounter a supreme individual, but the silent presence of that which always was. 
“अहं ब्रह्मास्मि।”
— बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद् १.४.१०
God is not a knower in the way we understand it. God is not someone who is aware. God is awareness itself. The Upanishads point not to an entity with consciousness, but to consciousness as the ground of being.
Chit is not the thinking mind. It is the unchanging witness behind all experiences. When we say “I am aware,” that “I” — before language, before thought — is the Divine spark. God is not the voice in your head, but the silence that hears it.
This awareness is not partial, not individual. It is unified — the same in all beings. In this way, God is not an external observer of your life — God is the subject through which life is observed. 
“आनन्दो ब्रह्मेति व्यजानात्।”
— तैत्तिरीय उपनिषद् ३.६.१
We usually think of joy as arising from success, love, or satisfaction. But Ananda — the bliss of Brahman — is not a result. It is unconditioned fullness.
This is not emotional happiness. This is the peace that comes when there is no lack left, no craving left, and no one left to crave. It is the bliss that is inherent in being, not dependent on becoming. When all illusions are stripped away — no self, no ego, no roles — the bliss that remains is not pleasure, but liberation from the need for pleasure itself.
So God is not the one who grants joy. God is the joy that needs no reason. 
“न तस्य प्रतिमा अस्ति।”
— यजुर्वेद ३२.३
There is no image of That. No idol, no form, no likeness.
Why then, do we worship Shiva, Vishnu, Devi? Because the mind needs symbols. Hinduism — especially in its tantric and devotional aspects — uses murti (forms) as doorways to the formless. But Vedanta is clear: these are pointers, not ultimate truths.
We create Gods in our image — with emotions, families, weapons, preferences — because our minds can only grasp personhood. But these deities are spiritual metaphors, not metaphysical facts. Vishnu symbolizes preservation, Shiva destruction of ego, Devi the creative force — they are archetypes, not beings.
Worship is not wrong. But confusing symbol with truth is the beginning of illusion.
“न कर्तृत्वं न कर्माणि लोकस्य सृजति प्रभुः।
न कर्मफलसंयोगं स्वभावस्तु प्रवर्तते॥”
— भगवद्गीता ५.१५
The Gita refutes the idea of God as the controller of your life events. It is Avidya (ignorance) that binds the soul — not sin, not divine punishment.
Avidya is not knowing what you truly are. It is the mistaken belief:
“तं त्वं आत्मानं विद्धि।”
— कठोपनिषद् १.२.२०
Liberation (moksha) is often misunderstood as reaching another place — like heaven — or meeting God. But Vedanta says you are already that which you seek.
Moksha means the end of misidentification. It is not an event in time. It is a correction in understanding. When you no longer identify as ego, thought, body, or belief — what remains is Brahman.
There is no reward — only the falling away of illusion. Heaven is for the ego. Truth is for the empty. 
“भक्त्या मामभिजानाति यावान्यश्चास्मि तत्त्वतः।”
— भगवद्गीता १८.५५
Bhakti is often misunderstood as emotional worship. But real bhakti is surrender of ego. It is not about what God wants from you — it’s about how much of you is left to surrender.
In true Bhakti:
God is not a separate being watching from above, but the unchanging reality behind all appearances. In the Indian philosophical tradition, especially Vedanta, God is not a person — but pure existence (Sat), awareness (Chit), and bliss (Ananda). The idea of a personal God is useful in devotion, but ultimately, it's the first illusion we must transcend.
Moksha is not about going to heaven or meeting God — it's about shedding what is false. When the illusions of ego, separation, and identity fall away, what remains is not someone else — but what you’ve always been. God is not something to reach or believe in. God is what remains when all illusions end.
Explore the latest trends and tips in Health & Fitness, Travel, Life Hacks, Fashion & Beauty, and Relationships at Times Life!
कामये दुःखतप्तानां प्राणिनामार्तिनाशनम्॥”
— भागवत पुराण ९.२१.१२
“I seek not kingdom, nor heaven, nor even liberation — but the relief of suffering for all living beings.”
This is not the voice of ego, ambition, or reward. It is not a plea from a soul trying to reach God, nor the proclamation of a deity seeking devotion. It is a glimpse into divine consciousness itself — a state where separation dissolves, and what remains is pure compassion, without identity.
This shloka doesn’t describe what God wants. It reveals what remains when the personal self — the “I” — has vanished. It speaks not from the realm of form and desire, but from beyond illusion, where God is not a person to be pleased, but a presence to be realized. And in that realization, the illusion of God as “someone else” is the first to dissolve — leaving not emptiness, but unbounded presence and unity.
