God Is Not - Misconceptions Refuted by the Vedic Science
Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the first step in realizing the Absolute Truth is to discard our deeply rooted mundane misconceptions. Because the conditioned soul is flawed by imperfect senses and the illusion of false ego, the Vedic literatures rigorously define what God is not, establishing His absolute supremacy and transcendental nature.
Not Forced by Material Laws
Ordinary living entities are forced to accept physical bodies according to their past karma. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that when the Supreme Lord descends into the material world, He is never forced by external laws, time (kāla), or the modes of material nature.
- In Bhagavad-gita it is said that when the Lord descends to this material world, He comes as a person by His own energy, atma-maya. He is not forced by any superior energy. He comes by His own will, and this can be called His pastime, or lila.
- He (God) is not forced to appear or disappear by any superior energy, as the living beings appear and disappear, being forced by the laws of nature.
- A conditioned soul is enwrapped in his fruitive activities by the force of eternal time. But the Supreme Lord, when He incarnates on the earth, is not influenced by kala, or the material conception of past, present and future.
- Of the three principal agents controlling the three modes of material nature, Visnu is the Almighty; even though He is within material nature for the purpose of maintenance, He is not controlled by the laws of material nature.
Not an Impersonal Void
A common philosophical error is the assumption that because the material world is full of variety, the spiritual reality must be void. Śrīla Prabhupāda vigorously refutes the Māyāvādī notion that the Absolute Truth is impersonal, confirming that God is the supreme, full-fledged person.
- So the Absolute Truth is not without varieties. That is spiritual variety. That is not material variety. But the Mayavadis they are seeing the Absolute Truth from distant place, far away, they think that in the Absolute Truth there is no variety.
- Although He (the Supreme Lord) is all-pervading, still He is a person. According to our material perception, if something is all-pervading, then it has no personality, no localized aspect. But God is not like that.
- As the sun is full of light only, similarly the Absolute Personality of Godhead, beyond the material existence, is full of bliss. He is not only full of bliss, but also full of transcendental variegatedness.
- If God is not a person, then how His sons become persons?
Not Our Order Supplier
Many people approach religion simply to ask for material benedictions. Śrīla Prabhupāda warns that this is a contaminated form of worship; God is the supreme master, and He is not meant to be our servant or order supplier.
- Because they went to the church with some motive and the motive was not fulfilled, they became atheist. Therefore this type of devotion is not pure devotion. Motive... God is not meant for supplying your orders.
- God is not meant for supplying your orders because He takes service. He does not serve anybody. So if we want to bring God for our service, we may be disappointed because God does not agree to serve anybody.
- It is not that by some method you can ask God, "Please come. I will see You." No, God is not your order carrier.
- One cannot argue with the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord is always free, and therefore He can protect and can also annihilate. He is not our order carrier; whatever He likes He will do. Therefore He is the Supreme Lord.
Not Materially Perceivable
The Supreme Lord remains a mystery to those who rely solely on their own sensory abilities. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that God is not visible to our blunt material eyes, nor can He be understood through mundane speculation or direct empirical perception.
- God is not such a subject matter that you can see with this pratyaksa, direct perception. God's another name is Anubhava. Anubhava. Just like in this room we do not see the sun directly. But we know that there is sun.
- Here (in BG 9.4) it is said that although He (God) is all-pervading, everywhere present, He is yet not conceivable by the material senses. But actually, although we cannot see Him, everything is resting in Him.
- Because the Lord is not an object that can be understood by speculation with our material senses, He is also called ajita; He will conquer, but no one can conquer Him. What does it mean, then, that still He can be seen.
- You cannot speculate, "Krsna may be like this." Just like Mayavadis, they imagine. The imagination will not help you. You cannot imagine God. That is foolishness. God is not subjected to your imagination. Then He is not God.
Not Manufactured by Mysticism
There are many charlatans who claim they have achieved divinity through yoga or meditation. Śrīla Prabhupāda severely criticizes this idea, affirming that God is eternally God, and His supreme status is not something that can be artificially manufactured.
- God is not a petty thing, that He dies, or one is manufactured by meditation, he become God. This kind of God has no value. God is always God.
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described here (in SB 3.26.3). He is not a temporary person, nor does He have a beginning. He is without a cause, and He is the cause of all causes. parah means "transcendental," "beyond the creative energy.
- Supreme Lord is the cause of all causes, but He is not caused by anyone. That is His supremacy. He is described in the Vedic, svarat, "self-evident." That is God.
- One may falsely claim that he is the Lord, but actually he is not. This is the last snare of maya's influence upon the living entity. To think oneself equal with the Supreme Lord or to think oneself to be the Supreme Lord Himself is also due to false ego.
Not Entangled in the Creation
Although the entire universe rests upon the Lord's energy, He is not personally entangled in its affairs. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that while the Lord maintains the cosmic manifestation, He remains completely aloof, transcendental, and independent of it.
- The complete manifestation of the cosmic situation is an expansion of the Lord Himself in His impersonal feature. All things are situated in Him only, yet He is not in them.
- The creation is nondifferent from the Lord, and still He is not in the creation. This is explained in the Bhagavad-gita.
- He (the Supreme Lord) is not personally attached to any of the affairs within the material cosmos. The material world is created by the expansion of His purusa-avataras, who direct the aggregate material energy and all the conditioned souls.
- The Lord is not directly attached to the creation, maintenance and destruction of the material world, for He is eternally busy in the enjoyment of transcendental bliss with paraphernalia composed of His internal potencies.
Conclusion
To properly understand the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one must first dismantle the mundane theories that attempt to limit the Absolute Truth. Śrīla Prabhupāda thoroughly demonstrates what God is not: He is not forced by karma, He is not a formless void, He is not our order supplier, and He is certainly not a manufactured mystic. By rejecting these materialistic misconceptions, the conditioned soul is freed from the illusion of Māyāvādī philosophy and is able to surrender to the true, supreme, and independent Personality of Godhead, who exists eternally beyond the confines of the cosmic creation.
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 Not. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.