Glorifies ‘bhakti’ by negation — This Universal form cannot be seen by personal efforts like studying the Vedas, performing sacrifices, charity, pious activities or penances
aWho can have this divine vision — Only godly souls
bWho is a Godly person (Status like a demigod) — ‘Only devotees’ can have such divinity (Ref. Vedic scriptures)
Other qualifications are insufficient – By methods like ‘charity’ / ‘penance’ / ‘Veda- yajnadhyayanaih’ (Vedic study and sacrificial regulations), one cannot qualify to have that divine vision. These methods include:
‘Vedas’ – Four Vedas, eighteen Puranas, Upanishads, Vedanta-sutra
‘Sutras’ – (Kalpa-sutra, Mimamsa-sutra) – for studying the method of sacrifice
‘Pious activities’ – Agnihotra sacrifice and prescribed duties for different caste
‘Tapasya’ – Voluntary acceptance of some bodily pains
‘Charity’ (‘Danaih’) – Charity to suitable party who is engaged in transcendental loving service (brahmanas and vaisnavas)
Even the Impersonalists who are imagining seeing the Universal form – Are unable to see because Bhagavad-gita explains that Impersonalists are not devotees. FOCUS OF LEARNING: PURPORT 11.48 continued…
c‘Atheist’ in contrast to Godly persons — Atheists cannot have such divinity, therefore they cannot have the vision to see the Lord
They do not believe in Vishnu
Or recognize only the impersonal part of Krishna as Supreme
dDevotees do not want to see the Universal Form, although they are qualified to see
ePractical application — Text 11.48 helps to refute pseudo incarnations
Followers of a pseudo incarnation may say that they have also seen the Universal Form
But without becoming a devotee of ‘Krishna’ one cannot see the Universal Form of God