- Srimad Bhagavatam Class: SB 11.3.34
- Chapter Name: Liberation from the Illusory Energy
- Venue: Iskcon Newtown, Kolkata
- Day/Date: Wednesday,28th May 2025
- Speaker: HG Aravind Gopal Prabhu
While speaking on SB 11.3.34, HG Aravind Gopal Prabhu said that if we know the personal feature of the Supreme Lord called Bhagavan then our understanding about the Lord is complete. And this personal feature of the Supreme Lord reciprocates with us giving us great joy which we always look for.
śrī-rājovāca
nārāyaṇābhidhānasya
brahmaṇaḥ paramātmanaḥ
niṣṭhām arhatha no vaktuṁ
yūyaṁ hi brahma-vittamāḥ
Translation
“King Nimi inquired: Please explain to me the transcendental situation of the Supreme Lord, Nārāyaṇa, who is Himself the Absolute Truth and the Supersoul of everyone. You can explain this to me, because you are all most expert in transcendental knowledge.”
Important points from the purport of the verse SB 11.3.34
- …the speculative philosophers become attracted to the impersonal Brahman feature of the Absolute Truth,
- …whereas the mystic yogīs meditate upon the Paramātmā, the Supersoul within everyone’s heart.
- ..those who have achieved mature transcendental knowledge surrender directly to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavān, who is eternally situated in His own abode, called Vaikuṇṭha-dhāma.
- In Bhagavad-gītā Lord Kṛṣṇa clearly says, brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham: “I am the source of the impersonal Brahman.”
- King Nimi wants the sages to make clear that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original feature of the Absolute Truth
Below article is based on the Srimad Bhagavatam class given by Prabhuji.
Believe in God in India is so fragile
Complete understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is so rare. By inconceivable mercy of Prabhupada we have got this understanding. Knowing Lord’s personal feature, Bhagavan, opens the door for love of Godhead.
In India, people although have spiritual conception but their faith keeps on changing. Sometimes they have faith in demigod, sometimes they have impersonal conception. Since faith is fragile, so it does not lead to committed practice. Their faith also keeps on changing. HG Gauranga Prabhu tells a story.
Sadhu in a village
Once the head of a village arranged a spiritual program. He called a renowned sadhu. People were invited and stage was setup for the event. The sadhu came.
His first question to the audience was, “How many of you believe in God?” Everyone raised their hand saying that they all believe in God. The sadhu said, “I had come here to give you all faith. Since you all already believe in God, so there is no use of mine here.” Saying this, the sadhu left. People were upset. Organisers were frustrated as the event got cancelled.
The organizers again arranged for program and again the same sadhu was invited. This time the organizers told the people that if sadhu asks how many of you believe in God then do not say yes. So, this time when the sadhu came and asked the same question, no one raised hand. Sadhu said, “As no one of you believe in God, so that is the use of me saying you about God.” Saying this, he left. Again, everyone was upset.
Later, the organizers again arranged for the program and invited the same sadhu because he was quite famous. This time the organizers said that when the sadhu asks the same question then half of those sitting on the right side raise your hand saying yes and half of you on the left side do not raise your hand. So, the third time when the sadhu asked the same question then those sitting on right side raised hand and on the left did not.
The sadhu said, “Since half you know about God and half not, so those on the right can explain to those on the left about God.” And he left the venue.
Great seekers too fail to understand Lord’s personal feature
This story conveys the message that how people’s faith is fragile and keeps on changing from time to time. Sometimes they say Krishna is Supreme, sometimes Shiva, sometimes Durga and sometimes they make some human as God. So, the faith is shaky.
Because of not having clear understanding, people develop understanding about God based on what they have heard from their elders, guru or from anyone. And if you go little deeper, you will see that most of them have impersonal aspect about God. They will say that goal of life is to merge into Brahman. And this they call as moksa.
Even great seekers are also bewildered.
Prabhupada explains how Supreme Lord is personal
We read in Journey Home book of HH Radhanath Swami Maharaja that to search the Absolute truth, he goes to many countries before coming to India. In India, he meets many sadhus, stays at their ashram, listens from them. He goes to Vrindavan and there too he listens to many sadhus.
