Bhaktiyoga -
practical VI
Onion and
Garlic
Orthodox monks
from Mount Athos and their sadhana
Eight Types of
Prajalpa
Preaching
Repentance
Seeing God
Onion and Garlic
palandu
lasunam sigrum alambum grjanam palam
bhunkte yo vai naro brahman vratam candrayanam caret
(Padma
Purana, Brahma Khanda 19.10, spoken by Suta Gosvami)
O
sages, one who eats garlic, onions, sigrum (a kind of plant), turnips, bottle
gourd and meat, that person should observe a candrayana fast.
vrntakam
jalisakam kusumbha smantakam tatha
palandu lasunam suklam niryasan caiva varjayet
grjanam kinsukan caiva kukundanca tathaiva ca
udumbaram alavun ca jagdhva patati vai dvijah
(Hari
Bhakti Vilasa 8.158,159, from Kurma Purana)
One
should not eat eggplant, banana leaves, sunflower leaves and asmantaka leaves,
onions, garlic. One should not eat sour gruel (a thin watery pouriage) or the
juice of the tree. One should also give up turnips and beetroots, carrots,
kinsuka, forest figs, and white pumpkin. If the twice born persons eat these
things, they all become fallen.
Manu-samhita:
5.5.
Garlic, leeks and onions, mushrooms and (all plants), springing from impure
(substances), are unfit to be eaten by twice-born men.
5.19.
A twice-born man who knowingly eats mushrooms, a village-pig, garlic, a village-cock,
onions, or leeks, will become an outcast.
Substitutions
Q:
Please let me know as to the proper substitutes for onions, garlic and eggs
which we can take as practicing devotees.
A:
(Vijaya-venugopala Das) Instead of onion and garlic, for taste and appearance,
cut cabbage in small pieces like onions. Fry in a shallow pan (kadai), with
lots of asafetida (hing). Tastes exactly like onion.
Egg
- if you mean in cakes, you could use curds or condensed milk instead. Gives
fantastic results. Buy the eggless cake cookbook, or there are plenty of
eggless cake recipes in any ISKCON devotee authored cookbook.
(Kurma
Das, chef) If you slice fresh fennel root into thin strips and fry with
asafetida like the cabbage, it is even more like onion, with an extra lovely
anise fragrance.
(Haripuja
dd) As an egg substitute for baking, 2-3 tablespoons of yogurt can be used to
substitute 1 egg.
Orthodox monks from Mount
Athos and their sadhana
Krsna Candra Das
I
just returned from a pilgrimage to the holy Mount Athos in Greece. It is
considered the spiritual center of the Orthodox tradition. It is a shelter for
all sincere persons searching for God.
Athos
is a independent state. Only monks live there. Still nowadays there are many
thousands of monks and they do not let everyone enter. Specially if one is a
non-orthodox like me, you need a special visa of which they give only four per
day.
Meat
is not allowed. There are also no cars, no electricity, no telephone, no
restaurants, no buildings other then monasteries, and - which makes it very
special - no women and children. Since 1200 years it is forbidden for them to
enter. Since 1000 years also no female animals (maybe they have read the story
of Saubhari Muni?) - that means also no milk and eggs.
The
get up at 11 PM and chant japa for 3 hours in a complete dark room. Their
"mantra" is the traditional Christian heart prayer "kyrie jesu
christo eleison me" (Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me). They
chant this with the kombustini, a string with 100 knots resembling very much
our mala.
Many
saints (Chrysostomos, Antonius, Johannes from Klimakos, but also in recent days
Staretz Siluan and Theophan) have developed a real science of chanting these
names.
"In
the Bible it is mentioned, "You should pray without interruption"
(Luke 18:1, 21:36, Ephesians 6:18, Timothy I 5:5, etc.). This means 24 hours a
day. It is not just a part of life, it must become our life. That is why they
chant it many thousands of times every day. Prayer should not be a search for
words. After some time I would not know anymore what else to pray. That is why
one repeats the same prayer and at the same time surrenders one's whole life to
Him. I give it over. In the beginning it may even be mechanical. After some
time my prayer enters the mind and goes on, even in my dreams. From there we
should deepen it, chant with emotion and as a gift for Him. Here I already get
a sublime taste. But the real heart prayer is a gift from God. It is not
something we produce with our tongue. Only at that moment these words get
divine potency..."
