God Is The Supreme Authority - The Ultimate Lawmaker
Śrīla Prabhupāda often defines the material world as a place where conditioned souls attempt to become the supreme authority. However, this rebellion is futile, as the universe is governed by strict laws established by the actual supreme authority, the Personality of Godhead. Recognizing and submitting to this ultimate leadership is the foundation of all true religion and spiritual progress.
The True Meaning of Religion
In modern times, religion is often misunderstood as a mere personal belief or a temporary faith. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that dharma, or true religion, simply means acknowledging the supreme authority of God and strictly following His laws.
- Dharma means obedience to the laws of God. That is dharma. Either you become Christian or Hindu or Muslim, whether you accept God as the supreme authority and whether you abide by the laws of God, then you are dharmic.
- That supreme authority is God, and whatever He gives, the rules and regulation, that is called religion. You cannot change it.
- If a person is religious, he must accept the supreme authority of the Lord, become His devotee and try to love Him. This is the real principle of religion.
- Every religion as a matter of principle accepts authority, God being the supreme authority, and His representative also as authority. So we have no quarrel with any type of religion but we simply teach that awaken your dormant love of God.
The Folly of Materialistic Denial
Rather than accepting the clear guidance of the Lord, many people prefer to invent their own philosophies. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out the absurdity of scientists and atheists who tirelessly study the laws of nature while stubbornly denying the supreme authority who authored those very laws.
- Similarly, there are Sankhya philosophers, metaphysicians or materialistic scientists who study this cosmic manifestation by their invented scientific method and do not recognize the supreme authority of God as the creator of the cosmic manifestation.
- Some so-called scientists are also trying to manufacture living entities within the laboratory. Thus in one way or another everyone is busy denying the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and rejecting the supreme authority of the Lord.
- In that hard struggle for existence, they deny the existence of the supreme authority, Purusottama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- The foolish atheists do not accept the supreme authority of the Lord. Such foolish people unnecessarily concoct their own duties without referring to the supreme authority of the Lord.
The Controller of Material Nature
Atheists may deny God, but they cannot deny the strict enforcement of natural laws. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that material nature is not an independent machine; it operates entirely under the sanction and direction of the supreme authority, tightly binding those who challenge His will.
- Material nature is electrified by the supreme authority, and the conditioned soul, within the limits of time and space, is trapped by awe of the material manifestation.
- The word guna also means "rope." We cannot free ourselves, for we are conditioned. We cannot move freely without the sanction of the supreme authority.
- The nondevotees challenge the authority of the Supreme Lord, and therefore the Lord dictates in such a way that the nondevotees forget the Lord's service, life after life, and are punished by the laws of nature.
- We cannot understand the functions of this material world and whether it is good for us or bad for us, in accordance with the advice of the supreme authority we must reject it and go back home, back to Godhead.
Taking Shelter of the Supreme
When one ceases to fight against the laws of nature and accepts the guidance of the Lord, spiritual life truly begins. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the perfection of life, as demonstrated by Arjuna, is to approach the supreme authority for definitive answers and to engage in His loving service.
- Arjuna has addressed the Supreme Lord as Purusottama, Supreme Personality of Godhead, which means that he was putting these questions not simply to a friend but to the Supreme Person, knowing Him to be the supreme authority able to give definitive answers.
- Krsna is the supreme authority is accepted by the whole world, not only at present, but from time immemorial, and the demons alone reject Him.
- The factual way of religion is to accept the Lord as the supreme authority and thus render service unto Him in spontaneous love.
- Only the devotee is exempt from such reactions, by the causeless mercy of the supreme authority, the Personality of Godhead.
Conclusion
A society that rejects the guidance of a higher leader inevitably falls into chaos. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that this same principle applies to the entire universe. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original and supreme authority, and true religion consists solely of obedience to His divine laws. While foolish people and materialistic scientists waste their lives rebelling against this authority, their defiance only results in tighter bondage by the ropes of material nature. Real peace and liberation are achieved when a person abandons their false pride and humbly accepts the definitive instructions of the Lord. By rendering spontaneous, loving service to the supreme authority, the devotee is completely exempted from all karmic reactions and happily returns home, back to Godhead.
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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 The Supreme Authority. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.