Prabhupāda: So in the beginning, before the creation, God is existing; and after the creation, when the creation is annihilated, He will be existing. This is called transcendental position.
Pañcadraviḍa: Purport: The position of the Lord is always transcendental, because the causal and effectual energies required for the creation..... (break)
Prabhupāda: ...before creating this shirt, it was imperson. There was no hand, there was no neck, there was no body. The same cloth. But the tailor, according to the body, made a covering of this hand and this looks like a hand. This covering of the chest looks like a chest. Therefore, the impersonal means the material covering. Otherwise spirit soul is person. Just like you go to the tailor, according to your body the tailor will cut a coat. This coat, ingredients of the coat, the cloth, that is imperson. But it is made like a person, covering of the person. In other words, the spirit soul is person as much as God is also person. Imperson means the covering. Try to understand. The covering is impersonal, not the living being. He is covered. He is not imperson. He is person. Very simple example. The coat, shirt, is imperson, but the man who is putting on coat and shirt, he is not imperson. He is person. So how God can be imperson? The material energy is imperson. That is explained...
(aside:) ...that is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā,
- mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ
- jagad avyakta-mūrtinā
- (BG 9.4)
This jagad is avyakta, imperson. That is also energy of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, He said, "I am expanded in the impersonal form." That impersonal feature is Kṛṣṇa's energy. So the material covering is impersonal, but the spirit soul or Supersoul is personal. Any question on this, it is very intricate question, anyone? If there is any difficulty to understand? (break)
Bhava-bhūti: ...because I have heard so many of these so-called yogis and svamis preaching in English about Gita or this and that, but they cannot explain, they have not even an inkling...
Prabhupāda: No, no, how they can explain?
Bhava-bhūti: They don’t have an inkling.
Prabhupāda: They cannot touch even Bhagavad-gītā. They have no qualification.
Bhava-bhūti: They have no understanding.
Prabhupāda: Their speaking of Bhagavad-gītā is artificial.
Bhava-bhūti: Yes.
Prabhupāda: They cannot speak because the real qualification, as it is stated in the Bhagavad, bhakto "si. One must be a devotee, then he can touch what is Bhagavad-gītā.
Bhava-bhūti: Even in Māyāpur, when we went to visit that time Śrīdhara Svāmī"s asrama...
Prabhupāda: Mmm, mmm.
Bhava-bhūti: ...and he spoke something in English, some other man spoke in English. They cannot explain like you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. You are the only one, that when you speak this knowledge it becomes immediately enters into the ear and into the heart, and then it is realized.
Prabhupāda: Maybe (laughs).
Indian man: Jaya. (Hindi).
Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. Viśākhā, you think also like that?
Viśākhā: Without a doubt.
Prabhupāda: (laughing) Hare Kṛṣṇa!