 #div class="mw-parser-output"#
Lord Chaitanya is especially merciful to the innocent, unsophisticated person. His name is Patitpavan, the Deliverer of the most fallen conditioned soul. A conditioned soul may be fallen to the lowest position, but that does not prevent him from advancing in spiritual science, provided he is innocent. Sanatan Goswami was considered to be fallen in the social status because he was in the service of the Mohammedan government, and had been excommunicated from the Brahmin society. But because he was a sincere soul Lord Chaitanya showed him special favor by granting him a wealth of information in the matter of spiritual science.
#$p#The Lord next explained to Sanatan Goswami about the situation of different spiritual planets in the Spiritual Sky. The spiritual planets are known as Vaikuntha planets. The Universes of the material Creation have a limited length and breadth; but so far as the Vaikuntha planets are concerned, because they are spiritual, there is no limitation to their dimensions. Lord Chaitanya informed Sanatan Goswami that the length and breadth of each and every Vaikuntha planet is hundreds and thousands of millions and billions of miles. Nobody can measure billions of miles or measure the actual extent of such Vaikuntha planets. Each of them is unlimitedly expanded, and in each and every one of them there are residents who are full with all six opulences—wealth, strength, knowledge, beauty, fame, and renunciation. And the Supreme Personality of Godhead is present in each. In each and every Vaikuntha planet a different expansion of Krishna has His eternal Abode. And Krishna has His original eternal Abode on the planet called Krishna Loka, or Goloka Vrindaban.
#$p#We have experience in this Universe that even the largest planet is lying in only one corner of outer space. For example the Sun is supposed to be some million times bigger than the Earth, and still it lies in one corner of outer space. Similarly each of the Vaikuntha planets, although unlimited in length and breadth, lies in some corner of the Spiritual Sky, known as Brahmajyoti. In the Brahma Samhita this Brahmajyoti is described as Niskla ananta Asesa, or undivided and unlimited, without any trace of the material modes of Nature. All the Vaikunthas are like the petals of a lotus flower, and the principal part of that lotus is the center of all the Vaikunthas, and that is called Krishna Loka, or Goloka Vrindaban.
#$p#Therefore, the expansions of Krishna in various forms as described herein, as well as His different Abodes on the Spiritual Planets in the Spiritual Sky, are unlimited. Even demigods like Brahma and Shiva cannot see or even estimate how many planets there are or how vast is their extension. This is confirmed in the Srimad Bhagwatam, Tenth Canto, Fourteenth Chapter: "No one can estimate the length and breadth of all the Vaikuntha planets." It is said there that not only the demigods like Brahma and Shiva are unable to make such an estimate, but also Ananta, Who is an incarnation of the Lord in His opulence of strength, cannot describe any limitation to the Lord's potency, or to the area of the different Vaikuntha planets.
#$p#In this connection the prayers of Brahma, mentioned in the Srimad Bhagwatam, Tenth Canto, Fourteenth Chapter, are very convincing. Lord Brahma says, "O my dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, O Supersoul, O Master of all Mystic Powers—nobody can know or explain Your potential expansion through Your Yogamaya energy, which extends all over the three worlds. The scientist and the learned man cannot even estimate the atomic constitution of any single planet. They may be able to count the molecules of snow in the sky, or they may even count the number of stars in the sky, but no one can estimate how You descend on this Earth or in this Universe, with Your innumerable transcendental potencies and energies and qualities." Lord Brahma informed Narada that, of all the great sages who were born before Narada, including he himself, none can understand the potential strength and energy of the Supreme Lord. So he admitted that if even Ananta, who has thousands of tongues, tries to estimate the Lord's potential energy, he will fail.
#$p#Brahma prayed, therefore: "My Lord, You are unlimited, and no one has estimated the limit to Your potencies. I think that even Your Lordship does not know the range of Your potential energies. An unlimited number of planets float in the sky just like atoms, and great Vedantists who are engaged in research to find You find everything different from You, and at last they decide that You are everything."