Because
the monks of Athos preached the idea that the Name is actually God as in John
1:1 (or it can become Him if prayed in a devotional mood) it got as a big
dispute before the Patriarch (highest authority in Orthodox tradition) of
Constantinople (in the beginning of this century) and it was solved by military
intervention. Many hundreds of monks were brought to Russia and
"distributed" in many monasteries.
Then
from 2 till 6 AM they have mangala arati, singing and praying in the kattholikon,
the orthodox church.
When
one asks the monks what they are doing they reply: only praying and dying.
Nothing else. They fast 260 days a year and sleep very less. And whatever they
do, cooking, walking, eating, sleeping, they are advised to chant "kyrie
jesu christo eleison me..."
It
was the first time for me outside a Vedic context where I could say that they
practice real spiritual life and not just a form of material piety.
Eight Types of Prajalpa
Nayana-ranjana Das
Prajalpa
which spoils bhakti is categorized by Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his
Piyusa-varsini commentary on Sri Upadesamrta into the following eight
categories:
(1) Useless talks (not about Lord Hari)
(2) Arguments (godless quarrels, like in nyaya and
vaisesika, not
based on the Vedas)
(3) Gossip (talking about other people to establish one's reputation)
(4) Debates (desire for conquest)
(5) Fault-finding in others (imposing one's bad habits on others)
(6) Speaking falsehoods (because of one's self-interest)
(7) Blaspheming devotees (the worst)
(8) Worldly talk (devoid of God consciousness)
Preaching
Communication
consists of:
1.
perceiving (jnana) and
2. understanding (vijnana) on -
a.
gross body level - karmi (people operate more on the subtle level than it seems
- voice, body language, emotions)
b.
subtle body level (OBE) - jnani
c.
spiritual/transcendental level - yogi (impersonal/personal)
Preaching:
art of natural relating our message to others' already known info (concerns,
interests/questions) - creating a "bridge".
1.
Distinguishing innocents from demons: "If you could choose, would you
prefer God's existence or non-existence? What about non-corrupted church?"
(St Anselm: "Existence of God is better than His non-existence; it is
better to be righteous and happy than unrighteous and unhappy.")
2.
Someone says God doesn't exist or similar nonsense: Why he thinks so? Find his
authority, prove his unrationality. Four imperfections of conditioned being.
3.
Analysis of philosophies/religions
Knowledge
sources: pratyaksa/anumana/sabda?
a)
'alfa-omega': What is the supposed origin of everything, the supreme
destination and the process to attain it? (If these are not clearly defined the
philosophy is incomplete. Bhaktivinod Thakur elaborates on prameyas in his
Harinama-cintamani. Vedanta-sutra describes sambandha in its first two
chapters, abhidheya in third chapter and prayojana in fourth. Contemporary
philosophies and religions usually lack two latter items.)
b)
'guna': (BG 14.*, 18.*, SB 11.25.*) tamas - rajas - sattva Which features are
prevalent in a particular philosophy?
Increase
of ignorance is represented by narrowing the focus of vision/ understanding
(example of torchlight on the ceiling)
c)
'karma, jnana, bhakti': (Ravindra Svarupa das)
-
describe, analyze and give examples of this sequence - explain the position of
a particular philosophy accordingly and establish the superiority of bhakti -
encourage bhakti
4.
General preaching sequence: jiva, isvara, sambandha, abhidheya, prayojana
-
Jiva (living entity) is beyond the gross and subtle body, he is a person and an
inherent part of Isvara (God).
-
Isvara is the supreme person: He is the Father Supreme; we have father
(person), his father is a person etc. ... the original father must be also a
person.
-
Sambandha (theory) is sevya-sevaka (served-servant) relation.
-
Abhidheya (practice) is eternal devotional service. There is no merging point:
Gopala-tapani
Upanisad says the devotee should think "so 'ham" ("I am
Krishna"). This unity is not on the absolute but on the qualitative level.
The absolute unity never happens:
SB
10.30.3: Gopis in the ecstasy of vipralambha (separation from Krishna) imitate
Krishna and claim "I am Krishna". This is an authorized form of
meditation about Krishna's pastimes when devotees play the roles of Krishna and
His devotees. These situations appear e.g. in the dramas
"Lalita-madhava" and "Vidagdha-madhava" by Rupa Goswami.
