Prabhupada:

mattaḥ; parataraṁ nanyat
kiñcid asti dhanañjaya
mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ
sutre maṇi-gaṇa iva
[Bg. 7.7]

The controversy about the Absolute Truth, whether the Absolute Truth is form or formless... There are many philosophers. They, some of them are impersonalists, and some of them are personalists. They... In India the impersonalists are known as Mayavadi, and the personalists, they are known as Vaiṣṇavas.

So here the decision is given by Krṣṇa Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krṣṇa means Bhagavan. Krṣṇas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. This is the conclusion of Srimad-Bhagavatam. And in the Ṛg Veda also it is said, tad viṣṇoḥ; paramaṁ padam: "Viṣṇu is the Supreme"; sada pasyanti surayaḥ;, "Those who are demigods, or advanced in spiritual knowledge, they always look after the lotus feet of Viṣṇu." But the demons, they do not know that the Viṣṇu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Absolute Truth. They cannot. Because they have taken the atheistic attitude, they cannot understand the Absolute Truth as the Supreme Person.

na te viduḥ; svartha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ
durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninaḥ;
andha yathandhair upaniyamanas
te 'pisa-tantryam uru-damni baddhaḥ;
[SB 7.5.31]

Uru-damni baddhaḥ;. We are so much conditioned. As... Just like one hands and legs are tied up, he cannot do anything independently, similarly, we are so much tied up by the stringent laws of nature that we are not at all independent. But we are trying to adjust things in this material world to be happy. This is not possible. Therefore sastra says that they do not know the, what is the aim of life. Na te viduḥ;: "They do not know." Svartha-gatim. Everyone is self-interested. Each of us, every one of us, we have got our self-interest. But we do not know actually what is our self-interest.

The self-interest is to understand Viṣṇu. Tad viṣṇoḥ; paramaṁ padam. That is our aim. Viṣṇu and Krṣṇa, the same. But there is controversy whether Viṣṇu is secondary or Krṣṇa is secondary. According to sastra, nobody's secondary. Viṣṇu and Krṣṇa, They are simply expansion. They are not different. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam [Bs. 5.33]. Viṣṇu has ananta-rupam, unlimited forms. Advaitam acyutam. They are not different. The other day I explained. The candle... First candle, second candle, third candle... But no candle is less powerful than the other candles. This is the conclusion. So either we say Viṣṇu or we say Krṣṇa or Rama, Nrsiṁha, Balarama, They are all expansions of the Supreme Person Krṣṇa. Therefore Krṣṇa says, mattaḥ; parataraṁ nanyat: [Bg. 7.7] "There is no more superior authority than Me." This is the conclusion. Mattaḥ;, "from Me," na anyat, "nobody else is superior." That is the conclusion of the sastra. And Krṣṇa personally also says. Mattaḥ; parataraṁ nanyat kiñcit. "Nobody."

There is controversy... In another place Krṣṇa says, aham adir hi devanam [Bg 10.2]. He is the origin of all demigods. The principal demigods are Viṣṇu and Mahesvara and... Mahesvara means Lord Siva. And Brahma. Brahma, Viṣṇu, Mahesvara. So Krṣṇa is the origin of Brahma, Viṣṇu, Mahesvara. They are guṇa-avatara. For maintaining this material world... The material world is composed of three guṇas: sattva, rajas, tamas. So the director of the sattva-guṇa department is Lord Viṣṇu, and the director of the rajo-guṇa department is Lord Brahma, and the director of the tamo-guṇa department is Lord Siva. Origin is Krṣṇa. Therefore in the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is concluded after describing all the incarnations of God, different incarnations, the conclusion is made, ete caṁsa-kalaḥ; puṁsaḥ; krṣṇas tu bhagavan svayam: [SB 1.3.28] "All the incarnations mentioned in this chapter, they are either expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or expansion of the expansion, secondary expansion." Aṁsa-kala. Aṁsa means expansion, and kala means expansion of the expansion. Just like a... First expansion is Balarama, and from Balarama, next expansion is the catur-vyuha, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Vasudeva, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Saṅkarṣaṇa. These expansions are going on. But that expansion does not mean one expansion is less powerful than the other. This is transcendental, the same formula. Advaitam acyutam anadim. Advaita, always advaita. Not different. Acyuta, not fall down. So Krṣṇa is the origin. Isvaraḥ; paramaḥ; krṣṇaḥ; [Bs. 5.1]. They are isvara. Isvara means controller, powerful. Even the demigods, they are also isvaras. You are also isvara. I am also isvara. Isvara means controller. Anyone who has got little control, he can be called isvara. That is the dictionary meaning. But even the original isvaras, namely Brahma, Viṣṇu, Mahesvara, they are also not supreme isvara. The supreme isvara is Krṣṇa. Isvaraḥ; paramaḥ; krṣṇaḥ; [Bs. 5.1]. That is the shastric inclusion, conclusion.

