God's Eyes - The Omniscient Sight of the Absolute Truth
When people hear the statement from the Upaniṣads that "God has no eyes," they often misinterpret it to mean that the Absolute Truth is an impersonal, blind force. The Vedic literatures, however, clarify that this simply means God has no material eyes. The Supreme Personality of Godhead possesses a fully spiritual body with perfect, transcendental senses. Śrīla Prabhupāda meticulously explains the absolute nature of God's eyes, revealing how they can perform the functions of all other senses, how they oversee the entire universe through the sun, and how their expressions range from the sweetest, lotus-like affection to the most terrifying, cosmos-shaking anger. By understanding the omniscience, beauty, and power of the Lord's eyes, we can realize that we are never hidden from His sight, and we can learn to seek the shelter of His compassionate glance.
The Omnipotent and Transcendental Senses
The Supreme Lord is not bound by the biological limitations of a material body. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that because God's body is entirely spiritual and non-dual, His senses are perfectly interchangeable. He is omniscient and omnipresent, perceiving every corner of the universe through His spiritual vision.
- He (the Absolute Truth) has no material eyes, but He does have spiritual eyes by which He can see everything and anything.
- The mind by which the Lord thinks, feels and wills is transcendental, and the eyes by which He glances over material nature are also transcendental.
- It is further stated that with each and every part of His body He can do the work of the other senses. This means that the Lord can walk with His hands, accept things with His legs, see with His hands and feet, eat with His eyes, etc.
- Everywhere are His hands and legs, His eyes and faces, and He hears everything. In this way the Supersoul exists.
The Sun as the Eye of the Lord
In the context of the vast cosmic manifestation, the Vedas describe the sun and the moon as the eyes of the Lord's universal form (virāṭ-rūpa). Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that it is only because the Supreme Lord is watching over the universe through the sun that we have the capacity to see anything at all.
- The sun is actually the eye of the Lord. In the Vedic mantras it is said that unless the Supreme Personality of Godhead sees, no one can see. Unless there is sunlight, no living entity on any planet can see.
- In the Brahma-samhita, the sun is described as the eye of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- Among all the luminaries twinkling in the sky, the sun is the chief, and in the Brahma-samhita the sun is accepted as the glowing effulgence of the Supreme Lord and is considered to be one of His eyes.
- The sun is considered to be the eye of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, and it also has a specific orbit within which it circles. Similarly, all other planets have their specific orbits. But together all of them encircle the polestar.
The Supreme Beauty of His Lotus Eyes
To the pure devotees, the Lord is known as ambujākṣa, the lotus-eyed one. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes the exquisite, nectarean beauty of the Lord's eyes and the profound, soothing compassion He constantly radiates toward His surrendered servants.
- Here the Lord is described as ambujaksa, or lotus-eyed. By seeing the eyes of the Lord, which are compared to lotus flowers, one becomes so satisfied that one does not want to turn his eyes to anything else.
- Narada Muni continued: The Lord's form is always youthful. Every limb and every part of His body is properly formed, free from defect. His eyes and lips are pinkish like the rising sun.
- The yogis should contemplate with full devotion the compassionate glances frequently cast by the Lord's eyes, for they soothe the most fearful threefold agonies of His devotees. His glances, accompanied by loving smiles, are full of abundant grace.
- It was called Bindu-sarovara because drops of tears had fallen there from the eyes of the Lord, who was overwhelmed by extreme compassion for the sage who had sought His protection.
The Fierce Eyes of Cosmic Anger
While the Lord's eyes are sweet to His devotees, they are absolutely terrifying to the atheists and demons. Śrīla Prabhupāda vividly recounts how the Lord exhibits red-hot, glaring eyes of fury when He descends to protect the innocent and annihilate the miscreants.
- The Lord's form was extremely fearsome because of His angry eyes, which resembled molten gold; His shining mane, which expanded the dimensions of His fearful face; His deadly teeth; and His razor-sharp tongue, which moved about like a dueling sword.
- The great ocean, trembling in fear, gave Him His way because its family members, the aquatics like the sharks, snakes and crocodiles, were being burnt by the heat of the angry red-hot eyes of the Lord.
- Lord Nrsimhadeva's mouth and mane were sprinkled with drops of blood, and His fierce eyes, full of anger, were impossible to look at.
- The hair on Nrsimhadeva's head shook the clouds and scattered them here and there, His glaring eyes stole the effulgence of the luminaries in the sky, and His breathing agitated the seas and oceans.
Conclusion
A systematic study of the Vedic literatures completely corrects the mundane assumption that the Supreme Absolute Truth is an unfeeling, blind force. As Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully explains, the statement that God has no eyes simply means He is free from the defects of a material body. The Supreme Personality of Godhead possesses a completely spiritual, omnipotent form where every sense is interchangeable; He can impregnate the material nature with a glance, and He can accept food simply by looking at it. His omniscience is perfect—as the Supersoul, His eyes are everywhere, witnessing the past, present, and future within the hearts of all living entities. On a cosmic scale, the Brahma-saṁhitā identifies the brilliant sun as the eye of the Lord, reminding the conditioned soul that there is no hiding from the absolute vision of the Creator. To the pure devotees, however, the Lord is beautifully addressed as ambujākṣa (lotus-eyed). His pinkish eyes, decorated with graceful eyebrows, radiate such profound compassion that they completely extinguish the blazing fire of material existence. He is even known to shed tears of pure love for His surrendered servants. Yet, these very same lotus eyes become the ultimate instruments of terror for the atheists. When protecting His devotees, as seen in the pastimes of Lord Rāmacandra and Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, the Lord's eyes turn red-hot with absolute fury, striking paralyzing fear into the hearts of demons and agitating the great oceans. Ultimately, understanding the power, beauty, and omniscience of God's eyes purifies the conditioned soul, replacing the desire for sinful secrecy with a profound yearning to catch the compassionate, saving glance of the Supreme Lord.
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 Eyes. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.