God Is Supreme - The Absolute Controller and Maintainer
Śrīla Prabhupāda repeatedly emphasizes that the fundamental truth of all Vedic knowledge is the absolute supremacy of the Lord. Because Bhagavān possesses all opulences, strength, beauty, knowledge, and renunciation in full, there is no one equal to or greater than Him. Understanding this supremacy is the first step in reviving our eternal relationship with Him.
The Origin and Cause of All Causes
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the fountainhead of all existence. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that whether one studies the Vedānta-sūtra or other world scriptures, the conclusion remains that the Supreme Lord is the original creator and the source of all energies.
- According to the Koran, the Lord has a supreme, blissful, transcendental body. He is the Absolute Truth, the all-pervading, omniscient and eternal being. He is the origin of everything.
- The cosmic manifestation is caused by the energy of the Supreme Absolute Person, in whom all energies are conserved.
- In the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said, satyam param dhimahi. The Vedic mantras say, satyam jnanam anantam and niskalam niskriyam santam niravadyam. God is supreme. Although naturally He does not do anything, He is doing everything.
- The Supreme is defined in Srimad-Bhagavatam as janmadyasya yato 'nvayad itaratas ca, or, "The origin of everything is the Supreme Brahman." Therefore, the origin of lust is also in the Supreme.
The Supreme Controller and Maintainer
Behind the apparent workings of material nature is the supreme direction of the Lord. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that from the rising of the sun to the providing of food for the animals, the entire cosmos is expertly managed by the Supreme.
- According to the anthropologists, there is nature's law of struggle for existence and survival of the fittest. But they do not know that behind the law of nature is the supreme direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- According to the Katha Upanisad, the one Lord is the leader of the innumerable living entities. The living entities are maintained by the Lord. The Lord is called the supreme Bhuta-bhrt, or maintainer of all living beings.
- Everything is controlled by the supreme kala, a forceful representative of the Lord within the material world. Thus Yudhisthira should not be sorry for the inconceivable action of time.
- Whatever is being done, it is being done by the expert management of Krsna. The sun is rising exactly in the time, and it is setting exactly in the time. And the temperature - everything is managed so expertly under the order of the Supreme.
Transcendental to the Material Modes
Although the conditioned souls are overwhelmed by the three modes of material nature, the Supreme Lord remains completely unaffected. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that God's form and consciousness are purely spiritual and forever beyond material contamination.
- Consciousness is already there, but because we are part and parcels, therefore we are affected. There is affinity of being affected by the material modes. But the Lord being Supreme, He is never affected.
- For us there is the affinity of being affected by the inferior modes. But the Lord, being the Supreme, is never affected. That is the difference between the Supreme Lord and the conditioned souls.
- There is no question of His being influenced by sattva-guna, rajo-guna or tamo-guna, for these material qualities cannot touch the Supreme Lord. The Lord is therefore called the supreme isvara.
- The form of the Supreme Lord is beyond the modes of material nature and thus is not like the forms of this material world. His form is fully spiritual and cannot be compared with any material form.
The Subordinate Position of the Jīva
To understand God, one must simultaneously understand the position of the living entity. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that while the soul is qualitatively identical to the Lord, the soul is a minute particle, eternally subordinate to the infinite Supreme.
- God is God, and the living entity is the living entity. God is supreme and infinite; we are infinitesimal. Our position is to serve God, and when we act according to our position, we become happy.
- Soul is a minute particle of God. If one cannot understand about this minute particle, then what he will understand of the Supreme?
- The living entities, although qualitatively one with the Supreme, are infinitesimal, and not infinite. Had they been infinite, there would have been no possibility of their being covered by ignorance.
- The part and parcel of the Supreme, they fall down - some of them - not all. So therefore the living entities, they are different from the Supreme. They are one in quality with the Supreme, but not in quantity.
