Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi & John Milton

Free Will, Creation, and the Divine Nature

Shri Mataji on Why God Gave Humans Free Will

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi explained that God granted human beings free will so that they could evolve naturally and choose divine love out of their own free choice, rather than being forced like instruments or machines:

“God Almighty gave freedom to human beings to choose between good and bad, so that they understand what is good and what is bad. Unless and until you have complete freedom to choose, you cannot become a higher human being. If you are bound by something, then you are not free, you are like a machine. But God wanted to create human beings who would become like Him, who would enjoy His Kingdom with total freedom.”

Seeing Himself Through Creation

In describing the underlying purpose of creation, Shri Mataji revealed how the Divine wanted to witness and experience Its own joy reflected back through the mirror of creation:

“God Almighty wanted to see Himself, His own beauty, His own glory, in His own creation. Just like a person who wants to see his face looks in a mirror, God Almighty created this whole universe as a mirror to see Himself, to enjoy His own love, His own power, and His own play.”

The Omnipresent and Omnipotent All-Pervading Power

Shri Mataji constantly reminded seekers of truth that God is not a distant concept, but an all-pervading, all-powerful energy active within everything around us:

“God is Omnipresent, Omnipotent, and Omniscient. He is the divine energy, the Paramchaitanya, that does all the subtle work. It is this all-pervading power of God’s love that organizes everything, transforms human consciousness, and brings about Self-Realization. Once you are connected to this power, you realize that you are never alone and that the Divine Power is constantly protecting and guiding you.”

The Spiritual Parallel: Free Will and Divine Creation

The thematic alignment between East and West on human freedom and divine creation remains remarkably strong when comparing these spiritual perspectives:

  • Shri Mataji’s core message: Free will was granted to humanity so that individuals may conscious choose to evolve and participate in the cosmic play (Lila) and divine love (Paramchaitanya), rather than existing as automated instruments.
  • Milton’s core message in Paradise Lost: God created humanity “sufficient to have stood, though free to fall,” emphasizing that love and devotion to the Divine hold true meaning only when given through genuine personal choice.

The English Poet John Milton

The poet John Milton, one of England’s greatest poets, was born on 9 December 1608 in London. Educated at St Paul’s School and Christ’s College, Cambridge, he mastered Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Italian, dedicating his life to classical learning, public service, and spiritual poetry.

Despite suffering complete blindness by 1652, Milton went on to dictate his epic masterpiece, Paradise Lost, published in 1667 when he was 58 years old, alongside other celebrated works like Comus and his famous sonnets before his death on 8 November 1674.

John Milton on Free Will and Divine Grace

In his epic poem Paradise Lost (Book 3), written around the age of 58, Milton presents God explaining why humanity was given free will, pointing out that true virtue cannot exist without the freedom to choose:

“I made him just and right,
Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall.”

He also refers to divine grace and virtue earlier in his life at age 25 in his masque Comus, reminding us that a pure mind is always guided and protected by heaven:

“Mortals that would follow me,
Love virtue, she alone is free;
She can teach ye how to climb
Higher than the sphery chime;
Or if virtue feeble were,
Heav’n itself would stoop to her.”