Going from Brahman to Paramatma to Bhagavan realization-SP shows how this works. It is not that one just chants Hare Krsna and all three phases of God consciousness are automatically and at once revealed. That is very very rarely attained and not the normal course of events.No-One has to progress thru all three phases-Brahman-Paramatma-Bhagavan consciousness. So first knowledge of God-Krsna and all His opulences have to be realized, then He reveals Himself to us in His full Glory. Chanting Hare Krsna means first from the Holy Name we will realize the Krsna’s Divine Form in the Holy Names, then realize His qualities and finally then the pastimes. In that order.Below is the quotes to prove this step by step process.
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das———————————————–
Oct 31 1972–Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye. And yatatām api siddhānām [Bg. 7.3]. It is not that coming to the platform of a qualified brāhmaṇa, one can understand Kṛṣṇa. That is also not. Still, you have to go farther. Brahma-bhūta. Brahmā jānāti iti brāhmaṇaḥ. Brāhmaṇa can understand Brahman. He can understand that he is also part and parcel of Brahman. But that understanding is not sufficient. He has to go further, to become a Vaiṣṇava, to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, as person. Vaiṣṇava means to understand the Absolute Truth as person, not imperson. In the brāhmaṇa state, even they understand Brahman, that is impersonal view. But one has to go far above. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate [SB 1.2.11]. One has to make progress from the Brahman platform to Paramātmā platform, then to the Personality of Godhead understanding. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, yatatām api siddhānām [Bg. 7.3]. Somebody is trying to come to the platform of brahma-bhūta [SB 4.30.20] stage. That is called siddha state. But yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ [Bg. 7.3]. So they also cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa can be understood only by this process, bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ.
London sept 26 1969—
Therefore the Absolute Truth are realized in three phases: Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate [SB 1.2.11]. Śabdyate means we receive from the Vedic literatures. Śabda-brahma, śabdyate. By sound vibration, by transcendental sound transmission, we understand that the Absolute Truth is realized in three phases. What is that? Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate. So what is the difference between Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān? That difference is just like the same. If you study, if you become satisfied, “Now I am in the light, sunshine; finished my business,” that is Brahman realization. But that is not final. By Brahman realization, you are in the light, that’s a fact. You are in illumination, you are in temperature, that’s a fact. But if you are satisfied with such temperature and light, then you remain there. And if you are fortunate enough to make further progress, that is Paramātmā—to realize the Supersoul in everyone’s heart: in your heart, in my heart, everywhere, all-pervading. Sunshine is also all-pervading. Brahman is also all-pervading. Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. Similarly, Paramātmā, the Supersoul, is also all-pervading. Meditation means to realize the Supersoul, and to realize that Supersoul is everywhere. How everywhere? Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham [Bs. 5.35]. The Supersoul is within the aṇḍa. Aṇḍa means brahmāṇḍa, universe, and everybody up to the atom. He’s within the atom also. Paramāṇu. Paramāṇu means atom. The Supersoul is within the atom. That is the power of God. He can become bigger than the universe. He can put many millions of universes within His belly. At the same time, He can enter within the atom. Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān. Mahato mahīyān means greater than the greatest and the smaller than the smallest. So in this way, first realization, Brahman, impersonal. Then next higher realization is Paramātmā, Supersoul. Brahman realization more or less realized by philosophical speculation, and Paramātmā realization is achieved more or less by meditation. But Bhagavān realization is transcendental devotion. That is beyond the philosophical speculation and mental meditation, beyond.So these are gradual processes, but… Just like if you actually serious about studying the sun subject matter, then you have to study the sunlight, then sun globe, then enter into sun planet and try to understand; similarly, if you want to understand the Absolute Truth, you have to make progress in that way: Brahman realization, Paramātmā realization, then personal, Bhagavān realization. The crude example: as in the sun there is a supreme person, Sūrya-nārāyaṇa, or the predominating deity in the sun globe, and then the sun globe is there, and then the sunlight is there, similarly, Absolute Truth means the, in the beginning, the Supreme Personality of Godhead—person—and then His plenary expansion.