So sastra says Krṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Krṣṇa Himself also says, mattaḥ; parataraṁ nanyat [Bg. 7.7]. Therefore, as Arjuna understood Krṣṇa, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhama pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavan... [Bg. 10.12]. Arjuna has said that "I heard from the sastras about Yourself, and You are personally speaking that You are the Supreme. And not only that, the great sages like Vyasadeva, Asita, Devala, great authorities, they also admit that You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Therefore there is no doubt. The conclusion is the Supreme Personality of Godhead is Krṣṇa. As it was in the beginning said by Krṣṇa, asaṁsayaṁ samagraṁ maṁ yatha jñasyasi tac chrṇu [Bg. 7.1]. Asaṁsayam, "without any doubt."

So that... The Krṣṇa consciousness movement means... You can understand who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There are so many societies all over the world, so many religious systems, but they cannot give exact idea of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Some has got some idea, others have got other idea, but so far we are concerned, we are fixed up in Krṣṇa. And that is rightly. Because Krṣṇa is supported not only by the Vedas and by the demigods, headed by Lord Brahma, and authorities like Vyasadeva, Asita, Devala. And Arjuna, who heard Bhagavad-gita personally from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he also admits. All the acaryas. Even Saṅkaracarya, although he was impersonalist, he admits, "Krṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead," sa bhagavan svayaṁ krṣṇaḥ;. Narayaṇa... He also admits that "Narayaṇa is not a person of this created material world," narayaṇaḥ; paraḥ; avyaktat. And he admits also, krṣṇas tu..., sa bhagavan svayaṁ krṣṇaḥ;, "He has appeared as the son of Devaki and Vasudeva." He admits.

So Krṣṇa is admitted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by all authorities. There is no doubt about it. And Krṣṇa personally confirms, mattaḥ; parataraṁ nanyat: [Bg. 7.7] "There is no more superior being than Myself." So where is the difficulty to understand what is God? There is no difficulty. But if we are obstinate, if we do not try to understand what is God, that is a different thing. But everything is there. So we should take it for acceptance that nobody is superior than Krṣṇa. Bhagavata says, krṣṇas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. Brahma-saṁhita says, isvaraḥ; paramaḥ; krṣṇaḥ; [Bs. 5.1]. So it is concluded. There is no controversy. Mattaḥ; parataraṁ nanyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya, mayi sarvam idaṁ protam: [Bg. 7.7] "Everything is in Me."

It is already explained that Krṣṇa has got two energies. Just like heat and light, the energies of the fire. Similarly, Krṣṇa is enjoying His spiritual, blissful life. He is spiritual, sac-cid-ananda-vigrahaḥ; ananda... [Bs. 5.1]. Anandamayo 'bhyasat (Vedanta-sutra 1.1.12). So He is in Vrndavana having His ananda, spiritual bliss, enjoyment, with His associates, ever associ..., eternal associates, the gopis, the cowherds boys, His mother, His father, mother Yasoda, Nanda, Nanda Maharaja. So He is enjoying in His abode, Goloka. That is also confirmed: goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhutaḥ; [Bs. 5.37]. Still, He is present everywhere. Ekaṁsena sthito jagat [Bg. 10.42]. Aṇḍantara-stha-paramaṇu-cayantara-stham [Bs. 5.35]. He is within this universe, He is within your heart... Isvaraḥ; sarva-bhutanaṁ hrd-dese arjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61]. In one word: without Him, nothing can exist. Therefore it is said, mayi sarvam idaṁ protam: "Everything is existing in Me." Sarvam idam.

The two energies... In the material world, the two energies are working. The two energies are from Krṣṇa. Therefore everything is resting on Krṣṇa. In another place Krṣṇa says, maya tatam idaṁ sarvam [Bg. 9.4]. The same thing: "I am expanded." Tatam. Tatam means expanded. So He is expanded by His energy. Just like the lamp is expanded by the light. When the illumination in the lamp will be stopped, the expansion also will stop. Similarly, whatever we see, it is all resting on Krṣṇa's energy. It is working on Krṣṇa's energy. Just like I am... It is not very difficult to understand. Just like I am. What is "I am"? Am I this body? No, I am not this body. The body is my house. I am living in the house. Am I this mind? No, I am not this mind. This is called meditation, to understand, "I am not this body, I am not this..." Neti neti. "I am, ahaṁ brahmasmi."

So ahaṁ brahmasmi... Dehino 'smin yatha dehe [Bg. 2.13]. That Brahman, particle of Brahman, is there within the body. It is very small. You just study. It is stated that atma and Paramatma, they are living together. And where is the atma, Paramatma? The Paramatma is stated also, isvaraḥ; sarva-bhutanaṁ hrd-dese arjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61]. So everything... Paramatma is within my heart and I am sitting with Paramatma; therefore I am also within the heart. So medical science, they also know. They take care of the heart. When the heart stops, then everything stops. That means when the atma goes out of the heart, it has no meaning. So in the small scale the whole construction of this body is dependent on that atma. So this is the example, that the atma is so small, one ten-thousandth part of the top of the hair. Because that small particle is there within this body, therefore it is so beautiful, it is nicely working, the brain is working. Everything is there. Scientists, they are finding out, trying to find out what is the living force. Sometimes they are catching the blood; sometimes they are catching the cells, or this, or that... But failure. Because they could not capture the atma. But atma is so small. It is not possible. Even you cannot see where it is. But it is perceived that there is something within this body, living force generally they call it. Therefore the body's working. So... And the... It is spread all over the body. Yena sarvam idaṁ tatam. Avinasi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam. That thing which is sarvam idaṁ tatam, spread all over the body as light, illumination...