This is the "so 'ham" meditation.
After
all, Krishna Himself says (SB 9.4.63-64,68) He doesn't want His devotees to
merge into Him: "I am completely under the control of My devotees, indeed,
I am not at all independent. Because My devotees are completely devoid of
material desires, I sit only within the cores of their hearts. What to speak of
My devotees, even those who are devotees of My devotee are very dear to Me. O
best of the brahmanas, _without saintly persons for who I am the only
destination I do not desire to enjoy My transcendental bliss and My supreme
opulences_. The pure devotee is always within the core of My heart and I am always
within the heart of pure devotee. My devotees do not know anything else but Me
and I do not know anyone else but them."
-
Prayojana (goal) is eternal Krsna prema. (See 'karma, jnana, bhakti')
Notes:
-
Difference between Vedic and other religions: they are afraid of scientific
progress and things not fitting into their paradigms (e.g. paranormal
phenomena, etc.) but the Vedic science welcomes them: they support it.
-
Attacks of atheists on devotees weakens the atheists (SB 4.4.13) and reinforces
the devotees.
-
KC is like a hidden golden treasure. Lacking knowledge we tread on it but can't
enjoy it.
5.
Expanded questioning scheme. Explain the nature of:
a.
jiva
(purpose of life?)
isvara
(brahman(immanent)/paramatma(localized)/bhagavan(transcendent)?)
prakrti
(this world's origin: nothing/substance other than isvara/isvara?
nature
purpose: (good(for what?)-bhoga/bad(unreal)-tyaga/neither-isvara seva?)
kala
(created/eternal?)
karma
(fate/free will/both?)
b.
jiva
(matter/spirit, created/eternal? created with body/before?, svarupa?)
isvara
(impers./pers.?, nama, rupa, guna, lila, in this universe/beyond?)
sambandha
(jiva and isvara co-enjoyers/servant-served?)
abhidheya
(faith/process?, karma/jnana/bhakti?)
prayojana
(bhoga/tyaga-sunya/brahmananda/bhakti?)
Repentance
I
have put myself in a very nasty situation. I committed an unforgivable sin 8
years ago i.e. I cannot forgive myself let alone others around me forgiving me.
(I do not seek their forgiveness as it will bring me no peace, since "what
is done is done".
It
was a low act, unforgivable, hurting the people closest to me. I lost all self
respect. I lost the respect of the same people above. Now, I do not seek anyone
else's forgiveness or respect. Nor do I actively seek happiness. I have been
constantly restless, uncomfortable, almost nervous for the past 8 years as I am
in caught in lingo. I do not actively seek happiness, SIMPLY PEACE OF MIND
WOULD DO. (I am a Hindu and understand broadly Gita's teachings.)
Questions:
1.
Does a person who has committed such a horrible, low, unforgivable act deserve
peace of mind? Even happiness?
2.
I have lost all self respect (although I continue with day to day life), can
this be rekindled?
3.
How can I leave a normal life from now on?
4.
Does Gita provide any answers?
Confused
one.
Dear
Prabhu,
Thank
you very much for your straightforwardness and frankness. You are simply very
wonderful. Here are the answers for your questions.
1.
You definitely DESERVE peace of mind and happiness, simply because you have
admitted your mistakes and are truly repenting for your past misdeeds. There is
no need to tell what exactly you did wrong as it may be personal. However, if
there is any possibility, please go to the people to whom you committed wrong,
and fall at their feet and beg for forgiveness. If they forgive you, then you
have done your 'prayascitta' or atonement for your sins.
If
this is not possible to directly meet them, then at least write to them,
begging for forgiveness. Krsna will appreciate that.
If
both are not possible, that is if those people are not there on this planet or
you don't know where they are, or there may be other practical problems, that
by your getting in touch with them you will be only aggravating the already
sour situation, then you ask for their forgiveness mentally and pray to Lord
Krsna to forgive your sins.
2.
After doing the above, please take up to the process of Krsna Consciousness or
devotional service or bhakti-yoga to Lord Krsna. Depending on one's sincerity,
bhakti will remove all the sins, in the course of time, and Lord Krsna gives
you this guarantee in Bhagavad-gita 18.66: sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam
saranam vraja, aham tvam sarva papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah - Abandon all
varieties of religion and just surrender unto me and I shall deliver you from
all SINFUL reactions. Do not fear.