#$p#When Lord Krishna was within this Universe, Brahma played a trick on Him: in order to confirm that the cowherd boy in Vrindaban was actually Krishna. By his power he stole all the cows and calves, and the friends of Krishna, who were engaged in herding the animals. But when he returned from hiding them to see the result, he saw that Krishna was playing with the same cows and calves and cowherd boys; because by His Vaikuntha potency He had expanded all the stolen cows, calves and friends. He saw millions and billions of them, and he also saw millions and billions of tons of cane and fruit, and lotus flowers and horns. And all the cowherd boys were decorated with different clothes and ornaments, and nobody could count their vast number. Brahma saw that each of the cowherd boys had become a four-handed Narayan, like the predominating deity of each Brahmanda, and he saw that innumerable Brahmas also were engaged in offering obeisances to the Lord. He also saw that all of them were emanating from the body of Krishna, and after a second they were also entering into the body of Krishna. Brahma became struck with wonder by this extraordinary feat of Krishna, and in his prayer he admitted that anybody and everybody could say that he knows about Krishna—but so far as he was concerned, he did not know anything about Krishna. "My dear Lord," he said, "the potencies and opulences which You have exhibited just now are beyond the capacity of my mind and understanding."
#$p#Lord Chaitanya then explained that not only Krishna Loka, but even Krishna's Abode on this planet, known as Vrindaban, cannot be estimated in potency. Vrindaban is estimated as thirty-two Scriptural miles, but even though Vrindaban in India is thirty-two miles, yet in some part of Vrindaban all the Vaikunthas exist. The area of the present Vrindaban consists of twelve forests and is about eighty-four croses, or one hundred sixty-eight miles in area. But Vrindaban City is estimated at about sixteen croses, or thirty-two miles.
#$p#The Lord again said that the potencies and opulences of Krishna are unlimited. Whatever He told to Sanatan Goswami was only a partial presentation, but by such a partial presentation one can at least imagine the whole. While Lord Chaitanya was speaking to Sanatan Goswami about the opulences of Krishna, He was deep in ecstasy, and in that transcendental state He began to cite a verse from the Srimad Bhagwatam, Third Canto, Second Chapter, which runs as follows: After the disappearance of Krishna, Uddhava, when he met Vidura, spoke as follows: "Krishna is the Master of all demigods, including Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva and the expansion of Vishnu within this Universe. Therefore, no one is equal to or greater than Him, and He is full in all six opulences. All the demigods engaged in the administration of each Brahmanda offer their respectful obeisances, and therefore the helmets on their heads are beautiful, being decorated with designs of the Lotus Feet of the Supreme Lord."
#$p#Therefore, as is stated in the Brahma Samhita, Fifth Chapter, 1st Verse, Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and no one can be equal to or greater than Him. That is the conclusion. The rulers of this Universe, known as Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu, although being masters of each and every Universe, are also servants of the Supreme Lord Krishna.
#$p#Lord Krishna is the Cause of all causes. He is also the Cause of the Maha Vishnu, or the first incarnation controlling this material Creation. From Maha Vishnu there is Garbhodakshayee Vishnu and Kshirodakshayee Vishnu. Krishna is the Master of the Garbhodakshayee Vishnu, the Kshirodakshayee Vishnu, and He is also the Supersoul within every living entity and every Universe. The Maha Vishnu is described in the Brahma Samhita: Through His breathing innumerable Universes are produced, and in each Universe there are innumerable Vishnu Tattwas. But Lord Krishna is the Master of Them all; or They are partial plenary expansions of Krishna.
#$p#From revealed Scriptures it is understood that Krishna lives in three transcendental places: The most confidential residence of Krishna is Goloka Vrindaban. There He stays with His father, mother, and friends; and He exhibits His transcendental relationships and His Mercy amongst His eternal entourage. There the Yogamaya acts as a maidservant in the matter of His dancing of Rasa Leela. The residents of the Vrajabhumi think, "The Lord is glorified by particles of His transcendental mercy and affection, and we, the residents of Vrindaban, have not the slightest anxiety on account of His merciful existence."
