God's Covering - The Dazzling Effulgence and the Covered Incarnations
When attempting to perceive the Absolute Truth, the conditioned soul is immediately confronted by various layers of covering. Because our material senses are blunt and imperfect, we cannot see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face. The Vedic literatures explain that God is concealed not only by the material energy that covers the conditioned souls, but also by His own dazzling spiritual effulgence. Furthermore, out of His supreme compassion and for the execution of His divine pastimes, the Lord often chooses to cover His true identity, descending in disguised or "covered" incarnations. Śrīla Prabhupāda meticulously explains the science behind these coverings, detailing how the Lord covers the universe with His footsteps, how He covers the consciousness of the rebellious souls, and how a sincere devotee can pray for the removal of the ultimate spiritual veil to see the Lord's true face.
The Dazzling Covering of the Brahmajyoti
The impersonalists mistakenly believe that the formless spiritual light is the ultimate reality. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that this brilliant effulgence, known as the brahmajyoti, is actually a dazzling covering (hiraṇmaya-pātra) that conceals the original, personal face of the Supreme Lord.
- As described in the previous mantras, the real or ultimate aspect of the Absolute is His feature as the Personality of Godhead, and His impersonal brahmajyoti feature is a dazzling covering over His face.
- O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit Yourself to Your pure devotee.
- The living entity should never be considered the all-powerful Supreme Truth. If he were the Supreme, he would not need to pray to the Lord to remove His dazzling cover so that the living entity could see His real face.
- Unless this covering (hiranmaya-patra) is removed so one can perceive the real face of the Personality of Godhead, factual realization of the Absolute Truth can never be achieved.
The Covered Incarnation of Kali-yuga
In different millenniums, the Supreme Lord descends in distinctly recognizable forms. Yet, as Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights, the Vedic scriptures state that in the present age of Kali-yuga, the Lord mercifully appears in a covered disguise as a pure devotee, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
- Caitanya Mahaprabhu's first statement refers to the scriptures. According to scripture, Krsna appears in Dvapara-yuga, but He never appears as Himself in Kali-yuga. Rather, He appears in Kali-yuga in a covered form.
- This is confirmed in SB 7.9.38: In the Age of Kali, O Mahapurusa, You sometimes appear in a covered incarnation. Therefore You are known as Triyuga - one who appears in only three yugas.
- The Lord is so kind that in spite of Kali-yuga's being devoid of these three spiritual qualities (namely austerity, cleanliness and mercy), He comes and protects the people of this age in His covered incarnation as Lord Caitanya.
- The demoniac followers of Maharaja Bali said: "This Vamana is certainly not a brahmana but the best of cheaters, Lord Visnu. Assuming the form of a brahmana, He has covered His own form, and thus He is working for the interests of the demigods."
Covering the Universe in Two Steps
The Lord's coverings also manifest through His immeasurable physical power. When the Lord incarnated as the dwarf brāhmaṇa Vāmanadeva, He asked Bali Mahārāja for three simple paces of land, only to expand His form and cover the entire universe.
- The greatest step forward was taken by Lord Vamanadeva, who covered the whole universe in two steps. Thus the word urukrama indicates the Supreme Lord Vamanadeva.
- Lord Vamanadeva requested three paces of land from Maharaja Bali, and when Maharaja Bali agreed to grant them, the Lord immediately covered the entire world with two footsteps.
- When Lord Vamanadeva was offered three steps of land, He expanded His three steps by covering the entire universe. In this way the three worlds trembled, and therefore Sri Vamanadeva is referred to as Urukrama.
- Bali Maharaja said to God: On behalf of the demigods, You disguised Yourself to cheat me, saying that You wanted only three paces of land, but later You expanded Your body to such an extent that with two footsteps You covered the entire universe.
The Covering of Material Illusion
While the Supreme Lord is eternally free from the modes of nature, the conditioned souls are constantly enveloped by His external energy. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that when a living entity desires to exploit the material world, the Lord perfectly covers their pure knowledge with the veil of illusion (māyā).
- When the living being desires to be an enjoyer of material energy (illusory phenomena), the Lord covers the living being in the mystery of forgetfulness, and thus the living being misinterprets the gross body and subtle mind to be his own self.
- This external energy of the Lord covers up the pure knowledge of the living entities eternally existing with Him, but the covering is so constant that it appears that the conditioned soul is eternally ignorant.
- One of the various energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot, of course, cover the Lord. But these coverings are created by Him to cover the eyes of the conditioned souls who want to lord it over the material nature.
- Those who are covered by Your external energy cannot see You behind this manifestation, but theirs is not the vision of learned devotees.
Conclusion
A systematic study of the Vedic literatures provides a profound understanding of how the Supreme Personality of Godhead utilizes His coverings. As Śrīla Prabhupāda repeatedly clarifies, the Lord is the supreme witness, and He is never covered by māyā or subject to the laws of karma. Instead, He utilizes His external energy to cover the spiritual vision of the rebellious living entities who wish to independently enjoy the material world, throwing them into the mystery of forgetfulness. Yet, out of supreme compassion, the Lord periodically descends to rescue these conditioned souls. Sometimes He adopts a covered form, as He did when He approached Bali Mahārāja disguised as a dwarf brāhmaṇa to execute His Urukrama pastimes—expanding to cover the entire universe with two immeasurable footsteps. Most mercifully, in the current age, the Lord appears as the covered incarnation (channa-avatāra), Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, hiding His identity as the Supreme Lord by adopting the mood and complexion of a pure devotee. Ultimately, the greatest covering that separates the soul from God is the hiraṇmaya-pātra—the dazzling, impersonal brahmajyoti effulgence. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the perfection of spiritual life is to recognize that the Absolute Truth is a person, and to sincerely pray to the Lord, just as the author of Śrī Īśopaniṣad does, to remove this blazing covering so that the devotee may finally gaze upon the beautiful, original face of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
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