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All glories to r Guru and Gaurga

Who is Supreme?

by Gokula Chandra Dsa

Based on the teachings ofHis Divine Grace

A.C. Bhaktivedanta SwamiPrabhupdaFounder crya of the International Society for

Krishna Consciousness


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Copy right by Author 2005.All rights reserved.

Printed in India.3,000 copies

Quotes from His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupda and pictures

published in the book are copyrighted by TheBhaktivedanta Book Trust, Inc.

Readers Interested in the contents of thisbook are requested to contact,

ISKCON,Hare Krishna Road,Rajaram Nagar,Salem - 636 007.Tamil Nadu, India.Ph: (0427) 2418245.E-mail: [email protected]

or Please contact any ISKCON center

(List of centers is given at the end of book).

Published by ISKCON, Salem.Printed at Mani offset printers, Chennai -05. (044- 28555249)

Dedication

Dedicated to His Divine Grace A. C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupda (Founder-cryaof the International Society For KrishnaConsciousness), who so mercifully spread the gloriesand the teachings of Lord Krishna all over the world,making millions of devotees.


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This book is also dedicated to rla

Prabhupdas dear servant and our beloved spiritualmaster, His Holiness Bhakti Viksa Swami, who isalways preaching vigorously, and to all preachers of

Krishna Consciousness who dedicate their lives tospread the glories of Lord Krishna for the benefit ofall.

yre dekha, tre kaha ka-upadeamra jya guru ha tra ei dea

Instruct everyone to follow the orders ofLord r Ka as they are given in the Bhagavad-

gt and rmad-Bhgavatam. In this way become aspiritual master and try to liberate everyone in thisland.

(Caitanya-caritmta, Madhya 7.128)

ContentsForeword ................................................................ viiIntroduction........................................................... ixThe Vedas Reveal the Absolute Truth................ 1The Teachings of the Vedas................................. 5

Brahman....................................................... 6Paramtm.................................................... 8

Bhagavn...................................................... 12Questions and Answers .............................. 15

The Supreme Personality of Godhead(Bhagavn)............................................................. 17

Supreme Creator.......................................... 17Supreme Controller...................................... 18

Supreme Enjoyer.......................................... 20

His Opulences................................................... 23His Qualities...................................................... 26His Energies....................................................... 30

Marginal Energy .......................................... 32External Energy ........................................... 34

Spiritual Energy ........................................... 35

His Forms........................................................... 37Questions and Answers .............................. 42His Consorts........................................................... 51His Abode............................................................... 54Material Creation.................................................. 58His Intermediate Expansion (Lord iva)........... 62


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plethora of gods and goddesses in the Hindu

pantheon is supreme, might seem an irresolvableconundrum.

Who Is Supreme? tackles this riddlenotwith the word jugglery characteristic of manypopular gurus nowadays, but with straightforward,lucid analysis of the core books of Hinduknowledge, namely the Vedic literature, including

the Puras and other corollary texts.For over ten years a monk and instructor of

Vedic wisdom, Gokula Candra dsa is eminentlyqualified to impart these vital insights, which havebeen passed down by great is and seers since timeimmemorial for the benefit of human society. Hereinhe has presented the essence of that vast lore as

received through the teachings of His Divine GraceA. C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupda, theforemost exponent of Vedic culture in the modernage. I request readers to carefully and seriouslyperuse this book, with faith that understanding itsconclusions will help them to attain the topmostplatform of spiritual realization.

O tat sat

Bhakti Viksa SwamiSalem, Tamil Nadu6 July 2005

IntroductionIndia is apuya-bhmi, a sacred land. It is a

land of culture, a land of worship, a land of millionsof temples; a land of spiritual thought and practice,a land of yoga and meditation. India is the land ofLord Rma, Lord Ka, and Bhagavad-gta landwhere one comes to search for the Absolute Truth.

Still today, millions of people will assembleto bathe in the holy Ganges, and to celebrate rKa Janmam. Millions will come to heardiscourses on Bhagavad-gt or rmad-Bhgavatam.The spark of Vedic culture is still flickering in thehearts of people here. It is a special privilege to beborn in this holy land, a divine opportunity to growand live with God. r Caitanya Mahprabhu hasgiven special importance to the people of this land.He said:

bhrata-bhmite haila manuya-janma yrajanma srthaka kari kara para-upakra

One who has taken his birth as a humanbeing in the land of India (Bhrata-vara) shouldmake his life successful and work for the benefit ofall other people. (Caitanya-caritmta, di 9.41)

Although the times have changed, so muchvalue remains in Indian societyas in the proverbAn elephant, whether alive or dead, is worth one

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lakh rupees. In India, prayer and worship are two

inseparable aspects of everyday life. Before startingeach new busy day, everyone will offer respect toGod, light a dpa (ghee lamp), incense, and offer aflower to his ia-deva (worshipable Lord). Surelyanyone would be impressed upon observing the vastvariety of temples, worshipers, and practices that

exist in India. Some worship Lord Gaapati toremove all obstacles in ones endeavors. Othersworship Lord iva to get a good husband, or hisrespected wife, Goddess Durg, for wealth. Stillothers pray to Hanumn for protection and strength.and some simply say, Worship and respect all. Allgods are one.

Due to varieties of temples, deities, anddevotees (Vaiavas, aivaites, aktas, etc.), onemight think that there are so many gods in India.Even in the Oxford Dictionary Hinduism is definedas the belief in many Gods. We may ask, What iswrong with that? All Gods are one and the same; allpaths are one and the same. Just as we choosedifferent fruits according to our liking, we canchoose which God to worship. This philosophy isvery common and apparently looks nice, but if weconsult the Vedas, Bhagavad-gt and rmad-Bhgavatam, in which all gods are described, we finda different statement:

eka brahma dvitya nsti

God is one; there cannot be two Gods.The Vedas recognize the existence of thirty-

three crores of demigods who are great devotees ofthe Supreme Lord,KaLord Brahm, the creator;Lord iva, the destroyer; goddess Durg, materialnature personified; and so on. They are empowered

living beings who occupy an important role inuniversal affairs, but only on behalf of the SupremeLord, Ka, and all of who are subordinate anddependent on Him. Just as in the government thereis one prime minister and many subordinateministers who are managing different affairs on hisbehalf, similarly the Vedic version is that Lord Ka

is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and allothers are subordinate to Him in all aspects:

ekale vara ka, ra saba bhtyayre yaiche ncya, se taiche kare ntya

Lord Ka alone is the supreme controllerand all others are His servants. They dance as He

makes them do so.(Caitanya-caritmta, di 5.142)

This simple truth might not be accepted byall, especially those who worship differentdemigods. We learn from history that throughoutthe ages great is often debated the issue Who is

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supreme? Especially that was the case between the

Vaiavas (devotees of Lord Ka, or Viu) andthe aivaites (followers of Lord iva). By strongarguments based on stras, rpda Rmnujcrya,rpda Madhvcrya, r Caitanya Mahprabhu andmany others defeated all false theories andmercifully revealed to the common man this simpletruth: God is one, His name is Ka, and all othersare His servants. Therefore everyones duty is tosurrender to Him and serve Him with love anddevotion.

Following in the footsteps of previouscryas, especially the teachings of His Divine GraceA.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupda, this book

is a humble attempt to present the Vedic versionregarding the supreme position of Lord Ka overall different demigods. We hope that herein sincereseekers of the truth will find complete and satisfyinganswers to this question Who is Supreme? andwill have all doubts clarified regarding what is thecorrect spiritual path, and will thus fix their bhaktiundeviatingly toward the Supreme Lord, r Ka.

The Vedas Reveal the Absolute Truth

Before examining Who is Supreme? wewill establish the basis for this discussion. If thediscussion is based simply on opinions andbeliefswhether yours, mine, or othersit mightnot reach the desired goal, as per the proverbMillions of people, millions of opinions. Thus,

evidence is needed to understand the truth. Whatand where is evidence of the existence of God anddemigods? Can we see them with our eyes? No.

With our eyes we cannot even see our own eyelids,which are nearest to the eyes, what to speak ofseeing and understanding the Absolute Truth, who

is far beyond material sense perception.Next, we may say that since everythingaround us is created by someone, then logically allthese planets and the universe must have beencreated by someone, i.e., God. This is logical, butby mere logic how can we understand who God is?Through logic we can understand many things, but

often even logic will not give us the true picture ofthe nature of an object. For example, both diamondsand stones come from the earth, and since stonesare cut by iron, we may conclude that diamonds alsocan be cut by iron. But that is not so. Thus we seethat by logic alone we cannot know the real truth

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about diamonds. Instead we must hear from

knowledgeable persons, and thereby learn thatactually diamonds cut iron. Sense perception andlogic may help us, but only if based upon hearingfrom authoritative sources.

Sometimes words alone reveal the truth. Forexample, if we say granthlaya. Since grantha meansbook, simply by hearing the word granthlaya wecan understand that it is a place full of books, alibrary. This evidence, in the form of sound, wasindependent from our sense perception or logic.

When sense perception and logic cannot help, thenwe should depend on words, or sound, as evidence.But we should hear from an authorized source.

There are ordinary words, and there arewords of the Vedas (abda). The Vedas are theauthorized source for learning about God. Forinstance, if you want to know exactly who yourfather is, then you must ask your mother; only thenwill you be able to know him. The Vedas are themother, who can reveal the Supreme Father to us.The Vedas are called ruti, or that which is heard.All saintly persons and great cryas accept thathearing from the Vedas is the best method forunderstanding the Absolute Truth. And as stated inthe ruti-stra, The real truth is described by thewords of the glorious, eternal Vedas.

rpda Madhvcrya said:

Neither eyes, ears, or logic teach of theSupreme Personality of Godhead. Only the ruti andsmtistras teach of Him.

