THE PRABHUPADA CONNECTION
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How God Is Great
(Gokulananda, Bhaktivedanta Manor)

"There is no difference of opinion if one is actually religious. 'God created this world,' 'God is the supreme father,' 'God is great,' this is accepted by everyone, either Hindu or Muslim or Christian. There is no doubt about it. But in the Vedic literature you'll understand how God is great, how He is acting as father. That's all. Even God's name is there, God's address is there. Do you agree to this point? Yes. That is the difference. Any other scriptures, if you ask what is the name of God, what is His address, what He is doing, they cannot give you. But we can give.

We do not give; God Himself gives, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, 'My address is like this.' What is that? Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). That is address. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). God is giving address. We have to note down. And His name is Kṛṣṇa.

You'll find Vyāsadeva is writing, śrī bhagavān uvāca, 'the Supreme Personality of Godhead speaking, or Kṛṣṇa.' And in the śāstras there is list of incarnation of God. And Vyāsadeva concludes: ete cāṁśa kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28): 'All the list, comprehending list, they are either part or part of the part of God. But the name Kṛṣṇa,' kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam, 'He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.'

Similarly, in the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said,

    īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
    sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
    anādir ādir govindaḥ
    sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
    (Bs. 5.1)

Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam. And Kṛṣṇa also says, mattaḥ parataraṁ kiñcid asti, kiñcid asti dhanañjaya. 'There is no more.' Everyone is cause. You are... You are... Your cause..., your cause for appearance is your father. The cause of your father's appearance is his father. You go on—father, father, father, father—you reach Brahmā, who is called the supreme forefather. Then Brahmā is also born of Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. And the Garbhodakaśayī is also appeared from Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. In this way, go on, go on. And Saṅkarṣaṇa, Nārāyaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha—there are so many. And at last you reach Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is the cause of all causes.

So Kṛṣṇa's name is there, God's name is there, God's address is there, and how to reach God, the process is there. Then why you'll not utilize this? What is the reason? Why you say, 'Can you show me God? Is there any God?' Why do you say like this? What is the reason? Everything, information, is there, and still you say, 'Can you show me God?' 'Who is God?' 'There is no God,' 'God is dead.' Why do you talk like that? If you say that 'How we can understand that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord?' then you have to approach authorities. Just like if you want to purchase some diamonds, you cannot understand whether it is diamond, but you go to a jeweler and he'll say yes or no: 'Yes, it is real.'

So you have to go to the authorities. Who are the authorities? At least, in our country. Not only in... All countries. So our authorities, the whole Vedic civilization is going on under the authorities of ācārya. They are coming by disciplic succession: Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Lord Caitanya—there are so many authorized ācāryas. What is their opinion?

Their opinion: krsnas tu bhagavan svayam (SB 1.3.28). The śāstra is there, the authoritative statement is there, and the activities are there. Then what reason you have got not to believe that Kṛṣṇa is not God? What reason you have got? Here is God. And those who are devotees of Kṛṣṇa, actually see their life, how they are advanced in God consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness."

(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Bombay, February 24, 1971)

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