The kingdom of God is a phrase often used in religious circles to refer to the place where God resides, the place that is the most desirable destination, the place that those devoted to him attain at the end of their lives.

The place with these attributes is the spiritual world, existing far beyond this material world. But God’s kingdom is not limited to the spiritual world; he is the master of all of existence. His kingdom is not a geographically demarcated territory, outside which there is someone else’s kingdom.

What about the material world that is the domain of the illusory energy? The illusory energy belongs to Krishna, as the Bhagavad-gita (07.14) indicates. So, her domain is under his jurisdiction – thus, this material world is also the kingdom of God.

However, here he is often not acknowledged as God – materialists think of themselves as independent controllers. So, his glory is not evident here. That’s why scripture exhorts us to become devoted to him and thereby elevate ourselves to his kingdom – the eternal spiritual world where he is always glorified as the supreme Lord of everything. The Bhagavad-gita points to this world when it (12.07) assures that Krishna himself swiftly delivers the devoted from this world of death.

Yet the next verse (12.08) states that if we absorb our mind and intelligence in him, we will live in him even now. Living in Krishna refers here to a state of consciousness, wherein we lovingly enthrone him as the Lord of our heart, thereby realizing that this world is also the kingdom of God. Thus, “the kingdom of God” is both a place to be attained and a state of consciousness to be realized.

If we realize “the kingdom of God” consciousness, we will surely attain the “kingdom of God” place.

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