God Was - Understanding the Primeval Personality
Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead requires recognizing His absolute eternality. While materialists believe that personality is a temporary byproduct of chemical evolution, the Vedic literatures establish that the Lord's personality is the original reality. By studying what the Lord "was" before the universe existed, and what He "was" during His historical descents, we learn that God is never a product of material circumstances. He is the eternal, supreme controller, playing various roles out of love for His devotees without ever compromising His absolute position.
The Primeval Person
A core Vedic truth is that God's personality is not a temporary material manifestation. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Lord was a person before the universe was created, and He will remain a person after its destruction.
- In the Catuh-sloki of Srimad-Bhagavatam, the Lord says, aham evasam evagre: "I was existing in the beginning before the creation." In the Vedas it is also said, eko narayana asit: "Before the creation there was only Narayana."
- Devaki said, You are original because all Your forms as incarnations are outside of this material creation. Your form was existing before this cosmic manifestation was created.
- Before the creation He was there in the eternal abode, and after the annihilation He will continue to remain. He is not, therefore, one of the created beings. He is transcendental.
- The sruti-mantras indicate that before the creation of the material universe, the Lord was existing, and He was master of everyone.
Always the Master of Illusion
When the Supreme Lord descends to earth, He often accepts the roles of an ordinary human. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that He was never actually bound by these roles, nor was He ever overpowered by the material energy.
- If God were ever entrapped by maya, maya would be more powerful than God. Such men say that God is all-powerful, but they do not consider that if He is all-powerful there is no possibility of His being overpowered by maya.
- We should not mistakenly understand that He was born just like an ordinary living entity from the semen of Kardama Muni in the womb of Devahuti.
- Actually, the Lord's birth is never ordinary. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is already situated within the core of everyone's heart as antaryami, the Supersoul. Thus because He was present in full potency in Devaki's heart, He was also able to appear outside her body.
- The demigods must offer worship in obedience to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but one might argue that since the Supreme Godhead was within the womb of Devaki, He was also coming in a material body. Why then should He be worshiped?
Playing Human Roles
The pastimes of the Lord are full of transcendental variety. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes how the Lord willingly acts out human emotions and responsibilities, playing the role of an innocent child or a faithful husband, while remaining fully conscious of His supreme position.
- Lord Krsna wanted to exhibit Himself as being like an ordinary householder who delights himself by exchanging joking words with his wife. He therefore repeatedly requested Rukmini not to take those words very seriously.
- When mother Yasoda saw that the child was moving, ringing the bells on His waist, smiling at her with a pearl between His nostrils and with butter on His hands, she became wonderfully pleased to see her little child in that fashion.
- When Sita was kidnapped by Ravana, He never married again. Or when Sita was sent to the forest for public opinion, He never married again. He remained stuck to only one wife because He was setting example, moral principle, to the world.
- Brahma did not see Krsna as catur-bhuja, the opulent Narayana; rather, he simply saw an innocent boy. Nonetheless, he could understand that although Krsna was not demonstrating His power, He was the same Supreme person.
Unrecognized by the Masses
Even when the Supreme Lord is physically present on earth, He is not automatically recognized by everyone. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that without the qualification of pure devotional service, even those who saw Kṛṣṇa face-to-face could not understand who He was.
- The Lord says, "I am not exposed to anyone and everyone." When Krsna came, He was actually present on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra, and everyone saw Him. But not everyone could understand that He was the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- When Krsna was present there were only a few people who could understand Him to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- Because of his intense love for Krsna, he forgot who Krsna was and could not understand Krsna's potency. Although Krsna is Narayana Himself, Garga Muni did not disclose this.
- Instead of defeating Krsna, Brahma himself was defeated, for he could not understand what Krsna was doing. Since Brahma, the chief person within this universe, was so bewildered, what is to be said of so-called scientists and philosophers.
The Supreme Protector
Because the Lord was never an ordinary being restricted by time or space, His ability to protect His devotees is absolute. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights how the Lord was always present to save His surrendered souls from seemingly impossible dangers.
- The Lord was always with him, even from the time when he was helplessly lying in the womb of his mother and was attacked by the blazing brahmastra weapon of Asvatthama.
- When Prahlada was in the presence of his atheist father, his father asked him, "Where is your God?" When he replied that God resides everywhere, the father angrily asked whether his God was within one of the pillars of the palace, and the child said yes.
- Why He accepted buddha-sarira? Sadaya-hrdaya darsita-pasu-ghatam. He was very much compassionate to see unnecessarily animal slaughter. Krsna, God, is always kind. So when unnecessarily animal slaughter is done, He also becomes compassionate.
- A forest fire can burn the external bodies of animals, but Lord Rsabhadeva was not burned, although He apparently seemed so.
Conclusion
The Vedic literatures provide a flawless, transcendental biography of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By analyzing what the Lord "was" before and during His earthly pastimes, Śrīla Prabhupāda shatters the illusion that God is a product of material nature or a victim of circumstantial illusion. He was existing eternally as a fully formed person long before the cosmic manifestation began. When He descended to this planet, He was never bound by the laws of karma or entrapped by māyā. Although He played the role of an innocent child to satisfy Mother Yaśodā, or a faithful husband to set a moral standard, He was always the absolute Supreme Controller. Because He was never an ordinary human being, His protection of His devotees—whether saving Parīkṣit Mahārāja in the womb or protecting Prahlāda from a demonic father—was, is, and always will be absolute. By understanding the eternal nature of the Personality of Godhead, a sincere soul is freed from material doubts and naturally surrenders to the supreme, primeval Lord.
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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 Was. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.