The Supreme Person is described in theUpaniads.

(Bhad-rayaka Upaniad 3.9.26)

If we consider wherefrom we learned aboutdemigods, we will realize that we heard about themthrough the Vedas only. Therefore we have to acceptVedic statements as authoritative. The Vedasdescribe the position of the demigods in relationshipto this material world, the living entities, and theSupreme Lord.

Therefore, our discussion should be basedon Vedic authority, and not on statements oropinions of ordinary men, whose knowledge isalways defective because of mistakes, illusion, thecheating propensity, and imperfect senseperception. The Vedas are apaurueya

(transcendental), not written by any man ordemigod. In the beginning of creation the SupremeLord, Ka, imparted Vedic knowledge to the heartof Brahm, the first created living being, and Brahmpresented this knowledge to his disciples and sons,who have handed it down throughout history via the

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Who is Supreme?

chain of disciplic succession. Thus one should

understand the Vedas by hearing from a bona fidespiritual master, who comes in disciplic successionfrom the Lord Himself:

eva parampar-prptamima rjarayo vidu

This supreme science was thus received

through the chain of disciplic succession, and thesaintly kings understood it in that way.

(Bhagavad-gt 4.2)

Therefore, any spiritual discussion should bebased on evidence given by the guru (bona fidespiritual master), sdhu (saints and previous

cryas), and stra, because statements made bythe guru, sdhu, and stra do not differ from oneanother.

sdhu-stra-guru-vkya, cittete kariy aikya

One should accept as ones guide the wordsof the sdhu, the stra, and the guru.

(Narottama dsa hkura, Vaiava crya)

Now let us see what the Vedas say about Absolutetruth.

The Teachings of the Vedas

The rmad-Bhgavatam [1.2.11] which isthe ripened fruit of all Vedic literatures explain thatthere are three aspects of the Absolute Truth:

vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattva yaj jnam advayam

brahmeti paramtmeti bhagavn iti abdyate

Learned transcendentalists who know theAbsolute Truth call this nondual substanceBrahmn, Paramtm, or Bhagavn.

The same Absolute Truth is realized asimpersonal Brahman by the students of theUpaniads, as localized Paramtm by theyogs, and

as Bhagavn by the devotees. Just like the sun hasthree different aspects, namely the sun rays, sunplanet, and sun-god, the Absolute truth has abovementioned three aspects. Realizing the all-pervading, effulgent sun rays is compared toBrahman realization. Realizing the sun disc is onelevel higher, and is compared to realization of the

localized Paramtm feature of the Lord. Andrealizing the sun-god is compared to realizing theBhagavn feature of the Absolute Truth. Therefore,realization of the Supreme Personality of Godheadis the ultimate realization of the Absolute Truth.

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Who is Supreme?

Brahman

The first step in spiritual progress is tounderstand, I am not this body, I am spirit soul.The material body, the material world, and alltheir interactions are simply causing suffering. ButI am an eternal spirit soul and belong totranscendence. In this way ajna-yog thinks and

thus develops the desire to enter into the shiningeffulgence of the spiritual world. He realizes thathe is an eternal spirit soul, but he does not realizehis eternal positionto render transcendentalloving service to the Lord. Such jna-yogs canrealize only Brahman (brahmajyoti), which isdescribed as the glaring effulgence of Lord Kas

transcendental body:yasya prabh prabhavato jagadaa-koi-koiv aea-vasudhdi-vibhti-bhinnam

tad-brahma nikalam anantam aea-bhtagovindam di-purua tam aha bhajmi

I worship the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, Govinda, by whose personal effulgencethe unlimited brahmajyoti is manifested. In thatbrahmajyoti there are innumerable universes, andeach is filled with innumerable planets.

(Brahma-sahit 5.40)

The Supreme Personality of Godhead in His

transcendental form of bliss and knowledge iscovered by the brahmajyoti. Thejns (imperson-alists) cannot see the Supreme on this account, andtherefore they wrongly conclude that the AbsoluteTruth is impersonal. For instance, by observing therays of sunshine, one can get some idea about thequality of the sun (i.e., light and heat), but therebyone does not yet fully understand the sun. Similarly,

jns can merge into impersonal Brahman, butbecause they do not have complete knowledge ofthe eternal constitutional position of the soul (i.e.,being an eternal servant of the Lord) they fall downand take birth again in the material world:

ye nye ravindka vimukta-mninastvayy asta-bhvd aviuddha-buddhaya

ruhya kcchrea para pada tatapatanty adho ndta-yumad-aghraya

Persons who are falsely under theimpression of being liberated, without devotional

service to the Lord, may reach the goal of thebrahmajyoti, but because of their impureconsciousness and for want of shelter in theVaikuha planets, such so-called liberated personsagain fall down into material existence.

(rmad-Bhgavatam 10.2.32)

The Teachings of the Vedas6 7


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Who is Supreme? The Teachings of the Vedas

In Bhagavad-gt Lord Ka confirms that

He is the basis of impersonal Brahman:brahmao hi pratihham amtasyvyayasya cavatasya ca dharmasya sukhasyaikntikasya ca

I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman,which is immortal, imperishable, and eternal, andis the constitutional position of ultimate happiness.

(Bhagavad-gt 14.27)Brahman realization is not the ultimate

realization of the Absolute Truth. It is realizationof the sat (eternity) feature of the Absolute Truth.1

Behind the brahmajyoti is the transcendental formof the Supreme Personality of Godhead, r Ka:

hiramayena ptrea satyasypihita mukhamtat tva pann apvu satya-dharmya daye

O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Yourreal face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence(brahmajyoti). Kindly remove that covering andexhibit Yourself to Your pure devotee.

(r opaniad, Mantra 15)

Paramtm

More advanced than jns are yogs. Theyare trying to control their senses by mechanicalmethods of aga-yoga, which includes yama,niyama, sana, pryma, pratyhra, dhra,

Yogs realize that the Supreme Lord is present in theheart of everyone and in every atom as localized

Paramtm.

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dhyna, and samdhi. This process is recommended

for those who do not have knowledge oftranscendental loving service to the Lord. Theyrealize that the Supreme Lord is present in the heartof everyone and in every atom as localizedParamtm, that He is the controller of everyoneand gives guidance to the living entity to act as he

desires, and that He is witness to all activities. Theyappreciate this aspect of the Lord but do not engagein devotional service. Furthermore, in this processthere is great danger of being attracted to the mysticpowers which one naturally develops in due course;hence there is risk of falling down from this position.This stage of Paramtm realization attained by

yogs is called a neutral stage, or nta-rasa. Higherrelationships with the Lord in transcendental rasasare revealed only to bhakti-yogs. Ultimately,yogsmay progress if by good fortune they meet a puredevotee (uddha-bhakta).

Some references from stras about the

Paramtm feature of the LordThe Paramtm is a plenary expansion of

Lord Ka. In Bhagavad-gt (10.42) Kaexplains:

atha v bahunaitena ki jtena tavrjunaviabhyham ida ktsnam ekena sthito jagat

But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this

detailed knowledge? With a single fragment ofMyself I pervade and support this entire universe.

Thus by His one plenary expansion, the all-pervading Paramtm, the Lord maintains thecomplete material cosmic creation:

sarvasya cha hdi sannivio

matta smtir jnam apohana caI am seated in everyones heart, and from

Me come remembrance, knowledge, andforgetfulness.

(Bhagavad-gt 15.15)

vara sarva-bhtn

hd-dee rjuna tihatibhrmayan sarva-bhtniyantrrhni myay

The Supreme Lord is situated in everyonesheart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings ofall living entities, who are seated as on a machine,made of the material energy.

(Bhagavad-gt 18.61)

kam enam avehi tvamtmnam akhiltmanm

jagaddhitya so py atradehvbhti myay

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Paramtm and also of impersonal Brahmanjust

as one who knows the sun-god automatically hasknowledge of the sun globe and sun rays, whereasknowledge of sun rays alone, or even of the sun disc,would not be complete knowledge of the sun.

Lord Ka personally declares in Bhagavad-gt that He is the Supreme Absolute Truth, the

Supreme Personality of Godhead:matta paratara nnyatkicid asti dhanajaya

mayi sarvam ida protastre mai-ga iva

O conqueror of wealth, there is no truthsuperior to Me. Everything rests upon Me as pearlsare strung on a thread.

(Bhagavad-gt 7.7)

Therefore the most confidential knowledgeis to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead,r Ka, and become His devotee. This is theperfection of religion.

man-man bhava mad-bhaktomad-yj m namaskuru

mm evaiyasi satya tepratijne priyo si me

Ka should be known as the soul of all

souls, for He is the soul of all individual souls andthe soul of the localized Paramtm as well. AtVndvana He was acting just like a human beingto attract people and to show that He is notformless.


The Paramtm feature is a realization ofGods all-pervading aspect. God is everywhere, yethas His own abode where He performs pastimeswith His devotees and enjoys with them the highesttranscendental pleasures (nanda-ll).

To realize Paramtm means to realize thesat and cit (eternity and knowledge) features of the

Absolute Truth2, and therefore it is not completerealization. Complete realization is possible onlywhen one realizes the Supreme Personality ofGodhead and renders devotional service unto Him,thus experiencing the sat-cit-nanda features of theAbsolute Truth.3

BhagavnBhagavn is the last word in realization of

the Absolute Truth, because to understand Hispersonal feature as the Supreme Personality ofGodhead includes realization of localized

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Always think of Me, become My devotee,

worship Me, and offer your homage unto Me. Thusyou will come to Me without fail. I promise you thisbecause you are My very dear friend.

(Bhagavad-gt 18.65)

Bhagavad-gt clearly establishes Ka as theSupreme Personality of Godhead - Bhagavn.

