God Is Transcendence - Unaffected by the Material Modes
Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the defining characteristic of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is His eternal position beyond the jurisdiction of the material energy. While the conditioned souls are heavily influenced by the three modes of material nature, the Lord remains completely aloof. The Vedic literatures therefore repeatedly declare that God is the absolute Transcendence, possessing an eternal, spiritual form full of inconceivable opulence.
The Uncontaminated Supreme
Because ordinary living entities acquire material bodies when they enter this world, they mistakenly assume the Supreme Lord does the same. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Lord's appearance is entirely different; He descends in His original, spiritual form and is never touched by material qualities.
- Because of His eternally transcendental position, when the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears in this material world, the modes of material nature cannot affect Him. Therefore the Supreme Lord is called Transcendence.
- God's incarnations are always situated on the platform of suddha-sattva, pure transcendence.
- Although the Lord is unborn and His body never undergoes material changes, He nevertheless appears as an incarnation, maintaining Himself always in the transcendental stage.
- Srila Madhvacarya concisely states that the Lord is turya-sthitah, always situated in transcendence. In transcendence there is no such thing as wakefulness, sleep and deep sleep.
Beyond Mental Speculation
Modern scholars often try to understand the Absolute Truth through their own intellect, logic, and scientific instruments. Śrīla Prabhupāda warns that the supreme Transcendence is completely outside the scope of such ascending, material endeavors.
- The question may be raised, "Since there are so many varieties of philosophers theorizing in different ways, which of them is correct?" The answer is that the Absolute Truth, Transcendence, is never subject to direct experience or mental speculation.
- The word avyakta, "unmanifested," in this verse indicates that the Absolute Truth cannot be manifested by any strain of so-called scientific advancement of knowledge. Transcendence is not the subject matter of direct experience.
- In the present age, people have no interest in the disciplic succession. Instead, they have invented many paths of logic and argument. This individual attempt to understand the supreme transcendence is not approved by the Vedas.
- One who is dazzled by the effulgence of the impersonal brahma-jyotir cannot know the personal transcendence; therefore in the Isopanisad it is prayed that the Lord shift His dazzling effulgence so that the devotee can see the real reality.
Spiritual Variegatedness
A common misconception among impersonalists is that if God is transcendental to the material world, He must be formless and devoid of variety. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that the Transcendence possesses unlimited spiritual variegatedness, completely distinct from material illusion.
- The Absolute Truth is transcendence, but according to the Mayavadi philosophers there is no variegatedness in transcendence, for they say that anything that is full of variegatedness is maya.
- When the Lord actually descends on the earth or anywhere within the universe, the less intelligent class of men also mistake Him to be one of them, and thus they imagine the Transcendence to be formless or impersonal.
- All of His forms, names, pastimes, attributes, associates and energies are identical with Him because the Lord is the absolute Transcendence.
- These were Brahma's questions: What are the forms of the Lord both in matter and in transcendence? How are the different energies of the Lord working? How does the Lord play with His different energies?
Taking Shelter of the Supreme
Because the Lord is beyond the control of material time and energy, He offers the perfect shelter. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that recognizing the Lord's absolute transcendence is the first step in entering the path of pure devotional service and escaping karmic reactions.
- O Lord, O Transcendence, kindly help us by giving us the power to execute bhakti-yoga so that we can control our restless minds and fix them upon You.
- One may come to the right conclusion regarding the Lord's transcendental position. One who can come to the conclusion of the Lord's transcendence can become a devotee of the Lord and can at once be free from all reactions of past deeds.
- There have been many attempts by the demons to hurt or kill the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He cannot be injured by any material means because He is always in transcendence.
- Na ca daivat param balam: no one can surpass the strength of the Transcendence.
Conclusion
The supreme position of the Absolute Truth is established upon the principle of transcendence. Śrīla Prabhupāda repeatedly emphasizes that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is eternally situated in śuddha-sattva, completely immune to the dualities and limitations of the material world. To approach this Transcendence, one must abandon the futile methods of ascending mental speculation, logic, and empiric science. The Māyāvādī philosophy, which reduces the Transcendence to a formless void, fails to comprehend the rich spiritual variegatedness of the Lord's eternal names, forms, and pastimes. God is a person, but His personality is entirely free from material contamination. By submissively receiving knowledge through the disciplic succession and engaging in bhakti-yoga, a sincere soul can connect with the supreme Transcendence, overcome the restless mind, and achieve eternal freedom from all material reactions.
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 Transcendence. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.