God Is a Person

[Guest guest]

The impersonalists often quotes from the first few

chapters of Bhagavad-gita, which mainly explain about the impersonal

feature of God. In this way, they try to prove that God is impersonal.

However in later chapters, Krsna explains His personal features and says "I am the basis

of the impersonal Brahman"(Bg 14.27). We cannot simply accept that part of the scripture we

like, and reject what we don't like, and still expect to get the result.

For example, a hen lays eggs with its back part and eats with its beak.

A farmer may consider, "The front part of the hen is very expensive

because I have to feed it. Better to cut it off." But if the head is

missing there will be no eggs anymore. Similarly, if we reject the

difficult part of the scriptures and obey the part we like, such an

interpretation will not help us. We have to accept all the injunctions

of the scripture as they are given, not only those that suit us.

 

All the living

entities are individual persons, and they are all parts and parcels of

the Supreme Whole (Bg 15.7). If the parts and parcels are individual

persons, the source of their emanation must not be impersonal. The impersonal idea

defies common sense and observation although God has His

impersonal aspects also.

The impersonal

brahman effulgence is one aspect of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

Lord Sri Krishna, but it is only a partial representation of the Lord

and is ultimately a subordinate emanation from His personal feature. The

Lord has two other features known as Paramatma and Bhagavan. In His

Paramatma feature the Supreme Lord exists within each and every atom of

His creation and also within the hearts of every living being. In this

way he pervades and supports the entire universe. This feature of the

Lord is also a subordinate emanation from His eternal, original personal

form.

The word Bhagavan

indicates the personal form of the Lord, which is the ultimate source of impersonal effulgence just like sun is the

ultimate source of sunshine. This personal feature of the Lord is most

sublime and therefore the Lord is known as Krishna, or He who is

"all-attractive".

To

deny the Lord's beautiful personal form, by which He reciprocates in

loving exchange with all living beings who desire His association, is

insulting because it denies the Lord all of the most attractive and

appealing aspects of personal existence. That form, however, is not

limited as our material forms are. God has a spiritual form and from

that form the whole creation, spiritual and material, is coming.

Therefore Lord Brahma prays:

 

"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose

transcendental form is full of bliss, truth and substantiality and is

thus full of the most dazzling splendor. Each of the limbs of that

transcendental figure possesses, in Himself, the full-fledged functions

of all the organs, and eternally sees, maintains and manifests the

infinite universes, both spiritual and mundane". (Brahma-samhita 5.32)

 

_____________

He whose mind is fixed on

My personal form, always engaged in worshiping Me with great and

transcendental faith, is considered by Me to be most perfect -Lord

Krsna[bg 12.2]