Kashmir: An Introduction to Paradise

Kashmir is a land of beautiful scenery. From its towering, snow-capped peaks rivulets cascade down the valleys. With its lovely forests and gardens, its beauty is unparalleled. People from all over the world visit Kashmir. It is like a paradise on earth. What is Paradise? Paradise is the name of a vast, ideal world created by God. This world is a perfect world in the full sense. Here everything is of the highest standard. God wants such people to inhabit this perfect world as are fitted to live in it by virtue of their sterling character – such as would live in this ideal world as ideal men. Paradise is that world, where a creation such as man attains his complete fulfillment, where he can think in the way that he wants to think; where he sees what he desires to see; where he listens to the sounds that give pleasure to his ears in the real sense; where he touches those things which give him the highest degree of pleasure; where he has the company of those people who make his life highly meaningful, where the winds are life-giving zephyrs for him, where he eats such food as he eternally craved for and he sips such drinks as are only beautiful figments of his imagination today. To give man an introduction to the ideal world of paradise God created the present planet earth. When I look at Kashmir, I realize that it is an excellent example of paradise on earth. In the paradise of this earthly world all those things exist which exist in the heavenly world. But with a difference. The heavenly world is a perfect world, while the present earthly world is an imperfect world. The heavenly world is eternal, while the present earthly world is temporary. The heavenly world is free of all kinds of fear and sorrow, whereas the present world is filled with anxiety and grief. The heavenly world is a world of reward, while the present world is a testing ground. The Creation Plan of God God has created man according to a plan, His plan being to create man and settle him in this present limited world and give him full freedom as a test. He has given him the opportunity to live here without any curbs. And man is free to make proper use of his freedom or misuse it as he pleases. Everyone who is born in this world is always accompanied by two invisible angels. They are engaged in preparing a complete record of all his words and deeds, and it is on the basis of this record that he will be awarded paradise or hell in his next eternal life. In the world of paradise, man will be able to lead his life in total freedom. But he will be so mature and aware, that he will not misuse his freedom under any circumstances. In spite of having total freedom, he will maintain total discipline. It is for the selection of such a man that the present earthly planet was built. All those circumstances are to be found here which will exist in the heavenly world. Now strict attention is being paid as to which of all God’s creatures have successfully passed through the many vexatious situations of this world with patience and endurance and with total faith in the Almighty, thus proving themselves to be of a heavenly character: it is only such individuals who will be selected to inhabit the heavenly world. God’s invisible angels are always with man and they are preparing his record at every moment. This is man’s test and his future hinges on the result of this test. This test probes whether he has acknowledged God’s greatness on all occasions, bowed to the voice of his conscience or ignored it; and when truth supported by argument was brought before him, whether he surrendered to it or was arrogant; whether, when there was a clash between his ego and the truth, he opted for the truth or for his ego. Paradise is the name of a vast, ideal world created by God. This world is a perfect world in the full sense. The heavenly world is free of all kinds of fear and sorrow, whereas the present world is filled with anxiety and grief. To give man an introduction to the ideal world of paradise God created the present planet earth.