But “who is god” this understanding is not clear. Some say God is only personal, some say he is impersonal. But they too are not completely convinced.
In the book Maharaj says that “For sometime, I was troubled with the thought that whether God is personal or impersonal. Some say, he is personal, but he takes avatar and takes material form. And later they merge into impersonal. According to them personal manifests from impersonal. On the other hand, I have heard that God is supreme, and he has spiritual form full of knowledge and bliss. So, how can both be correct?”
Then Srila Prabhupada comes into the life of Maharaja. So, once when one guest asks Prabhupada that God is personal or impersonal then Prabhupada very nicely explains.
Quoting from the Vedas, Prabhupada said that Supreme Personality of Godhead is both personal and impersonal. Personal aspect of the Lord is called Bhagavan and impersonal is called Brahman. Just like sun and rays of the sun are non-different but are also different. Similarly, personal feature of the Supreme Lord i.e. Bhagavan and Brahman are different but also same.
Just as sun is the source of the sun rays, similarly, Bhagavan is the source of Brahman. One knows Bhagavan knows the Lord completely. We the jivas or souls are also part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, just like sun rays are part and parcel of the sun. We are qualitatively same as the Lord but quantitively different.
HH Radhanath Swami Maharaja’s doubt is cleared
Maharaj writes in the book, Journey Home, that when he heard this explanation of Prabhupada then tears swelled in his eyes. His heart was full of joy because today his doubt completely got cleared that whether Lord is personal or impersonal.
Now we know Supreme Lord is personal
When we know Personal (Bhagavan) feature of the Supreme Lord, then our understanding is complete. Personal feature of the Supreme Lord has loving reciprocation with the jivas. But this understanding is so rare.
By the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, we have this conception since beginning of our spiritual life. Here (Iskcon) we are getting higher conception of the Lord by the grace of Prabhupada and his disciples.
And by their grace, today, we also know the process by which we can attain the love of Godhead. We should be eternally grateful to them. This is called causeless mercy.
This is what Nimi Maharaja is aspiring for. So, he is asking this question.
Once we understand that God is Personal, then one begins experiencing the loving reciprocation from him which one always looks for.
The most important need of all jivas
In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad one question is raised, “What is the fundamental need of all living entities? And if that need is fulfilled then living entity is completely satisfied even if other needs are not satisfied. And if that need is not fulfilled then even if all the needs are fulfilled then there is no satisfaction.”
The answer is given is, “That fundamental need is not one but are two – it is to love and to be loved.”
In this world, we are all seeking this love. But unfortunately, we try to get it through material means. When this need is not fulfilled, we try to fulfil it through sense gratification.
Sense gratification gives flickering happiness. People look for love in sex but that also does not satisfy. A man thinks that woman can give love and vice versa. But it does not work. But a man or woman is limited so they cannot fulfil our need of unlimited love. We have experience of unlimited love and that cannot be fulfilled by any living entity who are infinitesimal. Since, our love is not fulfilled, we feel cheated.
Eventually, when the need of love is not fulfilled, people go towards impersonal conception. He begins thinking that if absolute truth is personal then need of love will not be fulfilled.
The Personal Lord, Krishna, personally reciprocates with each one of us
But the vaisnav understanding is different. Lord is a personal and is unlimited, so he can reciprocate with everyone, he can have relationship with everyone, he is there for everyone, and he can fulfil the need of love of everyone.
In practical life we see, if a counsellor is giving attention to some counselee and not to other then the other counselees feel empty. That attention to everyone can only be given by Krishna.
So, in the forward of the Krishna book, George Harrison, the famous Beatle writes, “Everyone is looking for Krishna, some know, some does not know.”
And Krishna is also looking for us. Since we are here, so Krishna is missing that rasa which he had with us, so he wants us back home Back to Godhead.
When this understanding comes that Krishna is personal and we have an eternal relationship with him then good fortune begins.
Till the time we have faith that people can give shelter; we won’t experience ultimate shelter of Krishna.
We should understand that Krishna is personally reciprocating with us in our life. So, we should be always grateful to Krishna.
More than us Krishna is eager to take us back home. This is the reason that he comes personally, he performs pastimes and even sends his pure devotees like Srila Prabhupada.