#$p#It is stated in the Brahma Samhita, Fifth Chapter, 49th verse: all the Vaikuntha planets in the Spiritual Sky are below the planet known as Krishna Loka. The other planets are known as Vishnu Loka. In that Krishna Loka the Lord enjoys His transcendental bliss in multiple forms; and all the opulences of the Vaikunthas are fully displayed in the one Krishna planet. The associates of Krishna are also full with six opulences. In the Padmollar Khand, Two hundred twenty-fifth Chapter, 57th verse, it is stated that the material energy and the spiritual energy are separated by water which is called the Viroja River. That river is flowing from the perspiration of the first incarnation of Purusha. On the other bank of the Viroja is the eternal Nature, unlimited and all-blissful, called the Spiritual Sky; which is the Spiritual Kingdom, or the Kingdom of God.
#$p#The Spiritual Planets are called "Vaikuntha" because there is no lamentation there, no fear, and everything is eternal. The Spiritual World is calculated to be three-fourths the energies of the Supreme Lord, and the material world is one-fourth of His energy. No one can understand this three-fourths, since even this material world, which is only one-fourth of His energy, cannot be described. Lord Chaitanya now tried to convey to Sanatan Goswami something about the extent of the one-fourth display of Krishna's energy. In this connection He cited an incident from Srimad Bhagwatam when Brahma, the Lord of the Universe, came to see Krishna at Dwarka:
#$p#When Brahma, the first creature of this Universe, approached Krishna, the doorman informed Krishna that Brahma had arrived to see Him. On hearing this Krishna inquired as to which Brahma had come? The doorman again came to Brahma and asked him, "Which Brahma are you? Krishna has asked."
#$p#Brahma was struck with wonder. Why was this question asked by Krishna? He informed the doorman, "Please tell Him that Brahma who is the father of the four Kumaras and who has four heads has come to see Him."
#$p#The doorman informed Krishna, and then asked Brahma to come inside. Brahma offered his obeisances unto the Lotus Feet of Krishna, and Krishna received him with all honor, and then asked him why he had come, what his purpose was.
#$p#Brahma replied, "I shall speak about my purpose in coming here, but first I have a doubt. Will You kindly remove it? You have asked through Your doorman which Brahma has come to see You. So may I inquire if there are any other Brahmas besides me?"
#$p#On hearing this Krishna smiled, and He at once called for many Brahmas from many other Universes. The four-headed Brahma then saw many Brahmas coming to see Krishna, and to offer their respects. Some of them had ten heads, some of them had twenty, some of them one hundred heads, and some of them a million heads. This four-headed Brahma could not even count the Brahmas coming to see Krishna to offer their obeisances. Krishna then called many demigods from other Universes, and all came to offer their respects to the Lord.
#$p#Seeing this wonderful exhibition by Krishna, the four-headed Brahma became nervous, and he began to think that he was just like a mosquito in the midst of many elephants. All of them came and offered their respectful obeisances unto the Lotus Feet of Krishna, and therefore Brahma thought that nobody can estimate the unlimited potency of Krishna.
#$p#All the helmets of the different demigods and Brahmas shone as they assembled there, and when combined together there was a great sound of all of them praying to the Lord. They began to say, "My dear Lord, it is a great mercy upon us that You have called us to see You. Is there any particular order? If there is any order, we will carry it out at once."
#$p#Lord Krishna replied, "There is nothing especially required of you, but I wanted to see you so I called you all together at one time. I offer My blessings upon you. Don't be afraid of the demons."
#$p#All of them replied that by His mercy, "Everything is all right. There are no disturbances at the present moment. By Your incarnation everything inauspicious is vanquished." As each of the Brahmas saw Krishna, everyone thought Krishna was only within his Universe. After this incident He wished all the Brahmas farewell, and after offering their respects, they returned to their respective Universes.
