External potency (Conv. and Letters)

Expressions researched:
"external energy, or potency" |"external potencies" |"external potency" |"external, or material, potency" |"potency, external" |"potency. External"

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

External potency means by which this material world is manifested.

Morning Walk at Stow Lake -- March 27, 1968, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa appeared in five expansions. Sri Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Lord Caitanya, is Kṛṣṇa Himself. And Prabhu Nityānanda, His immediate expansion. Just like Balarāma. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. And Advaita is incarnation. And Gadādhara is internal potency. And Śrīvāsa, marginal potency. And there is another potency, external potency. The external potency is not there. External potency means by which this material world is manifested.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

For Him there is no external, internal. For Kṛṣṇa there is no external, internal.

Morning Walk Excerpts -- May 1, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Europeans, they are also coming from kṣatriya family.

Yadubara: "I shall also see how You..." (break) "...your internal potency You have set up the influence of māyā." That is part of the internal potency?

Prabhupāda: Hm? Yes. What is your question?

Yadubara: Well, I thought it was the external potency.

Prabhupāda: For Him there is no external, internal. For Kṛṣṇa there is no external, internal. You cannot understand this. Kṛṣṇa is absolute. For me there is external, internal, but for Kṛṣṇa there is no external, internal because His energy... The external energy is also His energy, and internal is His energy. Therefore He's everything. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya. (Hindi) For electrician there is no difference between refrigerator and heater. He knows how to adjust it. For me, this is heater; this is refrigerator. Like that.

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

A recipient of the services of the parts, God's sat-cit-ananda vigraha i.e. the all-attractive Cognizant and all-blissful Personality eternal. He can reveal Himself by His own potency without any help of the external potency called maya in order to be cognizable by the limited potency of the parts and as such He is not only the greatest of all but he is the smallest of all. That is His prerogative.

Letter to Raja Mohendra Pratap -- Cawnpore 13 July, 1947:

The parts are automatically served when the Whole is served but when the parts are served the whole may not be served or not served at all.

The parts and the Whole being eternally related, it is the eternal duty of the parts to render service unto the Whole.

A recipient of the services of the parts, God's sat-cit-ananda vigraha i.e. the all-attractive Cognizant and all-blissful Personality eternal. He can reveal Himself by His own potency without any help of the external potency called maya in order to be cognizable by the limited potency of the parts and as such He is not only the greatest of all but he is the smallest of all. That is His prerogative.

He is better realized when He by His causeless mercy agrees to descend in this mortal world but he He is never realized by the partial speculations of the empiric philosophers however systematic and long-termed it may be.

Sri Krishna is the Personality of Godhead and is the Summum Bonum Cause of all Causes proved by fact and figures in the statement of Bhagavad-gita, but He reserves the right of not being exposed to the sensual speculations of the empiric philosophers.

The Mahamaya who is known as Durga, Kali, Candi, Bhadrakali, Mohalaksmi, etc is the embodiment of His external potency as described in the Candi and it is the thankless task of the Mahamaya to punish the asuras with Her all powerful weapons in the ten direction of the material world.

Letter to Juggannath Babu -- Calcutta 14 March, 1949:

The Mahamaya who is known as Durga, Kali, Candi, Bhadrakali, Mohalaksmi, etc is the embodiment of His external potency as described in the Candi and it is the thankless task of the Mahamaya to punish the asuras with Her all powerful weapons in the ten direction of the material world. She does not only create and maintain this material world but also she annihilates it according to the direction of the almighty God. In the Bhagavad-gita this Mahamaya has also been described as Daivi Maya and She is so powerful that the asuras cannot by-pass Her at any rate. The asura can get remission from the stroke of the trisula of Mohamaya when he the asura, surrenders surrenders himself to Sri Krishna the Personality of Godhead. As Superintendent of the material world the Mohamaya has been described Durga as the protectress of the great durga or fortress of the grand universes. She gives all the necessities for our existence but as soon as we become an asura like the Mohisasuras, Ravanas, Hiranyakasipus, and in later ages like the Mussolinis and such others for the exploitation of the material energy, the Durga Devi at once appears Herself with Her dreadful trident and begins to devastate the whole existence by such tribulations as war, famine, pestilence, or sometimes annihilation of a total existence.

They are now very busy to bring in peace in the world and are continuously holding expensive conferences, meetings, summit talks etc. to make an effective peace movement but because such attempts are being made without any relation of God, they are all manifold creations of the External Potency of the Absolute Truth.

Letter to Darshanacharya Dr. B.L. Atreya M.A. D.Litt etc -- Bombay 14 August, 1958:

The whole idea is to preach the cult of Lord Caitanya who desired to bestow upon every living being the highest benefit by transcendental love of Godhead which alone can bring in peace in the world.

They are now very busy to bring in peace in the world and are continuously holding expensive conferences, meetings, summit talks etc. to make an effective peace movement but because such attempts are being made without any relation of God, they are all manifold creations of the External Potency of the Absolute Truth. As an experienced philosopher this fact is not hidden before you. According to Lord Caitanya every Indian is competent to do good to the rest of the world provided such Indian has fulfilled the mission of life which is to revive the dormant divine consciousness in every living being.

The process recommended by the Lord is very simple and plain. It is just to create a favorable condition for hearing only the message of Krishna (Bhagavad-gita) or the messages about Krishna (The spiritual Bhagavatam) or both combined in the message of Sri Caitanya Caritamrta.

1968 Correspondence

Yogamaya means the mercy of the Supreme Lord which connects a devotee in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, and mahamaya means the external potency of the Lord which puts a conditioned soul into illusion that he will be happy by material adjustment.

Letter to Aniruddha -- Los Angeles 14 November, 1968:

Regarding your questions: Your first question, "Are great sages put under yogamaya or maya? Also are all the eternally liberated souls under yogamaya?" Yogamaya means the mercy of the Supreme Lord which connects a devotee in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, and mahamaya means the external potency of the Lord which puts a conditioned soul into illusion that he will be happy by material adjustment. So great sages who are impersonalists are also under the spell of mahamaya, because a conditioned soul in the material world wants to improve his material position as exalted as possible, and the concept of becoming one with the Supreme Lord is the greatest illusion for them. Because it is a fact that nobody can be equal or greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as such, anyone desiring to become one with the Supreme means that he is still in the trap of maya. On the other hand, a humble devotee who may not be a great sage, but simply by his implicit acceptance of the Lotus Feet of the Lord as the goal of his life means that he is under the protection of yogamaya. I think this will clear the idea.

1969 Correspondence

This is stated in Visnu Purana: Any potency of Krishna is spiritual energy, but due to varieties of actions a section is called marginal potency or external potency.

Letter to Dinesh -- Tittenhurst 31 October, 1969:

Regarding your second question about Sanjaya, he was a student of Vyasadeva, and by the mercy of Vyasadeva he was able to receive the message of the conversation of Krishna-Arjuna. Thus Sanjaya was able to speak to Dhrtarastra about the conversation on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. Regarding your final question, the marginal potency means internal potency. But because the marginal potency sometimes comes within the external position, therefore, in spite of its being internal potency it is turned to marginal potency. This is stated in Visnu Purana: Any potency of Krishna is spiritual energy, but due to varieties of actions a section is called marginal potency or external potency.