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Bhagavad Gita As It IsReferences to text BG 18.55 |
BG 18.55: One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.
| Text | ↓ | â„– |
|---|---|---|
| Thus established in the mode of unalloyed goodness, the man whose mind has been enlivened by contact with devotional service to the Lord gains positive scientific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead in the stage of liberation from all material association. Divinity and Divine Service |
| SB 1.2.20 |
| The great transcendentalists thus describe the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the pure devotees deserve to see more glorious things in transcendence, beyond these features. Bhagavatam Is the Answer to All Questions |
| SB 2.10.44 |
| Every living entity is controlled by a supernatural force, and thus his sense enjoyment is also under the control of that supernatural force. No one, therefore, can put his faith in Lord Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental sense activities but one who has become a devotee of the Lord by rendering devotional service. The Lord's Pastimes Out of Vrindavana |
| SB 3.3.23 |
| Now I shall leave the vision of this mundane world, and I see that Uddhava, the foremost of My devotees, is the only one who can be directly entrusted with knowledge about Me. Vidura Approaches Maitreya |
| SB 3.4.30 |
| Words, mind and ego, with their respective controlling demigods, have failed to achieve success in knowing the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, we simply have to offer our respectful obeisances unto Him as a matter of sanity. Creation of the Universal Form |
| SB 3.6.40 |
| Lord BrahmÄ, thus contemplating, entered the water through the channel of the stem of the lotus. But in spite of entering the stem and going nearer to the navel of Viṣṇu, he could not trace out the root. Manifestation of Brahma from Garbhodakasayi Vishnu |
| SB 3.8.19 |
| O my Lord, I do not see a form superior to Your present form of eternal bliss and knowledge. In Your impersonal Brahman effulgence in the spiritual sky, there is no occasional change and no deterioration of internal potency. I surrender unto You because whereas I am proud of my material body and senses, Your Lordship is the cause of the cosmic manifestation and yet You are untouched by matter. Brahma's Prayers for Creative Energy |
| SB 3.9.3 |
| Lord BrahmÄ said: My dear Lord, Your personality and eternal form cannot be understood by any person who is trying to know You through the different processes of acquiring knowledge. Your position is always transcendental to the material creation, whereas the empiric attempt to understand You is material, as are its objectives and instruments. The Sacrifice Performed by Daksha |
| SB 4.7.31 |
| My dear Lord, O Supreme Unborn, I know that the different varieties of living entities, such as animals, trees, birds, reptiles, demigods and human beings, are spread throughout the universe, which is caused by the total material energy, and I know that they are sometimes manifest and sometimes unmanifest; but I have never experienced the supreme form I behold as I see You now. Now all kinds of methods of theorizing have come to an end. Dhruva Maharaja Returns Home |
| SB 4.9.13 |
| My dear Lord, the king in charge of the heavenly kingdom is also desirous of obtaining the ultimate goal of life — devotional service. Similarly, You are the ultimate destination of those who identify themselves with You [ahaá¹ brahmÄsmi]. However, it is very difficult for them to attain You, whereas a devotee can very easily attain Your Lordship. Chanting the Song Sung by Lord Siva |
| SB 4.24.54 |
| The person I have described as unknown is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master and eternal friend of the living entity. Since the living entities cannot realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead by material names, activities or qualities, He remains everlastingly unknown to the conditioned soul. Talks Between Narada and King Pracinabarhi |
| SB 4.29.3 |
| The most powerful Lord BrahmÄ, the father of all progenitors; Lord Åšiva; Manu, Daká¹£a and the other rulers of humankind; the four saintly first-class brahmacÄrÄ«s headed by Sanaka and SanÄtana; the great sages MarÄ«ci, Atri, Aá¹…girÄ, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhá¹›gu and Vasiá¹£á¹ha; and my humble self [NÄrada] are all stalwart brÄhmaṇas who can speak authoritatively on Vedic literature. We are very powerful because of austerities, meditation and education. Nonetheless, even after inquiring about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whom we always see, we do not know perfectly about Him. Talks Between Narada and King Pracinabarhi |
| SB 4.29.42-44 |
| The caterpillar transports itself from one leaf to another by capturing one leaf before giving up the other. Similarly, according to his previous work, the living entity must capture another body before giving up the one he has. This is because the mind is the reservoir of all kinds of desires. Talks Between Narada and King Pracinabarhi |
| SB 4.29.76-77 |
| Devotees are certainly liberated persons. Therefore, O greatest of the brÄhmaṇas, they cannot possibly be absorbed in family affairs. The Activities of Maharaja Priyavrata |
| SB 5.1.2 |
