They Say, "Don't Talk of God."

In academic institutions all over the world it is now taboo to talk about God. You can deny His existence all day long. That is okay. But if the professor tries to glorify Him, he runs the risk of losing his teaching position. There is no mood of open-minded inquiry. There is a clear bias against God or anything spiritual. Spirituality is automatically assumed to be mythological. Such educational institutions cannot deliver their students from nescience. Rather they keep them in a state of ignorance. If the educational institutions want to actually provide their students with a true higher education they must give them the opportunity to hear and inquire about the self and the Supreme Self.

Answers According to the Vedic Version

Question: Innocence in the Material World?...

I have a perplexing problem and cannot relate the two within my mind. In the secular church, all of my life I was taught that "God" / Krishna had no form but was this brilliant white light....so beautiful that we could not look upon Him with our naked eye. This of course explains "pure awareness" to me. It makes much sense.

Now, within the Bhakti Yoga teachings, I learn that Lord Krishna took form in many ways and incarnations. We have pictures of Him. At the same time we are not to attach ourselves to the physical for we are not of this body. I, at this point cannot "attach" myself to any one picture of Lord Krishna no matter how beautiful because of this earlier teaching. He is mightier than this "physical form". In a sense I would say this helps lead me away from physical attachment -- period. Perhaps if I can keep my eye on this, then I can "detach" my mind from the shell and begin to realize that this is not the soul that resides within.

Yet, I must hold the photo's of Lord Krishna upon my altar and accept them as "Him."

Forgive my ignorance, but I seem to be going through a state of confusion. Is there anyway in which you could help clear this up for me ?

Your student,

Laura

Answer: Ultimately, There is None...

You have stated that Krishna is mightier than His physical form. In this connection please try to understand that Krishna's form is not physical or material. Rather it is metaphysical or transcendental. There is no question of Krishna being mightier than His form because He and His form are one and the same. Krishna's form does not in way limit or restrict Him. That form is the source of all the exists.

Since Krishna's form is not material, rather being fully spiritual, to meditate on His form does not cause bodily identification. It liberates the devotee from bodily identification. The brilliant white light is the beautiful aura emanating from His transcendental form. In the Sri Isopanisad we find this prayer in which the devotee prays as follows:

pusann ekarse yama surya prajapatya
vyuha rasmin samuha
tejo yat te rupam kalyana-tamam
tat te pasyami yo 'sav asau purusah so 'ham asmi

"O my Lord, O primeval philosopher, maintainer of the universe, O regulating principle, destination of the pure devotees, well-wisher of the progenitors of mankind, please remove the effulgence of Your transcendental rays so that I can see Your form of bliss. You are the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead, like unto the sun, as am I." Sri Isopanisad Mantra 16

The devotee does not want to be blinded by the brilliant white light. He prays to see the form from which that light is coming. This is the perfection of the eyes. Krishna's form is not physical. It is metaphysical. But this does not mean that He is formless. He has a form which is completely spiritual.

The Mayavadis teach that God is formless. But this is not a fact. The Lord has a form composed of eternity, knowledge, and bliss.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari