God's Investing Empowers the Cosmic Manifestation and His Representatives
A common question posed by skeptics is: "If God is a person, how can He manage an infinite universe filled with countless planets and living beings all at once?" The Vedic literatures provide a sublime and highly scientific answer. The Supreme Personality of Godhead acts much like a supreme monarch or a master engineer; He accomplishes monumental tasks not by physically running everywhere Himself, but by delegating authority and investing His potencies into various agents. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the physical laws of nature, the exalted demigods, the Lord's own plenary expansions, and specifically empowered living entities are all functioning strictly by the grace of God's investing. By understanding how the Lord invests His potencies, we can clearly perceive His active presence in the laws of physics, the vibration of His holy name, and the extraordinary activities of His pure devotees.
Investing Power in the Cosmos and Material Nature
When scientists observe the universe, they marvel at the laws of gravity and planetary motion. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that these "laws" are not independent phenomena. The Supreme Lord personally invests His potency into the material energy, giving it the specific qualities needed to sustain the planets and make life possible.
- The origin of creation is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, the cosmic manifestation is working under the direction of the Supreme Lord, who invests the material energy with three material qualities.
- The so-called law of gravitation which sustains the planets is described herein as the potency of God. This potency is invested by God in the way that an expert sacrificial brahmana puts fire in the arani wood by the potency of Vedic mantras.
- By this arrangement (God investing His potency) the world becomes habitable for both the moving and nonmoving creatures.
- Although the modes of material nature are entrusted to different manifestations like Brahma, Visnu and Siva, each of whom is particularly invested with different kinds of power, the Supreme Lord is completely aloof from such activities.
Investing Potency in Direct Expansions and Holy Names
The Lord's process of investing extends to His direct manifestations. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains how the Lord invests specific creative and sustaining powers into His puruṣa-avatāras and expansions like Pradyumna and Anantadeva. Furthermore, He invests all of His supreme, absolute potencies into the sound vibration of His holy name.
- As the initiator of the material energy as well as the marginal potency (the living beings), He (the Lord) expands Himself as the purusa-avataras, who are invested with potencies similar to His.
- He (Pradyumna) is the origin of the creation of the material world, and He has invested His creative principle in Cupid. It is by His direction only that all men and demigods and other living entities function with energy for regeneration.
- Sankarsana has invested Anantadeva with all the potencies of sustenance.
- All potencies are invested in the holy vibration of the holy name of the Lord. There is no doubt that the holy name of the Lord, or omkara, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.
Empowered Living Entities (Śaktyāveśa-avatāras)
Occasionally, the Supreme Lord wishes to execute a specific mission on earth without descending personally. To achieve this, He empowers an ordinary living entity. Śrīla Prabhupāda introduces these specially empowered beings as śaktyāveśa-avatāras, explaining that they act with the Lord's direct "power of attorney."
- Empowered representatives (of God) are called saktyavesa-avataras, or incarnations invested with transcendental power of attorney.
- Saktyavesa-avataras are incarnations invested with transcendental power of attorney.
- Whenever the Lord is present in someone by portions of His various potencies, the living entity representing the Lord is called a saktyavesa-avatara - that is, an incarnation invested with special power.
- Sometimes He appears as a saktyavesa-avatara like Lord Buddha. As explained before, these saktyavesa-avataras are incarnations of Visnu's power invested in a living entity.
Specific Empowerments of Devotees and Kings
The investment of the Lord's power is always perfectly suited to the task at hand. Śrīla Prabhupāda provides historical examples of how this divine investment works, detailing the specific potencies granted to Lord Paraśurāma, King Pṛthu, Lord Śeṣa, and the great sage Nārada Muni.
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead invested the power of personal service in Lord Sesa, and He invested the power to rule the earth in King Prthu. Lord Parasurama received the power to kill rogues and miscreants.
- Sometimes the Lord invests His power to rule in a king like Prthu and enables such a king to kill rogues and miscreants. He also invests His power in incarnations like Parasurama.
- Examples of direct or saksad-avataras are the Sesa incarnation and the Ananta incarnation. In Ananta the power for sustaining all planets is invested, and in the Sesa incarnation the power for serving the Supreme Lord is invested.
- The Lord was much pleased with Narada Muni, and therefore the necessary strength was invested in him so that he could hear the Lord.
Conclusion
A systematic study of the Vedic literatures completely clarifies how the Supreme Personality of Godhead manages the infinite complexities of the material world. As Śrīla Prabhupāda so beautifully explains, the Lord is never burdened by His creation because He flawlessly delegates His authority. The physical wonders that mundane scientists marvel at—such as the laws of gravitation that keep the planets afloat—are nothing more than the divine potencies of God invested into the material energy. To administer these laws, the Lord invests specific powers into the guṇa-avatāras—Lord Brahmā, Lord Viṣṇu, and Lord Śiva—allowing Him to remain completely aloof and enjoy His spiritual pastimes. Even more profound is His investment in the spiritual realm. He invests the power of sustenance into Lord Ananta, the power of regeneration into Cupid, and most mercifully for the conditioned souls, He invests all of His absolute potencies into the chanting of His holy names. When the Lord desires to establish religious principles on earth without descending personally, He invests His "transcendental power of attorney" into a highly qualified living entity, creating a śaktyāveśa-avatāra. In this way, King Pṛthu was miraculously empowered to rule the world, Lord Paraśurāma was invested with the power to annihilate corrupt rulers, and Nārada Muni was endowed with the spiritual strength required to hear the Supreme Lord directly. By recognizing the principle of God's investing, a devotee learns to see the majestic hand of the Supreme Lord everywhere, deeply appreciating how He empowers both the cosmos and His beloved servants.
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 Investing. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.