So I am atma, you are atma. So your illumination, consciousness, is spread all over the body. Therefore so long I am in this body, I feel pains and pleasure because the consciousness is spread. In the same way... As Krṣṇa says, He's the Supreme Soul. I am individual, very, very minute, small particle, and Krṣṇa is the supreme whole. So as I am controlling over this body, so where is the difficulty? Krṣṇa is controlling over the whole universe. Where is the difficulty? There is no difficulty. But we'll not understand. That is the difficulty. Here it is clearly said, mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ sutre maṇi-gaṇa iva. There is no difficulty. In another place also, Krṣṇa says, maya tatam idaṁ sarvam. Maya, the original is person, maya, aham. Maya. So "by Me." Sarvam idaṁ tatam. How? That is already explained. By the two energies, the spiritual energy and the material energy. Para and apara-prakrti. That is expanded all over the universe, creation. So where is the difficulty? Maya tatam idaṁ sarvam. Anything, that is Krṣṇa's energy. Therefore those who are devotee, Vaiṣṇava, they can understand that everything is Krṣṇa's. I am also Krṣṇa's energy. You are also Krṣṇa's energy, jiva-bhutaḥ;. Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakrtiṁ param, jiva-bhutam. We are para-prakrti, all of us, living entities, part and parcel of Krṣṇa.

So the living entity and this matter, two combination, makes the whole creation. Everywhere the creation is going on. So therefore the conclusion is maya tatam idaṁ sarvam, "Everywhere I am expanded." Where is the difficulty to understand? Sutre maṇi-gaṇa iva. As the pearls are set up on a thread, standing... Everything is dazzling, but they're all resting on the thread. Similarly, everything is resting on Krṣṇa. Krṣṇa is the support. We are discovering so many laws. Or the laws are there; they are discovering the laws. But the original support is Krṣṇa. The whole planetary system, the modern science says, the law of gravitation. But that is not very perfectly explained. We can question. There are so many things. But from the Vedic literature we understand that Krṣṇa in His ananta feature, Anantadeva, or Seṣasayi Naga... The hoods are expanded, and all the planets are resting on His hood. It is so small, and the hood is very big. In the Caitanya-caritamrta... So therefore the planets are resting not on the law of gravitation but on the head of Krṣṇa in His form of Seṣa. This is our Vedic conclusion.

So any way you take what Krṣṇa says, mayi sarvam idaṁ protam, "Everything resting on Me..." Similarly, in the Ninth Chapter Krṣṇa said, maya tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-murtina. The energies are avyakta. Energy. Just like there is light, but it is impersonal, but the lamp is personal, or localized, similarly, Krṣṇa's energies... Or take another example. The sunshine is impersonal, but the sun is personal. Sun is not imperson. Wherefrom the sunshine is coming? It is coming from the sun globe. And within the sun globe there is the sun-god. His name is there also—Vivasvan. Name means person. As the sun is person and we worship the sun, Savita... Oṁ bhur bhuvaḥ; svaḥ; tat savitur vareṇyam... So this is the worship of the sun-god, the morning sunrise. So the sun-god is also person.

So we can study what is the nature of the Absolute Person by studying the sun. The sun globe is localized. The sunshine is spread all over the universe, and within the sun globe there is the sun-god, Vivasvan. Similarly, the original planet is Goloka Vrndavana. Cintamaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrkṣa-lakṣavrteṣu surabhir abhipalayantam [Bs. 5.29]. Vaikuṇṭhaloka. Original, the Goloka Vrndavana, the abode of Krṣṇa. So take it... Just like sun globe. And within the Goloka Vrndavana planet there is the Supreme Person, Krṣṇa, just like exactly within the sun the person, sun-god, his name is Vivasvan. And from that globe, Goloka Vrndavana, there is rays. Yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aseṣa-vasudhadi-vibhuti-bhinnam [Bs. 5.40]. On account of that effulgence from the Goloka Vrndavana, there are innumerable spiritual and material planets. The spiritual planets are called Vaikuṇṭhalokas, and in the material sphere there are so many planets—Sun, Moon, Venus, Earth, so many, millions and millions... They are all resting on that effulgence, Brahman effulgence. Yasya prabha. Yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi [Bs. 5.40]. Tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aseṣa-bhutaṁ govindam. The brahmajyoti is the rays of, the bodily rays of Krṣṇa. So everything is resting... We have got experience that these material planetary systems, they are resting on the sunshine. The scientist knows it. On account of the heat of the sunshine, all the planetary systems or the globes, they are moving, going around. It is not stopped. There is a small apparatus—I have seen in America—that as soon as you give heat, within that, I mean to say, glass, the one is glow, it is rotating... (end)

740223BG.BOM