The Divine Operation of God's Prakṛti

Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that material nature is not a blind, independent force, but the divine, controlled energy of the Supreme Lord. By studying his instructions, we can understand the eternal reality of prakṛti, how the Lord activates it through His glance, His absolute control over it, and the illusory drama it presents to the conditioned souls.

The Eternal Material Energy

A common philosophical misunderstanding is the idea that the material world is entirely false or non-existent. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that because prakṛti is the direct energy of the Absolute Truth, it is factual and eternal, serving continuously as the Lord's external form or manifestation.

• Prakrti is eternal; it is not false. The Lord refers to this as "My prakrti."
• The Lord explains (here in BG 4.6) His prakrti or His form. Prakrti means nature as well as svarupa, or one's own form.
• Everything is manifestation of the prakrti of the Lord, exactly like the heat and light of the fire. Heat and light are not different from the fire, but at the same time, heat and light are not the fire.
• Because both energies emanate from Lord Vasudeva, the all-pervasive Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is known as both prakrti and purusa. Therefore Vasudeva is the cause of everything (sarva-karana-karanam) - BS 5.1.

The Glance of the Supreme Puruṣa

Material nature, being dull matter, cannot generate life on its own. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains the Vedic conclusion: the Supreme Lord, acting as the original male principle (puruṣa), must first cast His glance over the dormant female principle (prakṛti) to impregnate it with the living entities.

• Real is that in contact. Sa aiksata. That is the Vedic information. When the Supreme Personality of Godhead glanced over the prakrti, mahat-tattva, then the three gunas agitated,and she begins to give birth in so many varieties of the twenty-four elements.
• The description in the Vedas indicates that the Lord glanced over the prakrti, or nature, and impregnated it with atomic individuals souls.
• To generate the universe, the Lord acts indirectly as the purusa and directly as the prakrti.
• Such adjustments of the air are all made possible by the cooperation of the principles of purusa - male and prakrti - female.

The Supreme Controller of Nature

Atheistic scientists often assume that nature works automatically according to mechanical laws. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that this is a misconception; prakṛti is entirely subordinate to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who acts as the ultimate superintendent and director of all material creation and dissolution.

• In Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krsna states that it is He only who superintends the creative energy, prakrti, which constitutes the totality of matter. Therefore, Sri Vyasadeva does not worship Brahma, but the Supreme Lord, who guides Brahma in his creative activities.
• The Lord says in the Bhagavad-gita, "This created world and material energy are under My control. Under the influence of prakrti, automatically they are created again and again, and this is done by Me through the agency of My external energy."
• The Lord enters the prakrti, and then the prakrti creates different manifestations. The prakrti is not independent or beyond His energies. Vasudeva, Lord Sri Krsna, is the original cause of everything.
• Krsna sets His nature (prakrti) into motion, as one may wind up a clock, and when nature unwinds, it is absorbed into the Lord. The spiritual creation, however, is not like this, for it is permanent.

The Illusory Drama of the Material World

When viewed without spiritual knowledge, the complex workings of the universe easily bewilder the observer. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that while an ignorant person is mesmerized by the mechanical movements of matter, the advanced devotee understands that the entire cosmic display is an illusory drama staged by the Lord's prakṛti.

• By illusory action of prakrti, even dead matter is caused to move by the cooperation of living energy of the Lord, and the material world appears like a dramatic performance to the ignorant eyes.
• The ignorant person may even be a scientist or physiologist in the drama of prakrti, while the sane person knows prakrti as the illusory energy of the Lord.
• There is one Supreme Person who is the progenitor of this cosmic manifestation and whose energy acts as prakrti, or the material nature, dazzling like a reflection.
• For His material creative energies, He is served by four, namely the principles of prakrti, purusa, mahat-tattva and ego.

Conclusion

Śrīla Prabhupāda perfectly clarifies the relationship between the Supreme Lord and His material energy, putting to rest the flawed theories of independent material evolution. Prakṛti is neither an autonomous force nor a false illusion; it is the factual, eternal, and inferior energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because matter is inherently dull and lifeless, the cosmic manifestation cannot begin until the Supreme puruṣa casts His divine glance over it, impregnating nature with the living entities and setting the wheels of creation in motion. Therefore, everything observed in this phenomenal world—from the highest planetary systems down to the smallest atomic interactions—is strictly supervised by Śrī Kṛṣṇa. While materially absorbed scientists are captivated by the intricate drama of this illusory energy, the wise devotee sees past the bewildering curtain of prakṛti and recognizes the absolute, controlling hand of the Supreme Lord behind every movement in the universe.

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's Prakrti. 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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