Category:God's Covering
Theme Analysis
The philosophical essence of this category explores the various dimensions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead's coverings. First, the Lord's supreme, personal form is hidden from the eyes of neophytes by the brahmajyoti, the dazzling spiritual effulgence that emanates from His body (referred to in Śrī Īśopaniṣad as the hiraṇmaya-pātra). To realize the Absolute Truth completely, a devotee must pray to the Lord to remove this covering. Second, the category highlights the Lord's covered incarnations (channa-avatāra), specifically Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who appears in Kali-yuga disguised as a devotee to graciously distribute love of Godhead. Because of this covered appearance, the Lord is known as Triyuga (appearing in only three yugas). The Lord also utilized a disguise when He appeared as the dwarf brāhmaṇa, Lord Vāmanadeva, who subsequently expanded His form and covered the entire universe with just two steps (Urukrama). Finally, the category emphasizes the covering of māyā—the Lord's external energy. While māyā can never cover the Supreme Lord Himself, it covers the pure knowledge of the conditioned souls who wish to be independent enjoyers, casting them into the darkness of material forgetfulness.
- The Dazzling Spiritual Effulgence: The impersonal brahmajyoti acts as a brilliant, blinding screen (hiraṇmaya-pātra) that covers the original, personal face of the Supreme Lord. Factual realization of God is impossible until the Lord mercifully removes this covering.
- The Covered Incarnation of Kali-yuga: In the current Age of Kali, the Lord does not appear in a direct, unmistakable form as He does in other millenniums. Instead, He descends as a covered incarnation (channa-avatāra) in the form of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
- Covering the Universe: When the Lord incarnated as Vāmanadeva to assist the demigods, He disguised Himself as a begging brāhmaṇa. Upon receiving three steps of land from Bali Mahārāja, He expanded His form and completely covered the universe with two immeasurable strides.
- The Covering of Material Illusion: The Lord is never covered by material energy. However, when a living entity desires to exploit the material world, the Lord deploys His external energy to cover the conditioned soul's pure knowledge with the mystery of forgetfulness.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: God's Covering - The Dazzling Effulgence and the Covered Incarnations.
Subcategories
This category has the following 4 subcategories, out of 4 total.
C
G
K
Pages in category "God's Covering"
The following 34 pages are in this category, out of 34 total.
A
- Although He is Visnu Himself, out of fear He has covered Himself in the form of a brahmana to come to me begging
- As described in the previous mantras, the real or ultimate aspect of the Absolute is His feature as the Personality of Godhead, and His impersonal brahmajyoti feature is a dazzling covering over His face
- As Vamanadeva, the Lord was so powerful that simply by stepping forward He covered the whole universe from Brahmaloka down to Patalaloka
H
- He is known as Trivikrama because once, in His incarnation of Vamana, He expanded His leg beyond the highest planetary system, Satyaloka, and reached the neutral state of the modes of nature called the covering of the material world
- Here (SB 3.15.40) is a full description of the Personality of Godhead as personally experienced by the sages. The Lord's personal body was covered with yellow robes, and His waist was thin
L
- Lord Vamana covered all the lands of the universe with His first two steps and then asked Bali Maharaja where to place the third step
- Lord Vamanadeva requested three paces of land from Maharaja Bali, and when Maharaja Bali agreed to grant them, the Lord immediately covered the entire world with two footsteps
M
- Mayavadis believe that the Absolute Truth is ultimately impersonal. When an incarnation of God or God Himself comes, they think He is covered by maya
- My Lord, in one day You have expanded Yourself for hundreds of miles, covering the water of the river and the ocean. Before this I had never seen or heard of such an aquatic animal
O
- O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit Yourself to Your pure devotee - Sri Isopanisad 15 - CC Intro
- One of the various energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot, of course, cover the Lord. But these coverings are created by Him to cover the eyes of the conditioned souls who want to lord it over the material nature
S
- Since the Lord had covered the entire universe with two steps, one might ask how Bali Maharaja's head could be sufficient for His third step? Bali Maharaja, however, thought that the possessor of wealth must be greater than the possession
- Sometimes, Their ankle bells tinkling, They (Krsna and Rama) would play football with fruits like bael and amalaki. Sometimes They would cover Themselves with blankets and imitate cows and bulls and fight with one another, roaring loudly - SB 10.11.39-40
- Sri Isopanisad points toward this direction, praying for the removal of the hiranmaya-patra, the dazzling covering of the Lord
T
- The demoniac followers of Maharaja Bali said: "This Vamana is certainly not a brahmana but the best of cheaters, Lord Visnu. Assuming the form of a brahmana, He has covered His own form, and thus He is working for the interests of the demigods"
- The description in the Bhagavad-gita (BG 11.30) runs as follows: "O Visnu, I see You devouring all people in Your blazing mouths and covering all the universe by Your immeasurable rays. Scorching the worlds, You are manifest
- The ether in the material world is considered to be the finest. Finer than the ether is mind, intelligence, and false ego. But all eight of the outward coverings are explained as outer coverings of the Absolute Truth
- The greatest step forward was taken by Lord Vamanadeva, who covered the whole universe in two steps. Thus the word urukrama indicates the Supreme Lord Vamanadeva
- The living entity should never be considered the all-powerful Supreme Truth. If he were the Supreme, he would not need to pray to the Lord to remove His dazzling cover so that the living entity could see His real face
- The Lord is so kind that in spite of Kali-yuga's being devoid of these three spiritual qualities (namely austerity, cleanliness and mercy), He comes and protects the people of this age in His covered incarnation as Lord Caitanya
- The Lord is the witness of everything; He sees what we are doing at every moment. The Lord is not covered by a body resulting from karma
- The Lord's incarnations are so powerful that Lord Vamanadeva covered the entire universe with two steps and therefore had no place for His third step
- The Lord's spiritual effulgence, is covered by the mahat-tattva, the material elements; therefore in this material world we require the assistance of sun, moon, electricity, etc., for light. But in the spiritual world there is no need of such things
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead, not being covered by a material body, is the witness of all the activities of the living entity. But both of them, the living entity and the Paramatma, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are atma, or spirit
- This (that in Kali yuga the Lord appears not directly but in disguise) is confirmed in SB 7.9.38: In the Age of Kali, O Mahapurusa, You sometimes appear in a covered incarnation. Therefore You are known as Triyuga - one who appears in only three yugas
- This external energy of the Lord covers up the pure knowledge of the living entities eternally existing with Him, but the covering is so constant that it appears that the conditioned soul is eternally ignorant
- This word urukrama specifically indicates the Lord's incarnation as Vamana, who covered the whole universe by immeasurable steps
- Those who are covered by Your (Visnu's) external energy cannot see You behind this manifestation, but theirs is not the vision of learned devotees - SB 10.2.28
W
- When Lord Vamanadeva was offered three steps of land, He expanded His three steps by covering the entire universe. In this way the three worlds trembled, & therefore Sri Vamanadeva is referred to as Urukrama
- When Maharaja Bali actually gave the land, Vamanadeva exhibited His all-powerful position by covering the three worlds with three steps
- When the living being desires to be an enjoyer of material energy (illusory phenomena), the Lord covers the living being in the mystery of forgetfulness, and thus the living being misinterprets the gross body and subtle mind to be his own self