So the Absolute Truth, the ultimate stage of realizing Absolute Truth, is to understand Kṛṣṇa. Brahman realization, Paramātmā realization, they are not perfect realization of the Absolute Truth. Partial realization. Brahman realization means realization of the Absolute Truth in eternity. That's all. Paramātmā realization of the Absolute Truth is realization of eternity and knowledge. And Kṛṣṇa realization means full realization of the Absolute Truth, means eternity, knowledge and bliss.
Without Kṛṣṇa knowledge we cannot be blissful. But by nature we are blissful. In his Brahma-sūtra, in the Vedānta-sūtra, it is stated, ānandamayo abhyāsāt. Every living entity, Brahman. Living entities, they are Brahman, and Kṛṣṇa is also Para-brahman. So Brahman and Para-brahman, both of them are by nature joyful. They want joy, enjoyment. So our joyfulness is in connection with Kṛṣṇa, just like fire and the sparks of fire. The sparks of fire, so long manifested with the fire, it is beautiful. And as soon as the sparks of fire falls down from the original fire, oh, it is extinguished, no more beautiful.
So we are in the same relationship with Kṛṣṇa. He is the complete whole; we are parts and parcel. Just like the complete whole fire and the sparks of fire. When the fire and the sparks are displayed, it looks very nice. Both of them enjoy. And when the spark . . . of course, fire has unlimited potency to produce sparks. But the sparks, when is out of the fire, fireplace, then it loses its identity, and this is called conditioned life. We are in that conditioned life. We are fire, sparks of fire. But because we are in material contamination, therefore we have become conditioned.
So knowledge means to understand . . . beginning of knowledge is to understand one's constitutional position. That knowledge is imparted in the beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā that, "You are not this body. You are spirit spark."
- dehino 'smin yathā dehe
- kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
- tathā dehāntara-prāptir
- dhīras tatra na muhyati
- (BG 2.13)
So you are spark, spiritual spark. You are simply changing dress. That is your conditioned stage. So Lord Caitanya says, advaya-jñāna-tattva kṛṣṇa-svayaṁ bhagavān. Svayaṁ bhagavān, the Absolute Truth, 'svarūpa śakti' rūpe tāṅra haya avasthāna (CC Madhya 22.7): "He is situated in His internal potency." Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says:
- yadā yadā hi dharmasya
- glānir bhavati bhārata
- abhyutthānam adharmasya
- (BG 4.7)
- Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ
- vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām
- sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā
- (BG 4.8)
Ātma-māyayā, internal potency. He is situated in the spiritual world by internal potency. And this is, this material world, His external potency. Therefore, although external potency is also Kṛṣṇa's potency—it is not different from Kṛṣṇa—but Kṛṣṇa is not here in the external potency. Kṛṣṇa is in the internal potency, although this potency is not different. Therefore it is inferior. It is inferior energy, it is called. And this, this is explained very nicely in the Bhagavad-gītā, mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagat avyakta-mūrtinā (BG 9.4): "By Me the whole spiritual and material world is manifested." Tatam idam. How it is manifested? Just like the sun and sunshine. Sunshine is manifested all over the universe, and sun is the central point. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is the central point, and His shining brahma-jyotir is diffused all over.