Question: What does the action of “knowing God” (Sriman Narayana or Krishna) contain? We referred many times during our discussions that there are many facts in scriptures (e.g. very precise calculations already detailed that modern science is just finding again). Is this part of knowing GOD, or are there many aspects of knowing GOD and this is just one of them? With respect to the meaning of one’s life, does knowing God mean something different?
Answer by Romapada Swami: When we speak of ‘knowing God’, it refers to factually understanding Krishna’s supreme position as the Cause of all causes, as the proprietor and controller of all the universes, as the governing principle of material nature, as the Supersoul directing all living entities etc. In other words, one who factually understands Krishna’s divine constitutional position and how the living entities and material nature are related to Him can be said to know God.
The Supreme Lord is unlimited and no one can claim to ‘know’ Him completely. But a sincere devotee who is favored by the Lord is able to understand His glories by His mercy. Such a Krishna conscious devotee is aware of how everything is related to Krishna and how it is a fact that Krishna’s energies and His mercy are working in every sphere of life. As Srila Prabhupada often pointed out, people generally acknowledge that God is great and may have a vague conception of God as some ruling power, but one who factually knows God has specific and growing appreciation for how God is great and how He manifests His various opulence.
One may or may not know all the intricate and technical details of how the material universe is constructed, or of the workings of material nature and karma etc. Such detailed information is available in Vedic literatures, but it is not a necessary prerequisite for God-realization. As Krishna says at the end of recounting His opulence (BG 10.42): “But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe.”
A devotee, of course, is ever eager to hear detailed descriptions of Krishna’s opulence, for the more one hears about Krishna, the more one’s devotion is established in firm conviction, just as when you discover how rich and influential your father is your affection and respect for Him grows. However, not knowing some of the technical details is not a disqualification for knowing God.
