God Means - The Supreme Being Without an Equal
Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the word "God" is not a vague concept or an abstract, formless energy. The Vedic literatures provide exact, scientific definitions of what it means to be the Supreme. Rather than relying on mental speculation or the misleading claims of modern imposters, a sincere seeker must understand the true definition of God. God means the ultimate source, the supreme controller, and the all-attractive Supreme Person.
The Supreme Controller
To understand the definition of God, one must first recognize the principle of control. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that while everyone in the material world is controlled by higher laws, the word God specifically means the ultimate controller who answers to no one.
- Isvara means controller. God means controller. So He is controlling you. It is material but it is not under your control. You are under its control. So if anything is controlling you, that is God.
- Krsna means He is controller, but nobody is there to control Him. That is Krsna; that is God. This is the science of understanding. God means He is controller of everything, but He has no controller.
- There is superior controller, who does not allow to do this. You have to abide by the laws. This is common sense reasoning. If you are being controlled, how you become God? God means the supreme controller.
- In one sense everyone is God. God means the controller. So everyone is to some extent a controller.
The Source and the Supreme Being
Even standard dictionaries define God as the Supreme Being. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that this implies God is not a dead stone or an impersonal force; He is the supreme living entity from whom all other beings and phenomena emanate.
- I have explained that, what is meant by God. God means the source of everything. Where is that theologician who can deny it?
- God is also a living being. That is said in the Oxford Dictionary. God means, "supreme being." So we are all beings, and God is the Supreme Being. We are limited by our power; God is unlimited by His power.
- Unless God is one, there cannot be God. God means, in the dictionary it is said, "Supreme Being." The Supreme Being can be one. If there is competition of Supreme Being, then he is not Supreme Being. That is the philosophy.
- God means that as we are person, He is the supreme person. That's all. Just like you are also persons, you are also Australians, and the president of the Australian government, he is also a person. He is not imperson.
Refuting False Gods
In the material world, many foolish people become puffed up and falsely claim to be God. Śrīla Prabhupāda shatters these illusions by applying the strict definition of the word, demonstrating that anyone subject to the laws of nature and death cannot be the Supreme.
- Are you God at the time of death? God means controller. Can you control your death? Then how you are God?
- If I say I am God and somebody accepts me as God, then he is a foolish man. They do not know what is meaning of God.
- Do not falsely claim that "Because I am qualitatively one with God, therefore I am God." No. You may be god. God means controller. But you are not the Supreme God. The Supreme God is Krsna.
- Tapasvi, jnani, yogi, they are trying to come to the liberated position, but thinking that "I shall become God." The same disease. Up to the end, the same disease. God means "enjoyer." This disease can be cured only by surrender. That is the only medicine.
The All-Attractive Person
The ultimate definition of God is found in the name Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that God must possess all opulences in full, making Him the most attractive person in all of existence. Therefore, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa perfectly embodies the meaning of the word God.
- God may have many thousands of names, but the most perfect name which we can give to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is Krsna. Krsna means "All-attractive." God must be all-attractive. It is not that God is attractive for a certain class of men and not attractive for others.
- Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam: Bhagavan, God, means Sri Krsna. We have simply presented this information, saying, "Here is God. Sri Krsna." Because they have taken this seriously, many young Americans and Europeans are advancing in Krsna consciousness.
- Vedic information is: God means who has no equal and who has no greater person than Him. Bhagavad-gita was spoken by Krsna, and here it is said, Bhagavan uvaca. So Bhagavan, the Supreme God, means Krsna. That is the statement in all Vedic literature.
- When we speak of God, God means with His associates, with His energy, with His power, everything.
Conclusion
A society that does not know the true meaning of God easily falls prey to atheism or the worship of cheap imposters. Śrīla Prabhupāda systematically clears away this ignorance by establishing the absolute definition of the Supreme. God means the supreme controller (īśvara), the origin of everything, and the Supreme Being who has no equal or superior. While the tiny living entities are strictly controlled by the miseries of material nature and the inevitability of death, the Supreme Lord eternally dictates the laws of the universe. He is not a formless void, but the most beautiful, wealthy, and powerful Person. By understanding that God means Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa—the all-attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead—a sincere soul abandons the foolish disease of wanting to become God and instead finds eternal peace by humbly surrendering as His eternal servant.
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 Means. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.