God's Distributing - From Cosmic Energies to the Nectar of Devotion
The nature of the Absolute Truth is characterized by supreme opulence and infinite generosity. If God is the proprietor of everything, how does He interact with His vast creation? The Vedic literatures explain that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is continuously distributing His energies, His forms, and His mercy to the conditioned souls. By understanding the mechanics of this divine distribution, one realizes that the Lord is not a stagnant, impersonal void, but a dynamic, loving person. Śrīla Prabhupāda meticulously unpacks the science of the Lord's distribution, explaining how God pervades the universe like the sunshine, how He orchestrates cosmic pastimes to protect the demigods, and how He ultimately distributes the highest spiritual nectar to humanity in the current age.
The Diffusion of the Lord's Energies
Mundane philosophers often struggle to reconcile the idea of a personal God with His all-pervading presence in the universe. To resolve this, Śrīla Prabhupāda employs the classic Vedic analogy of the sun and fire, demonstrating how the Lord remains perfectly localized while distributing His energies everywhere.
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is just like the sun, profusely distributes His energies while situated beyond the cloud of this material cosmic manifestation. He is the master of masters, and He is the Supreme of the supremes.
- As fire distributes its light and heat from one place, the Supreme Personality of Godhead distributes His different energies all over His creation.
- Although God is situated in His dhama paramam, His energies are distributed everywhere. Nor is He different from His energies, inasmuch as the sunshine and the sun are nondifferent.
- My dear Lord, although personally You have nothing to do, You have distributed Your energies in the interactions of the material modes of nature, and for that reason the creation, maintenance and dissolution of the cosmic manifestation take place.
Distributed Manifestations and the Universal Form
Beyond the distribution of His impersonal energies, the Lord Himself expands throughout the cosmos. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that while the tiny spirit soul is limited to a single physical location, the Supreme Lord's form as the Supersoul is distributed within the heart of every living entity and within every atom.
- One's hands and legs are distributed locally, but Krsna's hands and legs are distributed everywhere. This is confirmed in the Svetasvatara Upanisad: sarvasya prabhum isanam sarvasya saranam brhat.
- The Supreme has legs and hands distributed everywhere, and this cannot be said of the individual soul. Therefore that there are two knowers of the field of activity, the individual soul and the Supersoul, must be admitted.
- One should concentrate his mind upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who alone distributes Himself in so many manifestations just as ordinary persons create thousands of manifestations in dreams.
- The Lord has so distributed Himself all over the universe just to give pleasure to the devotees, to give the common man facility to eradicate his sins, and to establish religious principles in the world.
Distributing Nectar as Mohinī-mūrti
When the demigods and demons churned the ocean of milk, the resulting nectar of immortality became a point of intense conflict. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights how the Lord displayed a unique pastime by appearing as the enchanting Mohinī-mūrti, stepping in to personally manage the distribution of the nectar.
- He (Lord Siva) wanted to see the recent incarnation of Mohini-murti, which Lord Visnu had assumed to distribute the nectar generated from the churning of the ocean of milk.
- As if they (the asuras) would allow Her (Mohini-murti) to do with the nectar whatever She liked, whether She distributed it, threw it away or drank it Herself without giving it to them.
- The words vancayann upasancaraih indicate that the Lord's whole policy was to cheat the demons simply by speaking sweet words. The Lord's intention was to distribute the nectar only to the demigods.
- Considering this logic (One can bring a snake under control with mantras, herbs and drugs, but an envious and crooked person cannot be brought under control by any means), the Supreme Personality of Godhead thought it unwise to distribute nectar to the demons.
Distributing the Highest Love of God
While the distribution of material energies and celestial nectar demonstrates the Lord's power, His greatest act of distribution occurs in the current, degraded age of Kali-yuga. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes how the Lord descended as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu specifically to distribute the most confidential treasure: pure love of Godhead.
- According to the sastra, in Kali-yuga the Lord would assume a golden or yellow color and would distribute love of Krsna and the sankirtana movement.
- Sri Rupa Gosvami could understand that Lord Caitanya was none other than Sri Krsna Himself, for no one but the Supreme Personality of Godhead can distribute confidential love of the Supreme Person.
- Lord Caitanya distributed this Krsna consciousness langera mango very cheaply, but people are so foolish that they think, - Oh, they are simply chanting Hare Krsna; what is there to it.
- Sri Nityananda Prabhu overflooded the entire world by distributing transcendental loving service. No one can understand His character and activities.
Conclusion
A deep study of the Vedic texts completely dispels the misconception of a static, inactive God. As Śrīla Prabhupāda meticulously establishes, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the source of all opulence and is continuously engaged in distributing His energies for the benefit of all living beings. Through the flawless analogy of the sun, we understand that the Lord never has to leave His eternal, transcendental abode; He simply distributes His infinite potencies across the material and spiritual worlds to execute creation, maintenance, and annihilation. Unlike the minute living entity, whose body is strictly localized, the Lord distributes His hands, legs, and eyes everywhere as the all-pervading Supersoul. Furthermore, the Lord takes immense pleasure in orchestrating divine pastimes to distribute special mercies. As the exquisitely beautiful Mohinī-mūrti, He expertly cheated the demonic forces to ensure the nectar of immortality was distributed exclusively to the demigods. However, the most extraordinary distribution event in cosmic history is happening right now. Recognizing the dire spiritual condition of the souls in Kali-yuga, the Lord descended in a golden hue as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Alongside Lord Nityānanda, He initiated the saṅkīrtana movement, choosing to freely and cheaply distribute the ultimate nectar—pure, unalloyed love of Kṛṣṇa—to anyone willing to accept it.
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 Distributing. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.