God's Becoming - The Infallibility of the Supreme Lord
The concept of God "becoming" something is a profound philosophical topic that is easily misunderstood by mundane thinkers. When ordinary people hear that God became a boar, became many, or became angry, they often apply their own material experience to the Absolute Truth, assuming that God is subject to change, contamination, or emotional instability. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda draws a strict line between the material becoming of conditioned souls and the transcendental becoming of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By understanding how the Lord expands, how He incarnates, and how He reciprocates with His devotees, we can appreciate the infallible nature of the Supreme Lord.
The One Becomes Many
The Upaniṣads declare that before the cosmic creation, the Lord desired to become many. Impersonalists wrongly interpret this to mean that God broke apart into the universe and no longer exists as a person. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies the actual meaning of this profound Vedic statement.
- In the Chandogya Upanisad, it is said, tad aiksata bahu syam prajayeya. This statement confirms the fact that when the Supreme Personality of Godhead wishes to become many, the cosmic manifestation arises simply by His glancing over material energy.
- God became many for His enjoyment because He is the enjoyer. We are not enjoyer; we are enjoyed. So we must know our constitutional position, that we are not enjoyer; we are enjoyed.
- We are part and parcel of Krsna, and our business is to satisfy Krsna. From the Vedas we understand that God, who is one, has become many. We are the many parts and parcels of Krsna.
- The sruti mantras say that God impregnates material nature with the seeds of living beings simply by casting His glance at her. He does not need any other kind of intercourse with mother nature to beget the living beings in her womb and become their father.
Refuting Blasphemous Misconceptions
Atheists and Māyāvādī philosophers often propose that God can become covered by illusion, or that He can become a poor, starving human being. Śrīla Prabhupāda vehemently rejects these ideas as blasphemy, establishing that the Supreme Lord is completely immune to material degradation.
- They further say that God is imaginary, that people think of God only because of ignorance, and that when the Supreme Absolute Truth is befooled by the external energy, maya, He becomes a jiva, or living entity.
- If a living entity is God, then how can he become bewildered by nescience? Does God become bewildered by nescience? If so, then nescience, or Satan, is greater than God. Real knowledge can be obtained from a person who is in perfect Krsna consciousness.
- Mayavadi philosophers wrongly think that because the Supreme Person has entered the body of a poor man, the Supreme Lord has become daridra-narayana, or poor Narayana. These are all blasphemous statements of atheists and nondevotees.
- He lives everywhere, in the houses of the poor and those of the rich, but in all circumstances He remains Narayana; to think that He becomes either poor or rich is a material calculation.
Becoming the Universal Administrators
The governance of the universe requires highly qualified living entities to fill specific administrative posts. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains a fascinating aspect of the Lord's management: when no ordinary soul is qualified, the Supreme Lord Himself steps in.
- If in a kalpa a suitable living entity is not available to take charge of Brahma's post, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself personally expands and becomes Lord Brahma.
- Brahma's post is so exalted that when there is no living entity available, then Lord Visnu Himself becomes Brahma, the post is so important. My point is that although he's so pious, greatly exalted, still, he had to purify himself.
- In this regard, we understand that Lord Visnu sometimes becomes Brahma or Indra when there is no suitable person to occupy these posts.
- The Lord Himself at that time became Indra. Assisted by His own sons like Yama and other demigods, Lord Yajna ruled the administration of the universal affairs.
Becoming the Servant of His Devotees
The most endearing aspect of the Supreme Lord is how He subordinates Himself to the love of His pure devotees. While He refuses to become the order-supplier for materialists, He happily becomes the servant, child, or companion of those who surrender to Him.
- For the pure devotees He is the constant companion, as in the case of His becoming one of the family members of the Yadu dynasty, or His becoming the friend of Arjuna.
- In other appearances also, the Lord said, I took the form of an ordinary child just to become your son so that we could reciprocate eternal love.
- The Lord became Bali Maharaja's doorkeeper not because of his giving everything to the Lord, but because of his exalted position as a lover of the Lord.
- As soon as a devotee wants the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be his order supplier, the Lord immediately refuses to become the master of such a motivated devotee.
Conclusion
The supreme magic of the Absolute Truth is that He can become anything and anyone while always remaining the infallible Supreme Personality of Godhead. Śrīla Prabhupāda meticulously dismantles the foolish theories of the impersonalists, who claim that God becomes broken when He expands into the universe, or that He becomes covered by ignorance (māyā) to become an ordinary living entity. The Vedic reality is that when God "became many," He simply expanded into unlimited, infinitesimal living entities specifically to enjoy loving relationships with them. When the Lord descends into the material world, whether He becomes a gigantic boar to lift the earth, a fearsome half-man half-lion to protect Prahlāda, or assumes the cosmic posts of Brahmā or Indra, He does so entirely by His internal, spiritual potency. He is never contaminated by the material modes of nature. However, the most profound "becoming" of the Supreme Lord occurs in His intimate interactions with His pure devotees. While He remains the supreme controller of the entire cosmic manifestation, out of pure love, He voluntarily becomes the chariot driver for Arjuna, the obedient son of Mother Yaśodā, and the faithful doorkeeper for Bali Mahārāja. Ultimately, the Supreme Lord only becomes revealed to a living entity when they stop trying to become God themselves, and instead rectify their blunt material senses through the process of unalloyed devotional service.
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 Becoming. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.