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The Christian theologicians, they do not believe in the karma. I was student in Christian college, Scottish Churches College. So in our younger days, the Professor, Dr. W.S. Urquhart. So I heard his lecture, that he did not believe in the karmas. He said that "If I am suffering or enjoying for my last karma, who is the witness? Because some witness must be there that I have done this." But at that time we were not very expert. But this Hrsikesa is the witness, anumanta upadrasta. Upadrasta. He is simply seeing. So the Christians, they have no Paramatma idea. Sometimes they say holy ghost. Means a clear idea. But this Hrsikesa is clear idea. Hrsikesa. Hrsika-isa. (More...) Then what will be the result? Asamsayam samagram mam yatha jnasyasi tac chrnu [Bg. 7.1]. Asamsayam. We have got vague idea of God. We do not know actually what is God. There is samsaya, doubts. Somebody is impersonalist. Somebody is localized. Somebody is personalist. But actually, if we ask every man, "What is your conception of God?" I think hardly anyone will be able to explain what is the meaning of God. They have no clear idea. Is it not a fact? Can any one of you give me a clear idea what do you mean by God? No. Therefore if you want clear idea of God without any doubt, asamsayam, and samagram... Samagram means full, not partially. The spiritual understanding is partial in this way, brahmeti paramatma iti bhagavan iti sabdyate. The Absolute Truth is realized in three features, Brahman, beginning from Brahman, then Paramatma, Supersoul. I think in Christian world they call holy ghost. Anyway, Paramatma, the Supersoul. And ultimately the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. That is the statement of the sastra. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. If you want to know, here is Bhagavan. In many other places, (More...) Just like in Christian philosophy, they say, "The father and the son, the same." Is it not? Yes. So similarly, here the father and son, or the spiritual master and God, they are same, but at the same time not same. It is simultaneous. This is called acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, simultaneously one and different. I think the Christian philosophy is like that. Christ, son, and God, Holy Ghostthey are simultaneously one and different? Is that? So that is the position. Saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih, kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya **. So we can interpret... When the Christian people say that... Just like they say "only son." So we can interpret... Of course, we are not going to interpret. We can take it that anyone who becomes confidential... Just like father position. He has got many sons. One son who is very obedient, he says, "He is my only son, and others not sons." Does he not, father say, sometimes? "Actually he is my son." Sometimes father says like that. But that does not mean that he has got only one son. He has got many sons, but all of them are useless, worthless. He is only bona fide. (More...) Prabhupada: So our conception is"our" means Vedic conceptionthat Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead, as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, aham sarvasya prabhavah: [Bg. 10.8] "I am the origin of everyone." Either you call the son or the Holy Ghost, it doesn't matter, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the origin. Then, He has got expansion. That expansion is not actually His son... Or there are two kinds of expansion: His personal expansions and His expansion as part and parcel. His personal expansion is called Visnu-tattva, and the part and parcel expansion is called jiva-tattvain Sanskrit technical words, svamsa and vibhinnamsa. The personal expansion there are also many varietiespurusa-avatara, saktyavesa-avatara, manvantara-avatara, many varieties. So generally, His personal expansion for creation of this material world are three also, accepted as Brahma, Visnu, Mahesvara. Visnu is personal expansion, and Brahma is expansion of the living entity, or the vibhinnamsa. And another expansion, via-media between the personal expansion and expansion of jiva, the via-media expansion is called Siva. So the material creation is done by personal expansion primarilythe whole material ingredients, and then with the ingredients the guna-avatara, Brahma, he creates particularly. And Lord Siva, when the time is right, he annihilates. So this creation, material creation, is created, maintained for sometimes, and again dissolved or annihilated. Bhutva bhutva praliyate [Bg. 8.19]. This is the nature of the external potency. There are others, detailed information, described in the Caitanya-caritamrta, but the jivas, or the living entities, they are considered as the sons, and they have got two positions: one liberated position, one conditioned position. Those who are liberated, they are personally associating with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and those who are fallen in this material world, they have, almost all of them, have forgotten, and suffering within this material world in different forms of material body. But they can be delivered from this material conditioned life to liberated position by Krsna consciousness understanding, which means that there are sastras, Vedic knowledge, and the guru which..., who is fully cognizant of Vedic knowledge and preaches and delivers the conditioned soul on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the Vedic conception. (More...) Prabhupada: Yes. That is called Bhakti-marga. The Absolute Truth is manifested in three features: Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan. Bhagavan is the personal feature, and Paramatma feature may be compared with the Holy Ghost when situated in everyone's heart. And Brahman feature, everywhere. By His energy He is present everywhere. So the perfection, highest perfection of spiritual life, is to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the person, personal feature of the Lord, and engages himself, the living entity engages himself in His service. Then he is situated in his original, constitutional position, and he is eternally happy and blissful. (More...) Regarding the Christian's Trinity, I believe it is called God, the Holy Ghost, and the son. Person in Krishna Consciousness accepts this by the name Visnu, Paramatma, and Jiva. God is a Person, the holy spirit or the supersoul is a person, and the living entity is also a person. Also, Mary is the representation of the energy of God. Either as internal energy Radharani or as external energy Durga, the energy of Godhead can be considered the mother of the living entities. But there is no clash between the Bible and the Vedas, simply some people formulate their personal ideas and cause quarrelings. Nobody can say the Bible was meant for the same class of men as the Bhagavad-gita. And Bhagavad-gita is the ABC's of spiritual knowledge. Beyond that is Srimad-Bhagavatam. How great Srimad-Bhagavatam is nobody can imagine. And beyond that is Caitanya Caritamrta. But beginning from the Bible or Koran, on up the principle remains the same. Just like beginning from the pocket dictionary, up (More...) Prabhupada: Yes, he asked that question. [break] Paramatma.... They say "Holy Ghost." What is that Holy Ghost? (More...) Pusta Krsna: The Holy Ghost is supposed to give knowledge to persons who have embraced the teaching. (More...) Prabhupada: Therefore He is seeing what you are doing. So according to your action, the Holy Ghost gives you another birth. [break] ...sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese arjuna tisthati. [break]...dictating everyone's heart, and He is observing. Bhramayan sarva-bhutani yantrarudhani mayaya [Bg. 18.61]. (More...) Dhrstadyumna: ...Holy Ghost is like Brahman and Paramatma. All-pervading God and God within the heart speaking. (More...) Prabhupada: We call Supersoul, that is God. The idea is in Christianity also, "Holy Ghost" like that. Supersoul and the ordinary soul. We living entities, we are ordinary souls, and God in His all-pervading feature, He is Supersoul. Find out this verse: ksetra-jnam capi mam viddhi sarva-ksetresu bharata. (More...) Bhugarbha: (translating) If I speak in English then I'll say that God is the father, the son and the Holy Ghostnot one person, but three persons. But if I want to say the same thing in Sanskrit, then I'll say sac-cid-ananda. (More...) 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