Emanating from Kṛṣṇa - Aham Sarvasya Prabhavaḥ
The highest realization in spiritual life is discovering the original identity behind the Absolute Truth. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Lord Kṛṣṇa is not a mythological figure or a subordinate incarnation; He is the supreme cause of all causes, from whom every material element, every spiritual spark, and every incarnation eternally emanates.
The Source of All Incarnations
It is a common misconception to view Kṛṣṇa as merely one of many avatars. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that Kṛṣṇa is the original avatārī—the fountainhead from whom even the massive puruṣa-avatāras, like Mahā-Viṣṇu, expand to create the material universes.
- Krsna is the origin of all visnu-tattvas, including Maha-Visnu, Garbhodakasayi Visnu and Ksirodakasayi Visnu. He is the ultimate goal of Vaisnava philosophy. Everything emanates from Him.
- This chapter (of Bhagavad-gita) reveals Krsna as the cause of all causes. He is even the cause of the Maha-visnu, from whom the material universes emanate. Krsna is not an incarnation; He is the source of all incarnations.
- Lord Krsna is also known as avatari, which means, "one from whom all the incarnations emanate."
- All the different forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or visnu-tattva, emanate from the body of Lord Krsna.
The Origin of the Brahmajyoti
Impersonalist philosophers often mistake the blinding spiritual light as the ultimate reality. Śrīla Prabhupāda corrects this by explaining that the brahmajyoti is simply the glowing effulgence emanating directly from the personal, transcendental body of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
- When there is some illumination, that is also Krsna. The original effulgence in the spiritual sky, the brahma-jyotir, emanates from the body of Krsna. This material sky is covered.
- The effulgence pervading the universe is considered to be the rays of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The supreme abode of Krsna is always throwing off the effulgence known as brahma-jyotir, and that effulgence is emanating from His body.
- Those who are jnanis, those who are trying to approach the Absolute Truth by mental speculation, by dint of their teeny knowledge, they can, utmost, approach to this brahma-jyoti. But that brahma-jyoti is only emanation of the bodily effulgence of Krsna.
- Actually, the effulgence is emanating from the planet of Krsna, Goloka Vrndavana. Part of that shining effulgence is covered by the mahat-tattva, the material world.
The Material World is Not False
Because the material world is temporary, some philosophers declare it to be entirely false (mithyā). Śrīla Prabhupāda uses the philosophy of acintya-bhedābheda to explain that because the material elements emanate from Kṛṣṇa, the Absolute Truth, they are factually real and must be engaged in His service.
- The Vaisnava who knows how to serve Krsna, he does not take anything as mithya. Because Krsna is the Absolute Truth, why anything emanation from Krsna should be mithya? How it is possible? If something is prepared from gold, why it should be valueless?
- When one comes to this understanding, that "Everything belongs to Krsna, everything has emanated from Krsna," "and everything can be used for Krsna," then real understanding - sarvam khalv idam brahma (Chandogya Upanisad 3.14.1). That is wanted.
- This philosophy of acintya-bhedabheda, inconceivable oneness and difference, is the perfect philosophy enunciated by the Vaisnavas. Everything is an emanation from Krsna, but it is not that everything must therefore be worshiped.
- Vasudeva said - One has to understand Your (Krsna's) appearance with great intelligence because the material energy is also emanating from You. You are the original source of the material energy, just as the sun is the source of the sunshine.
The Source of All Opulence and Love
Kṛṣṇa is not an abstract energy; He is the supreme enjoyer and the reservoir of all qualities. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that any truth, beauty, opulence, or loving relationship found within the universe is simply a minute, reflected emanation from Kṛṣṇa's original, transcendental personality.
- If there is any truth within this material world, it emanates from the Supreme Truth, Krsna. If there is any opulence within the material world, the cause of the opulence is Krsna.
- Krsna is the everlasting mine of all beauty. It is from that beauty that all beautiful things emanate.
- They (liberated devotees) personally associate with the Lord (Krsna) in five mellows - santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhurya. These rasas are all emanations from Krsna.
- The real position is that He is the original source of all qualities. All qualities are emanating constantly from Him. How, therefore, can a limited person count the qualities of the Lord?
Perfect Completeness
Despite generating unlimited universes and expanding into countless forms, the Supreme Lord never diminishes. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains the inconceivable nature of Kṛṣṇa's internal potency: He remains the complete, inexhaustible whole, no matter how many complete units emanate from Him.
- He (Krsna) is complete, and although innumerable complete forms emanate from Him, He is still complete, without any loss. That is His spiritual or internal potency.
- The Vedas say that He (Krsna) is so complete that even though the whole complete identity emanates from Him, He still remains the same complete whole.
- Everything emanates from Him (Krsna) perpetually, yet He maintains His original form (sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah). Krsna personally says in Bhagavad-gita (BG 10.8), mattah sarvam pravartate: Everything emanates from Me.
- A clear explanation is given in the beginning of the Isopanisad, in which it is stated that the Supreme Lord is so complete that although unlimited energies, their transformations emanate from Him, Krsna's personality is not in the least bit transformed.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda perfectly distills the supreme, esoteric truth of the Vedic literatures: Lord Kṛṣṇa is the absolute, original source from whom everything emanates. By clearly identifying Kṛṣṇa as the avatārī, the cause of all causes, Śrīla Prabhupāda dispels the misconception that Kṛṣṇa is merely an incarnation of Viṣṇu. In fact, it is from Kṛṣṇa that Mahā-Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and the entire cosmic manifestation emanate. Furthermore, Śrīla Prabhupāda shatters the illusion of the impersonalists by revealing that the dazzling brahmajyoti is not the ultimate truth, but merely the bodily effulgence emanating from Kṛṣṇa's transcendental form in Goloka Vṛndāvana. Because both the material elements and the spiritual sparks emanate from Kṛṣṇa's perfect energies, the material world cannot be dismissed as false (mithyā). According to the sublime philosophy of acintya-bhedābheda, everything is simultaneously one with and different from Kṛṣṇa, and therefore everything must be dovetailed in His service. By understanding that all beauty, opulence, and loving rasas emanate perpetually from Him, the wise soul completely surrenders to Kṛṣṇa, attaining the highest perfection of transcendental knowledge.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Emanating from Krsna. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.