Being Aware of God - The Sign of a Mahatma
To be aware of God is the ultimate goal of human evolution. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that while animals act out of instinct, a human being is meant to inquire about the Absolute Truth. When one becomes fully aware of God—His potencies, His personality, and His supreme control—one achieves liberation and the perfection of life. This awareness is not theoretical; it is a practical realization that leads to surrender and divine service.
The Three Levels of Awareness
Awareness of the Absolute Truth is not one-dimensional. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that those who are truly learned see the Truth from three angles: Brahman (the effulgence), Paramātmā (the Supersoul within), and Bhagavān (the Supreme Personality of Godhead). Full awareness means knowing the characteristics of the Lord's potencies and realizing that the kingdom of God is within oneself.
- Those who are aware of the Absolute Truth, they say that Absolute Truth is one, but He's realized in three angle of vision, namely, Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan.
- Being completely aware of Brahman, the Supreme Absolute Truth, not a bogus. If you want to receive knowledge, then you must approach a guru who is brahma-nistham. That is the qualification of guru.
- The Vedas state that the Absolute Truth has different potencies. When one understands the characteristics of the potencies of the Absolute Truth, one is aware of the Absolute Truth.
- If one is actually aware of God and His instructions, then the kingdom of God is within himself.
Demons vs. Demigods
The dividing line between a demon and a demigod is their awareness of God's authority. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that demigods are fully aware that the Lord is the maintainer and controller of nature. In contrast, demons either deny God's existence, attributing everything to material nature, or they know of His power but willfully defy Him.
- There are two classes of men - the demons and the demigods. The demigods are fully aware of the Supreme Lord's position, and therefore they are obedient to Him, but even if demons know about the supremacy of the Lord they purposely defy His authority.
- They are taking nature as the Supreme. But those who are actually in awareness of God, they know that God is the controller of nature also.
- The devotees or demigods are fully aware that the Lord can maintain any number of living entities, provided they are conscious of how to eat.
- Param bhavam ajanantah: such a conclusion (considering the Supreme Personality of Godhead an ordinary living being) is reached by the unintelligent because they are unaware of the transcendental qualities of the Lord.
The Process of Becoming Aware
Becoming aware of God requires training. It involves developing the qualities of a brāhmaṇa—truthfulness and sense control—and understanding the purpose of the Lord's appearance. Śrīla Prabhupāda quotes the Bhagavad-gītā to show that this awareness is the result of many lifetimes of pious activity, culminating in the realization that Vāsudeva is everything.
- The Bhagavad-gita directs us (7.19) that after many, many births one fortunate person becomes aware of the fact that Vasudeva is all in all and that the best way of leading one's life is to surrender unto Him completely. That is the sign of a mahatma.
- You have to be trained up how to become first-class brain. That is brahmana. You have to become truthful, you have to become controller of the senses, you have to become fully aware of things, of God, everything, full knowledge, then you become brain.
- He (a person who does not very aware of God) is an animal. The animal does not know what is good. A person who does not know what is God, or one who does not try to understand what is God - he is an animal.
- If one understands this fact, that why God comes, if he is fully aware of the fact, he's already liberated, immediately.
Great Souls in Awareness
Throughout Vedic history, great souls have demonstrated confident awareness of the Lord's supremacy. Atri Muni knew that the Lord of the universe is one, despite the appearance of the Trinity. Bhīṣmadeva understood the Lord's affection for His devotees, and Lord Śiva, even when bewildered by the Lord's distinct potency, remained aware of Viṣṇu's supreme power.
- Atri Muni was confidently aware that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the Lord of the universe, so he prayed for the one Supreme Lord. He was surprised, therefore, that three of them appeared.
- Lord Siva was already aware of the supreme power of Lord Visnu, but when he was actually put into bewilderment, he felt proud to have such an exalted master.
- By executing the order of a devotee, the Lord becomes pleased, as a father is pleased to carry out the order of his small child. This is possible only out of pure transcendental love between the Lord and His devotees, and Bhisma was quite aware of this fact.
- Reciters like the suta and the magadha were confidentially aware that Prthu was an incarnation of the Personality of God. Although He denied such praise because he was not at that time exhibiting his godly qualities, the reciters did not stop praising him.
Conclusion
To be aware of God is to be aware of reality. Śrīla Prabhupāda urges us to move from the darkness of ignorance, where we see nature as supreme, to the light of knowledge, where we see Kṛṣṇa as the cause of all causes. When this awareness matures, it naturally manifests as surrender, leading the devotee back to the spiritual world.
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 Aware of God. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.