Common questions and our answers:

In the Vedic texts, especially in theUpaniads, the Absolute Truth is mostly referredto as Brahman. So why do you say that LordKa is the Supreme?

Answer: Yes, it is true that the Upaniadsmostly use the word Brahman to indicate the

Absolute Truth, to elevate the reader tounderstanding of the Supreme Lords transcendentalnature. But the same Upaniads also explain thatBrahman is Lord Ka:

brahmayo devak-putra

The son of Devak, Ka, is the Supreme

Personality.(Nryaa Upaniad 4)

In Bhagavad-gt Arjuna realizes LordKas supreme position and addresses Him as

para brahma, the Supreme Brahman. So again it isconfirmed that to realize the Absolute Truth means

to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead, andnot just His impersonal or localized aspect.

Isnt Lord Ka just the manifestationof impersonal Brahman, taking material form,and afterward He again merges into impersonalBrahman?

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Who is Supreme?

Answer: The answer to this question is given

by Lord Ka Himself in Bhagavad-gt, so there isno need for any further comment:

avyakta vyaktim pannamanyante mm abuddhaya

para bhvam ajnantomamvyayam anuttamam

Unintelligent men, who do not know Meperfectly, think that I, the Supreme Personality ofGodhead, Ka, was impersonal before and havenow assumed this personality. Due to their smallknowledge, they do not know My higher nature,which is imperishable and supreme.

(Bhagavad-gt 7.24)

Why do you say that the SupremeAbsolute Truth is a person who possessesunlimited qualities, when the Upaniadsdescribethe Absolute Truth to be without form (arpa)and without qualities (nirgua)?

Answer: Yes, it is true that the Upaniadsdescribe the Absolute Truth as being without formor qualities. Yet the same Upaniads also describethe Supreme Lords form (sac-cid-nanda rpaya)and His unlimited qualities. So the properconclusion is that the Supreme Absolute Truth is

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who does not

possess a material body or material qualities; rather,He has a transcendental form and is the source ofall good qualities, which are eternal, such as Hisname, abode, pastimes, and associates.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead -Bhagavn

In this chapter we will discuss more aboutthe Bhagavn aspect of the Absolute Truth. In orderto understand who is God, first we have tounderstand what God is. In Vedic literatures we findthat God is defined as the:

1) Supreme Creator

2) Supreme Controller3) Supreme Enjoyer

One who can satisfy these criteria should beaccepted as the Supreme Lord. In this chapter wewill see that Lord Ka fulfills all these criteria.

Supreme Creator

Lord Ka personally says in Bhagavad-gt(10.8)that He is the creator of everything:

aha sarvasya prabhavomatta sarva pravartate

I am the source of all spiritual and materialworlds. Everything emanates from Me.

16 17The Supreme Personality of

Godhead - Bhagavn


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Who is Supreme?

When we say God we think of the supreme

creator, janmdy asya yata: from whom thiscosmic manifestation has come, where it rests, andwhere it will dissolve. (Vednta-stra 1.1.2)

The Supreme Lord also explained to LordBrahmj that He is the supreme creator:

aham evsam evgrennyad yat sad-asat param

pacd aha yad etac cayo 'vaiyeta so 'smy aham

I, the Personality of Godhead, who wasexisting before the creation, when there was nothingbut Myself. Nor was there the material nature, thecause of this creation. That which you see now is

also I, the Personality of Godhead, and afterannihilation what remains will also be I, thePersonality of Godhead.

(rmad-Bhgavatam 2.9.33)Everyone elses existence arose from some

cause, but Lord Ka has no cause; rather, He isthe supreme cause of all causes, the creator ofeverything. Therefore He is accepted as Bhagavn,the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Supreme Controller

Everything is under Lord Kas control,because He is the source of everything. Everyone

and everything depends on Him. Everything is done

under His supreme supervision, as is stated in theaphorism Not a blade of grass moves without thewill of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

vara parama ka sac-cid-nanda-vigrahaandir dir govinda sarva-kraa-kraam

Ka, who is known as Govinda, is the

Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissfulspiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no otherorigin, and He is the prime cause of all causes.

(Brahma-sahit 5.1)

There are many varas (controllers), andone appears greater than another. In the verse quoted

above, from Brahma-sahit, we can see that LordKa is addressed as the supreme controller of allcontrollers (vara parama ka).

Further, in Kaha Upaniad 2.2.13, it is said,

nityo nityn cetana cetannmeko bahn yo vidadhti kmn

He is the prime eternal among all eternals.He is the supreme living entity of all living entities,and He alone is maintaining all life.

He creates and maintains all living entities.He also supervises the material nature:

maydhyakea prakti


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Who is Supreme?

This material nature is working under My

direction.(Bhagavad-gt 9.10)

In the Vedas, the Supreme Lord alone isaddressed as svar, or supremely independent.Because He is the supreme creator and supremecontroller, He is also addressed as asamaurdhva,which means that no one is equal to or greater than

Him.

Supreme Enjoyer

The Supreme Lord is addressed in the Vedasas puruam, or supreme enjoyer. He creates andmaintains everything, so everything exists for Hispleasure. He is purua (enjoyer); everyone andeverything else is His energy prakti (enjoyed). Healone can be called Supreme Enjoyer, for only Heis supremely independent. His satisfaction does notdepend on any other source. Rather, everything elsedepends on Him, and has true meaning only inrelationship with Him. He is the supremely

independent Personality of Godhead, the AbsoluteTruth.In Bhagavad-gt (10.12), Arjuna says,

arjuna uvcapara brahma para dhma

pavitra parama bhavn

purua vata divyam

di-devam aja vibhumArjuna said: You are the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, thepurest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal,transcendental, original person, the unborn, thegreatest.

Here we see that the stras refer to God asthe Supreme Person. Supreme Person means He whois in all ways superior to everyone else. Ka issuperior to everyone in knowledge, wisdom,opulence, qualities, and so on.

We are naturally attracted to someone whopossesses good qualities or opulences. For

example, when someone is beautiful or rich, he isvery attractive. Someone very intelligent or verypowerful is also attractive. We can imagine howmuch we would be attracted to someone whosimultaneously possessed all of these qualities.Ka posses all the good qualities. His activities,form, name, and abodeall are attractive. TheSupreme Lord is He who possesses all goodqualities in full. Therefore, if any name can addressthe Absolute Truth, that name is Ka, the all-attractive one:


Godhead - Bhagavn


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Who is Supreme?

kir bh-vcaka abdo a ca nirvti-vcaka

tayor aikya para brahma ka ity abhidhyateThe word k is the attractive feature of the

Lords existence, and a means spiritual pleasure.When the verb k is added to the affix a, it becomeska, which indicates the Absolute Truth.

(Mahbhrata, Udyoga-parva 71.4)In the Vedas it is said:

raso vai sa, rasa hy evya labdhvnandbhavati

When one understands the Personality ofGodhead, the reservoir of pleasure, Ka, heactually becomes transcendentally blissful.

(Taittirya Upaniad 2.7.1)

Thus we have seen that Lord Ka is thesupreme creator, supreme controller and Supremeenjoyer and hence He is rightly addressed as theSupreme Personality of Godhead.

Now we will analyze Kas opulences,qualities, energies, forms, consorts and abode, in

order to understand that only He is supreme and allothers subordinate to Him.

His Opulences

When Arjuna speaks in Bhagavad-gt it iswritten arjuna uvca, but when Lord Ka speaksit is written r-bhagavn uvca. Bhaga meansopulence and vn means one who possesses.Parara Muni, a great sage and the father ofVysadeva, who compiled all the Vedic literatures,

gave the following definition of Bhagavn:aivaryasya samagrasya vryasya yaasa riya

jna-vairgyayo caiva sa bhaga itigana

Bhagavn means one who possesses thesesix opulences in full: all riches, all strength, all fame,all beauty, all wisdom, and all renunciation.

(Viu Pura 6.5.47)All six opulences are fully manifested in the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, r Ka:

1) All riches (aivaryasya)

Even the richest man cannot claim that hehas all riches; only Lord Ka can claim this. InBhagavad-gt Lord Ka says, sarva-loka-mahevaram: I am the proprietor of all the planets,and r opaniad teaches vsyam ida sarvam:Everything that exists belongs to Lord Ka.

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Who is Supreme?

2) All strength (vryasya)

When Lord Ka was only three months old,He killed the demoness Ptan when she attemptedto kill Him. His strength was present and manifestfrom the very beginning of His appearance in thematerial worldnot that by some yoga ormeditation He later became God. Ka is alwaysGod.

3) All fame (yaasa)

Lord Ka spoke Bhagavad-gt 5000 yearsago and still is adored by all intelligent people ofthe world. In the past 5000 years many greatPersonalities existed but are now forgotten, yeteveryone knows Ka, and His fame continues to

expand.4) All beauty (riya)

Kas name is Madana-Mohan, or onewho attracts even Cupid himself. When Ka wasplaying His pastimes in Vndvan, everyone wasattracted by His beautyHis mother, His friends,

the gops, the cows, trees, riverseveryone.5) All knowledge (jna)

Lord Ka is addressed in Bhagavad-gt askavi, or one who knows past, present, and future;therefore He knows everything.

Bhagavn means one who possesses these sixopulences in full: all riches, all strength, all fame,

all beauty, all wisdom, and all renunciation.

6) All renunciation (vairgya)

So many wonderful things are under Kascontrol in this material world, but he is not presenthere. He is fully aloof from the material world. Ifsomeone asks you for a thousand rupees, you willthink twice before renouncing it. But Kapossesses all riches and yet can completelyrenounce all of it. Because He is fully self-sufficient,

He does not need anything for His satisfaction.Thus we have seen that all six opulences are

fully manifested by Lord Ka. Therefore He isrecognized as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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Who is Supreme?

