Who Created God?

A good question

If God created everything, who created God?

This is one of the most often asked questions by my students. And this is an excellent question in my view, and also one that I love answering.

Years ago, when I started on my spiritual journey, I had this same question (amongst many other questions) in mind. This is a very valid question and challenges the very existence of God. If there was a start, who started it all? If somebody started it all, who created Him who started it all? And if somebody created Him, then how can He claim to be the origin of all. It seems like a never-ending loop. But is it really so?

The problem with science

Science tells us that everything resulted from a massive explosion. They call it the Big Bang. But what caused that explosion? And if something caused that explosion, what is it that caused that cause? Science seems to have propounded this theory just to put an end to the age-old questions about creation of the universe. But has it been successful in giving a logical explanation of the creation of the universe? I don’t think so.

Science basically tells us that there was no reason for the occurrence of the Big Bang. It just happened and caused the creation of the universe. Just happenned? How ‘scientific’ does that sound? Does it appear to be sound reasoning? To me, no.

The very science that teaches us that nothing can ever happen without a reason or cause tells us that there was no cause behind the creation of the universe. These theories have obvious flaws. And the reason for the flaws is the limitation of human thinking.

How do we think?

Before we can comprehend the answer to “Who created God?” it is important that we first understand how we normally think. So, let’s step back and think a little about how we think (I love such wordplays!).

We always think in terms of our environment. In other words, our thoughts are limited by the laws of nature that govern us. And one of these limitations is ‘space-time.’

We can’t think beyond the confines of space-time. Give it a shot. Consider anything that exists outside of space and time. There will be space and time involved in any situation we can think of.

And it is this limitation that prevents us from looking beyond. If everything is created, then it is obvious that space and time must also have been created. But still, we always assume that space and time are eternal.

Now let us take this view further and analyze how this fits into what Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita about His own creation and the creation of other beings.

What does Krishna say about creation?

In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna clearly tells Arjuna, “The entire world, deluded by these three modes (purity, passion, and darkness) of material nature, does not understand Me to be beyond these, and as inexhaustible. Indeed, this divine illusion of Mine, consisting of the modes of material nature, is difficult to cross over. Only those who take refuge in Me can cross over this illusion.” [BG 7.13 – 7.14]

Krishna’s material nature, as He clearly explains in the Bhagavad Gita, creates and maintains this universe (and all life forms on it). And this material nature of Krishna deludes our minds so that only the most deserving souls can reach Him by striving for liberation. This nature limits our thinking such that we cannot think beyond the dimensions of space and time.

Krishna also says: “Earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intelligence, and ego — these eight separate elements constitute My material nature. This (Krishna’s material nature) is My inferior nature. Different from it, do understand, O Mahabaho, My superior nature — the very life-element (soul), by which this material world is upheld. Know that these (Krishna’s two natures) comprise the womb (source) of everything. Understand that I am the creator as well as the annihilator of the entire universe. There is nothing whatsoever superior to Me, O Dhananjaya. All things (beings and objects) are strung in Me, as a row of gems on a thread.” [BG 7.4 – 7.7]

So, who created God?

Since Krishna is the “creator as well as the annihilator of the entire universe,” He is also the creator of time and space. And what the creator produces never binds him. When an architect or engineer designs and constructs a building, for example, he is not bound by the structure or the internal laws that govern it. When a filmmaker creates a film, he stays outside of it and is not limited by it.

In the same way, God — the creator of space and time, remains outside the confines of space and time. And when time is removed from the equation, the question of God’s creation becomes irrelevant. In the absence of time, there is no question of what came first.

Lord Krishna tells us, “But never indeed, I, at any time, did not exist, nor you, nor all these rulers of men; nor verily, will any of us ever cease to exist hereafter.” [BG 2.12]

Krishna, being outside the dimensions and limitations of time, is eternal, and so are all of us (being spirit souls — minuscule parts of Krishna).

Our limited science will never be able to supply us with the answers that Vedic literature provides. Faith is required in both science and spirituality. However, we have already seen that the explanations offered by Vedic texts are far more rational and credible, especially when we consider all of the other information it contains concerning the universe’s creation, maintenance, and annihilation. It gives us all the information we require, which science will take a long time to find (if it ever reaches that state).

God, being the origin of everything, does not need or has an origin. He is eternal — has always existed, will always exist. He was there before He created time that we humans think in terms of. But God is not bound by such material concept of time. Time or no time – He is eternal.

So, who created God? Well … God was never created!