Category:Nature Of God
Theme Analysis
The pursuit to understand the nature of God is the highest occupation of human life. The Vedic literatures explain that the Supreme Lord possesses two primary natures: the inferior material nature, which constitutes the cosmic manifestation, and the superior spiritual nature. The living entities are part and parcel of this superior spiritual nature. Therefore, by deeply studying the spiritual identity of the living entity, one can catch a glimpse of the nature of the Supreme Godhead, just as examining a drop of ocean water reveals the chemical composition of the entire ocean. The supreme nature of God is defined as sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha—an eternal form full of knowledge and bliss.
However, the complete and personal nature of the Supreme Absolute Truth remains entirely hidden from those who rely on empirical knowledge and mental speculation. Nondevotees and philosophers of the Māyāvāda school may achieve a vague understanding of the impersonal Brahman, but because they lack Kṛṣṇa consciousness, their speculative habits prevent them from understanding the Lord's esoteric and personal aspects. For a person heavily affected by material contamination, the personal nature of God is extremely difficult to comprehend.
The true nature of God can only be understood through the process of devotional service. As confirmed by the demigods in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, mental speculation for millions of years will yield no result. Only a person who has developed a taste for serving the lotus feet of the Lord can understand His transcendental nature, form, and qualities. In the state of purified goodness, a devotee accepts the descriptions of the Lord given in the Bhagavad-gītā without concoction. By the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, even a simple person engaged in loving service can fully describe the absolute nature of Lord Kṛṣṇa, transcending all the futile endeavors of the greatest mundane philosophers.
- The Two Natures: The Supreme Lord possesses an inferior material nature and a superior spiritual nature, the latter of which includes the living entities.
- The Sac-cid-ānanda Form: The absolute nature of God is not void or formless; He possesses an eternal, spiritual form full of knowledge and bliss.
- The Failure of Speculation: Nondevotees and Māyāvādīs cannot understand the personal nature of God through mental speculation or mere academic study.
- Revelation Through Devotion: The absolute nature of the Supreme Lord is revealed exclusively to those who engage in unalloyed devotional service.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Nature of God - Understanding the Absolute Truth.
Subcategories
This category has the following 2 subcategories, out of 2 total.
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Pages in category "Nature Of God"
The following 43 pages are in this category, out of 43 total.
1
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- A spiritual master in the line of disciplic succession from Brahma and Narada has no demand for dollars and cents. A bona fide student has to satisfy him by sincere service to obtain knowledge of the relation and nature of the soul and the Supersoul
- As mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita (9.30-31), a devotee may appear to be su-duracara, not well behaved, in the beginning, but he should be accepted as pure because he is on the right path. This is due to the prophylactic nature of the Lord's association
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- Glorification is this process of bhakti-yoga, the chanting of Hare Krsna. The great souls, understanding the nature of God, His descent and His mission, glorify Him in so many ways, but there are others who do not accept Him
- God has got two nature. One is called material nature and the other is called spiritual nature. So this cosmic manifestation which we experience is combination of material nature and spiritual nature. The material nature is called inferior nature
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- If one can understand the position of the living entity as a separated portion of the SPG, by studying the nature of the living entity one can understand the nature of the Supreme Godhead, since the living entity is a fragmental sample of the Godhead
- In the Mayavada school of philosophy, discussions on pure knowledge can throw some light on the real nature of the Absolute Truth, but they are unable to fully reveal the esoteric and personal aspects of the Supreme Absolute Being
- It is very difficult for a person who is too materially affected to understand the personal nature of the Supreme Absolute Truth
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- Jnani, when he makes searching after God, there is no question of being put into distressed condition or in need of money. They are searching after God for God's sake, what is the nature of God
- Just like bona fide representative, Jesus Christ or other great, I mean to say, leaders of the religious faiths, they do not come with the inferior nature. They come with the superior nature of God. That we have to accept
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- Mad-bhavam refers to the supreme nature of the Supreme Being. The Supreme Being is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha - eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. BG 1972 Introduction