Bhakti-yoga
is very simple:
Step
1: Admit one's mistakes, and truly repent for the mistakes done.
Step 2: Do not repeat the mistakes.
Step 3: Simultaneously pray to Krsna, to give you strength to do the steps 1
& 2.
Step 4: There is simple prayer which you can chant every day as much as
possible, for 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours or as much as your time
permits. It is better you regulate the timing initially for 10 minutes and then
build upon it.
The
prayer is "Hare Krsna Hare Krsna; Krsna Krsna Hare Hare; Hare Rama Hare
Rama; Rama Rama Hare Hare". This simply means "O Krsna, O energy of
Krsna, please engage me in your service". Chant this Maha Mantra/Holy
Names. Then Lord Krsna will hear to your prayers, and engage you in His
service, and He will remove all our sins in the course of time. It is so
simple.
Here
is a quotation from Srimad Bhagavatam 6.2.13 (6th Canto, 2nd Chapter, 13th
verse): "One who has killed a brahmana, one who has killed a cow or one
who has killed his father, mother or guru (spiritual master) can be immediately
freed from all sinful reactions simply by chanting the Holy Name of Lord Krsna
or Narayana. Other sinful persons, such as dog-eaters and candalas, who are
less than sudras, can also be freed in this way".
Also
Srimad Bhagavatam 6.2.9-10: "The chanting of the Holy Name Lord Krsna is
the best process of atonement (prayascitta) for a thief of gold or other
valuables, for a drunkard, for one who betrays a friend or relative, for one
who kills a brahmana, or for one who indulges in sex with the wife of his guru
or other superior. It is also the best method of atonement for one who murders
women, the king or his father, for one who slaughters cows, and for all other
sinful men. Simply by chanting the Holy Name of Krsna, such sinful persons may
attract the attention of the Supreme Lord, who therefore considers,
"because this man has chanted My Holy Name, My duty is to give him
protection."
One
must not chant the Holy Names and continue to do sins thinking that the
chanting will cleanse all the sins. That does not work. One has to admit one's
mistakes, truly repent for one's mistakes, and simultaneously incessantly every
day chant the Holy Names, which will give strength and protection from
committing any further sins.
3.
As explained above, in answer to your second question. You be what you are, and
just add chanting of Krsna's name to your life. That makes everything perfect.
4.
Yes Gita provides answers for all the questions of life. Just read
Bhagavad-gita and in the course of time all your questions will be answered.
Bhagavad-gita
is the supreme instruction on morality. The supreme instruction of morality is
stated in 9.34: man mana bhava mad bhaktah. One must become a devotee of Krsna.
To become a devotee, you must be in the association of devotees. So stay tuned
to this website.
Also,
if you let me know which city you belong to (no need a complete address, just
the city), then we can see if any Krsna devotees are in your locality and we
can post the addresses here and you may get in touch with them.
You
are not alone. I too have committed most abominable sins and now I am
practicing bhakti-yoga and this has cleared all the gloom and given me immense
happiness. You too please try out.
Hare
Krsna. Please feel free to ask all your questions with out hesitation and clear
your doubts.
I
pray to Lord Krsna to show you the proper way. Please forgive me if I have said
something wrong and offended you by writing the above answers.
Your
humble servant,
Bhadra Govinda Das
Comment:
Bhadra
Govinda Das gave such a beautiful answer to someone asking how to seek
forgiveness. I too have deeds done that I can't live with. More importantly to
me is what about harm done to another person who has to live with the pain I
caused. I do I deal with that.
Dear
Prabhu,
Thank
you very much for understanding my message correctly. That message/answer is
not my own. It is the message coming in the parampara or disciplic succession.
I offer your appreciation to Guru and Krsna (Gauranga).
Case
to case according to the person, time, place and circumstances, how you deal
with the situation differs. We can never change the past. We can only change
the future.
The
Bhagavad-gita deals mainly with 5 subject matters. Isvara (the Supreme Lord Sri
Krsna), Jiva (the spirit soul), Prakriti (nature), Kala (time) and Karma (the
actions and reactions to one's activities). Of these five, four are eternal
(they can never be changed, they have no beginning and no end and they are
always there). Only one, that is karma, is not eternal and it can be changed.
The
only way we can change our karma is by taking up to devotional service to Krsna
which is technically called bhakti-yoga. This is a very simple process.
