God realisation basically has three stages and these three stages can help us find out how far or near we are to him and where we have to lead ourselves.
Tasey Vaham: In this first stage of Tasey Vaham one believes that he (God) exists somewhere, may be up in the sky or in heaven or in his own abode. No one knows how he looks, what he wears, where exactly he lives, etc. as no one has seen him. However, it is firmly believed that he exists and he is the creator of the universe.
Believing his existence in some form or the other and somewhere or the other in the universe, we feed our belief system through prayers, lighting of candles, singing bhajans (divine songs), puja, yajnas, homas, performing religious rituals, celebrating religious functions, chanting his name and glorifying him through discourses.
While doing all these things we may get some proof or glimpses of his existence through our desire fulfilment, favourable results in business or profession or domestic issues, solutions to complex life problems, fulfilment of long pending matters, dramatic turn of events in our favour and feeling of protection in visible or invisible form.
In this stage we are like any other ordinary human being, believing in the existence of God and performing regular karmas (actions/deeds) and expect their favourable results through God’s intervention.
Tamey Vaham: In this second stage of God realisation we know who God is! He is clearly perceived and seen before us. With open eyes or in a meditative state he is seen in some of our favourite form or perceived in formless state present all over. We feel his presence all the time around us. Our conviction of his existence gets proven beyond doubt thereby faith, devotion and trust gets strengthened.
Having known him and seen him now, we realise that we are only puppets in his hands or we are his children and we are not the doers of any action or karma. All actions are generated from him and results are bestowed by him. We are only medium for him to achieve his divine goal. We slowly free ourselves from the karmic cycle and there is a reduction in us performing new karmas. We become karma yogis.
Tvamey Vaham: In this third stage of God realisation we become the God himself (enlightenment). This stage comes to those who practice intense spiritual practices (sadhana) — contemplation, comprehension and meditation.
The ultimate realisation dawns on us with the feeling that we are, in reality, what we have been searching for. The ignorance of duality and separation from him is lost and we become one with him. This state is described through spiritual terms such as self-realisation, God realisation, Nirvana, enlightenment, etc.
In this state we are freed from the clutches of karma as there is no doer and no receiver of result. We ourselves become the creator, the creation and the created. We get mukti, moksha (salvation) from the pains and sorrows of life as well as from birth, death and rebirth cycle.