His QualitiesThe Supreme Lord Ka is an ocean of good

qualities, which are unlimited like Himself. LordKas transcendental qualities are described in thestras and are kindly presented to us by rla RupaGoswami in his book Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu. Afterhaving scrutinizingly studied the scriptures, rla

Rupa Goswami explained that the aggregatenumber of qualities of Ka is sixty-four:

(1) beautiful features of the entire body(2) marked with all auspicious characteristics(3) extremely pleasing(4) effulgent

(5) strong(6) ever youthful(7) wonderful linguist(8) truthful(9) talks pleasingly(10) fluent(11) highly learned

(12) highly intelligent(13) a genius(14) artistic(15) extremely clever(16) expert(17) grateful

(18) firmly determined

(19) an expert judge of time and circumstances(20) sees and speaks on the authority of Vedas,

or scriptures(21) pure(22) self-controlled(23) steadfast(24) forbearing

(25) forgiving(26) grave(27) self-satisfied(28) possessing equilibrium(29) magnanimous(30) religious

(31) heroic(32) compassionate(33) respectful(34) gentle(35) liberal(36) shy(37) the protector of surrendered souls

(38) happy(39) the well-wisher of devotees(40) controlled by love(41) all-auspicious(42) most powerful

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Who is Supreme?

(43) all-famous

(44) popular(45) partial to devotees(46) very attractive to all women(47) all-worshipable(48) all-opulent(49) all-honorable(50) supreme controller

The Supereme Lord possesses these fiftyqualities in full, and the ordinary living being maydevelop them to some extent. But besides these fiftyqualities, Lord Ka possesses five more which aresometimes present in the personalities of LordBrahm and Lord iva, but not attainable by ordinary

souls. These are:(51) changeless(52) all-cognizant(53) ever fresh(54) sac-cid-nanda (possessing an eternal

blissful body)

(55) possessing all mystic perfectionsThe next five qualities are not manifestedeven by Lord Brahm or Lord iva, but are presentin Lord Nryaa:

(56) He has inconceivable potency.

(57) Uncountable universes generate from His

body.(58) He is the original source of all incarnations.(59) He is the giver of salvation to the enemies

whom He kills.(60) He is the attractor of liberated souls.

Lord Ka fully manifests another fourqualities which even Lord Nryaa does notpossess, what to speak of ordinary living beings ordemigods:

(61) He is the performer of wonderful varietiesof pastimes, especially His childhoodpastimes (ll-mdhurya).

(62) He is surrounded by devotees endowed

with wonderful love of Godhead (prema-mdhurya).

(63) He can attract all living entities throughoutall the universes by playing on His flute(veu-mdhurya).

(64) He has a wonderful excellence of beauty

which cannot be rivaled anywhere in thecreation (rpa-mdhurya).

All these sixty-four qualities are fullymanifested by Lord Ka only. Therefore He isrightly recognized as the Supreme Personality ofGodhead.

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Who is Supreme?

His EnergiesWhen the Vedas speak about the Supreme

Lord, they describe the Supreme Person and Hisenergies:

parsya aktir vividhaiva ryate

The Supreme Personality of Godhead hasdifferent varieties of energies.

(vetvatara Upaniad 6.8)To understand the Supreme Lord means to

understand the Supreme Personality of Godheadand His energies. Just like when we speak of a king,within the word king are included his kingdom,queens, army, palaces, kinsmen, and so forth.

Without all these there is no meaning to the wordking. Similarly, the Vedas describe the SupremeLord and His energies, His creation, His associates,and so on.

The Supreme Lord need only desiresomething, upon which the fulfillment of His desireis immediately effected via His unlimited potencies.

He does not have to do any work Himself.The Supreme Lords energies are generally

divided into three: spiritual, marginal, and material.Therefore the Absolute Truth includes these fourprinciples: the Supreme Personality of Godhead

Himself, His internal energy, His marginal energy,

and His external energy:viu-akti par prokt

ketra-jkhy tath paravidy-karma-sajny

tty aktir iyate

The potency of Lord Viu is summarizedin three categories: the spiritual potency, the livingentities and ignorance. The spiritual potency is fullof knowledge; the living entities, although belongingto the spiritual potency, are subject tobewilderment; and the third energy, which is full ofignorance, is always visible in fruitive activities.

(Viu-Pura 6.7.61)

In Bhagavad-gt Lord Ka says that He isthe creator of all those energies:

aha sarvasya prabhavomatta sarva pravartate

iti matv bhajante mbudh bhva-samanvit

I am the source of all spiritual and materialworlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wisewho perfectly know this engage in My devotionalservice and worship Me with all their hearts.

(Bhagavad-gt 10.8)

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Who is Supreme? His Energies

With His spiritual potency the Supreme Lord

manifests the eternal, spiritual world, and by Hisexternal potency He creates the temporary, materialworld.

Marginal energy

The living entities (jva-tma) are Hismarginal energy. They are all eternally individuals,

parts and parcels of the Lord. Like the Lord, theyare by nature spiritual, but their power is minute.Therefore they are defined as au-tm (minuteparticle), and the Lord is called vibhu-tm(Supersoul). Just as the ocean and a drop of waterfrom the ocean are the same in quality but differentin quantity, the Supreme Lord and Living entitiesare the same in quality but different in Quantity.No one can take bath in a drop of seawater, what tospeak of it accommodating all the living entities thatreside in the ocean. Similarly, the Supreme Lordpossesses unlimited power, whereas the power ofthe living entities is limited; thus they are prone to

become victim of illusion (the Lords externalenergy).

When the individual living beings disrupt theharmony with the Supreme Lord by opposing thesupreme position of the Lord, he falls to the materialworld:

dvv imau puruau loke

kara ckara eva cakara sarvi bhtni

ka-stho kara ucyate

There are two classes of beings, the fallibleand the infallible. In the material world every livingentity is fallible, and in the spiritual world every

living entity is called infallible.(Bhagavad-gt 15.16)

By his own choice the living entity can livein either the spiritual or material world. But thematerial world is not a fit place for living entities,because they are spiritually one with the Lord, andthey belongs to the spiritual world. Those whochoose to live in the material world becomeconditioned by the laws of material nature. The Lordwants all living entities, who are His parts andparcels, to live with Him in the transcendentalworld. Thus, for enlightening conditioned souls inthe material world, all the Vedas and revealed

scriptures are given to recall them back home, backto Godhead.

Bhagavad-gt (15.7) says:

mamaivo jva-lokejva-bhta santana

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Who is Supreme?

mana-ahnndriyi

prakti-sthni karatiThe living entities in this conditioned world

are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditionedlife, they are struggling very hard with the six senses,which include the mind.

External energy

The entire material world was created justto give to the fallen souls who rebelled against thewill of the Supreme Lord a chance to preparethemselves to go back home, back to Godhead. Thematerial nature is not independent; rather, it is actingunder the direction of the Supreme Lord, Ka:

maydhyakea praktisyate sa-carcaram

hetunnena kaunteyajagad viparivartate

This material nature, which is one of Myenergies, is working under My direction, O son ofKunt, producing all moving and nonmoving beings.Under its rule this manifestation is created andannihilated again and again.

(Bhagavad-gt 9.10)

Spiritual Energy

Let us now discuss His internal spiritualpotency. The Supreme Lords internal potency hasthree divisions: sat (sandhin), cit (samvit), andnanda (hldin).

The Viu Pura (1.12.69) explains that theLords spiritual potency has three aspects:

hldin sandhin samvittvayy ek sarva-sasthitauhlda-tpakar mir

tvayi no gua-varjite

O Lord, You are the support of everything.The three attributes hldin (pleasure potency),sandhin (existence potency), and samvit

(knowledge potency) exist in You as one spiritualenergy. But the material modes, which causehappiness, misery and mixtures of the two, do notexist in You, for You have no material qualities.

The Supreme Lords spiritual potency,through which He maintains His existence, is called

sandhin. The spiritual potency by which He knowsHimself and causes others to know Him is calledsamvit. And the spiritual potency by which Hepossesses transcendental bliss and bestows thatsame bliss upon His devotees is called hldin.

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Who is Supreme?

The spiritual world is occupying three-

fourths of the total creation; the remaining one-fourth is the material world. The spiritual world iseternal by nature (santana) and free from themiseries of birth, death, old age, and disease. It iscalled Vaikuha. Vaikuha means withoutanxiety, whereas the material world is full ofanxiety. In that spiritual sky there are innumerable

Vaikuha planets, wherein all spiritual beings livein harmony with the Supreme Lord.

The Vednta-stra (1.1.2) says,janmdy asyayata: The Absolute Truth is the original source ofeverything. Janma means birth. Everythingemanates from the Absolute Truth, just as our body

emerged from the womb of our mother. ThatAbsolute Truth is the Supreme Personality ofGodhead, Lord r Ka, and from Him all otherexpansions are created. This is done through theagency of spiritual potency (sandhini) of the Lord.4

Now let us understand in detail about HisForms, His consorts and His abode which are allmanifestations of His spiritual potency.

His FormsLord Ka is the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, and His transcendental form, which is fullof eternity, knowledge, and bliss, is the originalform of the Lord.

Lord Brahm gives a vivid description of theLords original form, which is the two-handed Lord

ymasundara, or Govinda, from whom all viu-tattva expansions are manifested. He says inBrahma-sahit (5.30-31),

veu kvaantam aravinda-dalyatkam-barhvatasam asitmbuda-sundargam

kandarpa-koi-kamanya-viea-obha

govindam di-purua tam aha bhajmilola-candraka-lasad-vanamlya-va-

ratngada praaya-keli-kal-vilsamyma tri-bhaga-lalita niyata-praka

govindam di-purua tam aha bhajmi

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who

is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyeslike lotus petals with head decked with peacocksfeather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hueof blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charmingmillions of Cupids.