1. God as सत् (Sat): Existence Without Dependency
Gita
( Image credit : Times Life Bureau )
“सदेव सोम्य इदमग्र आसीदेकमेवाद्वितीयम्।”
— छान्दोग्य उपनिषद् ६.२.१
Before anything existed, there was Being — one, without a second.
In Vedanta, Sat is not “something” that exists — it is existence itself. It is not a person who exists, but that by which anything can be said to exist at all. The concept of a personal God implies finitude, characteristics, and form — which are all contingent. But Sat is unconditioned — it is what remains when all transient phenomena dissolve.
To say “God exists” is misleading. Existence is God. And when we drop our ideas of names, forms, and roles — we don’t encounter a supreme individual, but the silent presence of that which always was.
2. God as चित् (Chit): Awareness Beyond the Mind
Lord Vishnu
( Image credit : Times Life Bureau )
— बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद् १.४.१०
God is not a knower in the way we understand it. God is not someone who is aware. God is awareness itself. The Upanishads point not to an entity with consciousness, but to consciousness as the ground of being.
Chit is not the thinking mind. It is the unchanging witness behind all experiences. When we say “I am aware,” that “I” — before language, before thought — is the Divine spark. God is not the voice in your head, but the silence that hears it.
This awareness is not partial, not individual. It is unified — the same in all beings. In this way, God is not an external observer of your life — God is the subject through which life is observed.
3. God as आनन्द (Ananda): Bliss Without Cause
Life.
( Image credit : Pexels )
“आनन्दो ब्रह्मेति व्यजानात्।”
— तैत्तिरीय उपनिषद् ३.६.१
We usually think of joy as arising from success, love, or satisfaction. But Ananda — the bliss of Brahman — is not a result. It is unconditioned fullness.
This is not emotional happiness. This is the peace that comes when there is no lack left, no craving left, and no one left to crave. It is the bliss that is inherent in being, not dependent on becoming. When all illusions are stripped away — no self, no ego, no roles — the bliss that remains is not pleasure, but liberation from the need for pleasure itself.
So God is not the one who grants joy. God is the joy that needs no reason.
4. The Myth of Form: Deities as Psychological Mirrors
Myth
( Image credit : Pexels )
— यजुर्वेद ३२.३
There is no image of That. No idol, no form, no likeness.
Why then, do we worship Shiva, Vishnu, Devi? Because the mind needs symbols. Hinduism — especially in its tantric and devotional aspects — uses murti (forms) as doorways to the formless. But Vedanta is clear: these are pointers, not ultimate truths.
We create Gods in our image — with emotions, families, weapons, preferences — because our minds can only grasp personhood. But these deities are spiritual metaphors, not metaphysical facts. Vishnu symbolizes preservation, Shiva destruction of ego, Devi the creative force — they are archetypes, not beings.
Worship is not wrong. But confusing symbol with truth is the beginning of illusion.
5. Avidya: The Real Barrier Between You and the Divine
God
( Image credit : Pexels )
न कर्मफलसंयोगं स्वभावस्तु प्रवर्तते॥”
— भगवद्गीता ५.१५
The Gita refutes the idea of God as the controller of your life events. It is Avidya (ignorance) that binds the soul — not sin, not divine punishment.
Avidya is not knowing what you truly are. It is the mistaken belief:
- That you are a body.
- That God is somewhere else.
- That reality is fragmented.
6. Moksha: Liberation Is the Undoing of Illusion, Not a Reward
Moksha
( Image credit : Pexels )
— कठोपनिषद् १.२.२०
Liberation (moksha) is often misunderstood as reaching another place — like heaven — or meeting God. But Vedanta says you are already that which you seek.
Moksha means the end of misidentification. It is not an event in time. It is a correction in understanding. When you no longer identify as ego, thought, body, or belief — what remains is Brahman.
There is no reward — only the falling away of illusion. Heaven is for the ego. Truth is for the empty.
7. Bhakti Is the Melting of “Me”, Not Pleasing of “Him”
Faith.
( Image credit : Pexels )
— भगवद्गीता १८.५५
Bhakti is often misunderstood as emotional worship. But real bhakti is surrender of ego. It is not about what God wants from you — it’s about how much of you is left to surrender.
In true Bhakti:
- You don’t ask God to favor you.
- You stop existing as a separate “you.”
- Only the Divine remains — in all.
God Begins Where Illusion Ends
Moksha is not about going to heaven or meeting God — it's about shedding what is false. When the illusions of ego, separation, and identity fall away, what remains is not someone else — but what you’ve always been. God is not something to reach or believe in. God is what remains when all illusions end.
Explore the latest trends and tips in Health & Fitness, Travel, Life Hacks, Fashion & Beauty, and Relationships at Times Life!