God's Attributes - The Limitless Qualities of the Supreme Person
When mundane philosophers contemplate the Absolute Truth, they often strip it of all qualities, assuming that to possess attributes means to be limited by material boundaries. However, the Vedic literatures explain that while the Supreme Lord is completely free from material qualities, He is the infinite reservoir of spiritual qualities. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that God is not a zero; He is the supreme "one," full of majestic, attractive, and absolute attributes. By understanding the nature of these divine opulences, the limitations of human perception, and the specific distribution of these qualities among living entities, we can learn how to properly approach and realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The Absolute Nature of His Qualities
In the material world, a person and their qualities are different; a man may be wealthy today and poor tomorrow. In the spiritual realm, however, there is absolutely no duality. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Lord and His attributes are eternally identical.
- All of His forms, names, pastimes, attributes, associates and energies are identical with Him because the Lord is the absolute Transcendence.
- Since Narayana, Hari, the Personality of Godhead, is beyond the material creation, His form and attributes are not material.
- The existence of Narayana, or the Personality of Godhead, is not within the jurisdiction of this mahat-tattva, and as such, the name, form, attributes, etc. of Narayana are beyond the jurisdiction of the material world.
- In the Visnu Purana it is said that all the qualities attributed to the Supreme Lord, such as knowledge, opulence, beauty, strength and influence, are known to be nondifferent from Him. This is also confirmed in the Padma Purana.
Beyond Speculation and Blunt Senses
Because the Lord's attributes exist beyond the mahat-tattva (the total material energy), they cannot be measured by our physical eyes or comprehended by our material brains. Therefore, Śrīla Prabhupāda strongly warns against trying to concoct or imagine the qualities of God.
- We cannot understand what is Krsna, or God, His name, His form, His attributes, His pastimes... we cannot understand by these blunt material senses. Then how it is to be understood? After all, this human life is meant for understanding God.
- The transcendental name, form, attributes, pastimes, etc., of the Personality of Godhead are impossible to understand with the present material senses.
- We cannot concoct the form and attributes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We must simply accept the description given in Vedic literatures about the Lord's form and activities.
- We can have some conception of the Absolute Truth, His form and His attributes simply by reading the descriptions given in Vedic literatures and authoritative statements given by exalted personalities like Brahma, Narada, Sukadeva Gosvami and others.
The Seventy-Eight Percent Principle
The Vedic literatures provide a highly exact scientific analysis of the Lord's attributes. While the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa possesses one hundred percent of all divine qualities, the living entities possess only a specific fraction of them.
- The jivas, or the individual living beings in different statuses of life, possess up to the limit of seventy-eight percent of the attributes.
- The living beings, who are part-and-parcel entities of the Supreme Being, have all these attributes partially, up to the full strength of seventy-eight percent.
- The most perfect of living beings is Brahma, the supreme administrator of one universe. He possesses seventy-eight percent of the attributes in full.
- The perfected living being, by developing seventy-eight percent of the above attributes in fullness, can enter the planet of Krsnaloka after leaving the present material body.
Realization Through Devotional Service
If mental speculation fails, how can we access the Lord's attributes? Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the only key to unlocking this transcendental mystery is pure devotional service, particularly the chanting and hearing of the holy names.
- One cannot have any clear conception of the Lord or His holy name, form, attributes, pastimes, etc., unless one is engaged in His transcendental loving service.
- O Lord, Your transcendental name and form are not ascertained by those who merely speculate on the path of imagination. Your name, form and attributes can be ascertained only through devotional service.
- Punya-sravana-kirtana refers to the process of devotional service. Even if one does not understand the meaning of the Lord's name, pastimes or attributes, one is purified simply by hearing or chanting of them. Such purification is called sattva-bhavana.
- By offenseless chanting and hearing of the holy name of the Lord, one becomes acquainted with the transcendental form of the Lord, and then with the attributes of the Lord, and then with the transcendental nature of His pastimes.
Conclusion
A true understanding of God requires moving past the vague, impersonal conception of a featureless light and embracing the reality of the Supreme Person. Śrīla Prabhupāda systematically establishes that the Absolute Truth is beautifully adorned with unlimited, transcendental attributes that are completely non-different from His very self. Because these attributes are entirely spiritual, they remain eternally beyond the reach of our blunt material senses and our academic speculation. We cannot invent God's qualities; we can only hear about them from authorized Vedic authorities. Interestingly, because we are part and parcel of the Lord, we qualitatively share these attributes. The individual jīvas can manifest up to seventy-eight percent of Kṛṣṇa's attributes in minute quantities, while exalted demigods like Lord Brahmā manifest that exact same seventy-eight percent in fullness. However, no living entity can ever equal the hundred-percent opulence of the Supreme Lord. To realize this truth and actually perceive the Lord's magnificent attributes, one must abandon the path of mental speculation and engage in pure devotional service. By sincerely engaging in puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtana—hearing and chanting the holy names—the heart is cleansed, allowing the limitless, beautiful attributes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be fully revealed.
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 Attributes. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.