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Who is Supreme?

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord,

round whose neck is swinging a garland of flowersbeautified with a moon-locket, whose two hands areadorned with a flute and jeweled ornaments, whoalways revels in pastimes of love, whose gracefulthreefold-bending form of ymasundara iseternally manifest.

Lord Kas personal expansions are calledviu-tattva. Viu-tattva means the same SupremeLord who displays different power and opulence atdifferent times and in varied circumstances.

There are unlimited expansions of theLordViu formswith four hands decoratedwith conch, lotus, club, and wheel. Each expansion

is situated in one of the unlimited Vaikuha planetsin the eternal spiritual sky, which is covering three-fourths of the total creation. These expansionsmanifest up to sixty out of the sixty-four qualities(As mentioned in Page 26) manifested only byKa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is LordKa. His original form is two-handedymasundara, (dark blue complexion) holding aflute. From Him all other forms, like Rma,Nryaa, and Viu, are manifested. Although allof them are equal, still the fountainhead of all viu-

tattvas is Lord Ka, just as one candle may be used

to light countless others. Although the power of lightis the same in each successive candle, still onerecognizes the original candle,

rmdi-mrtiu kal-niyamena tihannnvatram akarod bhuvaneu kintu

ka svaya samabhavat parma pumn yogovindam di-purua tam aha bhajmi

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whomanifested Himself personally as Ka and thedifferent avatrs in the world in the forms of Rma,Nsiha, Vmana, and so on, as His subjectiveportions.

(Brahma-sahit 5.39)

Of all avatrs, the six opulences are perfectand complete, in Lord Ka, Lord Rma, and LordNsiha5, whereas other avatrs manifest themonly to some extent. Therefore these three avatrsare considered to be most important.

Because Ka is the original source, He is

the full representation of all avatrs. Ka is a,whereas others are aa, or part of Ka. Thereare other incarnations which are empowered by theLord to fulfill particular purposes. Some of them areviu-tattva (God Himself) and some of them are

jva-tattva, the living entities.

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Who is Supreme?

In rmad-Bhgavatam (1.3.26) it is stated:

avatr hy asakhyeyhare sattva-nidher dvij

yathvidsina kulysarasa syu sahasraa

O brhmaas, the incarnations of the Lordare innumerable, like rivulets flowing from

inexhaustible sources of water.The Lord expands into unlimited forms

which are classified in six categories:

1) Puruvatras (Kraodakay Viu,Garbhodakay Viu and Krodakay Viu) -These are in the category of viu-tattva, which

means that they are fully transcendental. These threepuruvatras deal with the creation, maintenance,and destruction of the material universe. Wheneverthe Lord appears in the material world as an avatr,He comes through the agency of KrodakayViu.

2) Lila-avatras the pastime incarnations(Matsya, Krma, Varha, Rma, Nsiha, Vmana,and so on)

3) Manvantaravatras incarnations who appearamong the demigods to help Indra destroy hisenemies. During the reign of each Manu there are

different incarnations, like Yaja in the period of

Svyambhuva Manu, Ajita as Ckua Manu,Vmana as Vaivasvata Manu, and so forth.6

4) Yuga-avatras the incarnations of themillennia, which appear in four different colors,namely white (Lord Hasa), red (Lord Yaja), blue/black (Vsudeva), and yellow (Lord Caitanya).7

Ka is the source of all incarnations.

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Who is Supreme?

5) Gua-avatras qualitative incarnations in

charge of: creation (rajo-gua, Lord Brahm),maintenance (sattva-gua, Lord Viu), anddestruction (tamo-gua, Lord iva). Lord Brahmis jva-tat tva (a living entity), Lord Viu isviu-tattva (God Himself), and Lord iva is themarginal position between God Himself and theliving entity, so is called iva-tattva. (See page 62

for details)

6) aktyavesa-avatras representatives of theLord empowered for specific purposes (LordBuddha, Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammed). Theyare all jva-tattva, not God Himself.8

Arc-avatra

Another manifestation of the Lord which isconsidered especially merciful is His Deity(vigraha) form. To favor neophyte devotees who arestill full of material designations, the Lord appearsin material elementsstone, metal, wood, and soonso that everyone can see Him and render

service unto Him.Common questions and our answers

Isnt Ka the eighth avatrof Lord Viu?

Answer I: All the avatrs who are all comingfrom the spiritual world to the material world come

through the agency of Krodakay Viu. But

when Lord Ka appears in His original two-handedform, it is to be understood that He is the SupremePersonality of Godhead Himself, svayam-bhagavn,the source of all avatrs. For example, Lord Varhaappears through the nose of Lord Brahm, but LordBrahm is not the cause of Lord Varha. Similarly,Lord Ka appears through the agency of Lord

Viu but is Himself the very source of Viu. Thisis confirmed in rmad-Bhgavatam (1.3.28):

ete ca-kal pusakas tu bhagavn svayam

indrri-vykula lokamayanti yuge yuge

All the lists of the incarnations of Godheadsubmitted herewith are either plenary expansionsor parts of the plenary expansions of the SupremeGodhead, but Ka is the Supreme Personality ofGodhead Himself.

Answer II:We have already mentioned that

Lord Ka displays four qualities which even LordNryaa does not possess (see page 29). Becauseof His four attractive qualities, even the goddess offortune, Lakm dev, abandoned all transcendentalhappiness in Vaikuha and for a long timeaccepted vows and regulative principles and

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Who is Supreme?

performed unlimited austerities just to associate

with Lord Ka.9

siddhntatas tv abhede pira-ka-svarpayo

rasenotkyate ka-rpam e rasa-sthiti

According to transcendental realization,there is no difference between the forms of Nryaaand Ka. Yet in Ka there is a specialtranscendental attraction due to the conjugalmellow, and consequently He surpasses Nryaa.This is the conclusion of transcendental mellows.

(Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.2.59)

kasynubhvo sya na deva vidmahe

tavghri-reu-sparadhikrayad-vchay rr lalancarat tapo

vihya kmn su-cira dhta-vrat

O Lord, we do not know how the serpentKliya has attained this great opportunity of beingtouched by the dust of Your lotus feet. For this end,

the goddess of fortune (Lakm) performedausterities for centuries, giving up all other desiresand taking austere vows.


When Lord r Ka was dancing with thegops in the rsa-ll, the gops were embraced by

the arms of the Lord. This transcendental favor was

never bestowed upon the goddess of fortune or otherconsorts in the spiritual world.(rmad-Bhgavatam 10.47.60)

But the gops who are tasting the nectar ofLord Kas eternal association are fully satisfiedand never feel any attraction to Lord Nryaasform, which further proves Lord Kas superiornature.

Answer III: In the Brahma Pura it is said:

sahasra-nmn puyntrir vttya tu yat pahalm

ekvttya tu kasyanmaikam tat prayacchati

The pious results derived from chanting thethousand holy names of Viu three times can beattained by one repetition of the holy name of Ka.Answer IV: Brahma-sahit (5.43) states:

goloka-nmni nija-dhmni tale ca tasyadevi mahea-hari-dhmasu teu teu

Lowest of all is located Dev-dhma[mundane world], next above it is Mahea-dhma[abode of Mahea]; above Mahea-dhma is placedHari-dhma [abode of Hari], and above all of themis located Kas own realm, named Goloka.

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Who is Supreme?

Thus we establish that Lord Kas form,

qualities, name, and abode are superior to that ofLord Viu.

Nowadays there are so many peoplewho claim to be avatrs. How do we know whois an actual avatr?

The Kalki avatr as described in the scriptures.

Answer: One cannot become an avatrsimply

by public votes or claims by a handful of followers.Rather, one must have the characteristics of anavatr, such as:

1. Avatrs are predicted in stras.Not only is His name given, but also the place

of His appearance and purpose of His descent. Forexample, someone may claim to be the Kalki-

avatr. But stras inform us that Kalki will appearat the end of Kali-yuga, not now. The place of Hisappearance is given, and even the name of His father.His mission is to deliver sinful people of Kali-yugaby killing them. And He will again establish theSatya-yuga, or Golden Age. So unless one fits this

description he cannot be accepted as an avatr.2. An avatr possesses full opulences of theLord.As an avatr, the Lord Himself comes to this

planet for the benefit of all living beings. His originalpower, opulences, and qualities are all fully presentin His avatr form and can be manifested at will.

For example, Arjuna wanted to confirm LordKas supreme position, so he requested the Lordto prove that He is God by showing the universalform. God is the creator of everything, so He mustbe able to show all the universe and all creationwithout any effort.

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Lord Ka showed the universal form, andin that way established the criterion for all those

who claim to be avatrs: let them show the universalform. Someone might have some mystic power tocreate some ash, but this does not make him anavatr. The Lord is known as the creator, maintainer,and destroyer of all creationnot as a meremagician who apparently creates some ash or Liga.

I accept that Lord Ka and Lord Rma

are avatars, but why do you people from ISKCONclaim that Caitanya Mahprabhu is an avatrofLord Ka? In history Caitanya Mahprabhu isknown only as a great devotee.

