The BK concept of God is confused, one might think deliberately.
The official BK God is the unembodied soul they call "Shiva" or "Shiv Baba", or simply "Baba" meaning Father, or "Dada" meaning Grandfather (as in BapDada). By far the most common name they use in practice is "Baba".
They depict this God as a radiant point of golden light, often with a red egg-shaped body of light around it, and often seen against a pink-red background. The BK logo is a graphic representation of this translucent-red-egg-around-a-point-of-light. This egg-around-a-point-of-light is also the BK understanding of the appearance of any and every soul in the Soul World (and that is my experience and understanding also, except that the colour is orange, not red).
They call this God "The Supreme Soul", amongst a great many other epithets, and he (actually, it) is often depicted in BK illustrations as larger than the other souls, who in turn vary in size the further away they are from him, as they cluster around him in a hierarchical fashion (whereas, in my experience, all souls are the same size, and do not cluster).
However, in practice, the actual (if unofficial) BK God is the soul who incarnated as Lehkraj Kripalani, known as Dada Lehkraj, and who renamed himself "Brahma", and became known as "Brahma Baba" by his followers, or, again, simply "Baba".
The third variant is "BapDada", a name given to the combination of Brahma Baba and "Shiv Baba": they claim that Brahma Baba is now, since leaving his body in 1969, in angelic ghost form in the white light "Subtle Region" (this accords with my direct experience), and that he is constantly (?) combined with "Shiv Baba". This combination claim was also made throughout the 1960's, when Lehkraj was still alive, though I don't think the term BapDada was in use then. (I have no idea to what extent, if any, this claim of combination with "Shiv Baba" is true). BapDada is also referred to (in Avyakt Murlis, and by BKs), as simply "Baba".
So, the BKs typically say "Baba" when they mean "God", and they say "Baba" when they mean "Shiva", and they say "Baba" when they mean Lehkraj, and they say "Baba" when they mean the combination of the Lehkraj and "Shiva". It is fair to say that a great many BKs are themselves very confused about the distinction (if any) between Lehkraj and "God". And in the early days, and increasingly nowadays, "Shiv Baba" is forgotten about.
So it is very difficult to even discuss the God of the BKs without getting mired in confusion. I will be thinking "Shiva" and someone else will be thinking "Brahma Baba", while a third BK (or ex-BK) will be thinking "BapDada".
I will be thinking "the pure soul who never incarnates in a body", and someone else will be thinking "the old man who founded the BKs and who died in 1969", whilst a third will be thinking "angelic Brahma combined with Shiva in the Subtle Regions", whilst a fourth will be thinking of Dadi Gulzar in trance medium mode, and a fifth will be thinking of Dadi Janki!
I will be thinking that the God of the BKs is an unembodied soul who has Yoga with you, and floods you with love and light, and so helps you with self transformation. "Pukka" BKs will be thinking this God is speaking to them in the "Murlis", where he comes across as a modern Jehovah, demanding absolute obedience, and that his minions give all of their time, minds, money, and possessions to his organisation - the BKWSU - and work hard to amass a global physical empire and then to produce global physical devastation in his name.
All of this confusion and complication is very Indian and Hindu.
But by far the most common BK "God" is Brahma Baba (ie Lehkraj), and it seems clear that this was his desire and intention, and indeed in the early days it seems clear that he believed himself to be God, and proclaimed himself so. Many of the old Dadis and Dadas still believe this, I suspect. In the 1950's Shiva was introduced, but Lehkraj still claimed that his words were the words of "God". He continues to make this claim to this day, despite the obvious fact that a soul who never incarnates in human form, and never takes on human "sanskars", could therefore not talk in Hindi or any other language.
So where does this all lead? The God of the BKs is a vague and confusing concept, and it seems clear to me that Lehkraj created and used this confusion to his own advantage. He wanted to be top dog. So even when he accepted a God above or beyond him, he still claimed to be combined with that God. I will be charitable and accept that he believed (more or less) what he taught, and he was simply trying to make sense of psycho-spiritual experiences that were actually beyond his (and our) understanding.
The main confusion centres around Lehkraj first thinking he was God, and then later proclaiming that he himself was not God, but God's mouthpiece. Throughout, to this day, he speaks as if he is God. Therefore most of his followers see him as God. And they accept his proclamations, however self-contradictory or otherwise nonsensical, as the words of God. For most of them "Shiva" is theoretical, and they do not relate to "Shiva". Brahma Baba is their God and Guru. And it seems clear that this was his aim. He called himself the "number 1" soul ("Shiva" being number 0, and thus insignificant). He called himself Brahma, Krishna, Rama, Adi Dev, and claimed to be the founding Father of all of humanity, and of all religions. When he speaks, he claims that "God speaks". No wonder they think he is God!
After all, Lehkraj was a businessman, and in particular a salesman, and got rich selling diamonds to kings. So it makes sense that, when he retired and set up his own religious cult, he would continue to be the master salesman, and entrepreneur. Hyperbole and charisma were his main tools of trade. He created his religion in a his own image, to function as a business, driven by his charismatic selling, and focusing on "VIPs", i.e. the wealthy and powerful elite. He aimed big, sold hard, and allowed no setback to stand in his ways - precisely the qualities you would expect a successful and charismatic entrepreneur to bring to the table.
