View source for God's Feelings The Transcendental Emotions of the Supreme

When people are asked to describe God, they often offer vague concepts: a cosmic force, an impersonal light, or an old man in the clouds. Because they lack scientific spiritual education, they cannot provide any concrete details about the Absolute Truth. The Vedic literatures, however, completely shatter this ambiguity. They present God not as an abstract concept, but as a Supreme Person with specific qualities, an eternal address, and most surprisingly, parents. How can the original father of all living entities have a father? Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that while God has no material origin, He mercifully chooses pure devotees to act as His parents when He descends. By understanding the exact identity of God's fathers, how the Lord acts as the perfect son, and the supreme ecstasy of controlling God with parental love, we can move beyond impersonal speculation and enter into the sweet reality of pure devotional service.

<div class="toc-right">__TOC__</div>

=== A Complete and Perfect Identity ===

The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not based on sentimental guesswork. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that through the authorized Vedic scriptures, devotees can confidently present the exact identity of the Supreme Lord, down to the names of His parents.

* [[Vaniquotes:Everyone knows a flimsy idea there is God, but we can give actually who is that God, what is His name, what is His address, what is His father's name, what is His mother's name - everything. That is Krsna consciousness|Everyone knows a flimsy idea there is God, but we can give actually who is that God, what is His name, what is His address, what is His father's name, what is His mother's name - everything. That is Krsna consciousness.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:We say frankly that we know God, His father's name, His address, everything. Let anyone come and challenge. He cannot say that, "No, this is not God," because he has not approached God. He does not know what is God|We say frankly that we know God, His father's name, His address, everything. Let anyone come and challenge. He cannot say that, "No, this is not God," because he has not approached God. He does not know what is God.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:We may ask a person's identity by asking, "What is your father's name?" So Srimad-Bhagavatam presents God with His father's name, His mother's name, and even His address. We are not impersonalists with a vague idea of God|We may ask a person's identity by asking, "What is your father's name?" So Srimad-Bhagavatam presents God with His father's name, His mother's name, and even His address. We are not impersonalists with a vague idea of God.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:We are giving the name of God, the address of God, the father, God's father's name also, Nanda-nandana, Devaki-nandana. So where is the difficulty to find out? There is no difficulty. But the rascals will not accept. They will continue their rascaldom|We are giving the name of God, the address of God, the father, God's father's name also, Nanda-nandana, Devaki-nandana. So where is the difficulty to find out? There is no difficulty. But the rascals will not accept. They will continue their rascaldom.]]

=== The Supreme Lord Chooses His Parents ===

Philosophically, God is the original creator and the supreme father of everyone, meaning no one can actually be His father. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that out of His boundless mercy, the Lord uses His independent energy to elevate His pure devotees to the position of His parents.

* [[Vaniquotes:The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the father of everyone. No one, therefore, is His father, but by His inconceivable energy He accepts some of the devotees as His parents and descendants|The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the father of everyone. No one, therefore, is His father, but by His inconceivable energy He accepts some of the devotees as His parents and descendants.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:Since He is the Lord, He is always independent in choosing who will become His father|Since He is the Lord, He is always independent in choosing who will become His father.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:When He (God) descends on the material plane, out of Mis causeless mercy He accepts one of His great devotees as His father to keep pace with the rules of the material world|When He (God) descends on the material plane, out of His causeless mercy He accepts one of His great devotees as His father to keep pace with the rules of the material world.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:Whenever the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends in His human form, He sends ahead all His devotees, who act as His father, teacher and associates in many roles. Such personalities appear before the descent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead|Whenever the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends in His human form, He sends ahead all His devotees, who act as His father, teacher and associates in many roles. Such personalities appear before the descent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.]]

=== The Perfection of Becoming God's Father ===

Impersonalists (Māyāvādīs) desire to merge into God, while ordinary people pray to God as a father to ask for material benefits. Śrīla Prabhupāda reveals that the ultimate perfection of ''bhakti-yoga'' is to become the father of God—not to take from Him, but to give Him everything and control Him with pure love.

* [[Vaniquotes:Only a devotee can understand that to become one with God is not a sublime idea. In Vrndavana the devotees want to become the father or mother of God - to control God with love. This fact the Mayavadis, or Advaitavadis, cannot understand|Only a devotee can understand that to become one with God is not a sublime idea. In Vrndavana the devotees want to become the father or mother of God - to control God with love. This fact the Mayavadis, or Advaitavadis, cannot understand.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:It is better to be God's father, God's controller. This is bhakti-marga, the path of devotional service. A devotee does not want to be equal to God or one with God. He simply wants to render service|It is better to be God's father, God's controller. This is bhakti-marga, the path of devotional service. A devotee does not want to be equal to God or one with God. He simply wants to render service.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:To become father of God means to give everything. Even the state, even his money, his bank balance, everything. That is the idea. And to become son of God means to take everything|To become father of God means to give everything. Even the state, even his money, his bank balance, everything. That is the idea. And to become son of God means to take everything.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:The devotees, therefore, following their constitutional instincts, achieve the desired goal of becoming servitors, friends, fathers, mothers or conjugal lovers of the Lord|The devotees, therefore, following their constitutional instincts, achieve the desired goal of becoming servitors, friends, fathers, mothers or conjugal lovers of the Lord.]]