Answer: There are unlimited quotes fromstras about the avatr Lord Caitanya.* One ofthem is from Nsiha Pura:

satye daitya-kuladhi-nsa-samayesimhordhva-martyakritis

trety dasa-kandharam paribhavanrmeti nmakritih

goplan pariplayan vraja-purebharam haran dvpare

gaurga priya-krtana kali-yugecaitanya-nma prabhu

The Supreme Lord, who in Satya-yugaappeared as a half-man, half-lion to cure a terribledisease that had ravaged the daityas, and who inTret-yuga appeared as Rma, a person who

defeated the ten-headed Rvana, and who inDvpara-yuga removed the earths burden and

* Scriptural evidences of the supreme divinity of Lord Caitanyaare given in Glories of Lord Caitanya, a compendium of versesfrom a variety of sources; published by Ka Institute, 16717 NW173 Terrace, Alachua, FL 32615, USA.

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Who is Supreme?

protected the gopas of Vraja-pura, will again appear

in the Kali-yuga. His form will be golden, He willdelight in chanting the Lords holy names, and Hisname will be Caitanya.

Why do you worship idols?

Answer: The Deity forms of the Lord,manifested in material elements, are actually fullyspiritual manifestations. If one sincerely worshipsthe Deity with full faith and under the guidance of abona fide spiritual master, the Deity eventuallyreveals Himself as the Supreme Personality ofGodhead. But for those who have no faith, He willremain appearing as stone.

Being unlimited, the Lord can appear even in

material elements, to bless His devotees.Nevertheless, it is not that any material form shouldbe worshipedonly those forms described in thescriptures. For example, if we want to post a letterwe must deposit it into a mailbox, not merely anybox that might be lying on the street. Since themailbox is authorized by the postal department, ourletter is sure to reach its destination. Similarly, whenwe offer prayers and worship authorized forms ofthe Deity, the Lord reciprocates and we advance inspiritual realizations.

Now let us discuss about His consorts.

His ConsortsThe embodiment of hldin potency is His

eternal female consort, rmat Rdhr. She is Hispleasure counterpart, thus nondifferent from Him.As Lord Ka is the fountainhead of all Viu forms,rmat Rdhr is the source of all lakms, femaleconsorts of Lord Viu.

In Caitanya-caritmta, di (4.76-77), it is said,

avatr ka yaiche kare avatraain rdh haite tina gaera vistra

vaibhava-gaa yena tra aga-vibhtibimba-pratibimba-rpa mahira tati

Just as the fountainhead, Lord Ka, is thecause of all incarnations, so r Rdh is the causeof all these consorts.

The goddesses of fortune are partialmanifestations of rmat Rdhik, and the queensof Dvrak are reflections of Her image.

In Bhad-gautamya-tantra, it is said,

dev ka-may proktrdhik para-devat

sarva-lakm-may sarva-knti sammohin par

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The transcendental goddess rmat

Rdhr is the direct counterpart of Lord r Ka.She is the central figure for all the goddesses offortune. She possesses all the attractiveness toattract the all-attractive Personality of Godhead. Sheis the primeval internal potency of the Lord.

In the Purua-bodhini Upaniad it is said:Lakm, Durg, and the Lords potencies are

expansions of Sri Rdh.Additional information about rmat

Rdhr is given in the g-pariia, thesupplement to the g Veda:

rdhay mdhavo devo mdhavenaiva rdhikvibhrjante janeu

Among all persons, it is rmat Rdhrin whose company Lord Mdhava is especiallyglorious, as She is especially glorious in His.

And in the Adi Pura:trailokye pthiv dhany

tatra vndvana puna

tatrpi gopk prthatatra rdhbhidh mama

O Prtha, the earth planet is the mostfortunate place in the three worlds, for Vndvanaforest, the gops, and My beloved who bears the nameRdh all stay there.

Vaiava devotees worship the Supreme

Lord with His internal energy as r r Rdh-Ka,r r Rukmi-Dvrakdha, r r St-Rma andr r Lakm-Nryaa.

Now let us understand about Lords abode.

The transcendental goddess rmat Rdhr isthe direct counterpart of Lord r Ka. She is the

primeval internal potency of the Lord.

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Who is Supreme?

His AbodeThe spiritual world is the manifestation of

the Lords internal potency. Innumerable spiritualplanets are floating in the impersonal brahmajyoti,the shining effulgence of Lord Kas body. On eachplanet there are different expansions of the Lord,worshiped by those devotees who are attracted to

that particular form of the Lord. The devotees candevelop basically five relationships (rasas) with theSupreme Lord:

1) Neutrality (nta-rasa)2) Servitorship (dsya-rasa)3) Friendship (sakhya-rasa)4) Parenthood (vtsalya-rasa)5) Conjugal relationship (mdhurya-rasa)

There are different spiritual planets withdifferent flavors of worshipLord Kas planet,Lord Rmacandras planet, Lord Nsihas planet,Lord Sankaranas planet, Lord Janrdanas planet,and so on.

In Goloka-dhma (or Goloka Vndvana),Ka in His original two-handed form is worshipedby His beloved devotees, who are gopas and gops.They are playing wonderful pastimes in that spiritualabode full of sat (eternity), cit (knowledge), and

nanda (bliss). In Brahma-sahit (5.29), that

abode is described as,cintmai-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vka-

lakvteu surabhr abhiplayantamlakm-sahasra-ata-sambhrama-sevyamna

govindam di-purua tam aha bhajmi

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, thefirst progenitor, who is tending the cows andyielding all desires, in abodes built with spiritualgems and surrounded by millions of purpose trees.He is always served with great reverence andaffection by hundreds of thousands of lakms, orgops.

In the Gopla-tpan Upaniad it is said,

gopa-veo me purua purastd virbabhuva. TheLord appeared before Brahm as a cowherd boy,i.e., as the original Personality of Godhead, Lord rKa. Lord Brahm himself has described thatLord Kas abode is the topmost planet of allspiritual Vaikuha planets, and is known as

Goloka-dhma:goloka-nmni nija-dhmni tale ca tasyadev-mahea-hari-dhmasu teu teu

te te prabhva-nicay vihit ca yenagovindam di-purua tam aha bhajmi

His Abode54 55


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Who is Supreme?

Lowest of all is located Dev-dhma

[mundane world]; next above it is Mahea-dhma[abode of Mahea]; above Mahea-dhma is placedHari-dhma [abode of Hari]; and above them all islocated Kas own realm, named Goloka. I adorethe primeval Lord Govinda, who has allotted theirrespective authorities to the rulers of those gradedrealms.

(Brahma-sahit 5.43)Below all the spiritual planets is the transcen-

dental effulgence known as brahmajyoti. It is theimpersonal aspect of the Absolute Truth, attainedby spiritualists (jns) who do not realize theAbsolute Truth as being the Supreme Person. They

cannot enter into the Vaikuha planets unless theybecome devotees of the Supreme Lord.10

The transcendental river which divides thespiritual and material world is called the VirajRiver.11 It is a marginal position between the twoworlds and is where creation of the material worldtakes place. That will be discussed in the next

chapter.It is interesting to note that Lord ivas abode

is twofold. The upper part is called Sadivaloka,and is effulgent by the rays of the brahmajyoti. Thelower part is known as Mahkla-dhma, and isenveloped in darkness.12 So Lord ivas abode is in

a marginal position, neither in the spiritual ormaterial world.18 Just as Lord iva himself has aunique position in the creation, so also is his abodeunique. Lord ivas position will be discussed furtherin later chapters.

His Abode56 57


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Who is Supreme?

Material Creation

When the Lord desires to create the materialworld, He does so through the agencies of Hisplenary expansions, called puruvatras. LordBrahmj says in his Brahma-sahit (5.47),

ya krarava-jale bhajati sma yoga-nidrm ananta-jagad-aa-saroma-kpa

dhra-aktim avalambya par sva-mrtigovindam di-purua tam aha bhajmi

I worship the primeval Lord Govinda, wholies down in the Causal Ocean in His plenaryportion as Mah-Viu, with all the universesgenerating from the pores of hair on Histranscendental body, and who accepts the mysticslumber of eternity.

The first puruvatra is Mah-Viu, wholies down on the waters of the Causal Ocean, themarginal area between the spiritual and materialworlds (see page 57). By Him only, the universesare generated and all material manifestations are

produced. By His mere glance, the Supreme Lordinjects all living entities into the womb of materialnature. In theAitareya Upaniad (1.1.12) it is said:

sa aikata lokn nu sja iti

sa imn lokn asjta

He glanced over the material creation. Thus He

created the entire material world.But the Supreme Lord (Mah-Viu) does not

directly touch my or material energy. He expandsinto iva14, and His consort Ramdev15 (Lakm)expands into Durg.16 Lord iva is the masculinesymbol (liga) of Lord Mah-Viu, and Durgdev

is his accommodating principle (yoniwomb).Therefore they are worshiped as iva-liga.17

Lord iva and goddess Durg fulfill the Lordsdesire for creation and thus are known as the fatherand mother of the material creation.

The efficient (original) cause for creation isLord Mah-Viu, and the immediate causes are

Lord iva and Durgdev. As Lord iva is a shadowof Mah-Vius effulgence, so is Durgdev ashadow of Rmadev.

From Lord Mah-Viu (viu-tattva), ivais created, and because he deals with Durgdev(Mythe external, asat potency) he is not on the

same level as Mah-Viu and is classified as iva-tattva. After the material nature is put into action,Lord Mah-Viu enters in each universe asGarbhodakay Viu and creates all the demigodsfor maintaining the universe. Then Garbhodakay

Material Creation58 59


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Who is Supreme?

Mah-Viu glanced over the material creation.Thus He created the entire material world.

Viu enters into each atom and also into the hearts

of all living entities, and is thus known asParmtma. At the time of destruction everythingis again absorbed into the transcendental body ofMah-Viu.

Lord Kasvayam-bhagavn

(The Supremepersonality of Godhead)

rmati RadharaniLord Kas internal

spiritual potency(hldin -akti)

Lord NryaaLord Kas personal

expansion (viu-tattva)

Lakm Dev

rmat Rdhrspersonal expansion

Lord iva

Lord Kas inter-mediate expansion(iva-tattva)

Durg Dev

The external (material)potency

Now let us understand about the position ofLords intermediate expansion namely Lord iva.

