God Is Illuminating - The Ultimate Spiritual Effulgence
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original source of all light and knowledge. Because God is self-illuminating, His transcendental bodily effulgence lights up the entire spiritual sky and diffuses brilliance throughout the material universe.
The Ultimate Source of Light
The Lord is completely self-illuminated and requires no external source of light. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that whatever extraordinary brilliance exists in the material creation is simply a fraction of the Lord's own majestic illumination.
- Another reason why Lord Siva is called Siva, which means "all-auspicious," is that he is self-illuminated, exactly like Lord Visnu, who is the Paramatma.
- The Lord is described here (in SB 8.3.10) as atma-pradipa. The Lord is like the sun, which illuminates everything and cannot be illuminated by anyone.
- We hear from the Vedic version that the Supreme Brahman exhibits His effulgence and therefore everything is illuminated.
- There are many wonderful qualities of different living entities, but whatever extraordinary things exist are but part of the Lord's tejas, His illumination or brilliance.
Illuminating the Spiritual Sky
In the eternal, spiritual world, there is absolutely no need for sunlight, moonlight, or electricity. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that the spiritual sky is perfectly illuminated by the rays emanating directly from the Lord's transcendental body.
- The bodily luster of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is sufficient to illuminate the spiritual world, there is no need of sunlight, moonlight or any other light or electricity.
- In the eternal sky there is no need for the sun nor for the moon nor fire of any kind because the spiritual sky is already illuminated by the brahma-jyotir, the rays emanating from the Supreme Lord.
- The Supreme Personality is exhibiting and diffusing His spiritual effulgence, which is the ultimate illumination. That Supreme Personality also has a localized aspect as Paramatma.
- The term svayam-jyotih indicates that there is no tinge of anything material or any material reaction. It is confirmed here (in SB 3.26.3) that the concept of the Lord's all-pervasiveness is due to His illumination everywhere.
Bestowing Transcendental Knowledge
Beyond physical light, the Lord's illumination manifests as perfect spiritual wisdom. By descending in various incarnations, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains, the Supreme Lord dispels the darkness of ignorance and illuminates the world with transcendental knowledge.
- Prahlada said: My Lord, You kill all the enemies of the world in Your multifarious incarnations in the families of men, animals, demigods, rsis, aquatics and so on. Thus You illuminate the worlds with transcendental knowledge.
- SB 7.9.38: My Lord, You kill all the enemies of the world in Your multifarious incarnations in the families of men, animals, demigods, rsis, aquatics and so on. Thus You illuminate the worlds with transcendental knowledge.
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated in pure goodness. He illuminates the entire universe and bestows all benedictions upon His devotees. The Lord has created this universe from His own spiritual potency.
- Being illuminated by the bodily effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, everything is freed from all darkness.
The Devotee and the Divine Light
When a living entity falls from the Lord's illumination, they enter the dark, conditional life of material existence. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda confirms that by carrying the Lord within the heart, a devotee once again becomes transcendentally illuminated.
- The individual soul, although within the illumination of the Supreme, sometimes falls down from that illumination because of his tiny position, and when he falls down he enters into material, conditional life.
- Bowing down with folded hands and concentrating his attention, he began to offer prayers to the child (Narayana), who illuminated His birthplace by His natural influence.
- While carrying the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within the core of his heart, Vasudeva bore the Lord's transcendentally illuminating effulgence, and thus he became as bright as the sun.
- It is stated in the Brahma-samhita that His eyes are the sun and the moon; therefore His very glance over the sky was as illuminating as the sun or the moon.
Conclusion
To understand the Absolute Truth is to recognize the Lord as the supreme source of all light. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that because God is self-illuminating, His effulgence sustains both the spiritual and material worlds. By receiving His transcendental knowledge, the conditioned soul can emerge from material darkness and return to the eternal illumination of the spiritual sky.
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 Is Illuminating. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.