#$p#On seeing this, the four-headed Brahma who had come to see Krishna at once fell down at the Feet of Krishna and said, "What I thought about You before is all nonsense. Let everyone say that they may know You in perfection, but as far as I am concerned, I cannot even conceive how great You are. You are beyond my conception, beyond my understanding."
#$p#Krishna then informed the four-headed Brahma; "This particular Universe is only four thousand million miles broad, but there are many other millions and billions of Universes which are far, far greater than this one. Some of them are millions and billions and trillions of miles broad. All these Universes require similar strong Brahmas; not only four-headed."
#$p#Krishna also informed Brahma, "This is only the one-quarter part of My creative potency. The three-quarters part of My creative potency is in the Spiritual Kingdom."
#$p#The four-headed Brahma then parted from Krishna, after offering his obeisances; and he could understand what the meaning of the Lord of the three-quarters energy was.
#$p#The Lord is known therefore as Tradhiesa. This name stands for His principle Abodes; namely, Gokula, Mathura, and Dwarka. These three places are full of opulences, and Lord Krishna is the Master of them all. Krishna is therefore situated in His transcendental potency. He is the Master of all transcendental energies, and He is full with six opulences. Because He is the Master of all opulences, all the Vedic literature acclaims Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
#$p#Lord Chaitanya then sang before Sanatan Goswami a very nice song about the opulences of Krishna:
#$p#"All the Pastimes of Krishna arc exactly like the activities of a human being. Therefore it is to be understood that His Form is like that of a human being. A human being is an imitation of His Form. His dress is just like a cowherd boy's, with a flute in His hand, and He seems to be just like a newly grown youth, always playful, playing just like an ordinary boy."
#$p#The Lord wanted to explain to Sanatan Goswami about the beautiful aspects of Krishna. He said that if anyone can understand these beautiful qualities of Krishna, he is dipped into the ocean of nectar. One of Krishna's potencies is called Yogamaya, which is transcendental and beyond the material energy, but He exhibits His transcendental potency even within this material world just to satisfy His confidential devotees. His appearance in this material world is meant for His devotees. His qualities are so attractive that Krishna Himself becomes eager to understand Himself. He is fully decorated and stands with His body curved in three ways, and His eyebrows are always moving and His eyes are so attractive that all the Gopis become enchanted. His special Abode is on top of the Spiritual Sky, and He resides there with His similar associates, the Gopis, and all the Goddesses of Fortune. He is known there as Madanmohan.
#$p#There are many different Pastimes of Krishna such as His Pastime in the Forms of Vasudeva and Samkarshan. In the material sky His Pastimes are as the first incarnation of the Purusha, or the Creator of the material world. There are also Pastimes as the incarnation of the Fish or Tortoise, as manifestations of His incarnation of energies. There are His Pastimes in the Form of Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva, as the incarnation of the material qualities; His Pastimes as King Prithu as an empowered incarnation; His Pastimes as the Supersoul in everyone's heart; and His Pastimes as the impersonal Brahman.
#$p#He has innumerable Pastimes, but the most important Pastimes of Krishna are His human-like activities, in which He frolics in Vrindaban, dances with the Gopis, plays with the Pandavas on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra, and plays in Mathura and Dwarka. The most important part of His exhibition of Pastimes is in the human Form, especially as a cowherd Boy with flute in hand and appearing just like a newly grown youth. A partial manifestation of His Pastimes in Goloka Mathura and Dvaravati, or Dwarka, can overflood the whole Universe with love of Godhead. Everyone can become attracted by the beautiful qualities of Krishna.
#$p#The manifestation of His internal potency is not even exhibited in the Kingdom of God, or on the planets of Vaikuntha. But He exhibits that internal potency within the Universe, by descending from His Personal Abode, through His inconceivable mercy. Krishna is so wonderful and attractive that He Himself becomes attracted by His beauty, and that is proof that He is full of all inconceivable potencies. So far as Krishna's ornaments are concerned, when they decorate His body it appears that the ornament does not beautify Krishna, but that the ornament itself becomes beautiful since it is on His body. He appears always curved in three ways, and He attracts all the living entities and all the demigods. He attracts even the Narayan Form in each and every Vaikuntha planet.