Material Creation60 61


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Who is Supreme?

His Intermediate Expansion

(Lord iva)Lord iva is in the marginal (intermediate)position, between the Personality of Godhead andthe living entities (jvas). He is neither an ordinaryliving being nor the Supreme Lord, and therefore isclassified as a separate tattva: iva-tattva. No living

being can attain the position of Lord iva. Byaccumulating pious activities one may occupy theposition of any demigod, like Lord Brahm, Indra,and so on, but one can never attain the post of Lordiva.18 He is the plenary portion of the Lord createdfor the specific purpose of dealing directly withmaterial nature.19 Yet because Lord iva is in direct

touch with material nature, he is not exactly in thesame transcendental position as Lord Viu. Toproperly understand Lord ivas position inrelationship to the Supreme Lord, we will analyzethe difference between them:

1) Lord iva is created by Lord Ka

(Viu), whereas the Supreme Lord Ka isunborn.

The Supreme Lord, Ka, is the creator ofiva, Brahm, and all other demigods, for thepurpose of managing universal affairs. In the Moka-dharma (Mahbhrata) Ka says,

prajpati ca rudra cpy

aham eva sjmi vaitau hi m na vijntomama my-vimohitau

The patriarchs, iva, and others are createdby Me, though they do not know that they are createdby Me, because they are deluded by My illusoryenergy.

Before creation there was no Brahm or iva,only Vsudeva (Ka), eternally existing in Hisspiritual abode (Vaikuha). This is confirmed in aMah-Nryaa Upaniad:

vsudevo v idam agra sn na brahm na caakara

Also, at the time of destruction onlyVsudeva (Ka) will remain; all others will beannihilated. In the Viu-dharma Pura it is said:

Brahm, iva, Srya, Candra, Indra, and alldemigods are granted power by Lord Viu. Whenthe universe is destroyed their powers are removed.

Thus powerless, they rush to destruction.But Lord Ka (Viu) is always transcen-

dental to creation or destruction of temporarymaterial worlds. Nothing can influence or destroyHim, for He is unborn and imperishable.

His Intermediate Expansion (Lord iva)62 63


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Who is Supreme?

Ka says in Bhagavad-gt (4.6),

ajo pi sann avyaytmbhtnm varo pi sanprakti svm adhihya

sambhavmy tma-myay

Although I am unborn and Mytranscendental body never deteriorates, andalthough I am the Lord of all living entities, I stillappear in every millennium in My originaltranscendental form.

2) Lord iva associates with My,whereas Lord Ka (Viu) is alwaystranscendental to the illusory potency:

iva akti-yuta avattri-ligo gua-savta

vaikrikas taijasa catmasa cety aha tridh

The truth about Lord iva is that he is alwayscovered with the three material coverings:vaikrika, tejasa, and tmasa (the modes of

goodness, passion, and ignorance and theirperverted egoistic misconceptions). Because ofthese three modes of nature, he always associateswith the external energy and with egotism itself.


Govinda, the Supreme Lord, assumes the form ofLord iva for the special purpose of material

transactions.



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Who is Supreme?

But Lord Viu never associates with My.20

Thus Lord iva is similar to Viu, but notidentical. The difference is like that between milkand yogurt. Yogurt is essentially nothing but milk,yet is distinctly different from milk:

kira yath dadhi-vikra-viea-yogtsajyate na hi tata pthag asti heto

ya ambhutm api tath samupaiti krytgovindam di-purua tam aha bhajmi

Milk changes into yogurt when it is mixedwith a yogurt culture; but yogurt is constitutionallynothing but milk. Similarly, Govinda, the SupremeLord, assumes the form of Lord iva for the specialpurpose of material transactions. I offer my

obeisances at the lotus feet of Govinda, the primevalLord.

(Brahma-Sahit 5.45)

3) Lord iva manifests fifty-five out ofsixty-four of Lord Kas qualities.

The viu-tattva expansions of the Supreme

Lord in different Viu forms are like lamps, and soalso Lord iva is like a lamp, whereas the supremecandle power, or the cent percent light, is Ka.The viu-tattva possess 94% of the total potencyof the Supreme Lord, the iva-tattva have 84%percent of that full potency, Lord Brahm can have

78% percent, and the living entities are potentiallyequal to Brahm, but in the conditioned state theirpower is still more diminished. (See Page 26)

4) Lord iva can be bewildered by LordKas illusory potency.

Lord Ka (Viu) is the master of My(the illusory potency), whereas all others may be

bewildered by her power. Even Lord iva issometimes bewildered by the Lords illusorypotency, as we learn from rmad-Bhagavtam. Lordiva was bewildered by the beautiful form ofMohin-mrti avatr (viu-tattva). Agitated by lustydesires he ran after Her, even in the presence of hiswife and followers. After he discharged semen, he

understood that he had been bewildered by theLords internal potency. No ordinary woman canattract Lord iva, so we can understand that he wasbewildered by Yoga-my, the internal (spiritual)potency of the Lord, not by Mah-my, the external(material) potency. Lord Ka (Viu) is the master

of both potencies. Thus Lord iva addressed hisrespected wife:ayi vyapayas tvam ajasya my

parasya pusa para-devatyaha kalnm abho pi muhye

yayvao nye kim utsvatantr



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Who is Supreme?

Lord iva said: O Goddess, you have nowseen the illusory energy of the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, who is the unborn master of everyone.Although I am one of the principal expansions ofHis Lordship, even I was illusioned by His energy.

What then is to be said of others, who are fullydependent on My?


5) Lord iva admits that only LordKa (Viu) can give moka andworshiping Ka (Viu) is Supreme.

Lord iva says, mukti-pradt sarveviur eva na saaya: There is no doubt thatViu is the deliverer of liberation for everyone.

In the Padma Pura Lord iva explains to his wife,Parvat, the goddess Durg,

rdhann sarve vior rdhana paramtasmt paratara dev tadyn samarcanam

Of all types of worship, worship of LordViu is best, and better than the worship of Lord

Viu is the worship of His devotee, the Vaiava.6) Lord iva is a devotee and Lord

Ka is his worshipable Lord.

In rmad-Bhgavatam (8.12.4) Lord ivaoffers prayers to Viu:

r-mahdeva uvcadeva-deva jagad-vypi

jagad-a jagan-mayasarvem api bhvn

tvam tm hetur varaLord Mahdeva said: O chief demigod

among the demigods, O all-pervading Lord, masterof the universe, by Your energy You are transformed

into the creation. You are the root and efficient causeof everything. You are not material. Indeed, You arethe Supersoul or supreme living force of everything.Therefore, You are Paramevara, the supremecontroller of all controllers.

Further it is said:

Lord iva knows that Lord Sakaraa is theoriginal cause of his own existence, and thus healways meditates upon Him in trance.


rmad-Bhgavatam 12.13.16 describes Lordiva as a greatest Vaiava,

nimna-gn yath gagdevnm acyuto yath

vaiavn yath ambhupurnm idam tath

Just as the Gag is the greatest of all rivers,Lord Acyuta the supreme among deities, and Lord



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Who is Supreme?

ambhu [iva] the greatest of Vaiavas, so rmad-Bhgavatam is the greatest of all Puras.

Not only is Lord iva the greatest Vaiava,but he also preaches Ka consciousness as one ofthe twelve mahjanas, and was the originator of oneof the Vaiava sampradyas, namely the Rudra-,or Vallabha-sampradya.

svayambhr nrada ambhu

kumra kapilo manuprahldo janako bhmo

balir vaiysakir vayam

Twelve personalitiesBrahm, Nrada,Lord iva, Kumra, Kapila, Manu, PrahldaMahrja, Janaka Mahrja, Bhma, Bali, ukadeva

Goswam, and Yamarjaare agents of the Lordauthorized to speak and propagate the principlesof religion.


r-brahma-rudra-sanakvaiav kiti-pvan

catvras te kalau bhvyhy utkale puruottamt

Four Vaiava disciplic successionsther sampradya, inaugurated by Lakm-dev; theBrahm-Madhva-Gaudya sampradya21, by LordBrahm; the Rudra- or Vallabha-sampradya, by

Lord iva; and the Kumra- or Nimbarka-sampradya, by the four Kumraswill appear inthe holy place of Jaganntha Pur and will purifythe entire earth during the age of Kali.

(Padma Pura)The di-varha Pura says:

By worshiping Lord iva for many thousandsof births a person becomes wise and free from all

sins. Then he becomes a Vaiava.In the Hari-vaa, Lord iva says:

O brhmaas learned in the transcendentalscriptures, you should always meditate on LordHari. Always recite the mantras glorifying LordViu and always meditate on Lord Keava.

The Pracets received the shelter of theSupreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viu, by thegrace of Lord iva:

Dear Lord, by virtue of a momentsassociation with Lord iva, who is very dear to Youand who is Your most intimate friend, we were

fortunate to attain You. You are the most expertphysician, capable of treating the incurable diseaseof material existence. On account of our greatfortune, we have been able to take shelter at Yourlotus feet.




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Who is Supreme?

ambhu, or Lord iva, is the ideal Vaiavaas he is always chanting Rmas name:

rma rmeti rmetirame rme manorame

[Lord iva addressed his wife, Durg:] OVarnan, I chant the holy name of Rma, Rma,Rma and thus enjoy this beautiful sound.