Sravanam kirtanam visno smaranam. Hearing, chanting, remembering Lord Krsna /
Visnu. There are totally 9 processes (see Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu) out of which
the first three or even the first two are very easy to perform. You don't need
any paraphernalia. One's tongue and ears are sufficient. Bhakti-yoga will burn
all our karma to zero eventually. The rate of burning our karma is directly
proportional to our sincerity.
Chant
the Hare Krsna mahamantra and hear it.
In
the course of time Krsna will reveal to us, according to our sincerity, how to
deal with various matters, such as a how to deal with a person to whom we have
done harm.
Ultimately
the only solution is become a devotee and make others (including those who have
suffered at our hands) into devotees of Lord Krsna.
The
first and foremost you must do is to identify yourself and come into the
association of devotees. There is no need to be anonymous. Staying anonymous is
being impersonal and losing one's identity. A devotee is always personal.
Please, you do not have to worry about anything. Please identify yourself in
future correspondence and become personal. Bhakti-yoga means one must become
personal. Also a devotee is fearless.
Chant
Hare Krsna and become a devotee and make others devotees. That is the only
solution for all problems.
Please
forgive me if I have written anything that may hurt your feelings.
Your
humble servant,
Bhadra Govinda Das
Dear
Bhadra Govinda Das,
Many
thanks for your lengthy, detailed and informative reply.
My
sincere gratitude for taking the time to read and analyze each of my questions.
Your
answers were uplifting indeed.
My
main problem is this: I have committed a sin of a type which is unspeakable. I
also know of another who has committed similar sin to a loved one of mine. My
initial and continuing feeling towards the former is of anger, shock,
sickening, disbelief, disgust, all horrible feelings intertwined.
I
am not a hypocrite when it comes to people and their emotions. If I feel all
the above about this other person who has hurt my loved one (and therefore me)
I cannot forgive them. HOW CAN I FORGIVE MYSELF IF I CAN'T FORGIVE ANOTHER IN
THE SAME POSITION? I CAN'T. NOR CAN I EXPECT OR DESIRE OTHERS' FORGIVENESS.
WITHOUT FORGIVENESS OF YOUR OWN SELF YOU CAN'T GO ON SURELY.
I
have sinned in "small" ways in the past but I can forgive myself for
these as I consider that I was young, naive or plain stupid. But when one is
older and wiser there is no excuse.
Also,
I cannot even begin to attempt to bring peace and happiness to my own life when
I have brought so much pain and hurt and disgust to another. Please remember
that I think about nothing else but my sin. I can never be happy in this frame
of mind. This almost sounds like a lost cause, it feels like it.
Being
unable to forgive oneself is like being in emotional stalemate.
Any
thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Signed
Confused One
Dear
Prabhu,
Ksama,
tolerance and forgiveness, is the quality of a devotee. A nondevotee cannot
understand this. The only way to understand this is by becoming a devotee of
Krsna.
As
I explained to you in my previous text, please chant Hare Krsna mahamantra and
everything becomes clear in the course of time.
Also,
tolerance and forgiveness, has to be PRACTICED, along with chanting Hare Krsna
mahamantra and eventually you will understand how to forgive and forget.
To
forgive and forget is the nature / quality of a devotee of Krsna.
Please
confirm if you have started chanting.
Hare Krsna
Hare Krsna
Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
Your
humble servant, Bhadra Govinda Das
Here
is a quote from Krsna book which I think is very relevant to your questions:
Lord
Balarama again turned toward Krsna and said, "My dear Krsna, a relative,
even though he commits such a blunder and deserves to be killed, should be
excused. For when such a relative is conscious of his own fault, that
consciousness itself is like death. Therefore there is no need to kill
him."
I
think it is clear from the questions that you ask that you are conscious of
your mistake and therefore no further mental punishment is necessary. So
hopefully you will receive some peace of mind from this Krsna book quote.
Your
servant,
Praghosa Das
Seeing God
Q:
You guys on this website have all these sayings of God and believes about God's
existence. But how is one supposed to believe in something it has not seen? Why
do u believe in God, have u seen him?