| In the performance of a sacrifice, there are seven transcendental means to obtain the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead: (1) by sacrificing valuable things or eatables, (2) by acting in terms of place, (3) by acting in terms of time, (4) by offering hymns, (5) by going through the priest, (6) by offering gifts to the priests and (7) by observing the regulative principles. However, one cannot always obtain the Supreme Lord through this paraphernalia. Nonetheless, the Lord is affectionate to His devotee; therefore when MahÄrÄja NÄbhi, who was a devotee, worshiped and offered prayers to the Lord with great faith and devotion and with a pure uncontaminated mind, superficially performing some yajña in the line of pravargya, the kind Supreme Personality of Godhead, due to His affection for His devotees, appeared before King NÄbhi in His unconquerable and captivating form with four hands. In this way, to fulfill the desire of His devotee, the Supreme Personality of Godhead manifested Himself in His beautiful body before His devotee. This body pleases the mind and eyes of the devotees. Rishabhadeva's Appearance in the Womb of Merudevi, the Wife of King Nabhi |
| SB 5.3.2 |
| Just as great learned brÄhmaṇas who are expert in performing ritualistic ceremonies and sacrifices can extract the fire dormant within wooden fuel by chanting the fifteen SÄmidhenÄ« mantras, thus proving the efficacy of the Vedic mantras, so those who are actually advanced in consciousness — in other words, those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious — can find the Supersoul, who by His own spiritual potency is situated within the heart. The heart is covered by the three modes of material nature and the nine material elements [material nature, the total material energy, the ego, the mind and the five objects of sense gratification], and also by the five material elements and the ten senses. These twenty-seven elements constitute the external energy of the Lord. Great yogÄ«s meditate upon the Lord, who is situated as the Supersoul, ParamÄtmÄ, within the core of the heart. May that Supersoul be pleased with me. The Supersoul is realized when one is eager for liberation from the unlimited varieties of material life. One actually attains such liberation when he engages in the transcendental loving service of the Lord and realizes the Lord because of his attitude of service. The Lord may be addressed by various spiritual names, which are inconceivable to the material senses. When will that Supreme Personality of Godhead be pleased with me? The Hamsa-guhya Prayers |
| SB 6.4.27-28 |
| As the air carries various characteristics of the physical elements, like the aroma of a flower or colors resulting from a mixture of dust in the air, the Lord appears through lower systems of worship according to one’s desires, although He appears as the demigods and not in His original form. What is the use of these other forms? May the original Supreme Personality of Godhead please fulfill my desires. The Hamsa-guhya Prayers |
| SB 6.4.34 |
| Before the creation of this cosmic manifestation, I alone existed with My specific spiritual potencies. Consciousness was then unmanifested, just as one’s consciousness is unmanifested during the time of sleep. The Hamsa-guhya Prayers |
| SB 6.4.47 |
| MahÄrÄja Yudhiá¹£á¹hira said: O best of the saints among the demigods, O best of spiritual leaders, how did HiraṇyakaÅ›ipu give so much trouble to PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja, the pure and exalted saint, although PrahlÄda was his own son? I wish to know about this subject from you. Hiranyakasipu Terrorizes the Universe |
| SB 7.4.44 |
| PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja replied: Because of their uncontrolled senses, persons too addicted to materialistic life make progress toward hellish conditions and repeatedly chew that which has already been chewed. Their inclinations toward Kṛṣṇa are never aroused, either by the instructions of others, by their own efforts, or by a combination of both. Prahlada Maharaja, the Saintly Son of Hiranyakasipu |
| SB 7.5.30 |
| Therefore, my dear young friends born of demons, please act in such a way that the Supreme Lord, who is beyond the conception of material knowledge, will be satisfied. Give up your demoniac nature and act without enmity or duality. Show mercy to all living entities by enlightening them in devotional service, thus becoming their well-wishers. Prahlada Instructs His Demoniac Schoolmates |
| SB 7.6.24 |
| PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja continued: My dear friends, if you can place your faith in my words, simply by that faith you can also understand transcendental knowledge, just like me, although you are small children. Similarly, a woman can also understand transcendental knowledge and know what is spirit and what is matter. What Prahlada Learned in the Womb |
| SB 7.7.17 |
| An expert geologist can understand where there is gold and by various processes can extract it from the gold ore. Similarly, a spiritually advanced person can understand how the spiritual particle exists within the body, and thus by cultivating spiritual knowledge he can attain perfection in spiritual life. However, as one who is not expert cannot understand where there is gold, a foolish person who has not cultivated spiritual knowledge cannot understand how the spirit exists within the body. What Prahlada Learned in the Womb |
| SB 7.7.21 |
| Therefore, although I was born in a demoniac family, I may without a doubt offer prayers to the Lord with full endeavor, as far as my intelligence allows. Anyone who has been forced by ignorance to enter the material world may be purified of material life if he offers prayers to the Lord and hears the Lord’s glories. Prahlada Pacifies Lord Nrisimhadeva with Prayers |
| SB 7.9.12 |
| As long as one has to accept a material body, with its different parts and paraphernalia, which are not fully under one’s control, one must have the lotus feet of his superiors, namely his spiritual master and the spiritual master’s predecessors. By their mercy, one can sharpen the sword of knowledge, and with the power of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s mercy one must then conquer the enemies mentioned above. In this way, the devotee should be able to merge into his own transcendental bliss, and then he may give up his body and resume his spiritual identity. Instructions for Civilized Human Beings |
| SB 7.15.45 |
| The entire cosmic manifestation is the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, who has millions of names and unlimited potencies. He is self-effulgent, unborn and changeless. He is the beginning of everything, but He has no beginning. Because He has created this cosmic manifestation by His external energy, the universe appears to be created, maintained and annihilated by Him. Nonetheless, He remains inactive in His spiritual energy and is untouched by the activities of the material energy. The Manus, Administrators of the Universe |
| SB 8.1.13 |
| O my Lord, I, who am considered to be the best of the demigods, and Lord BrahmÄ and the great ṛṣis, headed by MarÄ«ci, are born of the mode of goodness. Nonetheless, we are bewildered by Your illusory energy and cannot understand what this creation is. Aside from us, what is to be said of others, like the demons and human beings, who are in the base modes of material nature [rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa]? How will they know You? The Mohini-murti Incarnation Bewilders Lord Siva |
| SB 8.12.10 |
| Even though the demigods have the advantages of being situated in the higher planetary system, their minds, senses and intelligence are agitated by material conditions. Therefore, even such elevated persons fail to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is eternally situated in the core of the heart. What then is to be said of others, such as human beings, who have fewer advantages? The Dynasty of Amsuman |
| SB 9.9.46 |
| Within the womb of Devakī is My partial plenary expansion known as Saṅkarṣaṇa or Śeṣa. Without difficulty, transfer Him into the womb of Rohiṇī. Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krishna in the Womb |
| SB 10.2.8 |
| The demigods prayed: O Lord, You never deviate from Your vow, which is always perfect because whatever You decide is perfectly correct and cannot be stopped by anyone. Being present in the three phases of cosmic manifestation — creation, maintenance and annihilation — You are the Supreme Truth. Indeed, unless one is completely truthful, one cannot achieve Your favor, which therefore cannot be achieved by hypocrites. You are the active principle, the real truth, in all the ingredients of creation, and therefore You are known as antaryÄmÄ«, the inner force. You are equal to everyone, and Your instructions apply for everyone, for all time. You are the beginning of all truth. Therefore, offering our obeisances, we surrender unto You. Kindly give us protection. Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krishna in the Womb |
| SB 10.2.26 |
| O Lord, cause of all causes, if Your transcendental body were not beyond the modes of material nature, one could not understand the difference between matter and transcendence. Only by Your presence can one understand the transcendental nature of Your Lordship, who are the controller of material nature. Your transcendental nature is very difficult to understand unless one is influenced by the presence of Your transcendental form. Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krishna in the Womb |
| SB 10.2.35 |
| O Lord, Your transcendental name and form are not ascertained by those who merely speculate on the path of imagination. Your name, form and attributes can be ascertained only through devotional service. Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krishna in the Womb |
| SB 10.2.36 |
| While following Kṛṣṇa, mother YaÅ›odÄ, her thin waist overburdened by her heavy breasts, naturally had to reduce her speed. Because of following Kṛṣṇa very swiftly, her hair became loose, and the flowers in her hair were falling after her. Yet she did not fail to capture her son, Kṛṣṇa. Mother Yasoda Binds Lord Lord Krishna |
| SB 10.9.10 |
| O Lord, You exist before the creation. Therefore, who, trapped by a body of material qualities in this material world, can understand You? Deliverance of the Yamala-arjuna Trees |
| SB 10.10.32 |
| Coming to this conclusion of all knowledge, one should give up the false conception of material variety that one imposes upon the soul and thus cease one’s material existence. The mind should be fixed on Me, since I am all-pervading. The Symptoms of Conditioned and Liberated Living Entities |
| SB 11.11.21 |