Absolute Truth of Eternity Knowledge and Bliss

The constitutional nature of the Absolute Truth is a subject of great philosophical depth within the Vedic tradition. Far from being a formless void or merely a negation of material suffering, the Supreme Reality is positively described as sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha—the personal form of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. Śrīla Prabhupāda consistently emphasizes that while the living entities are qualitatively one with God, possessing these same attributes in minute quantity, the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa is their infinite reservoir. This article explores the nature of the Supreme Lord, the status of the living entity, and the distinction between impersonal liberation and the fullness of devotional service.

The Nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead

Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the Supreme Lord is not an abstract concept but a Person whose body is entirely spiritual. Unlike material forms which are temporary and full of ignorance, Kṛṣṇa's form is the very embodiment of sat (eternity), cit (knowledge), and ānanda (bliss).

• God's existence is sac-cid-ananda vigrahah (Bs. 5.1): eternal, blissful, knowledge. So we are part and parcel. Our knowledge, our blissfulness, our eternity may be very small, but we possess the same quality.
• Govinda, Krsna, is the cause of all causes. He is the primal cause, and He is the very form of eternity, knowledge and bliss.
• Originally Lord Krsna is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha (BS 5.1), the transcendental form of eternity, bliss and knowledge; therefore His personal potency, the internal potency, has three different forms.
• One should try to understand the nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. From the sastras we understand that the nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the sum total of eternity, bliss and knowledge.

The Living Entity and the Material Covering

Although the soul is chemically equal to God in quality, possessing the same nature of eternity, knowledge, and bliss, it is currently entrapped by a material body. This material covering blocks the soul's inherent nature, subjecting it to the temporary miseries of birth and death, which are the direct opposite of its eternal constitution.

• Because we are part and parcel of the Supreme, sac-cid-ananda-vigraha - eternity, blissful and knowledge - therefore, although we are minute particles, minute particle . . . but the minute particle has got so much energy.
• It is said that Krsna has a sac-cid-ananda body - isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah (Bs. 5.1) - and we also have a similar body of eternity, knowledge, and bliss, but it is very small and is covered by the dress of matter.
• Actually, our progress toward these (eternity, bliss, & knowledge) goals is being blocked by the material body; therefore we have to come to the realization of our existence beyond the body. Theoretical knowledge that we are not these bodies will not do.
• When a living entity, thinking himself different from Me (Krsna), forgets his spiritual identity of qualitative oneness with Me in eternity, knowledge and bliss, his material, conditional life begins.

Impersonal Brahman vs. Personal Realization

The realization of the Impersonal Brahman allows one to experience eternity and knowledge, but it lacks the dynamic variety of spiritual bliss found in the personal feature of the Lord. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the brahma-jyotir is merely the effulgence of the Lord's form, and stopping there denies one the complete spiritual experience.

• In Brahman realization, the six opulences are not realized in full, nor is there recognition of eternity, bliss and knowledge.
• The Lord is the full-fledged form of eternity, bliss and knowledge, but the formless brahma-jyotir is simply eternity and knowledge.
• Merging into the spiritual existence is the living entity's realization of qualitative oneness with the Supreme Lord in His aspects of eternity and knowledge. But the actual ananda-maya stage is attained when one is engaged in devotional service.
• One has to attain the perfection of sac-cid-ananda (BS 5.1), eternity, bliss and knowledge. Because the impersonalists deny these varieties of creation, they cannot actually enjoy transcendental bliss.

Life in the Spiritual World

The ultimate destination for the soul is the spiritual world, where everything is conscious and cognizant. In the Vaikuṇṭha planets, there is no influence of the material modes; instead, every object and entity exists in a state of pure, eternal bliss, facilitating a loving relationship with the Supreme Lord.

• In the spiritual world, because of the complete absence of the qualitative modes, everything is eternal, blissful and cognizant. Everything can speak, everything can move, everything can hear, and everything can see in fully blessed existence for eternity.
• Devotional service of the Lord is not an activity of this material world; it is part of the spiritual world where eternity, bliss and knowledge predominate.
• The Vaikuntha planets are forms of eternity, bliss and knowledge, and therefore the devotees of the Lord, who are admitted into the abode of the Lord, also get bodies of eternity, bliss and knowledge. As such there is no difference between one and another.
• In the transcendental realm there is no creation and no destruction, and thus the duration of life is eternal unlimitedly. In other words, everything in the transcendental world is everlasting, full of knowledge and bliss without deterioration.

Conclusion

To understand the Absolute Truth fully, one must go beyond the partial realization of the impersonal Brahman and approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. While the soul is eternally part of this spiritual nature—composed of eternity, knowledge, and bliss—it has fallen into the material atmosphere where these qualities are covered. By engaging in devotional service and purifying one's existence, the living entity can revive their original status and enter the spiritual planets, where life is not static but a dynamic interplay of conscious bliss. Thus, the complete definition of the Absolute Truth is realized only when one understands the personal form of the Lord, who is the source of all spiritual opulence.

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 Eternity, Knowledge and Bliss. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.

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