God Without - One Without a Second
Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that defining the Supreme Personality of Godhead often requires understanding what He is completely free from. Because our material experience is plagued by duality, limitations, and physical boundaries, it is difficult to conceive of an entity who exists entirely without these flaws. The Vedic literatures carefully use the word "without" to strip away our mundane misconceptions, revealing a Supreme Lord who is without a second, without material form, and simultaneously present both within and without the entire cosmic manifestation.
Present Within and Without
A common philosophical puzzle is how God can be a localized person yet exist everywhere. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that while the Lord sits within the heart as the Supersoul, His divine energies expand outward, making Him present without, pervading all of creation like sunlight. The perfection of yoga allows the purified mystic to realize this simultaneous presence.
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is antarbahih, present within and without everything. One must overcome the delusion caused by the Lord's external energy and realize His presence both externally and internally.
- Every living entity and everything is within Him, and yet He is without, all-pervading. How is that? He is just like the sun, which is situated in one place and yet is present all over by its rays.
- A similar understanding was expressed by Kuntidevi. The Supreme Lord exists everywhere, within and without. He even exists within the heart. Sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati.
- I have a body in which I can control my senses and can understand my destination; therefore, I offer my respectful obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by whom I have been blessed with this body and by whose grace I can see Him within and without.
One Without a Second
In the material world, expansions and copies lose the potency of the original. However, the spiritual realm operates on the principle of advaita—nonduality. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that the Lord is one without a second, expanding into unlimited forms without any loss of power or differentiation in His absolute nature.
- Therefore, O King, you should look to the Supreme Lord only, who is one without a second and who manifests Himself by different energies and is both within and without.
- As stated in the Brahma-samhita: I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, who is the original person, nondual, infallible, and without beginning. Although He expands into unlimited forms, He is still the original.
- In the Brahma-samhita it is stated: advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam, adyam purana-purusam nava-yauvanam ca. The Lord is advaita, without differentiation. There is no difference between the forms of Krsna, Rama, Narayana and Visnu. All of Them are one.
- He is without any duality, but the Absolute Truth is known as in three features: by somebody as Brahman, by somebody as Paramatma and somebody as Bhagavan. Actually, He is Bhagavan. Paramatma is His universal feature.
Without Material Form
Because the Vedas sometimes describe the Absolute Truth as being "without form" or "without senses," impersonalist philosophers wrongly conclude that God is a void. Śrīla Prabhupāda vehemently corrects this, clarifying that God is simply without a material body; His form is purely spiritual.
- Whenever in the scripture it is said that God is without form, that means He has no form which we have got experience. But He has got form. Just the same example. When you cannot measure, you say a point has no length, no breadth.
- The impersonalist philosophers, who wish to maintain that the Absolute Truth is without senses, cannot comprehend this verse of Bhagavad-gita.
- No one can persuade him that God is impersonal, without a form, or that any form created by imagination can be accepted as God.
- He is eternally void of all disturbances and fearless. He is complete consciousness as opposed to matter. Uncontaminated and without distinctions, He is the principle primeval cause of all causes and effects.
Acting Without Impediments or Proof
The Supreme Lord is entirely self-sufficient. He does not require the assistance of demigods, or even the goddess of fortune, to execute His will. Furthermore, Śrīla Prabhupāda warns that because God's actions are without impediment, society must not accept cheap imposters as God without scriptural proof.
- The Lord can act without regard to material impediments or inconveniences, but to prove that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and was not merely advertised as Godhead or elected by popular vote, He constructed a wonderful bridge over the ocean.
- Prthu Maharaja indicated that even though she might go away out of anger, there would be no harm for Lord Visnu, because He is self-sufficient and can do anything and everything without the help of Laksmiji.
- Why should someone be accepted as God without displaying extraordinary potency by doing something never to be done by any common man?
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is identified by the symptoms mentioned in the sastras. It is not that anyone and everyone can become God without proof from sastras.
Conclusion
To fully grasp the magnitude of the Absolute Truth, one must abandon all material reference points. Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully establishes that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is uniquely one without a second (advaita). Unlike conditioned souls, His expansions are without differentiation, retaining the full potency of the original person. While impersonalist thinkers falsely conclude that God is a void, the Vedic texts clarify that He is simply without mundane senses and without a deteriorating material form. As the supreme controller, the Lord operates entirely without impediments, creating and maintaining the cosmos without the need for external help. For the sincere devotee who faithfully practices yoga and devotional service, the ultimate reward is piercing the veil of material illusion to perceive this uncontaminated Lord simultaneously within the heart and without, recognizing His divine presence everywhere.
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 Without. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.