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Rāja-vidyā: The King of Knowledge
ceivable mystic power. He is everywhere, yet He is aloof from everything. We can perceive his energy, but we cannot see Him because He cannot be seen with material eyes. However, when we develop our spiritual qualities, we sanctify our senses so that even within this energy we can see Him. Electricity, for instance, is everywhere, and an electrician is capable of utilizing it. Similarly, the energy of the Supreme Lord is everywhere, and when we become transcendentally situated, we can see God eye to eye everywhere. That spiritualization of the senses is possible through devotional service and love of God. The Lord is all-pervading all over the universe and is within the soul, the heart, water, air—everywhere. Thus if we make an image of God in anything—clay, stone, wood or whatever—it should not be considered to be just a doll. That also is God. If we have sufficient devotion, the image will also speak to us. God is everywhere impersonally ( mayā tatam idam sarvam ), but if we make His personal form from anything, or if we create an image of God within ourselves, He will be present personally for us. In the  śāstras , there are eight kinds of images recommended, and any kind of image can be worshiped because God is everywhere. One may protest and ask, “Why should God be worshiped in images and not in His original spiritual form?” The answer is that we cannot see God immediately in His spiritual form. With our material eyes we can only see stone, earth, wood—something tangible. Therefore  Kṛṣṇa  comes as  arcā-vigraha , a form conveniently presented by the Supreme Lord in order for us to see Him. The result is that if we con-