Refuting the Desire to Merge
The ambition to become one with God is the last snare of māyā. Śrīla Prabhupāda forcefully rejects the Māyāvādī philosophy, explaining that a pure devotee has no desire to lose their individual identity by merging into the existence of the Supreme.
- Because the Mayavadi philosophers do not accept the eternal transcendental form of the Supreme Lord, they are unable to engage in real devotional service.
- Kaivalya-pataye namah. The Mayavadi philosophers, the monists, want to become one with the Supreme. The Supreme is self-satisfied, and they also want to be self-satisfied by becoming one with the Supreme.
- The devotees are not anxious to merge into the existence of the Supreme. The Buddhist philosophy advocates nirvana, the negation of all material desires. Buddha does not offer more than this.
- Sometimes a large serpent swallows a smaller one, and merging into the spiritual existence of the Supreme is analogous. While the small serpent is searching after perfection, he is swallowed. Obviously there is no solution here.
The True Purpose of Yoga
Many people practice yoga for health or mystic powers, missing its actual objective. Śrīla Prabhupāda defines yoga as the process of linking the individual soul with the Supreme Lord, particularly through visualizing the Paramātmā within the heart.
- Generally yoga is understood as meditation. But yoga, real meaning of yoga - to keep, to keep in touch with the Supreme - that is called yoga, to keep in touch.
- Yoga means linking up with the Supreme, and karma, when it is linked up with Krsna, that is called karma-yoga.
- Yogesvara means the connecting link between the soul and the Supersoul, or the Supreme and the minute living creatures - that is called yoga.
- Yogi means that. Yogi does not mean to play some magic. Magician also can play some magic. A devotee is not interested to show any magic, but he is interested to see the magician, supreme, who is playing so much magic.
The Path of Pure Devotion
True religion is not a matter of sectarian labels, but rather the awakening of pure love for the Supreme. Śrīla Prabhupāda states that bhakti, or devotional service, is the natural, eternal occupation of the soul.
- Any religious system you follow, it doesn't matter - but the test is whether you are increasing your love of God, the Supreme. That is the test of religion.
- Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects.
- Religion does not mean that "My religion says this. Your religion says this. Your religion says this." Religion means whether you are properly executing the will of the Supreme. That is all. This is religion.
- Our real occupational duty is to serve the Supreme. That is our real occupational duty. We are meant for serving. When we forget serving Krsna and we try to serve so many other things... means our lust, greediness, illusion, so many problems we serve.
The Supreme Protector of the Surrendered Soul
When a living entity fully acknowledges the supremacy of the Lord and surrenders, they are immediately granted divine protection. Śrīla Prabhupāda assures us that the Lord is the ultimate well-wisher and guide for all His sincere devotees.
- Anyone who is a surrendered soul unto the Supreme is righteous, and he is specifically protected by the Lord in all circumstances.
- Because the Personality of Godhead is supreme, no one is equal to Him, and no one is greater than Him. Nonetheless, if one is a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord is easily obtainable.
- The devotees of the Lord are always under the protection of the Lord, and in any condition, frustration or success, the Lord is the supreme guide for the devotees. The pure devotees accept all conditions of frustration as blessings from the Lord.
- The solution is we have to surrender unto the Supreme. Just like if you are arrested by the police, then it is very difficult to get out of their clutches. But if you are a good citizen, surrendered soul to the state, there is no problem.
Conclusion
To understand the Absolute Truth means to recognize that God is supreme in every conceivable way. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that Bhagavān is the master of all material and spiritual energies, the supreme controller of time and karma, and the ultimate objective of all yoga and religious principles. The conditioned souls suffer only because they try to imitate His supremacy or falsely aspire to merge into His existence. By intelligently accepting our subordinate position and surrendering to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in unalloyed bhakti, we awaken our natural spiritual consciousness. In this purified state, the living entity happily re-enters the eternal service of the Lord, relishing a loving relationship with the supreme maintainer forever.
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 God Is Supreme. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.