God Is Lord Kṛṣṇa - The Supreme Personality of Godhead
Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the Absolute Truth is ultimately realized as a supreme person. That original, primeval person is Lord Kṛṣṇa, the all-attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the source of all incarnations, the master of all energies, and the ultimate goal of all spiritual realization.
The Original Supreme Person
The Vedic literatures conclusively establish that Lord Kṛṣṇa is not merely an incarnation, but the original fountainhead of Godhead. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Kṛṣṇa possesses all six opulences in full and resides eternally in the highest spiritual planet, Goloka Vṛndāvana.
- Although there is no difference between the Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari and His incarnation, Krsna is the original Supreme Person, the complete Godhead.
- Caitanya Mahaprabhu gives evidence that Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead, full in all six opulences. It is Sri Krsna whose abode, known as Goloka Vrndavana, is the highest planetary system in the spiritual sky.
- Lord Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead from whom the three creative incarnations, namely the purusa-avataras - Karanarnavasayi Visnu, Garbhodakasayi Visnu and Ksirodakasayi Visnu - expand.
- God is known as Paramatma, the Supersoul, Brahman the Supreme Absolute, Srstikarta the creator, Narayana the transcendental Lord, Rukminiramana the husband of Rukmini, Gopinatha the enjoyer of the gopis, and Krsna.
The Source of All Incarnations
Every form of Godhead and every demigod originates from Him. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that Lord Nārāyaṇa, Mahā-Viṣṇu, and even powerful demigods like Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā are all direct or indirect expansions of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
- In Bhagavad-gita (10.2) Lord Krsna states, aham adir hi devanam: Lord Visnu, or Krsna, is the origin of all demigods, including Lord Brahma and Lord Siva.
- All the different incarnations of Lord Visnu have the right to play the roles of servitors of Lord Krsna by descending as devotees.
- By devotional perfection one can understand that the impersonal brahmajyoti is only a partial representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna, and that the three purusa expansions in the material creation are His plenary portions.
- Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Purusottama, Lord Krsna, who is always free from the contamination of the six material dualities; whose plenary expansion, Maha-Visnu, glances over matter to create the cosmic manifestation.
The All-Attractive Form
The Absolute Truth is never a formless void. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that the name "Kṛṣṇa" perfectly describes the Lord's all-attractive nature, and that His eternal, bliss-filled form (sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha) resembles that of a beautiful human being.
- For all living entities to be attracted toward Krsna is natural, and therefore the Lord's real name is Krsna, meaning He who attracts everyone and everything.
- God is so attractive, and because He is so attractive, He is called Krsna.
- God has a form just like a human being, two hands, two legs, and He Himself comes to show Him. That is Krsna. He is not nirakara. Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah (Bs. 5.1). Vigraha means form.
- Krsna is always situated in His original position as sac-cid-ananda-vigraha (BS 5.1), and anyone who renders service to Him is also situated in his original, spiritual identity. This is the highest perfection of human life.
Descending to the Material World
Out of boundless compassion, the Lord does not leave the conditioned souls to suffer. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that Lord Kṛṣṇa utilizes His internal spiritual potency to repeatedly descend to the material world to deliver His devotees and vanquish demonic elements.
- When Krsna descends, however, He does so out of His merciful compassion for the fallen souls. As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (4.8): paritranaya sadhunam.
- Lord Krsna appears within this material world for two purposes - paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam: (4.8) to protect the devotees and annihilate the demons.
- The Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (4.8): To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.
- In the Bhagavad-gita (4.6), Krsna says, Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all living entities, by My transcendental potency I still appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form.
The Supreme Controller
Everything in existence is subordinate to the Supreme Lord. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate controller; the material energy operates strictly under His direction, and everything rests entirely upon His divine potencies.
- The Supreme Lord Krsna is the only controller, and all living entities are controlled by Him.
- In all instances the material energy is working under His (Krsna's) direction. Those who consider the Supreme Lord to be subject to material conditioning are called fools by Krsna Himself in Bhagavad-gita.
- The Lord confirms in Bhagavad-gita 9.4, mat-sthani sarva-bhutani: Everything is resting on Me. This indicates that everything is resting on His own energy. For example, the planets are resting within outer space, which is the separated energy of Krsna.
- The Lord confirms in Bhagavad-gita (7.7), "O conqueror of wealth (Arjuna), there is no truth superior to Me."
The Object of All Vedic Knowledge
The vast libraries of Vedic scriptures point to one single destination. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights that the actual purpose of all studying, austerities, and sacrifices is simply to understand and surrender to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
- The greatest of everything is Sri Krsna. Lord Krsna states in the Bhagavad-gita (15.15), vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah: "By all the Vedas, I am to be known."
- As stated in Bhagavad-gita (15.15), vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah: by all the Vedas, it is Krsna who is to be known. Lord Sri Krsna, setting an example by His own behavior, performed many ritualistic ceremonies described in the Vedas.
- By studying all the Vedas, one should come to understand the transcendental position of Lord Sri Krsna.
- The real purpose of studying the Vedas is to approach the lotus feet of Lord Krsna.
Loving Reciprocation with Devotees
The Supreme Lord perfectly mirrors the love of His pure devotees. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that in Vṛndāvana, Kṛṣṇa engages in intimate, confidential relationships, exchanging transcendental love with His friends, parents, and the cowherd girls.
- It is said that Lord Krsna, in relation with His devotees, accepts all kinds of devotional service according to the aptitude of the devotee. In this way, Krsna reciprocates to a devotee's needs.
- Usually God is seen as the almighty Father who supplies the demands of His sons. The great devotees, however, sometimes treat God as a son in their execution of devotional service.
- Intimate relationships with Krsna develop from an ordinary conception of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to the conception of master and servant, and, when this becomes confidential, it develops into a friendly relationship.
- In Vrndavana, the Lord not only took part in loving affairs with His father and mother, the gopis and the cowherd boys, but also gave liberation to many demons by killing them.
The Path of Pure Devotion
To truly comprehend the Absolute Truth, intellectual speculation is useless. Śrīla Prabhupāda confirms that unalloyed bhakti-yoga, characterized by full surrender to Lord Kṛṣṇa, is the only authorized path to attain eternal liberation and spiritual perfection.
- Lord Krsna Himself indicates that if anyone wants to understand the Supreme Absolute Truth in perfection, he must take to the process of devotional service in full Krsna Consciousness. Then it will be possible for him to understand the last word of the Absolute Truth.
- In Bhagavad-gita Lord Krsna sets forth the highest religious principle in this way: Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me (Krsna). I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.
- Lord Krsna's conclusion is that devotional service is independent of any other process (such as cultivation of knowledge, renunciation or meditation).
- Krsna says at the conclusion of Bhagavad-gita (18.55), 'bhaktya mam abhijanati: if one actually wants to understand Krsna and one's relationship with Him, one must take to this process of bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga as explained by Lord Kapiladeva is sankhya-yoga.
Conclusion
To achieve the highest perfection of human life, one must recognize and surrender to the original source of all existence. Śrīla Prabhupāda powerfully concludes that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the supreme controller, the ultimate object of all Vedic knowledge, and the perfectly attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead. By abandoning all mundane religious conceptions and exclusively taking shelter of His lotus feet through pure bhakti-yoga, a sincere soul is immediately freed from the illusion of the material energy and returns to their eternal, blissful relationship with Him in the spiritual world.
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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 Lord Krsna. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.