God Cannot Be - The Infallibility of the Absolute Truth
To understand the Absolute Truth, one must first recognize what the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the limitations we observe in the material world simply do not apply to the supreme creator, for God cannot be bound by the very laws He has established.
Cannot Be Under Material Laws
Mundane philosophers often mistake the Lord for an ordinary living entity bound by the modes of nature. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out the logical fallacy in this reasoning: because the Supreme Lord is the creator of the material energy, He cannot ever be conditioned or overpowered by māyā (illusion).
- As the controller of all energies, He (God) cannot at any time be under their influence, as we are.
- The foolish conditioned soul does not take into account that the Supreme cannot be conditioned by maya or illusion. If the Supreme were to become conditioned by illusion, where would be His supremacy? In that case, maya, or illusion, would be the Supreme.
- Material nature is subordinate to the will of the Supreme Lord, and therefore He cannot be subjected to the laws of material nature. It is contradictory for the Lord to be subjected to the laws of His own inferior energy.
- If I am creator of something, so I cannot be under that particular thing which is created. It is logical. So therefore, because the Supreme Brahman, or Bhagavan, is the creator of this material nature, He cannot be under the control of maya.
Cannot Be Perceived by Material Senses
The finite cannot independently measure the infinite. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that the Supreme Lord is known as Adhokṣaja, meaning He cannot be seen, heard, or understood by our blunt material senses, nor can He be captured simply by erudite scholarship and mental speculation.
- Actually it is a fact that the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be perceived by material senses as far as His form, name, quality, pastimes or paraphernalia are concerned.
- We have material senses, but how can we see the Supreme Lord? He is called adhoksaja, which means that He cannot be seen by the material senses. Aksaja means "knowledge perceived by material senses."
- It is said in Bhagavad-Gita that the Lord cannot be seen by our imperfect eyes, He cannot be heard by our imperfect ears, and He cannot be experienced by our imperfect senses; but if one engages in devotional service with faith and devotion, then God reveals Himself.
- The fact is that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul, cannot be attained simply by explanations, logic and erudite scholarship. One cannot understand Him simply by one’s brain substance.
Cannot Be Impersonal or Manufactured
God is an eternal, transcendental reality, not a product of human invention. Śrīla Prabhupāda asserts that the Supreme Absolute Truth cannot be manufactured by our limited imagination, nor can He be reduced to dull matter or an impersonal void; He is eternally the Supreme Person.
- A spiritual thing cannot be manufactured - as God cannot be manufactured. God is always God, and the words of God is also God.
- God cannot be subjected to our imagination. Our imagination is limited, and our senses are imperfect.
- Enviousness means because they have no knowledge they say, "No. The Supreme Absolute Truth cannot be person." That is enviousness.
- The Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, educated Lord Brahma from the heart (SB 1.1.1): tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye. Therefore the Absolute Truth cannot be dull matter; the Absolute Truth must be the Supreme Person Himself.
Cannot Be Partial or Dictated To
As the supreme father and maintainer of all living entities, the Lord's will is absolute. The Vedic teachings clarify that because God is equally situated in everyone's heart, He cannot be partial, envious, or subject to the dictation of anyone else; His supreme will cannot be checked.
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot abide by anyone's dictation. Whatever He does is absolute.
- Devahuti is saying, "You are, in the end, the Supreme Soul and the supreme controller. Your will cannot be checked by anyone else." The Supreme Lord can check others' plans.
- The Lord is equally situated in the core of everyone's heart. Thus He cannot be envious of anyone or friendly to anyone; for Him everyone is the same.
- God cannot be partial. Everyone is God's son, so how can God favor one son above another? That is not possible.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully deconstructs the materialistic misconceptions that attempt to impose mundane limitations upon the Supreme Lord. The Absolute Truth cannot be restricted by the laws of material nature, for He is the supreme controller and creator of those very laws; if He could be overpowered by māyā, then illusion would be supreme, which is absurd. Furthermore, God cannot be grasped by our blunt material senses or academic gymnastics. Known as Adhokṣaja, He cannot be seen or heard until He is pleased to reveal Himself through the process of pure devotional service. Because He is a complete, spiritual reality, He cannot be manufactured by human imagination, nor can He be reduced to an impersonal void or dull matter. Finally, as the equal and neutral father of all, the Lord cannot be partial, envious, or subjected to anyone's dictation. By understanding what God cannot be, the sincere soul gains a clearer, more profound realization of His infallible, absolute, and supremely personal nature.
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