Kṛṣṇa - The Absolute Personality of Godhead
In the spiritual evolution of the soul, realizing the Absolute Truth is the ultimate goal. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that this Truth is not a void or a formless energy; it is ultimately the Absolute Personality of Godhead. Recognizing the supreme, personal nature of God is the highest pinnacle of Vedic knowledge, transforming philosophical inquiry into spontaneous loving devotion.
The Ultimate Phase of the Absolute Truth
Many transcendentalists mistakenly conclude that the ultimate reality is impersonal. Śrīla Prabhupāda philosophically dismantles this idea by explaining that the Absolute Truth is exhibited in three phases. The impersonal Brahman and the localized Paramātmā are merely deductions or partial manifestations of the Absolute Personality of Godhead. Just as a government relies on a supreme executive head, the spiritual energies rely on the Supreme Person, who possesses the six primary opulences—wealth, strength, fame, beauty, knowledge, and renunciation—in absolute fullness.
- Brahman and Paramatma are concomitants deduced from the Absolute Personality, as a government and its ministers are deductions from the supreme executive head. In other words, the principal truth is exhibited in three different phases.
- The Absolute Personality of Godhead must be completely full of opulence, strength, fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation. Yet the transcendental Personality of Godhead is astonishingly ascertained as impersonal.
- Six kinds of opulences, namely wealth, strength, fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation, are all originally the different attributes pertaining to the Absolute Personality of Godhead.
- The Absolute Truth is ultimately the Absolute Person; otherwise there would have been no need to mention so many details in support of His personal features.
Kṛṣṇa is the Original Eternal Person
Having established that the Absolute Truth is a person, Śrīla Prabhupāda points to the Vedic literatures to identify exactly who that person is. In the Bhagavad-gītā, the Mahābhārata, and the Purāṇas, it is proven that the original, eternal form of the Absolute Personality of Godhead is Kṛṣṇa. Lord Caitanya explained to Sanātana Gosvāmī that Kṛṣṇa is the absolute, non-dual truth (advaya-jñāna-tattva). He is the source of all expansions, sitting in everyone's heart as the Paramātmā to direct their activities.
- In the Bhagavad-gita, it has been proven that the original transcendental and eternal form of the Lord is Sri Krsna, the Absolute Personality of Godhead.
- Because I (Lord Sri Krsna) am transcendental to all of them, even those who are infallible, I am known in all the Vedas and histories (the Puranas, Mahabharata, Ramayana, etc.) as the Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead - 15.17-18.
- That greatness of Lord Krsna is being described here by Lord Caitanya to His disciple, Sanatana Gosvami. Advaya-jnana-tattva, vraje vrajendra-nandana. Advaya-jnana-tattva. Advaya-jnana-tattva means He is Absolute. He is not relative.
- The Absolute Personality of Godhead, Krsna, expands Himself by His plenary Paramatma portion in everyone's heart and He directs everyone in the matter of recollection, forgetfulness, knowledge, the absence of intelligence and all psychological activities.
The Supremacy of the Whole Over the Part
A common pitfall for aspiring transcendentalists is to falsely equate their own spiritual nature with the supreme nature of God. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that while the living entities are qualitatively one with the Absolute Personality of Godhead, they are quantitatively minute. Just as a tiny fragmental spark can never become the original fire, the living entity can never become equal to the Supreme Whole. No matter how great a living being may seem in the material world, Kṛṣṇa remains the supreme, unsurpassed Absolute Person.
- A living entity and the Absolute Personality of Godhead are never to be considered equal, just as a fragmental spark can never be considered the original flame.
- As a part can never be equal with the whole, so a living entity, as a minute fragment of the spiritual whole, cannot be equal at any time to the Supreme Whole, the absolute Personality of Godhead.
- However you may be great in the estimation of others, you will find somebody is greater than you, and somebody is lower than you, and somebody is equal to you. But so far the greatest Absolute Personality of Godhead is concerned, na tasya samah adhikas ca drsyate.
- The whole process is that all living entities, being constitutionally parts and parcels of the supreme living being, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, have proportionately minute independence of action also.
The Failure of Mental Speculation
The Absolute Person cannot be captured by the tiny brains of conditioned souls. Śrīla Prabhupāda firmly states that because our material senses are imperfect, mental speculation and mundane meditation are entirely useless for understanding Kṛṣṇa. The sacred Bhagavad-gītā confirms that the Absolute Personality of Godhead is beyond the range of human thought. The only viable method to understand Him is to abandon speculation and submissively hear from the Lord Himself or the bona fide spiritual master.
- If you want to know the Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead, you cannot speculate, neither meditate. It is not possible, because your senses are very imperfect. So what is the way? Just hear from Him.
- Through mental speculation, even the greatest philosopher cannot know the Supreme Lord, who is the Absolute Personality of Godhead.
- It is said in the Upanisads that the Supreme Truth, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, is beyond the range of the thinking power of the greatest philosopher.
- It is not possible in our human condition to understand the Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead completely, but with the help of Bhagavad-gita, the statements given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and of the spiritual master, we can know Him to the best of our capacity.
Linking Through Devotional Service
Material activities and pious works cannot bridge the gap between the conditioned soul and the Supreme Lord. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that we can only link with the Absolute Personality of Godhead through spontaneous, loving devotional service. By serving under the direction of a transparent via medium—the spiritual master—a devotee becomes free from material doubts. This path of absolute surrender, as perfectly exemplified by the great devotee Vidura, is the eternal constitutional relationship of the soul.
- It is not possible to arouse the virat-purusa or to link with the Supreme Absolute Personality of Godhead by material activities. Only by devotional service and detachment can one perform the process of linking with the Absolute.
- Serving the Absolute Truth means rendering service unto the Absolute Personality of Godhead under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master, who is a transparent via medium between the Lord and the neophyte devotee.
- The real form of religion is spontaneous loving service to Godhead. This relationship of the living being with the Absolute Personality of Godhead in service is eternal.
- Vidura wanted to achieve sincere devotional service of the Lord and therefore became a soul absolutely surrendered to the Absolute Personality of Godhead. He could realize this in the progress of his pilgrim's journey, and thus he was freed from all doubts.
Conclusion
The ultimate welfare of human society relies entirely on recognizing the Supreme Lord. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement exists solely to establish the supremacy of the Absolute Personality of Godhead. Without accepting the personal feature of God as the cause of all causes, societal leaders and governments cannot truly benefit the citizens. True human civilization begins when everyone becomes trained to serve and glorify the Absolute Person.
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 Absolute Personality of Godhead. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.