#/div# |
#div class="mw-parser-output"#
Since Lord Caitanya is especially merciful to innocent, unsophisticated persons, His name is also Patita-pāvana, the deliverer of the most fallen conditioned souls. Although a conditioned soul may be fallen to the lowest position, such a lowly state will not prevent him from advancing in the spiritual science, provided he is innocent. Sanātana Gosvāmī was considered fallen in society because he was in the service of the Muslim government and had thus been excommunicated from brahminical society. But because he was a sincere soul, Lord Caitanya showed him special favor by granting him a wealth of spiritual information.
#$p#The Lord next explained to Sanātana Gosvāmī how the different spiritual planets are situated in the spiritual sky. The spiritual planets are also known as Vaikuṇṭha planets. The planets of the material creation have a limited length and breadth, but as far as the Vaikuṇṭha planets are concerned, because they are spiritual there is no limit to their dimensions. Lord Caitanya informed Sanātana Gosvāmī that the length and breadth of every Vaikuṇṭha planet is thousands of billions of miles—in other words, no one can measure any Vaikuṇṭha planet 's actual extent. Each of these planets is unlimitedly expanded, and in each of them the residents are full in all six opulences—wealth, strength, knowledge, beauty, fame and renunciation. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is present in every Vaikuṇṭha planet. Indeed, in each Vaikuṇṭha planet an expansion of Kṛṣṇa has His eternal abode, and Kṛṣṇa Himself has His original eternal abode, called Kṛṣṇaloka or Goloka Vṛndāvana.
#$p#In this universe even the largest planet lies in one corner of outer space. For example, although the sun is a million times larger than the earth, it still lies in one corner of outer space. Similarly, each of the Vaikuṇṭha planets, although unlimited in length and breadth, lies in a corner of the spiritual sky, known as the #i#brahma-jyoti#/i#. In the #i#Brahma-saṁhitā#/i# (5.40) the #i#brahma-jyoti#/i# is described as #i#niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtam#/i#, or undivided and unlimited and without a trace of the material modes of nature. All the Vaikuṇṭha planets are like petals of a lotus flower, and the principal part of that lotus, the center of all the Vaikuṇṭhas, is called Kṛṣṇaloka or Goloka Vṛndāvana.
#$p#Thus the expansions of Kṛṣṇa in various forms, as described herein, as well as His various abodes on the spiritual planets in the spiritual sky, are unlimited. Even demigods like Brahmā and Śiva cannot see the Vaikuṇṭha planets or even estimate their number or vast extent. This is confirmed in #i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam#/i# (10.14.21): "No one can estimate the length and breadth of all the Vaikuṇṭha planets." Elsewhere in the #i#Bhāgavatam#/i# (2.7.41) it is stated that not only are demigods like Brahmā and Śiva unable to make such an estimate, but even Ananta, the incarnation of the Lord 's opulence of strength, cannot ascertain any limit to the Lord 's potency or to the area of the different Vaikuṇṭha planets.
