Understanding God's Greatness is the Foundation of True Religion
Almost every major religion in the world subscribes to the fundamental tenet that "God is great." It is a ubiquitous phrase, yet if you ask the average person exactly how God is great, the answers are usually vague, pointing only to big mountains, the vast sky, or abstract concepts of power. The Vedic literatures, however, do not leave the greatness of the Absolute Truth to the imagination. Śrīla Prabhupāda meticulously explains the scientific and philosophical dimensions of God's greatness. He details how the Lord's greatness defies material logic, how we must compare our own minute existence to His infinite opulence, and how mere appreciation of this greatness is only the first step on the path to pure, unalloyed love. By systematically studying the actual activities of God's greatness, we can elevate our consciousness from sentimental awe to active, ecstatic devotional service.
Defining the Supreme Greatness
The greatness of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not a poetic exaggeration; it is a literal reality based on His possession of absolute opulences. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that God is the greatest because He possesses wealth, power, fame, beauty, knowledge, and renunciation in full, and no one can ever be found to be His equal or superior.
- The Lord is naturally endowed with His six opulences. Specifically, He is the richest, He is the most powerful, He is the most famous, He is the most beautiful, He is the greatest in knowledge, and He is the greatest renouncer as well.
- The Absolute Personality of Godhead, He has nothing to do personally. He hasn't got to perform any work, although He is the greatest worker. And nobody is found greater than Him or equal to Him.
- Although there are many foolish Mayavadi philosophers who think that they are even greater than Krsna, Krsna is asamaurdhva: no one is equal to or above Him.
- Vibhu, the greatest, must be all-inclusive. If one has a large bag one can hold many things, whereas in a small bag one cannot.
The Infinitesimal Spark and the Infinite Fire
A common philosophical error is the assumption that because the soul is spiritual, it must be equal in greatness to God. Śrīla Prabhupāda heavily refutes this, clarifying that while the living entity shares the same qualitative nature as the Lord, the Lord is the infinite whole (vibhu), and the living entity is an infinitesimal spark (aṇu).
- We should not foolishly claim that we are as great as the Supreme God. We should understand that we are like sparks of the original fire.
- Actually, to be one with the Supreme Lord means to be one with the interest of the Lord. Becoming one with the Supreme Lord does not imply becoming as great as the Supreme Lord. It is impossible. The part is never equal to the whole.
- This universe (jagat) is situated on the strength of one part of Krsna's yogic powers. In this way we must understand the greatness of God and our own identity as minute particles.
- The living entity is eternal (nitya) like the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the difference is that the Supreme Lord is the greatest, no one being equal to or greater than Him, whereas the living entity is suksma, or extremely small.
The Need for Education
Simply looking at a sunset and declaring "God is great" is an incomplete understanding. Śrīla Prabhupāda stresses that to truly grasp the magnitude of the Lord's greatness, society must introduce systematic spiritual education based on authorized scriptures like the Bhagavad-gītā.
- There are those who can simply think of God as being great but do not know how great He is. When they think of greatness, they think of very high mountains, the sky, and other planets.
- Everyone is thinking that his understanding is the greatest. He has no idea that how greatest God is. We say "God is great," but we do not know how great He is.
- If you want to know in detail how great He is, to what extent He greatly is, how the actions of His greatness are going on, how His activities of greatness are going on, then you read Bhagavad-gita.
- Everywhere there is knowledge of God consciousness. That teaching should be introduced in every schools and colleges so that children, from the very beginning, may understand what is God, how great he is, how we are related with God, and how we have to live.
From Awe and Reverence to Active Love
While appreciating God's greatness is the necessary foundation of religious life (śānta-rasa), it is not the final goal. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that true realization of God's greatness naturally awakens a desire to render active service (dāsya-rasa), and in the highest stages of pure love, too much awe and veneration can actually become an impediment.
- Simply appreciation of the greatness of God, that is good, in God consciousness, but that is not love.
- There are five kinds of relationship. Just like "God is great." That is simply feeling the greatness of God. Then, when he feels exactly how God is great, then naturally there will be an inclination to serve God. That is called servitude.
- On the platform of dasya-rasa, the greatest quantity of awe and veneration of the Supreme Lord is exhibited. That is, in the dasya-rasa, the greatness of the Supreme Lord is appreciated.
- In the five principal transcendental relationships, awe and veneration are sometimes impediments obscuring the Lord's actual greatness and sometimes they actually impede one's service to the Lord.
Conclusion
A systematic study of the Vedic literatures completely transforms the vague, sentimental statement "God is great" into a precise, scientific understanding of the Absolute Truth. As Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully teaches, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the greatest (vibhu) because He is eternally full in the six opulences of wealth, power, fame, beauty, knowledge, and renunciation. His greatness is so absolute that it defies material logic; He is simultaneously larger than the entire cosmic manifestation and smaller than the most infinitesimal atom (aṇor aṇīyān). By contrast, the living entity is an eternal, minute spark of spirit (aṇu). Therefore, the foolish philosophy that the living entity can meditate and eventually become as great as God is completely rejected. The part can never become equal to the whole. To truly grasp this immense difference, human society must move beyond looking at high mountains or the vast sky and instead study authorized scriptures like the Bhagavad-gītā. True education means learning exactly how God acts, how He creates, and how He reciprocates. While appreciating the majesty of God is the vital foundation of spiritual life (śānta-rasa), it is only the beginning. When one factually understands the greatness of the Lord, that understanding naturally matures into a deep desire to actively serve Him (dāsya-rasa). Ultimately, in the highest, most intimate spiritual relationships of Vṛndāvana, the awe and veneration inspired by the Lord's greatness are gently pushed aside. The pure devotees love Kṛṣṇa so intensely as a friend, child, or lover that they forget He is the supreme creator, proving that the only thing greater than God's infinite majesty is His absolute submission to the pure love of His devotees.
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 Greatness. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.