A:
But do we have to see things in order to believe in them? Did anyone see atoms
or subatomic particles, etc.? Our senses are very limited and unreliable. To
claim that something does not exist simply because I have not seen it is a
childish logic. I have not seen you - therefore you don't exist? I may hear
about you, see your pictures, talk with reliable persons who know you, etc. and
thus I can be pretty sure there is such a person as you. If I set on a journey
and fulfill the necessary conditions to reach your place (visa, tickets, maps,
etc.), I may meet you in person. All of this can be also applied to God. In His
case the 'journey' means the spiritual process of bhakti-yoga.
Although
seeing God is not the primary goal of Vaisnavas (they prefer to serve God,
Krsna, in such a way that He will want to see _them_) it is possible on the
level of pure bhakti-yoga, as its by-product. The main way is through chanting
Krsna mantras, especially the Hare Krsna mahamantra. This is the yajna and
dharma for this age. However, it is important to remember that it is up to
Krsna if He reveals Himself to us; we have no power other than our love.
But
if there is God, why we don't see Him? The Vedas answer that because living
beings in this material world don't want to see Him He makes Himself invisible.
Why they don't want to see Him? Because this world is like a playground for the
rebellious beings who want to be independent of God. Therefore He mercifully
provides us with this facility. At the same time He cares for us in various
ways and reminds us that this is not our real home because we suffer here (this
world is also compared to jail) and that we should return home, to Him.
Another
important thing is to know who God is. Otherwise we may see someone and don't
recognize Him as God. Several times in past (as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu,
Nityananda Prabhu, Lord Jesus) He was not recognized by majority of people
during His appearance on Earth. Someone may also pose as God in order to cheat
us.
(Path
of Perfection, chapter three: Learning How to See God):
This
may not be understood at the present moment; therefore the Padma Purana states
that when one becomes spiritually saturated by rendering transcendental service
to the Lord, the transcendental name, form, qualities, and pastimes of the Lord
are revealed. We cannot understand God by our own endeavor, but out of mercy
God reveals Himself to us. If it is night, and you want to see the sun, you
will have to wait for the sun to appear in the morning. You cannot go outside
with a big torch and say, "Come on, I will show you the sunlight." In
the morning, when the sun rises of its own will, we can see it. Because our
senses are imperfect, we cannot see God by our own endeavor. We have to purify
our senses and wait for the time when God will be pleased to reveal Himself to
us. That is the process. We cannot challenge God. We cannot say, "O my
dear God, my dear Krsna. Please come. I want to see You." No, God is not
our order supplier. He is not our servant. When He is pleased, we will see Him;
therefore this Krsna consciousness is a process by which we can please God so
that He will reveal Himself to us. Because people cannot see God, they readily
accept anyone who says, "I am God." Because people have no conception
of God, they are eager to accept any rascal who comes along and proclaims
himself to be God. People are fond of saying, "I am searching after the
truth," but in order to search for the truth, we must know what the truth
is. Otherwise, how can we search it out? If we want to purchase gold, we must
at least theoretically know what gold is, otherwise we will be cheated.
Consequently, having no conception of the truth or of God, people are being
cheated by so many rascals who say, "I am God." (end of quote)
Dictionaries
define God as the supreme person. Here is a simple three-step 'proof' of
existence of God:
1.
There are many persons in this world.
2.
These persons are on different levels of advancement - they have different
skills, powers, etc.
3.
The supreme, or highest person is called God.
These
points can hardly be denied. From this one can see that God's existence is
necessary. One may claim that as everything has a cause, there must also be a
cause of God. But no, this would lead to a logical fallacy called infinite
regress. Infinite regress happens e.g. in case of pramanya-paratastva-vada, or
claim that sabda, word of scripture, must be supported by anumana, logical and
rational analysis, because then one has to prove the validity of anumana, then
the validity of that proof etc. etc. infinitely. Therefore it is said, tarko
apratisthat, arguments are inconclusive. God is the supreme cause of everything
(sarva-karana-karanam, Brahma-samhita 5.1):
isvarah
paramah krsnah
sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
sarva-karana-karanam
"There
are many personalities possessing the qualities of Bhagavan, but Krsna is the
supreme because none can excel Him. He is the Supreme Person, and His body is
eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. He is the primeval Lord Govinda and the
cause of all causes."
The
answer is yes. I and many others have seen God as His energies in nature, in
His guiding our life, and as a person in dreams. There are also many persons in
past and presence who saw Him from face to face in awakened state.
To
understand more read books like Bhagavad-gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, etc.