In business the guy at the top is God.
The official BK God is the unembodied soul they call "Shiva" or "Shiv Baba", or simply "Baba" meaning Father, or "Dada" meaning Grandfather (as in BapDada). By far the most common name they use in practice is "Baba".
They depict this God as a radiant point of golden light, often with a red egg-shaped body of light around it, and often seen against a pink-red background. The BK logo is a graphic representation of this translucent-red-egg-around-a-point-of-light. This egg-around-a-point-of-light is also the BK understanding of the appearance of any and every soul in the Soul World (and that is my experience and understanding also, except that the colour is orange, not red).
They call this God "The Supreme Soul", amongst a great many other epithets, and he (actually, it) is often depicted in BK illustrations as larger than the other souls, who in turn vary in size the further away they are from him, as they cluster around him in a hierarchical fashion (whereas, in my experience, all souls are the same size, and do not cluster).
However, in practice, the actual (if unofficial) BK God is the soul who incarnated as Lehkraj Kripalani, known as Dada Lehkraj, and who renamed himself "Brahma", and became known as "Brahma Baba" by his followers, or, again, simply "Baba".
The third variant is "BapDada", a name given to the combination of Brahma Baba and "Shiv Baba": they claim that Brahma Baba is now, since leaving his body in 1969, in angelic ghost form in the white light "Subtle Region" (this accords with my direct experience), and that he is constantly (?) combined with "Shiv Baba". This combination claim was also made throughout the 1960's, when Lehkraj was still alive, though I don't think the term BapDada was in use then. (I have no idea to what extent, if any, this claim of combination with "Shiv Baba" is true). BapDada is also referred to (in Avyakt Murlis, and by BKs), as simply "Baba".
So, the BKs typically say "Baba" when they mean "God", and they say "Baba" when they mean "Shiva", and they say "Baba" when they mean Lehkraj, and they say "Baba" when they mean the combination of the Lehkraj and "Shiva". It is fair to say that a great many BKs are themselves very confused about the distinction (if any) between Lehkraj and "God". And in the early days, and increasingly nowadays, "Shiv Baba" is forgotten about.
So it is very difficult to even discuss the God of the BKs without getting mired in confusion. I will be thinking "Shiva" and someone else will be thinking "Brahma Baba", while a third BK (or ex-BK) will be thinking "BapDada".
I will be thinking "the pure soul who never incarnates in a body", and someone else will be thinking "the old man who founded the BKs and who died in 1969", whilst a third will be thinking "angelic Brahma combined with Shiva in the Subtle Regions", whilst a fourth will be thinking of Dadi Gulzar in trance medium mode, and a fifth will be thinking of Dadi Janki!
I will be thinking that the God of the BKs is an unembodied soul who has Yoga with you, and floods you with love and light, and so helps you with self transformation. "Pukka" BKs will be thinking this God is speaking to them in the "Murlis", where he comes across as a modern Jehovah, demanding absolute obedience, and that his minions give all of their time, minds, money, and possessions to his organisation - the BKWSU - and work hard to amass a global physical empire and then to produce global physical devastation in his name.
All of this confusion and complication is very Indian and Hindu.
But by far the most common BK "God" is Brahma Baba (ie Lehkraj), and it seems clear that this was his desire and intention, and indeed in the early days it seems clear that he believed himself to be God, and proclaimed himself so. Many of the old Dadis and Dadas still believe this, I suspect. In the 1950's Shiva was introduced, but Lehkraj still claimed that his words were the words of "God". He continues to make this claim to this day, despite the obvious fact that a soul who never incarnates in human form, and never takes on human "sanskars", could therefore not talk in Hindi or any other language.
So where does this all lead? The God of the BKs is a vague and confusing concept, and it seems clear to me that Lehkraj created and used this confusion to his own advantage. He wanted to be top dog. So even when he accepted a God above or beyond him, he still claimed to be combined with that God. I will be charitable and accept that he believed (more or less) what he taught, and he was simply trying to make sense of psycho-spiritual experiences that were actually beyond his (and our) understanding.
The main confusion centres around Lehkraj first thinking he was God, and then later proclaiming that he himself was not God, but God's mouthpiece. Throughout, to this day, he speaks as if he is God. Therefore most of his followers see him as God. And they accept his proclamations, however self-contradictory or otherwise nonsensical, as the words of God. For most of them "Shiva" is theoretical, and they do not relate to "Shiva". Brahma Baba is their God and Guru. And it seems clear that this was his aim. He called himself the "number 1" soul ("Shiva" being number 0, and thus insignificant). He called himself Brahma, Krishna, Rama, Adi Dev, and claimed to be the founding Father of all of humanity, and of all religions. When he speaks, he claims that "God speaks". No wonder they think he is God!
After all, Lehkraj was a businessman, and in particular a salesman, and got rich selling diamonds to kings. So it makes sense that, when he retired and set up his own religious cult, he would continue to be the master salesman, and entrepreneur. Hyperbole and charisma were his main tools of trade. He created his religion in a his own image, to function as a business, driven by his charismatic selling, and focusing on "VIPs", i.e. the wealthy and powerful elite. He aimed big, sold hard, and allowed no setback to stand in his ways - precisely the qualities you would expect a successful and charismatic entrepreneur to bring to the table.
In business the guy at the top is God.