- Maha-Visnu is partial representation of Govinda. Govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami. So this is called knowledge. One has to know what is God, what is the nature of God
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- Nature of the Supreme
- No one has to discover the nature of the Lord. It is already spoken by the Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gita especially and in all other Vedic literatures generally. We have simply to accept them in toto and abide by the orders of the Lord
- Nondevotees who are engaged in Vedanta and speculation on Vedic literature without any tinge of true Krsna consciousness are also less intelligent, and for them it is not possible to understand God's personal nature
- Nondevotees, because of their meager knowledge and speculative habits, cannot understand the real nature of the Lord
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- One can understand the nature of the Supreme by thorough study of oneself, the difference between oneself and the Supreme being understood as the relationship between the part and the whole. BG 1972 purports
- One who does not understand the real nature of the Lord as the eternal, blissful, all-knowing Personality of Godhead, is certainly fool number one. Ignorance can be removed by gradual acceptance of the principles of Krsna consciousness. BG 1972 purports
- Others, who are not in distress or in need of monetary assistance but are seeking knowledge in order to understand the Absolute Truth, also take to devotional service, and they inquire into the nature of the Supreme Lord
- Out of the four classes of men who approach God, he who is philosophically trying to understand the nature of God, who is trying to become Krsna conscious - visisyate - is best qualified
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- Paramatma realization, realization of the Supersoul, full realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for the all-pervading nature of the Supreme Lord is but a partial representation of His opulence
- People cannot understand actually what is God. A vague idea. They do not know actually what is the nature of God. So gradually it will be forgotten. But still, because still people have got some sense, therefore this preaching work is going on
- Pure goodness is transcendental; in purified goodness one can understand the real nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. BG 1972 purports
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- The demigods said: Actually, only a person who has a little taste for the service of Your lotus feet can understand Your transcendental nature or form and qualities. Others may go on speculating for millions of years
- The demigods said: Our dear Lord, the way of understanding is not to study Your absolute nature, form and activities by mental speculation. One must engage himself in devotional service; then one can understand Your absolute nature
- The devotees are therefore (because devotional service is superior to merging with Brahman) never advised to indulge in speculating upon the nature of the Supreme or artificially meditating on the the void
- The form of the Lord, though represented by material qualities such as stone, wood or oil paint, is not actually material. That is the absolute nature of the Supreme Lord
- The form of the Lord, though represented by material qualities such as stone, wood, or oil paint, is not actually material. That is the absolute nature of the Supreme Lord. BG 1972 purports
- The impersonalist rascals, they cannot understand what is the nature of God. In the Bible also it is said: "Man is made after God." You can study God's quality by studying your quality, or anyone's quality
- The jivatma, the living entity, is eternally servitor of Krsna, and one should understand the nature of his master so that his service attitude, his affection, may be more intimate
- The living entity, as will be explained in the Seventh Chapter (of BG), is one in nature with the Supreme Lord, distinguished from matter, which is another nature-called inferior-of the Lord. BG 1972 purports
- The main purpose of the society is to understand the nature of God and our relationship with Him
- The materialists, who are after opulence and material prosperity, may take lessons from the Ramayana that the policy of exploiting the nature of the Lord without acknowledging the supremacy of the Supreme Lord is the policy of Ravana
- The pleasure one gives the Lord by addressing Him by such names (Devaki-nandana etc.) is many, many times greater than the pleasure He enjoys when He is addressed as Paramesvara, or anything of that nature, which indicate volumes of awe and veneration
- This verse (SB 3.15.18) reveals the absolute nature of Vaikuntha. There is no difference between the birds there and the human residents. The situation in the spiritual sky is that everything is spiritual and variegated
- Those who are factually engaged in the loving service of the Lord have attained the ultimate goal of life, and for them there is no need of mental speculation to find out the true nature of God or His activities
- To qualify the Mayavadis and other common men who indulge in the mental speculative transactions, Srimad-Bhagavatam gives them instructions from the 1st to the 9th canto about the transcendental nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead