Why we cannot see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face?

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who created us by His external potency and by whose mercy we expand the creation of the universe, is always situated before us as the Supersoul, but we cannot see His form. We are unable to see Him because all of us think that we are separate and independent gods.

Here is an explanation of why the conditioned soul cannot see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face. Even though the Lord appears before us as Lord Kṛṣṇa or Lord Rāmacandra and lives in human society as a leader or king, the conditioned soul cannot understand Him. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam: rascals (mūḍhas) deride the Supreme Personality of Godhead, thinking Him an ordinary human being. However insignificant we are, we think that we are also God, that we can create a universe or that we can create another God. This is why we cannot see or understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this regard, Śrīla Madhvācārya says:

liṅgam eva paśyāmaḥ
kadācid abhimānas tu
devānām api sann iva
prāyaḥ kāleṣu nāsty eva
tāratamyena so ’pi tu

We are all conditioned to various degrees, but we think that we are God. This is why we cannot understand who God is or see Him face to face.

Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 6.9.25

Share:

Follow us

Padmanayana Krsna Dasa

Recent Posts

ISKCON India Scholars Board Responds to Hridayananda Das Goswami on Vaishnavi Dīkṣā-Gurus

Krishna Kirti Das, Conveyor of the ISKCON India Scholars Board, offers a critical analysis of…

1 day ago

Why I Left Christianity for Krishna? An Interview with His Holiness Bhakti Vikasa Swami on Prachyam

In a recent and uncompromising interview with Prachyam, His Holiness Bhakti Vikasa Swami traces his…

1 day ago

Warning: Hotel booking fraud hits Mayapur in pilgrim season

Hotel booking fraud hits Mayapur in pilgrim season As the pilgrim season peaks, ISKCON Mayapur…

1 day ago

From Ghats to Temples: How Spiritual Tourism Revives India’s Cultural Heart

From Ghats to Temples: How Spiritual Tourism Revives India’s Cultural HeartA recent feature in Hindustan…

5 days ago

His Holiness Sivarama Swami Speaks on Vaiṣṇavī Dīkṣā-gurus

A transcription of this lecture is available on the IISB website: Transcript - On Vaiṣṇavī…

5 days ago

Report on Survey Soundness (VDG)

Report on Survey SoundnessAuthor: Krishna Kirti das, Convenor of the ISKCON India Scholars BoardContact: convenor@iisb.co.in…

7 days ago