So if a man is the greatest man in richness, greatest man in power, greatest man in fame, greatest man in knowledge, greatest man in beauty, then where is the impersonality? These are all personal qualification. So Brahmin, or the Supreme, or the Absolute Truth, cannot be imperson. Imperson may be a feature, but ultimately He is person.
- śruti-purāṇa kahe-kṛṣṇera cic-chakti-vilāsa
- tāhā nāhi māni, paṇḍita kare upahāsa
- (CC Madhya 25.34)
So śruti, śruti means the Vedas. The Vedas clearly say that all these manifestation, they are out of the energy. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). From this fountainhead, from the supreme source, the energies. Just like the electric lights, it is very brilliant, illuminating. But this is energy emanating from the powerhouse. The powerhouse is person. It is managed by a person, executive engineer or resident engineer. So when you go, the government, United States, externally, ephemerally, it appears imperson, but if you go deep into the matter, you see that there is president, a person.
So ultimately, a person, Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, ultimately. That is the evidence from all Vedic scriptures. Tāhā nāhi māni, paṇḍita kare upahāsa (CC Madhya 25.34). And these impersonalist, they do not accept this personal aspect of the Absolute Truth, and they laugh at the devotees, "Oh, what they are doing? They are less . . ." They are thinking that the devotees are less intelligent. And the devotees, they are also thinking that less intelligent.
But you have to decide who is less intelligent. If you, from the Vedic literature, if you do not accept the decision . . . and the essence of Vedic literature is Bhagavad . . . Bhagavad-gītā, and it is clearly stated there. When understood . . . Arjuna understood Bhagavad-gītā, he clearly accepted Him that paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12), "You are the Supreme Lord, and nobody knows Your personality." So personality is accepted. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also says that the verdict of all Vedic literature is to accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- cid-ānanda kṛṣṇa-vigraha 'māyika' kari' māni
- ei baḍa 'pāpa'—satya caitanyera vāṇī
- (CC Madhya 25.35)
Now the disciple of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī is admitting that "God is person, His body is spiritual, but we do not accept it." It is the greatest offense. It is the greatest offense. How it is offense? Suppose you are my friend, and if I say: "Oh, you have no eyes. You have no hand. You have no leg. You have no tongue . . ." "You have no leg" means you are lame man. "You have no eyes" means you are blind man. "You have no hand" means . . .
That means I am calling you by all ill names: "You are blind. You are lame. You are nonsense. You are rascal." Are they not offenses against the friend? If I say: "You have no eyes," it is gentlemanly speaking that, "You are blind." If I directly say: "You are blind," oh, will you be very nice . . . will you be very happy upon me? No. If I say, if "You have no leg . . ." Suppose if I say if, "You have no brain," that means, "You are rascal. You are fool."
So these impersonalist, they are always, I mean to . . . trying to understand how God is eyeless, handless, legless—all less. Simply he has got eyes to see beautiful things. He has got his hands to touch nice things. No. These are offenses. According to Caitanya Mahāprabhu these are great offense against God. So therefore they are, life after life, they are studying this impersonalism, but there is no perfection.