12
Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers
has entered. If the sun enters your room, then your room and yourself—everything—will be finished. Immediately. You will not have the leisure to understand that the sun has entered. Is it not?
BOB:  It is so.
ŚRĪLA PRABHUPĀDA:  But you cannot say that sunshine is not the sun. Without the sun, where is the sunshine? So you cannot say that sunshine is not the sun. But at the same time, it is not the sun. It is the sun and not the sun—both. That is our philosophy.  Acintya-bhedābheda —inconceivable. In the material sense, you cannot conceive that a thing is simultaneously positive and negative. That you cannot think of. That is inconceivable energy. And because everything is Kṛṣṇa's energy, Kṛṣṇa can manifest Himself from any energy. Therefore, when we worship Kṛṣṇa in a form made of something—of earth, water or something like that—that is Kṛṣṇa. You cannot say that it is not Kṛṣṇa. When we worship this metal form of Kṛṣṇa [the Deity form in the temple], that is Kṛṣṇa. That's a fact, because metal is an energy of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, it is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is so powerful that He can present Himself fully in His energy. So this Deity worship is not heathenism. It is actually worship of God, provided you know the process.
BOB:  If you know the process, then the Deity becomes Kṛṣṇa?
ŚRĪLA PRABHUPĀDA:  Not becomes—it is Kṛṣṇa.
BOB:  The Deity is Kṛṣṇa, but only if you know the process?
ŚRĪLA PRABHUPĀDA:  Yes. Just like this electric wire—it is electricity. One who knows the process, he can derive electricity out of it.
ŚYĀMASUNDARA:  Otherwise it's just wire.