Question: Is it limiting, on an absolute level, when one claims an exclusive name/form as being the highest realization of Godhead? In other words, once someone says the highest can only be this, it seems to impart a restriction on God based on the condition of the particular consciousness (of that individual).
Answer by Romapada Swami: It is not limiting. All of the Holy Names and Forms of the Personality of Godhead are completely spiritual and equally absolute as the Lord Himself, the Name and the Named being identical. (abhinnatvan nama naminoh) Absolute Truth signifies that He is all-inclusive; just as the Supreme Personality of Godhead is inclusive of all other expansions and energies and everything else emanating from Him, so His Name is all-inclusive.
Thus, if scriptures offer a particular name of the Personality of Godhead as the primary name, that Name – not being a man-made name – is all-inclusive; it does not exclude or restrict the Lord. The name Krishna, meaning “All-Attractive” is inclusive of any other description of God. This does not exclude any other Name from applying to Him, because He has unlimited Names which are all invested with His transcendental energies. If someone were to ‘give’ a name to God based on their limited perception, then your concern may apply, but not so when the information is directly received from the ‘apaurusheya’ scriptures through the descending process.
On the other hand, consider the implication of where this argument could lead to: ‘Since the Absolute Truth is Infinite and Unlimited, He cannot possibly have a particular Original form or Name or at least we cannot know them, since that would restrict Him or lead to so many conflicts; therefore let’s refrain from even trying to ascertain these attributes of the Unknowable Supreme’! Another conclusion could be that whatever Name or Form you choose to accept is equally valid. Clearly, both of these positions, often held by many modern philosophers, are simply a form of impersonalism and ends in polytheism and finally atheism.
However, our Vaishnava acharyas hold that although the Absolute is Unlimited, He has a supreme transcendental Name and Form, as well as many variegated manifestations of spiritual Forms, Names and Activities. Any of these attributes can be known by descending mercy only. By accepting this descending mercy, we are able to easily know Him and enter into a loving relationship with Him. This process of accepting descending knowledge is recommended by Lord Caitanya, and in the Bhagavatam, as the only means to conquer the Unconquerable Lord. (Refer Lord Brahma’s prayers, Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.3) Because it is known through descending mercy, from the infallible source of bona fide scriptures and accepted by countless mahajanas, we can be confident that this information is not the limited conception of a tiny living entity but the Lord’s own revelation. Of course, He may reveal Himself to different degrees according to the receptivity of audience, time and place, but when He personally testifies that a particular form of His is the Supreme, and there is nothing beyond that, as He does in the Bhagavad Gita (Bhagavad Gita 7.7), we accept it.
I would like to conclude with the remark that we are to be considered very fortunate to be the recipients of a very authorized, unique and deep revelation of the Lord’s Spiritual Nature – this fortune is not just a subjective appreciation but can be evaluated quite objectively by the symptoms as mentioned in the previous answer, the extra-ordinary characters of the acharyas as well as the scientific depth of this philosophy and its practical effect in the lives of sadhakas. Being the recipient of such rare fortune need not make us doubtful if it is possible that we actually have stumbled on such Truth, nor lead us to feel, in a sectarian way, a sense of exclusivity or dogmatic superiority. It is simply the causeless mercy of Lord Caitanya and even as we are being objective and respectful of others, we can accept the unique greatness of this cream of all knowledge confidently, faithfully, eagerly and with due appreciation, share this causeless good fortune with as many others who are eager to accept it.