#$p#Again, #i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam#/i# 10.14.21, one of the prayers of Brahmā, is very convincing in this connection: "O my dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, O Supersoul, O master of all mystic powers, no one can know or explain the extent of Your Vaikuṇṭha planets or how You expand Your #i#yogamāyā#/i# energy throughout the three worlds." And a few verses earlier ([[SB 10.14.7|#i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam#/i# 10.14.7]]) Brahmā prays:
#dl##dd##i#guṇātmanas te 'pi guṇān vimātuṁ#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#hitāvatīrṇasya ka īśire 'sya#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#kālena yair vā vimitāḥsu-kalpair#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#bhū-pāṁśavaḥkhe mihikā dyu-bhāsaḥ#/i##/dd##/dl#
"Scientists and learned men cannot even measure the atomic constitution of a single planet. Even if they could count the molecules of snow in the sky or the number of stars in space, they could not understand how You descend to this earth or in this universe with Your innumerable transcendental potencies and qualities." In #i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam#/i# (2.7.41) Lord Brahmā informs Nārada that none of the great sages born before Nārada, including Brahmā himself, can measure the extent of the Supreme Lord 's potencies. Indeed, Brahma declared that even Ananta, with His thousands of tongues, fails when He tries to fully describethe Lord 's energies. Similarly, in #i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam#/i# (10.87.41) the personified #i#Vedas#/i# pray:
#dl##dd##i#dyu-pataya eva te na yayur antam anantatayā#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#tvam api yad-antarāṇḍa-nicayā nanu sāvaraṇāḥ#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#kha iva rajāṁsi vānti vayasā saha yac chrutayas#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#tvayi hi phalanty atan-nirasanena bhavan-nidhanāḥ#/i##/dd##/dl#
"My Lord, You are unlimited, and therefore no one can measure the extent of Your potencies. I think that even You do not know the range of Your energies. An unlimited number of planets float in the sky just like atoms, and great Vedāntists, who are engaged in research to find You, discover that everything is different from You. At last they conclude that You are everything."
#$p#When Lord Kṛṣṇa was within this universe, Brahmā played a trick on Him in order to confirm that the special cowherd boy in Vṛndāvana was actually Kṛṣṇa Himself. By his mystic power Brahmā stole all the cows, calves and cowherd friends of Kṛṣṇa and hid them. But when Brahmāreturned to see what Kṛṣṇa was doing alone, he saw that Kṛṣṇa was still playing with the same cows, calves and cowherd boys. By His Vaikuṇṭha potency Lord Kṛṣṇa had expanded all the stolen cows, calves and friends. Indeed, Brahmā saw millions and billions of them, and he also saw millions and billions of herding sticks and fruits, lotus flowers and horns. All the cowherd boys were wearing different clothes and ornaments, and no one could count their vast numbers. Then Brahmā saw each of the cowherd boys become a four-handed Nārāyaṇa, and he also saw innumerable Brahmās from different universes offering obeisances to the Lord. He saw that all these personalities were emanating from the body of Kṛṣṇa and, after a second, entering into His body. Lord Brahmā became struck with wonder by this extraordinary feat of Kṛṣṇa 's, and in a prayer he stated that although anyone and everyone could say they knew all about Kṛṣṇa, as far as he was concerned, he did not know anything about Him. "My dear Lord," he said, "the potencies and opulences You have exhibited just now are beyond the ability of my mind to understand."
#$p#Lord Caitanya further explained that not only is the potency of Kṛṣṇaloka limitless, but so also is that of Vṛndāvana, Lord Kṛṣṇa 's abode on this planet. From one point of view, Vṛndāvana is about thirty-two square miles in area, yet in one part of this Vṛndāvana all the Vaikuṇṭhas exist. The area of present-day Vṛndāvana contains twelve forests and covers about eighty-four #i#krośas#/i#, or 168 miles in area, and Vṛndāvana City is estimated to be about sixteen #i#krośas#/i#, or thirty-two square miles. How all the Vaikuṇṭhas can exist there is beyond material calculation. Thus Caitanya Mahāprabhu concluded that the potencies and opulences of Kṛṣṇa are unlimited. Whatever He told Sanātana Gosvāmī was only partial, but by such a partial presentation one can try to imagine the whole.
#$p#While Lord Caitanya was speaking to Sanātana Gosvāmī about the opulences of Kṛṣṇa, He became deeply immersed in ecstasy, and in that transcendental state He recited a verse from #i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam#/i# (3.2.21) in which Uddhava, after the disappearance of Kṛṣṇa, told Vidura:
#dl##dd##i#svayaṁ tv asāmyātiśayas try-adhīśaḥ#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#svārājya-lakṣmy-āpta-samasta-kāmaḥ#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#baliṁ haradbhiś cira-loka-pālaiḥ#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#kirīṭa-koṭīḍita-pāda-pīṭhaḥ#/i##/dd##/dl#
"Kṛṣṇa is the master of all demigods, including Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and the expansion of Viṣṇu within this universe. Therefore no one is equal to or greater than Him, and He is full in six opulences. All the demigods engaged in the administration of each universe offer their respectful obeisances unto Him. Indeed, the helmets on their heads are beautiful because they are decorated with the imprints of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord." It is similarly stated in the #i#Brahma-saṁhitā#/i# (5.1) that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and no one can be equal to or greater than Him. That is Brahmās conclusion. Although the universal rulers— Brahmā, Śiva and Viṣṇu—are masters of each and every universe, they too are servants of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa.
