28 THE PATH OF PERFECTION Learning How to See God 29

ferent types of forms. We-must consider where these forms are
coming from. Where have these forms originated? We have to use
a little common sense. If God is not a person, how can His sons be
persons? If your father is just a void, if he is not a person, how can
you be a person? If your father has no form, how can you have
form? This is not very difficult; it is just a commonsense question.

puja, or worship, is allowed on the night of the dark moon, which
means once a month. There are also certain mantras to be chanted
when the goat is sacrificed. The goat is told, ‘‘Your life is being
sacrificed before the goddess Kali; you will therefore be im-
_ mediately promoted to the human form.’ Generally, in order to
attain the human form, a living entity has to pass through many

species of life on the evolutionary scale, but if a goat is sacrificed Unfortunately, because people are frustrated, they try to imagine
to the goddess Kali, he is immediately promoted to the human some form, or they conclude that because this material form is
form. The mantra also says, ‘‘You have the right to kill this man temporary and troublesome, God must be formless. Indeed, be-
who is sacrificing you.’’ The word mdmsa indicates that in his next cause all forms in this material world must perish, God, of
birth, the goat will eat the flesh of the man who is presently necessity, must be formless.
sacrificing him. This in itself should bring the goat-eater to his Brahma-samhita specifically states that this conception is a
senses. He should consider, ‘‘Why am I eating this flesh? Why am mistake. /Svarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah. God has
I doing this? Ill have to repay with my own flesh in another life.”” form, but His form is sac-cid-dnanda-vigraha. Sat means ‘‘eter-
The whole idea is to discourage one from eating meat. nal,’ cit means ‘‘knowledge,’’ and dnanda means ‘‘pleasure.””
Thus, because there are different types of men, there are eigh- God has form, but His form is eternal and is full of knowledge and
teen Purdnas to guide them. The Vedic literatures are meant to pleasure. We cannot compare His form to our form. Our form is
redeem all men, not just a few. It is not that those who are meat- neither eternal, full of pleasure, nor full of knowledge; therefore
eaters or drunkards are rejected. A doctor accepts all patients, and God’s form is different.
he prescribes different medicines according to the disease. It is not As soon as we speak of form, we think that form must be like
that he gives the same medicine for all diseases or that he treats ours, and we therefore conclude that the eternal, all-knowing, and
just one disease. No, he offers a specific type of medicine to all-blissful God must be without form. This is not knowledge but
whomever comes, and the patient receives gradual treatment. the result of imperfect speculation. According to Padma Purana,
However, the sattvic Purdnaslike the Padma Purana are meant for atah Ssri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih: ‘‘One cannot
those in the mode of goodness, for those who immediately are understand the form, name, quality, or paraphernalia of God with
capable of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One’s material senses.’’ Since our senses are imperfect, we cannot
In Brahma-samhitd it is stated, iSvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid- speculate on Him who is supremely perfect. That is not possible.
dnanda-vigrahah: ‘“‘The supreme controller is Krsna, who has an Then how is it possible to understand Him? Sevonmukhe hi
eternal, blissful, spiritual body.’ This is the Vedic pronounce- | Jihvddau. By training and purifying our senses, we may come to
ment, and we thus accept Sri Krsna as the Supreme Lord. Those understand and see God. Presently we are attempting to under-
who are in the modes of passion and ignorance attempt to imagine stand God with impure, imperfect senses. It is like someone with
the form of God, and when they are confused, they say, ‘‘Oh, cataracts trying to see. Just because one has cataracts, he should
there is no personal God. God is impersonal, or void.”’ This is just not conclude that there is nothing to be seen. Similarly, we cannot
the result of frustration. Actually, God has His form. And why presently conceive of God’s form, but once our cataracts are
not? According to the Veddnta-sutra, janmady asya yatah: ‘‘The removed, we can see. According to Brahma-samhita, premafijana-
Supreme Absolute Truth is He from whom everything ema- cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti:

nates.”’ It is easy to see that we have different types of bodies, dif- ‘The devotees whose eyes are anointed with the ointment of love
