God Is Inconceivable - The Absolute Acintya-Śakti
Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the Absolute Truth is not a subject matter that can be conquered by mundane intellectual effort. The Supreme Personality of Godhead possesses acintya-śakti, or inconceivable energy, which places His transcendental form, pastimes, and cosmic arrangements completely beyond the estimation of the tiny human brain.
The Definition of Acintya-Śakti
According to Śrīla Prabhupāda, the word acintya means that the Lord's potencies are fundamentally beyond our thinking jurisdiction. Because His powers are inconceivable, He can perform extraordinary feats without any physical or personal endeavor.
- The word acintya (inconceivable) is very significant in this connection. God's energy is beyond our conception, beyond our thinking jurisdiction, and is therefore called inconceivable (acintya). Who can argue this point?
- The inconceivable expansion of the Supreme Lord's energy is called acintya-sakti. Therefore no one can understand the real form of the Lord without becoming His devotee.
- He (God) is transcendentally so full of inconceivable potencies that simply by His willing, everything is done without physical or personal endeavor. He is called, therefore, Yogesvara, or the Lord of all mystic powers.
- Lord Sri Krsna is the Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead (Para-brahman). He is omnipotent by His inconceivable energies, and therefore He is the Yogesvara, or the supreme master of all mystic powers.
The Futility of Mental Speculation
Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that mundane philosophers and scientists try to explain the workings of the universe using their tiny brains. However, to truly understand the Absolute, one must give up speculation and simply accept the inconceivability of God.
- If you simply speculate to understand God, He'll remain inconceivable. Even if you endeavor for millions and billions of years, that's not possible.
- Man can give some vague explanation of the laws by which such phenomena are made possible, but actually the tiny human brain is unable to conceive of the activities of the Lord, which are therefore called inconceivable.
- Actually the tiny human brain is unable to conceive of the activities of the Lord, which are therefore called inconceivable. Yet the frog-philosophers still try to give some imaginary explanation.
- Were the planets not held in the grip of the Personality of Godhead, they would all scatter like dust in the air. Modern scientists can only impractically explain this inconceivable strength of the Personality of Godhead.
Reconciling Divine Contradictions
Because the Supreme Lord is inconceivable, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that all apparent material contradictions are easily reconciled in Him. He can be simultaneously situated in His localized spiritual abode while pervading the entire cosmic manifestation.
- O Supreme Personality of Godhead, all contradictions can be reconciled in You. Since You are the Supreme Person, the reservoir of unlimited spiritual qualities, the supreme controller, Your unlimited glories are inconceivable to the conditioned souls.
- One must accept the inconceivable quality of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for no one can understand from the material point of view how the Lord is all-pervasive and yet is situated in His own abode, Goloka Vrndavana.
- The inconceivable energies of the Lord are spread throughout the creation. He is all-pervading, and by His energy He sustains all planetary systems, yet through His pleasure potency He remains situated in His personal abode known as Goloka.
- Understanding the inconceivability of the Absolute is the only solution to the question of duality. This is because duality arises from the inconceivable energy of the Absolute.
The Devotee's Acceptance
While nondevotees struggle to measure the Lord, Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that pure devotees faithfully accept His inconceivable potencies. By abandoning mental speculation and embracing devotional service, they receive the Lord's causeless mercy.
- God's qualities are always inconceivable, and all processes of self-realization inquire into the potencies, energies and qualities of the SP of Godhead. However, the devotees of the Lord immediately accept the inconceivable position of the Lord.
- If we simply accept the Lord’s inconceivability, we can then adjust all things in Him. Nondevotees cannot understand the Lord’s inconceivable energy, and consequently for them it is said that He is beyond the range of conceivable expression.
- Every one of them (mental speculators) is captivated by the external potencies of the Lord. The best thing for them is to surrender unto Him, knowing Him to be inconceivable, for thus they can receive His causeless mercy.
- One whose love of Godhead (krsna-prema) is awakened and who thus becomes a devotee of the inconceivable Supreme Personality of Godhead is to be considered extremely fortunate.
Conclusion
To understand the Absolute Truth, one must first recognize that God is inherently inconceivable. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that any attempt to limit the Supreme Personality of Godhead to the jurisdiction of the tiny human brain is a display of ignorance. By faithfully accepting the Lord's acintya-śakti, a devotee transcends material logic and safely enters the realm of pure, unalloyed devotional service.
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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 Is Inconceivable. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.