God's Inconceivable Energies - The Unlimited Power of the Absolute
Human beings are naturally inquisitive. We want to understand how the universe works, where we came from, and what sustains the massive planets floating in the night sky. In our attempt to find answers, we rely on the tools of material science and mental speculation. However, when we apply these limited, mundane tools to the unlimited Absolute Truth, we encounter paradoxes and apparent contradictions. We wonder how God can be everywhere at once, yet still be a distinct person. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the only solution to these philosophical dilemmas is to accept the inconceivable energies (acintya-śakti) of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. God is not bound by the laws of material physics. By understanding the doctrine of by-products, how the Lord reconciles opposites, and why rejecting His inconceivability leads to the error of impersonalism, we can elevate our consciousness beyond the narrow scope of the human brain and appreciate the true majesty of the Supreme Lord.
Beyond the Limits of Material Science
Modern scientists struggle to explain the ultimate origin of the universe, often theorizing that everything sprang from nothing or from a random collision of basic chemicals. Śrīla Prabhupāda asserts that such phenomena—from the creation of hydrogen and oxygen to the suspension of galaxies—can only be perfectly explained by accepting the inconceivable potencies of the Supreme Lord.
- Scientists cannot perfectly explain where the chemicals of the world (like hydrogen and oxygen) are manufactured, but one can explain this perfectly by accepting the inconceivable energy of the Supreme Lord. There is no reason for denying this argument.
- Where do all these chemicals (hydrogen and oxygen) come from? The answer is that they are produced by the inconceivable energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- We often wonder how these big planets are floating in the air. It is stated here that the Supreme Lord, by His inconceivable energy, is sustaining all these big planets and systems of galaxies.
- The perfection of love of God by a devotee actually situates him on the spiritual platform.These things are made possible by the Lord's inscrutable and inconceivable energy, which material science has not the scope to calculate.
The Doctrine of By-Products
A common philosophical error is to assume that if God created the universe from Himself, He must have lost His original form, much like paper turns to ash when burned. Śrīla Prabhupāda refutes this material logic by explaining the Vedānta doctrine of by-products, illustrating how the Lord transforms His energy to create the cosmos while remaining eternally unchanged.
- From the very beginning the Vedanta-sutra explains the doctrine of by-products. These activities of production, maintenance and dissolution are carried out by the inconceivable energy of the Supreme Lord.
- By His inconceivable energies, the Supreme Absolute Truth can remain unchanged and yet produce this cosmic manifestation with all its living entities, just as touchstone can produce unlimited quantities of gold and yet remain unchanged.
- Despite being a material product, if the sun can maintain its original temperature and yet produce so many byproducts, is it difficult for the Supreme Absolute Truth to remain unchanged in spite of producing so many by-products by His inconceivable energy?
- Janmady asya yatah does not suggest that the original person has been transformed. Rather, it clearly indicates that He produces this cosmic manifestation through His inconceivable energy.
Reconciling the Impossible
The Supreme Lord possesses qualities that appear contradictory to the mundane mind—He is simultaneously everywhere and nowhere, partial to His devotees yet completely neutral to all. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that these apparent incongruities are perfectly reconciled by the Lord's inconceivable energy, which can make the impossible possible.
- Such a contradiction can be reconciled only in the Supreme Personality of Godhead because He has energy that is inconceivable (acintya), which can make possible that which is impossible to do - aghata-ghatana-patiyasi.
- Understanding that the Absolute displays varied pastimes by the influence of His energies at once removes the apparent incongruity of His inconceivably opposite energies.
- Vedic instructions and sensible arguments establish that the Lord's maintaining the cosmic manifestation and simultaneously being indifferent to the activities of its maintenance cannot be contradictory, because of His inconceivable energies.
- Neutrality and partiality are both among the transcendental qualities of the Lord, and they are properly adjusted by His inconceivable energy. The Lord is Para-brahman, or the source of the impersonal Brahma, which is His all-pervading feature of neutrality.
The Folly of Impersonalism
Because the tiny human brain cannot comprehend how a person can expand His energies universally without losing His form, many speculators falsely conclude that the Absolute Truth must be an impersonal void. Śrīla Prabhupāda exposes this conclusion as a symptom of spiritual disease and a failure to accept the inconceivable potencies of God.
- By misunderstanding the inconceivable energies of the Supreme, one may falsely conclude that the Supreme Absolute Truth is impersonal. Such a deluded conclusion is experienced by a living being when he is in an acute stage of disease.
- They (the impersonalists) may be good scholars in the Vedic literatures, they are practically ignorant of My (God's) inconceivable energies and My eternal forms of personality.
- Mistaken thoughts and arguments can overcome a person when he forgets the inconceivable energies of the Supreme Lord. Even in the material world there are many examples.
- Srila Jiva Gosvami says that unless we accept the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as inconceivable, beyond the conception of our words and mind, we cannot understand the Supreme Lord.
Conclusion
A systematic study of the Vedic literatures completely humbles the arrogant intellect of mundane science and philosophy. As Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully explains, the human brain is simply too tiny, and our senses too defective, to comprehend the mechanics of the Absolute Truth through independent calculation. The only way to make genuine spiritual progress is to accept the inconceivable energies (acintya-śakti) of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These energies are aghaṭa-ghaṭana-paṭīyasī—they possess the power to make the impossible possible. Material scientists cannot explain how massive planetary systems float in space or how fundamental chemicals are originally manufactured, but the Vedas provide the perfect answer: the inconceivable potencies of the Lord. Furthermore, the doctrine of by-products completely defeats the Māyāvādī misconception that God loses His personal identity when He creates the universe. Just as a touchstone can produce unlimited gold while remaining unchanged, or the sun can produce endless heat without diminishing its core, the Supreme Lord transforms His energies to manifest the cosmic creation while remaining eternally situated as a perfect, complete person in the spiritual sky. The Lord is simultaneously one with and different from His creation—a profound philosophy known as acintya-bhedābheda-tattva. If we rely solely on mental speculation and word jugglery, we will inevitably be forced to conclude that God is an impersonal void. But by submissively accepting the inconceivable, unlimited energies of the Supreme Lord, all apparent contradictions are beautifully reconciled, allowing the conditioned soul to finally appreciate the absolute majesty and sweetness of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category God's Inconceivable Energies. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.