=== The Ideal, Obedient Son ===

When the Lord accepts the role of a son, He performs it perfectly to set an example for the world. Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently highlights the pastime of Lord Rāmacandra, who accepted severe hardships without hesitation simply to honor the promise made by His father, Mahārāja Daśaratha.

* [[Vaniquotes:The Lord (Ramacandra), as an obedient son, accepted the order (of His father, to go to the forest) immediately. He left everything without hesitation, just as a liberated soul or great yogi gives up his life without material attraction|The Lord (Ramacandra), as an obedient son, accepted the order (of His father, to go to the forest) immediately. He left everything without hesitation, just as a liberated soul or great yogi gives up his life without material attraction.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:Carrying out the order of His father, who was bound by a promise to his wife, Ramacandra left behind His kingdom, opulence, friends, well-wishers, residence & everything else, just as a liberated soul gives up his life, and went to the forest with Sita|Carrying out the order of His father, who was bound by a promise to his wife, Ramacandra left behind His kingdom, opulence, friends, well-wishers, residence and everything else, just as a liberated soul gives up his life, and went to the forest with Sita.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:To keep the promise of His father intact, Lord Ramacandra immediately gave up the position of king and, accompanied by His wife, mother Sita, wandered from one forest to another on His lotus feet|To keep the promise of His father intact, Lord Ramacandra immediately gave up the position of king and, accompanied by His wife, mother Sita, wandered from one forest to another on His lotus feet.]]
* [[Vaniquotes:He (Lord Ramacandra) fought with demons like Ravana, He carried out the orders of His father, and He remained the faithful husband of mother Sita. Thus there is no comparison to Lord Ramacandra's acting as an ideal king|He (Lord Ramacandra) fought with demons like Ravana, He carried out the orders of His father, and He remained the faithful husband of mother Sita. Thus there is no comparison to Lord Ramacandra's acting as an ideal king.]]

=== Conclusion ===

A deep and thorough study of the Vedic literatures completely cures a person of the disease of impersonalism. As Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully explains, God is not a vague concept, an invisible force, or an ambiguous idea. Through the authorized scriptures, the devotees of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement can confidently declare the exact identity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, providing His name, His eternal address, and even the names of His parents. Philosophically, the Lord is the ultimate cause of all causes and the supreme father of everyone; therefore, no one can actually be His father. However, the Lord is completely independent, and out of His boundless, causeless mercy, He elevates His pure devotees to the exalted position of His parents to facilitate the most intimate exchange of spiritual mellows. In doing so, the Lord redefines the highest goal of spiritual life. While materialistic religionists pray to God as a father to extract material benefits from Him, and while dry philosophers try to falsely merge into His existence, the pure devotee in Vṛndāvana aspires to become the father of God. A pure devotee like Nanda Mahārāja does not want to take from God; he wants to give God everything and control the Supreme Controller through the sheer power of pure, unalloyed love. When the Lord accepts a father, He perfectly plays the role of an obedient son. This was beautifully demonstrated when Lord Rāmacandra unhesitatingly gave up His kingdom and went into exile for fourteen years simply to protect the honor of His father, Mahārāja Daśaratha. Ultimately, by hearing about the Supreme Lord's fathers, we realize the intense sweetness and authenticity of God's personal relationships, inspiring us to abandon all material desires and seek our own eternal, loving relationship with Him.

=== Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani ===

Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category [[Vaniquotes:Category:God's_Fathers|God's Fathers]]. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.

(See our [[Vanipedia:Methodology for AI-Assisted Articles|Vanipedia:Methodology for AI-Assisted Articles]])

[[Category:Vanipedia Gemini - Articles]]
[[Category:Vanipedia Articles - The Science of Knowing God]]
[[Category:Vanipedia Articles - Understanding What Is Transcendence]]
[[Category:Vanipedia Articles - The Science of Thinking, Feeling and Willing]]


<div id="vani-provenance" style="display:none;" data-source="Vanipedia" data-author="Srila Prabhupada Vani Temple" data-license="CC BY-NC-SA 4.0" data-origin-url="{{fullurl:{{PAGENAME}}}}">This content is a part of Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani Temple. Source: https://vanipedia.org</div>