(Bhad-viu-sahasranma-stotra in the Uttara-

khaa of the Padma Pura, 72.335)From the above-mentioned lokas we can see

that Lord Ka is supreme, and Lord ivasubordinate and devoted to Him. But this does notmean that one should disrespect Lord iva. Oneshould see him in his original position as Lord

Kas empowered incarnation meant to deal withmaterial nature. When the Supreme Lord isuntouched by the external energy He is Lord Viu,but when He is in touch with the external energy(my), He appears in His feature as Lord iva. Soin that way Lord iva is simultaneously one anddifferent from Lord Ka. Just like a lamp covered

with carbon does not illuminate full light, becauseof his being in charge of the mode of ignorance thepower of Lord iva cannot compare to that of theLord Ka.22

In the Kurma Pura Lord Viu says:

A person who always worships Me withunalloyed love but also insults Lord iva goes tohell.

Thus we have established the Supremacy ofKa (Viu) over iva. Still, some may argue aboutthe supremacy of Lord iva over others.

Common questions and our answers:

In the Puraswe find that even Lord Kasometimes addresses Lord iva as Bhagavn,so why do you say Lord Ka is Supreme?

Answer: Even Nrada Muni and other greatsages are also sometimes referred to as Bhagavn,but none of them is the Supreme Lord. All livingbeings are parts and parcels of the Lord, qualitatively

one with Him, and Lord iva is an especiallypowerful personality who possesses many of theSupreme Lords qualities. Bhagavn means one fullin opulences. Because great personalities areentrusted with the opulences of Bhagavn(knowledge, renunciation, bhakti) to carry out thepurpose of the Supreme Lord, they are also calledBhagavn. rla Prabhupda gives the analogy of afather who is happy to share his riches with abeloved son; similarly, the Supreme Lord happilyinvests pure living beings with some of His potencyand opulence. And just as a father proudly and



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Who is Supreme?

happily recognizes the good qualities of hischildren, the Lord is most happy to glorify the pureliving beings who are powerful in Kaconsciousness. Thus the Supreme Lord is pleasedto glorify Lord iva by addressing him as Bhagavn.

Lord Brahma, Lord Viu, and Lord ivaare described in many Puras as one(nondifferent), so why do you make distinction?

Answer: In the Vednta-stra we find thestatement:

akti aktimator abhedaThe energy and the energetic are nondifferent

Lord Caitanyas philosophy, inconceivableoneness and difference (acintya-bhedbheda-

tattva), is the perfect way of understanding. In thismaterial world, the Lord incarnates in three formsas Brahm, Viu, and ivaby which He takescharge of the three modes of material nature. By Hisincarnation of Brahm He creates, as the incarnationof Viu He maintains, and by His incarnation ofiva, He also annihilates. But the original source ofBrahm, Viu, and ivaGarbhodakay Viuis always apart from these actions and reactions ofmaterial nature:

vmgd asjad viudakigt prajpatim

jyotir-liga-maya ambhukrca-ded avsjat

The same Mah-Viu (GarbhodakayViu) created Viu from His left limb; Brahm,the first progenitor of beings, from His right limb;and from the space between His two eyebrows,ambhu, the divine masculine manifested halo.

(Brahma-Sahit 5.15)

We have already given the example of yogurtand milk. This is called inconceivable oneness anddifference (acintya-bhedbheda-tattva).Yogurt is notdifferent from milk. Everyone knows that it ismilkbut at the same time, it is not milk. Youcannot get the benefit of milk by drinking yogurt.Milk is used for some purposes and yogurt fordifferent purposes. If we drink too much milk, weget dysentery. For that, the physician gives somemedicine to take with yogurt. So while yogurt isessentially nothing but milk, still it is different frommilk. Similarly, all these chief demigods, especiallyLord iva and Lord Brahm, originate from Viu

and are empowered by Him to act on His behalf; sothey are simultaneously one with and different fromHim.

Ganges water purifies everyone becauseit touches Lord ivas body.



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Who is Supreme?

Answer: Ganga water is originally emanatingfrom the nails of Ka (Viu) and Lord iva isbearing it over his head for his own purification.In rmad Bhgavatam (1.18.21) it is stated:

Who can be worthy of the name of theSupreme Lord but the Personality of Godhead, rKa? Brahmj collected the water emanatingfrom the nails of His feet in order to award it to Lord

iva as a worshipful welcome. This very water [theGanges] is purifying the whole universe, includingLord iva.

Lord iva carries Ganga water that washedLord Vius lotus feet.

In rmad-Bhgavatam (3.28.22) it is also said:

The blessed Lord iva becomes all the moreblessed by bearing on his head the holy water of theGanges, which has its source in the water thatwashed the Lords lotus feet.

Lord iva saved the world by drinkingthe klakapoison, which appeared as a resultof the churning of the milk ocean by the demigodsand demons. Therefore he is the Supreme.

Answer: In the Mantra-stra it is said thatLord iva drank the klaka poison while chantinga mantra consisting of Lord Kas namesacyutnanta govinda o nama23 and thus wasable to counteract it. In the Brahma Pura and

Garua Pura it is stated that Lord iva wasmeditating on Lord Viu, who was seated onGarua, and then he drank the poison. So it is onlyby Lord Vius blessings that Lord iva can performsuch a wonderful task.24

But Lord Viu was present there, so

why did He accompany all the demigods andpeople in general to take shelter of Lord iva,instead of Himself intervening?

Answer: In this connection rla Madhvcryawarns:


i di i ( d i )


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Who is Supreme?

Lord Viu was competent to rectify thesituation, but in order to give credit to Lord iva,who later drank all the poison and kept it in his neck,Lord Viu did not take action.25

rla Prabhupda explains that actually LordViu maintains and accomplishes all good fortune.If one has to take shelter of Lord Viu, why shouldthe demigods take shelter of Lord iva? They did so

because Lord Viu acts through Lord iva in thecreation of the material world. Lord iva acts onbehalf of Lord Viu. When the Lord says inBhagavad-gt (14.4) that He is the father of all livingentities (aha bja-prada pit), this refers toactions performed by Lord Viu through Lord iva,

as we explained in the previous chapter, MaterialCreation. Lord Viu is always unattached tomaterial activities, so when material activities areto be performed, He performs them through Lordiva. Therefore Lord iva is worshiped on the levelof Lord Viu. When Lord Viu is untouched bythe external energy He is Lord Viu, but when He

is in touch with the external energy, He appears inHis feature as Lord iva.

Lord Rma worshiped Lord iva atRamevaram and installed iva-ligathere, sothis is the proof of Lord ivas supremacy.

rudrasya yaaso rthyasvaya viur via vibhu

na sajahre samartho pivyu coce prantaye

Lord iva drank the klaka poison while chantinga mantra consisting of Lord Kas names.


Wh i S ? Hi I t di t E i (L d i ) 81


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Who is Supreme?

Answer I: In the Rudra-gt of Varha

Pura, it is said that once Lord iva offered prayersto Lord Nryaa, asking the blessing to alwayshave His darana. Being very much pleased with himand affectionate to His devotees, Lord Nryaagranted that boon to Lord iva and told him thatwhen He next comes as an avatr (Lord Rma),He will personally worship him. Therefore

the installation of iva-liga and pj have takenplace.26

Answer II: Lord Rma was setting the perfectexample of dharma. According to the smtis, it isthe duty of a king to perform worship of Lord ivabefore crossing water. For that reason Rma

undertook this worship.27

Rvaa was a devotee of Lord iva, soLord Rmacandra worshiped iva to take hispermission to kill Rvaa.

Answer:Who will give permission to kill hisdevotee? For example, if I ask you, Please allowme to kill your son, and if you say, Yes, I give mypermission, then are you not a rascal? So thatproposal is nonsensical.

When Lord iva showed his universalform, neither Lord Brahm nor Lord Viu could

reach the top or bottom of it. This proves thesupremacy of Lord iva.

Answer: Out of affection for His devotees,sometimes the Supreme Lord acts as apparentlysubordinate. Lord Rma worshiped all the is(Vasia, Vivmitra, and so on), yet those is arenot superior to Lord Rma. Lord Ka acted as achariot driver for Arjuna, but that does not make

Arjuna superior. The Lord sometimes acts as asubordinate to His devotees to increasetranscendental pleasure and enjoy their lovingrelationship. This particular pastime of Lord ivashowing his universal form is described andexplained on page 100.

Lord iva is a famous as Muktinth, orone who awards liberation. Everyone knows thatby Lord ivas mercy whoever dies in K(Vras) gets moka. Why do you say thatonly Viu can give moka?

Answer: Yes, it is true that Lord iva liberateseveryone who leaves his body at K, but he does

so by whispering into the dying mans ears the nameof Lord Rma.28 So it is only Lord Ka (Viu)who gives liberation.


Wh i S ? Material Universe82 83


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Who is Supreme?

Material Universe

The material world is called Dev-dhma, andgoddess Durg is in charge of all material affairswithin it. She keeps the living entities in illusion bythree modesgoodness, passion, and ignorance.Illusion means to think that one can enjoyseparately, without God. This is called My, which

means not that. Goddess Durg is not indepen-dent. She acts only under the superintendence ofthe Supreme Lord, being His external energy. As itis said, not a blade of grass moves without the willof the Supreme Lord:

maydhyakea prakti syate sa-carcaramhetunnena kaunteya jagad viparivartate

This material nature, which is one of Myenergies, is working under My direction, O son ofKunt, producing all moving and nonmoving beings.Under its rule this manifestation is created andannihilated again and again.

(Bhagavad-gt 9.10)

By Lord Kas mercy one can overcome thisillusion and go back home, back to Godhead:

daiv hy e gua-may mama my duratyaymm eva ye prapadyante mym et taranti te

This divine energy of Mine, consisting of thethree modes of material nature, is difficult toovercome. But those who have surrendered unto Mecan easily cross beyond i

who is supreme 11.08.05.pdf

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