Understanding the Supreme Nature of God's Personality
Śrīla Prabhupāda establishes that the ultimate feature of the Absolute Truth is not an impersonal energy, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Understanding the Lord's supreme, transcendental personality is the highest achievement of spiritual life, surpassing all attempts at empirical speculation and yogic meditation.
The Original Spiritual Personality
The Supreme Lord is the complete whole who never diminishes, no matter how many energies He emanates. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that although God expands into the material cosmos and into the hearts of all living beings, He simultaneously retains His original, distinct spiritual personality.
- The Absolute Truth is so perfect that although innumerable energies emanate from Him and manifest creations which appear to be different from Him, He nevertheless maintains His personality. He never deteriorates under any circumstances.
- The Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad confirms, purnam idam purnat purnam udacyate: Although He expands in many ways, He keeps His original personality. His original spiritual body remains as it is.
- The Lord is the cause for everything, but there is no cause for Him. Sarvam khalv idam brahma. Mat-sthani sarva-bhutani na caham tesv avasthitah (BG 9.4). Although He is everything, His personality is different from the cosmic manifestation.
Beyond Impersonal Speculation
The limited material mind is ill-equipped to grasp the unlimited nature of God. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that impersonalist philosophers often fail to understand the Lord's personality because they mistakenly project their own material limitations onto the Supreme.
- A liberated man and even a common man may realize impersonal Brahman or localized Paramatma, yet they may not understand God's personality from the verses of Bhagavad-gita, which are being spoken by this person, Krsna.
- The activities of the Lord are pleasing to experimental vision also, but impersonalists will not believe in His identity because they study the personality of the Lord by comparing their personality to His.
- However much the impersonalist may be engaged in studying the Vedanta. The fact is that impersonalists are covered by the above-mentioned three modes of material nature; therefore, they are unable to approach the transcendental Personality of the Lord.
The Transcendental Body
When the Vedic literatures state that the Lord is formless, it simply means He has no material form. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that God's personality is entirely antimaterial; His body, name, fame, and qualities are identical to Himself and completely spiritual.
- In order to distinguish His transcendental body from ordinary material bodies, some philosophers have explained Him (the Supreme Absolute Truth) as being impersonal. In other words, material personality is denied, and spiritual personality is established.
- The Personality of Godhead and the personalities of devotees of the Lord are all transcendental; they do not have material bodies.
- This impersonality means that He (God) is not a person of this material condition. He is a transcendental personality without a material body.
Realization Through Devotion
To genuinely know God, one must adopt the process He Himself recommends. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the Lord's personality cannot be understood through mental gymnastics, but is revealed only to those who engage in bhakti-yoga and hear submissively from pure devotees.
- This personality (Krsna) and His plenary expansions can be known only by antimaterial activities commonly known as bhakti-yoga, or devotional service.
- Lord Brahma said to Lord Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead: My Lord, if one is favored by even a slight trace of the mercy of Your lotus feet, he can understand the greatness of Your personality.
- Sanatana Gosvami, has especially warned that one should not hear anything about the personality of the Lord from the lips of a nondevotee.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda thoroughly dispels the illusion that the Absolute Truth is ultimately impersonal. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, possesses a completely transcendental and eternal personality that remains perfectly intact despite His unlimited cosmic expansions. While empiric philosophers and mundane speculators stumble in their attempts to comprehend God by comparing Him to their own conditioned state, the pure devotees easily realize His supreme nature through the flawless process of bhakti-yoga. By shedding the misconceptions of material logic and taking shelter of devotional service, the living entity awakens to the brilliant reality of God's supreme personality, experiencing eternal bliss in His loving association.
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 Personality. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.