God is the ultimate mystery of life. Some religious traditions claim that God is beyond definition, while others attempt to describe God by His attributes and qualities.
In this article, we will explore how the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism defines God from different perspectives. We will see that God is not only definable, but also infinitely definable, according to the Vaishnava Saints.
The Five Perspectives
The Vaishnava tradition defines God from five perspectives: General perspective, Philosophical perspective, Power perspective, Mercy perspective, and Sweetness perspective.Each perspective gives a different definition of God, based on His different aspects and features. Let us briefly examine each perspective and its corresponding definition.
General Perspective
The general perspective is the most comprehensive and inclusive one. It defines God by His six opulences: all strength, all fame, all wealth, all knowledge, all beauty, and all renunciation.
This definition is given in the Visnu Purana 6.5.47:
aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ
jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva ṣaṇṇāṁ bhaga itīṅganā
Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is one who is full in six opulences -all strength, all fame,all wealth, all knowledge, all beauty, and all renunciation.
This definition implies that God is the source and owner of everything that exists. He has unlimited power and influence over everything and everyone. He possesses unlimited riches and resources. He knows everything past, present and future. He is the most attractive and charming person in existence. And He is completely detached from material attachments and desires.
Philosophical Perspective
The philosophical perspective defines God by His nature and function. It describes what God does and how He relates to His creation.
This definition is given in the Bhagavad Gita 9.18:
gatir bhartā prabhuḥ sākṣī nivāsaḥ śaraṇaṁ suhṛt
prabhavaḥ pralayaḥ sthānaṁ nidhānaṁ bījam avyayam
God is the goal, the sustainer, the master, the witness, the abode,the refuge and the most dear friend. I am the creation and the annihilation,the basis of everything, the resting place and the eternal seed.
This definition implies that God is the supreme destination of all living beings. He maintains and protects them as their provider and guardian. He controls and governs them as their ruler and judge. He observes and records their actions as their witness and accountant. He offers them shelter and comfort as their home and sanctuary. He loves and cares for them as their friend and well-wisher. He creates and destroys the material world as its origin and end. He supports and pervades everything as its foundation and substance. He generates and sustains life as its source and nourishment.
Power Perspective
The power perspective defines God by His supreme control and independence. It shows how God is the absolute authority and the cause of all causes.
This definition is given in the Śrimad Bhagavatam 1.1.1:
anmādy asyayato ‘nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ
tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ
tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ yathā vinimayo yatra tri-sargo ‘mṛṣā
dhāmnā svena sadā nirasta-kuhakaṁ satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi
This definition implies that God is the ultimate reality and the original source of everything that exists. He is aware of everything that happens in His creation, both directly and indirectly. He is completely free from any dependence or obligation to anyone or anything. He is the first teacher and revealer of spiritual knowledge to His devotees. He has the power to bewilder or enlighten anyone by His illusory or spiritual energy. He transcends the material world, which is temporary and unreal, and resides in His own eternal and blissful abode.
Mercy Perspective
Mercy perspective is higher than Power perspective because of His mercy we know above three definitions through revealed scriptures. That is why Mercy is the most important quality of God. Mercy of God is the queen of all qualities.
This definition is given in the Śrimad Bhagavatam 2.10.12:
dravyaṁ karma ca kālaś ca, svabhāvo jīva eva ca
yad-anugrahataḥ santi, na santi yad-upekṣayā
One should definitely know that all material ingredients, activities, time and modes, and the living entities who are meant to enjoy them all, exist by His mercy only, and as soon as He does not care for them, everything becomes nonexistent.
Sweetness Perspective
Sweetness perspective includes all of the above definitions. God is ‘Rasik Shekhar’ the relisher of various transcendental mellows, that is one who drinks sweetness and makes others to drink sweetness.
This definition is given in theŚrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi-līlā 4.15–16 .
rasika-śekhara kṛṣṇa parama-karuṇa
He [God] is known as supremely jubilant and as the most merciful of all.
Since God is sweet that is why He does mercy. Only sweet people do mercy and not hard hearted and malevolent people.
Without Sweetness God’s power would appear like a tyranny. Therefore Sweetness perspective gives a positive meaning to the Power perspective of God.
Since God’s power is sweet that is why devotees like His power. Since God is sweet that is why He uses His power to protect His devotees. The most powerful of all his powers is His sweet love for His devotees.
So you see the question is not ‘Can God be defined?’, rather the question now is ‘How many definitions of God can you digest?’