God's Good Qualities Are the Reservoir of All Perfection
In the material world, we often search for individuals possessing noble character, honesty, and compassion, yet we consistently find that human nature is flawed by greed, anger, and illusion. To find pure, unadulterated goodness, one must look beyond the material creation. The Vedic literatures reveal that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the absolute reservoir of all good qualities. Unlike the impersonal philosophers who claim that the ultimate truth is a formless void devoid of any attributes, Śrīla Prabhupāda brilliantly explains that God is a person brimming with unlimited, perfect characteristics. Even more beautifully, because we are His eternal parts and parcels, we inherently possess these same divine qualities in a dormant state. By understanding the absolute nature of God's goodness, the qualitative oneness between the Lord and the living entity, and how devotional service awakens this dormant perfection, we can achieve the highest standard of morality and spiritual fulfillment.
The Absolute Reservoir of Goodness
Impersonalist thinkers often assume that because material qualities are flawed, the Absolute Truth must have no qualities at all (nirguṇa). Śrīla Prabhupāda corrects this misconception, explaining that God is the supreme reservoir of all good qualities. Furthermore, because He is absolute, even traits that appear negative to us are entirely good when exhibited by Him.
- The Mayavadi philosophers take the Absolute Truth to be nirguna ("without qualities"), in accordance with the impersonalistic view, but actually the Lord is the reservoir of all good qualities.
- What you call evil, that quality is also there in God. But God, being absolute, there is no evil; everything is good. God is good.
- We must remember always that we are part and parcel of God. So we have all the good qualities of God; that is our nature. Just like the drop of the ocean water, it has got all the qualities of the ocean.
- Naturally, in our original position we have got all the good qualities of God. Now, due to the material contamination, the godly qualities are now covered.
Awakening Qualities Through Devotional Service
Because we are parts and parcels of God, our lack of good character is simply a symptom of our material conditioning. Śrīla Prabhupāda assures us that we do not need to artificially acquire good qualities; we simply need to uncover them by engaging in unalloyed devotional service to the Supreme Lord.
- Anyone who has developed unalloyed, unflinching devotional service unto the Lord develops his original good qualities as spirit soul. The spirit soul, as part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has all the good qualities of the Lord.
- A devotee is always qualified with all the good qualities of God. Quantitatively such qualifications may be different, but qualitatively both the Lord and His devotee are one and the same.
- By the mercy of the Lord, a devotee develops all the good qualities of God, for a devotee can never remain in the darkness of ignorance.
- By purusottama-yoga, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, one is made perfect even during the present corporeal existence, and one exhibits all the good qualities of the Lord to the highest percentage. Such is the gradual development by association of pure devotees.
The Extent of the Devotee's Perfection
While the living entity can never become equal to God in quantity, they can attain a stunning degree of His qualities. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that a liberated soul can manifest up to seventy-nine percent of the Supreme Lord's good qualities, naturally becoming the embodiment of all moral principles and spiritual knowledge.
- It has been analyzed by great personalities that when a conditioned soul is liberated and becomes a devotee, about 79% of all the good qualities of God develop in his person. Therefore in Vaikuntha there is no question of enmity between God and the residents.
- One who is a devotee of the Lord attains all the good qualifications of the Lord Himself, what to speak of those of a brahmana.
- The highest life of moral principles is to become a devotee of the Lord because a pure devotee of the Lord has all the good qualities of the Lord.
Examples of Perfected Devotees
The scriptures are filled with historical accounts of great personalities who practically demonstrated this divine perfection. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights how pure devotees like Prahlāda Mahārāja and Pṛthu Mahārāja are eternally glorified because their self-control and behavior flawlessly mirrored the transcendental qualities of the Supreme Lord.
- O King, Prahlada Maharaja's good qualities are still glorified by learned saints and Vaisnavas. As all good qualities are always found existing in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they also exist forever in His devotee Prahlada Maharaja.
- In his personal behavior, Prthu Maharaja exhibited all good qualities, and in spiritual knowledge he was exactly like Brhaspati. In self-control he was like the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.
- By rendering devotional service, a devotee acquires all the good qualities of God. Krsna had sixteen thousand wives, all of them very beautiful, and although He dealt with each of them as a beloved husband, He was not attracted or attached to any of them.
Conclusion
A systematic study of the Vedic literatures completely refutes the sterile philosophy that the Absolute Truth is a formless, quality-less void. As Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully explains, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the infinite reservoir of all good qualities. Everything in God is absolute; therefore, even traits that might appear disruptive or "evil" to our mundane vision are perfectly good when executed by His divine will. The most empowering revelation of Vedic philosophy is that every living entity is a tiny, eternal fragment of this Supreme Lord. Just as a single drop of ocean water contains all the chemical properties of the vast ocean, the spirit soul constitutionally possesses all the good qualities of God in a minute quantity. Currently, because we are swimming in the ocean of material existence, these pure, godly qualities are heavily covered by the mud of ignorance, lust, and greed. We cannot manufacture good character through mundane education or legislation; we must uncover our original nature. Śrīla Prabhupāda assures us that by taking up the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and rendering unalloyed devotional service, this material contamination is washed away. A sincere devotee gradually revives their original spiritual identity, eventually exhibiting up to seventy-nine percent of the Supreme Lord's total qualities. This is the secret to attaining the highest standard of moral principles. Great historical figures like Prahlāda Mahārāja and Pṛthu Mahārāja are not celebrated because they were successful politicians; they are eternally glorified because their profound self-control, compassion, and wisdom perfectly mirrored the good qualities of the Supreme Lord Himself.
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 Good Qualities. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.