#$p#As the cause of all causes, Lord Kṛṣṇa is also the cause of Mahā-Viṣṇu, the first of the incarnations who control this material creation. From Mahā-Viṣṇu come Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Thus Kṛṣṇa is the master of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and He is also the Supersoul within every living entity in the universe. The #i#Brahma-saṁhitā#/i# (5.48) states: By Mahā-Viṣṇu 's breathing innumerable universes are produced. In each universe there are innumerable #i#Viṣṇu-tattvas#/i#, but it should be understood that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the master of them all and that they are but His partial plenary expansions.
#$p#From the revealed scriptures it is understood that Kṛṣṇa lives in three transcendental places. His most confidential residence is Goloka Vṛndāvana. It is there that He stays with His father, mother and friends, exhibits His transcendental relationships and bestows His mercy upon His eternal entourage. There #i#Yogamāyā#/i#acts as His maidservant in the #i#rāsa-līlā#/i# dance. The residents of Vrajabhūmi think, "The Lord is glorified by particles of His transcendental mercy and affection, and due to His merciful existence we, the residents of Vṛndāvana, have not the slightest anxiety." As stated in the #i#Brahma-saṁhitā#/i# (5.43), in the spiritual sky all the Vaikuṇṭha planets (which make up Viṣṇuloka) are below the planet known as Kṛṣṇaloka, Goloka Vṛndāvana. On that supreme planet the Lord enjoys His transcendental bliss in multiple forms, and all the opulences of the Vaikuṇṭhas are fully displayed on that one planet. Like Kṛṣṇa, His associates are also full with six opulences. In the #i#Padma Purāṇa#/i# (#i#Uttara-khaṇḍa#/i# 255.57) it is stated that the material energy and the spiritual energy are separated by the Virajā River. That river flows from the perspiration of the first #i#puruṣa#/i# incarnation. On the far bank of the Virajā is the eternal nature, unlimited and all-blissful, called the spiritual sky, the spiritual kingdom, or the kingdom of God.
#$p#The spiritual planets are called Vaikuṇṭhas because there is no lamentation or fear there and everything is eternal. The spiritual world has been calculated to comprise three fourths of the energies of the Supreme Lord, and the material world comprises one fourth. But no one can understand what that three fourths is, since even this material universe cannot be described. Trying to convey to Sanātana Gosvāmī something of the extent of this display of one fourth of Kṛṣṇa 's energy, Caitanya Mahāprabhu next cited an incident from the scriptures in which Brahmā, the lord of this universe, came to see Kṛṣṇa at Dvārakā. When Brahmā, the first created being in the universe, approached Kṛṣṇa, the doorman informed Kṛṣṇa that Brahmā had arrived to see Him. Upon hearing this, Kṛṣṇa inquired as to which Brahmā had come, and the doorman returned to Brahmā and asked, "Which Brahmā are you? Kṛṣṇa has asked."
#$p#Brahmā was struck with wonder. Why did Kṛṣṇa ask such a question? Brahmāinformed the doorman, "Please tell Him that the Brahmā who is the father of the Four Kumāras and who has four heads has come to see Him."
#$p#The doorman informed Kṛṣṇa and then asked Brahmāto come inside. Brahmā offered his obeisances unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, and after Kṛṣṇa had received him with all honor, the Lord asked him why he had come.
#$p#"I shall tell You of my purpose in coming here," Lord Brahmā replied, "but first I ask You to kindly remove a doubt I have. Your doorman told me that You asked which Brahmā had come to see You. May I inquire if there are other Brahmās besides me?"
