Category:God Is Death
Theme Analysis
The ultimate realization of the Absolute Truth is unavoidable for every living entity. According to Śrīla Prabhupāda, the difference lies simply in how one chooses to perceive the Supreme Lord. A theist, or a pure devotee in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, voluntarily realizes the presence of God at every moment within their heart through unalloyed devotional service. However, the atheist class of men, who proudly declare throughout their lives that they do not care for God, are forced to meet the Supreme Lord against their will. For them, God appears in His most terrifying feature: cruel and inevitable death.
In the Bhagavad-gītā, Lord Kṛṣṇa explicitly states, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham: I am all-devouring death. When the Supreme Personality of Godhead approaches as the supreme controller of time (kāla), He mercilessly takes away everything the materialistic person has acquired. A faithless person may spend their entire life spoiling their human energy by being overly attached to country, society, and relatives while neglecting God consciousness. But when death arrives, all their material happiness and so-called advancement are immediately terminated. At that moment, the defiant atheist can no longer proudly flout the Lord's authority; their false independence is finished.
This striking duality is perfectly illustrated in the historical account of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva. When the Supreme Lord appeared, the great devotee Prahlāda Mahārāja saw Him in His personal form as his beloved Lord and supreme solace. Therefore, a pure devotee is never afraid of birth, death, old age, or disease. Conversely, Prahlāda's demonic father, Hiraṇyakaśipu, saw the exact same Lord as ultimate death personified. Despite Hiraṇyakaśipu's immense material power and heroic strength, the Lord, appearing as death, effortlessly took everything away.
Therefore, the question is not whether one will see God, but how one will see Him. If we refuse to recognize the presence of God during our active lifetime by engaging in devotional service, we will undoubtedly face Him as death. The atheistic politicians and faithless nonbelievers may currently pay no attention to the Supreme Lord, but when the blazing fire of death arrives, they are forced to surrender, proving that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the absolute and final authority over all living beings.
- The Atheist's Realization: Those who proudly deny God's existence during their lifetime are forced to realize His absolute supremacy at the time of death.
- The All-Devouring Force: As declared in the Bhagavad-gītā, God is all-devouring death, the supreme force of time that takes away all material possessions and attachments.
- Devotees Versus Demons: While an atheist like Hiraṇyakaśipu sees the Lord as terrifying death, a pure devotee like Prahlāda Mahārāja sees Him as the ultimate solace and beloved protector.
- The Inevitable Meeting: Seeing God is compulsory; one can choose to see Him now through devotional service, or be forced to see Him at the end of life as cruel death.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: God Is Death - The Ultimate Realization for the Atheist.
Subcategories
This category has the following 2 subcategories, out of 2 total.
Pages in category "God Is Death"
The following 30 pages are in this category, out of 30 total.
2
A
- Although Lord Nrsimhadeva appears as death for an atheist like Hiranyakasipu, He is always kind and is the reservoir of all pleasure for the devotees like Prahlada. A pure devotee is not, therefore, afraid of birth, death, old age and disease
- As the blazing fire of death, I cause great fear to whoever makes the least discrimination between himself and other living entities because of a differential outlook
- Atheist class of men, in the beginning in their lifetime, they say, "What is God? We don't care for God." But when God comes as death they say, 'Yes, Sir, take me wherever You want." Finished. At that time you cannot say - No, no, I don't care for death
I
- If we don't try to see God during our lifetime, then there will be an incidence which is sure - "As sure as death." That death is God. So to the atheistic person, death is God. And to the theistic person, they can see
- In Bhagavad-gita (BG 10.34) it is said that the Lord in the shape and form of death destroys all a person's possessions. Mrtyuh sarva-haras caham: "I am all-devouring death
- In Bhagavad-gita it is said that death is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who ultimately takes away everything acquired by the materialistic person. Foolishly we do not care for this
T
- That (Krsna comes as death) is described by Krsna Himself: mrtyuh sarva-haras caham (BG 10.34). The Lord, appearing as death, takes away a hero's so-called power. Even Hiranyakasipu could not be saved when Nrsimhadeva appeared before him as death
- The atheist may declare like that, "There is no God," but he will see God as death. That is compulsory. There is no excuse. So at the time of death, the mentality which you have created by practice, sada tad-bhava-bhavitah (BG 8.6), will act
- The atheist theoretically can deny the presence of God, but the presence of God in form of Death is present before him despite his flouting
- The atheist will have to meet God in the form of death in so many ways. So by suffering, when a day will come that he'll understand God, at that time, preaching to him is better. So you do not expect that our preaching will appeal to everyone
- The atheist will see God, but when he will see, his life is finished. That means death. Atheist will see God in the form of death. And theist, Krsna conscious devotee, will see God twenty-four hours within his heart
- The atheist, therefore, understands the presence of God as death, but the devotee understands the presence of God always within his heart, takes dictation from You and lives transcendentally, unaffected by the contamination of the material world
- The Lord in the shape of death takes away everything that is created by the conditioned soul. Everything in this material world is subject to perish in due course of time
- The word hari indicates the lion as well as the Supreme Lord. To be saved from the hands of Hari, the lion of death, one must take shelter of the supreme Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- They say: "Can you show me God?" Yes, you will see God. If you are devotee, that you will see God immediately, "Here is God." And if you are not devotee, then you will see God at the time of death, because death is God
W
- We can see God in every moment. But if we deny to see God, then God will be present before us as the cruel death
- When Nrsimhadeva appeared, Prahlada Maharaja saw the Lord as the supreme solace, whereas his father, a demon, saw Him as the ultimate death
- When the Supreme Personality of Godhead approaches as death, or the supreme controller of time, He takes everything away
- Why do we want to see God as death? When the demon Hiranyakasipu saw Krsna, he saw Him as death personified, but the devotee, Prahlada, saw Him in His personal form as his beloved Lord