The Deity of the Lord

All Glories to HDG Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami Maharaj

All  Glories to HDG Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada

A man has two types of understanding , one that is in ignorance and the other  in knowledge. In ignorance ,especially there exists  the  material covering exacted on the living entity by the illusory energy. Knowledge  means there is complete freedom from the effects of the illusory energy or being under  the influence of one 's divine identity and being illuminated  by pure divine knowledge. Usually the subtle and gross bodies are formed by the effects of material energy implicates the living entity into material enjoyment ,nevertheless there are saintly people who are able to overcome the effects of the gross and subtle bodies by engaging in pure devotional service to the Supreme Lord  and  with acquired  divine knowledge able to overcome the influence of ordinary material enjoyment. This is  mainly due to the influence of being able to understand  spiritual knowledge in toto. Perceiving in ignorance means there is that underlying  selfish tendency to enjoy  existing in the individual which can lay hidden   or  be directly known while in knowledge means there is only the  consideration of the pleasure of the Lord and nothing else. The understanding in ignorance denotes that one is only able to have an  gross ,external perception and nothing else nor can one be able to fix on anything transcendental. This will lead definitely to segmented ,contrasting knowledge which will be prone to error and illusion whereas pure knowledge will lead to the complete  understanding about the  nature of  a substance as this knowledge is  pervading throughout  all the countries .However there is no other way to come to such type of  knowledge without surrender to God. The way to come to attain such knowledge and proper mood is called spiritual initiation. In this world, it does not matter whether one is a very intelligent or have  had studied profusely, or as being  a philosopher ,scientist ,expert worker or  a famous or religious person.  Until and unless one  receives initiation from a self realized person and then serves the guru  with humble surrender and proper , inquiry ,is the  way to get the highest undifferentiated spiritual knowledge and naught else. Arjuna was able to view the form of the Lord only by the strength of his surrender and devotion. Similarly, Yamaraj informed Nachiketas in the same manner with the evidence of the  statements of the  revealed scriptures ,Upanishads yamavaisa  vrnute  tena labhya  tasyaisa atma vrnute tanum svaam  only the scholar who is surrendered to the form of the Lord only to him exclusively does the Supreme Lord reveal His  form. Nevertheless, majority of the people though giving lip service to this truth  are unable to understand this  fact  simply by  their external senses. In that arrogant mood, they persist in describing on the form of the Lord with their so called intelligence . In the wake of such consciousness ,they describe the  eternal Supreme Master and eternal Lord present  in the form of the deity as simply ,wood ,stone, or earth or simply as a temporary material form. There is their own  faith that this deity being built by mere humans is only  a temporary feature. Besides although  one may internally have the faith that the deity is material and temporary yet one persists in such  material worship  simply with  the hope to satisfy all one's latent lusty desires. Then again by external perception may form yet another conclusion that this is  only the direct earthly form of  the Lord present .  Again ,one may  yet fathom that  only inside  the deity form of wood ,stone ,iron  is the worship able  Supreme Consciousness. In other words ,there is a difference between the form of the Lord and His divine form. To concoct a verse as yatha abhimatadhanyam and to visualize the divine form as just  a means to concentrate and control the mind which in essence is to degrade it to just as a material temporary form as before. All this above is simply understanding in total ignorance and nothing else. Knowledge means acceptance that the deity form is complete  divine and not lacking at all in any for it is existing with all energies. Hence in this type of knowledge one  must understand the inconceivable nature of the Supreme with his various energies. Inconceivable means  something seemingly not possible is made possible. The Lord has many opposing qualities all existing harmoniously at the same time  and which is the nature of His inconceivable  and complete divinity. The all  encompassing Lord with His contrasting moods  can both exist separately yet at the same time  be stationed  in the deity form. The Sruti has numerous opposite verses in  such description .At the end of Chandoyogya Sruti ,there is the verse syamachabalam prapadye shabalam shyama prapadye This verse explains how the deity can become all encompassing as  well as apparently  being confined in a deity. Solely , the  pure vision without any other  false designation but originating from one's transcendental  identity is only able to bestow one  the vision of the actual form of the deity and not from any materially designated understanding . The eyes then can be able to visualize the form of the Lord complete with his opulence as in his universal form but with contaminated adjuncts one can only see in the  material plane and  no more. The transcendental form visualized by the unalloyed devotee with his eyes anointed with the salve of devotion is what we know here  exists in the world  as  the shadow form or as  the deity .Therefore the deity is not imaginary nor is there any difference between the deity and its form .The holy deity though existing in a seemingly material form is transcendental.

etadishanam ishasya  pakrtershopi tadgunaih

nayujyate madatamasthair yatha buddhistadasraya

meaning even though existing in the material world ,He has a divine nature meaning  He is not influenced by the material modes of nature. The conditioned soul when  completely under the  shelter of the Lord has no more  any attachment or attraction to the material energy and hence  able to realize the  transcendental truths. The holy deity is not an imaginary ,temporary concocted form obtained by mental concentration .In the ascending process  of knowledge ,there is the path by which  full mental concentration on any  form as yatha abhidyanasvarupa  means one can meditate on any form in mental concentration ultimately to give up that very  form as in that process  of impersonal worship .However , compared to the descending process of knowledge where in favorable devotional service  and with  divine vision  one  can visualize the actual divine form of the Lord is not the same process  as the former. The former is just a materially concocted key to arrive at the spiritual destination while the latter is the prescence of the actual divine form of the Lord no less. In the concentration of some form in the acceptance stage but this  form disappears in this impersonal  higher stage of samadhi called nirvikalpa. But the devotees always perceive  the transcendental eternal form of the Lord  with the eyes of devotion. om tad vishnu paramam padam  sada pasyanti suryayah  divya caksur atattam .The divine vision implies that eternality of the form of the Lord. In short  ,the ascending process of knowledge solely by one's effort in controlling the tendencies of the mind , there is no way of visualizing that eternal transcendental form. Their mind only concocts the deity as  an imaginary key for attainment .The word sada in the  above verse denotes the divinity and eternality of the form of  the Supreme. The padam here refers to the complete expansion of the Supreme Lord all throughout the universe also it validates the existence of the  form of the Lord  . Therefore It is not the imaginary form concocted by the impersonal worshippers  in the meditation involving the deity which to them is a  temporary feature   in their main quest to merge in the infinite brahma. Mahaprabhu    had previously informed Sarvabhauma that the deity is completely transcendental and not the aberration of the modes of goodness as those impersonal worshippers   offensively think  ,who will all be ultimately punished by Yama for their grievous offence against the holy form of the Lord.     The holy name ,the form of the Lord and the holy deity are all non different and there is  also no difference between Krishna and His  holy name  .All these can not be understood by striving with the  out going senses.