Have you seen God?

Prabhupada, Journey Of Self-Discovery: People sometimes ask, “Have you seen God?” or “Can you show me God?” Sometimes we meet these questions. So the answer is “Yes, I am seeing God. You can also see God; everyone can see God. But you must have the qualification.” Suppose something is wrong with a motorcar; it is not running. Everyone is seeing it, but a mechanic sees it differently. He’s qualified to see it with greater understanding. So he replaces some missing part, and immediately the car runs. But although for seeing a machine we require so much qualification, we want to see God without any qualification. Just see the folly! People are such rascals, they are such fools, that they want to see God with their imagined qualifications.

Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, naham prakasah sarvasya yogamaya-samavrtah: [Bg. 7.25] “I am not exposed to everyone. My energy, yogamaya, is covering Me from their vision.” So how can you see God? But this rascaldom is going on—this “Can you show me God?” “Have you seen God?” God has become just like a plaything, so that cheaters advertise some ordinary man by saying, “Here is God. Here is an incarnation of God.”

Na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah [Bg. 7.15]. Sinful rascals, fools, the lowest of mankind—they inquire like that: “Can you show me God?” What qualification have you acquired by which you can see God? Here is the qualification: tac chraddadhana munayah. One must first of all be faithful (sraddadhana). One must actually be very much eager to see God. Not that one takes it as a frivolous thing—“Can you show me God?”—or as some magic. They think God is magic. No. One must be very serious and think, “Yes, I have been informed about God. So if there is a God, I must see Him.”

There is a story in this connection. It is very instructive, so try to hear. One professional reciter was publicly reciting the Srimad-Bhagavatam, and he was describing that Krsna is very highly decorated with all kinds of jewels when He goes to tend the cows in the forest. So, there was a thief in that meeting, and he thought, “Why not go to Vrndavana and plunder this boy? He’s in the forest with so many valuable jewels. I can go there and catch the child and take all the jewels.” This was his intention. So he was serious. “I must find that boy,” he thought. “Then in one night I shall become a millionaire.”

The thief’s qualification was his feeling: “I must see Krsna! I must see Krsna!” That anxiety, that eagerness, made it possible for him to actually see Krsna in Vrndavana. He saw Krsna in just the same way as the Bhagavatam reader had described. Then the thief said, “Oh, You are such a nice boy, Krsna.” He began to flatter Him; he thought that by flattering Him he would easily take all the jewels. Then he proposed his real business: “May I take some of these ornaments? You are so rich.”

“No, no, no,” said Krsna. “My mother will be angry! I cannot give them away.” Krsna was playing just like a child.

So the thief became more and more eager for Krsna to give Him the jewels, but by Krsna’s association he was becoming purified. Then at last Krsna said, “All right, you can take them.” Then the thief became a devotee immediately, because by Krsna’s association he had been completely purified. So somehow or other you should come in contact with Krsna. Then you’ll be purified.

The gopis are another example of great eagerness to see Krsna. The gopis came to Krsna, being captivated by His beautiful features. They were young girls, and Krsna was so beautiful. Actually they were lusty when they came to Krsna, but Krsna is so pure that they became first-class devotees. There is no comparison to the gopis’ devotion, because they loved Krsna with heart and soul. That is the qualification. They loved Krsna so much that they didn’t care for family or reputation when they went out in the dead of night. Krsna’s flute was sounding, and they were all fleeing their homes. Their fathers, their brothers, their husbands all said, “Where are you going? Where are you going in this dead of night?” But the gopis didn’t care. They neglected their children, their family, everything. Their only thought was, “We must go to Krsna.”

This eagerness is required. We must be very, very eager to see Krsna. Many gopis who were forcibly stopped from going to Krsna lost their lives because of their great feelings of separation. So this eagerness is wanted; then you can see God. Whether you are lusty or a thief or a murderer or whatever it may be—somehow or other you must develop this eagerness, this desire: “I must see Krsna.” Then Krsna will be seen.