#$p#Upon hearing this, Kṛṣṇa smiled and at once called for many Brahmās from many other universes. The four-headed Brahmā then saw many other Brahmās coming to see Kṛṣṇa and offer their respects. Some of them had ten heads, some had twenty, some had a hundred, and some even had a million heads. Indeed, the four-headed Brahmā could not even count the Brahmās who came to offer their obeisances to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa then called many other demigods from various universes, and they all came to offer their respects to the Lord. Upon seeing this wonderful exhibition by Kṛṣṇa, the four-headed Brahmā became nervous and began to think he was just like a mosquito in the midst of many elephants. Since so many demigods were offering obeisances unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, Brahmā concluded that no one can measure Kṛṣṇa 's unlimited potency. All the helmets of the various demigods and Brahmās shone brightly in the assembly, and when the helmets struck one another as the demigods offered obeisances, the helmets seemed to make a great sound of prayer.
#$p#"Dear Lord," the demigods said, "it is Your great mercy upon us that You have called us to see You. Is there any particular order? If so, we will carry it out at once."
#$p#"There is nothing especially required of you," Lord Kṛṣṇa replied. "I only wanted to see you all together at one time. I offer My blessings to you. Don 't be afraid of the demons."
#$p#"By Your mercy, everything is all right," they all replied. "There are no disturbances at present, for by appearing on the earth You have vanquished everything inauspicious."
#$p#As each Brahmā saw Kṛṣṇa, each thought that Kṛṣṇa was only within his universe. After this incident, Kṛṣṇa wished all the Brahmās farewell, and after offering respects to Him they returned to their respective universes. Upon seeing this, the four-headed Brahmā at once fell down at the feet of Kṛṣṇa and said, "What I thought about You before was all nonsense. People may say they know You perfectly, but as far as I am concerned, I cannot begin to conceive how great You are. You are beyond my understanding."
#$p#Kṛṣṇa then informed him, "This particular universe is only four thousand million miles across, but there are many millions and billions of universes which are far, far greater than this one. Some of these are many trillions of miles across, and all these universes require strong Brahmās with many more than four heads." Kṛṣṇa further informed Brahmā, "This material creation is only one quarter of My creative potency. Three quarters is in the spiritual kingdom."
#$p#The four-headed Brahmā then offered obeisances to Kṛṣṇa and departed, now understanding the meaning of the Lord 's "three-quarters energy."
#$p#The Lord is known as Tryadhīśvara, a name indicating His principal abodes—Gokula, Mathurā and Dvārakā. These three abodes are full of opulences, and Lord Kṛṣṇa is the master of them all, situated as He is in His transcendental potency. Lord Kṛṣṇa, the master of all transcendental energies, is thus full with six opulences, and because He is the master of all opulences, all the Vedic literatures acclaim Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
#$p#Lord Caitanya then sang a nice song to Sanātana Gosvāmīabout the opulences of Kṛṣṇa: "All the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa are exactly like the activities of human beings. Therefore it is to be understood that His form is like that of a human being. Indeed, the human form is an imitation of His form. Kṛṣṇa is dressed just like a cowherd boy. He has a flute in His hand, and He seems to be just like a newly grown youth. He is always playful, and He plays just like an ordinary boy."
#$p#Thus Lord Caitanya begin telling Sanātana Gosvāmī about the beautiful aspects of Kṛṣṇa. The Lord said that anyone who understands these beautiful qualities is dipped into an ocean of nectar. Kṛṣṇa 's #i#yogamāyā#/i# potency is transcendental, beyond the material energy, but the Lord exhibits His transcendental potency even within this material world just to satisfy His confidential devotees. In other words, Kṛṣṇa appears in the material world to satisfy His devotees. His qualities are so attractive that Kṛṣṇa Himself becomes eager to understand Himself. When He is fully decorated and stands with His body curved in three ways, with His eyebrows always moving and His eyes so attractive, the #i#gopīs#/i# become enchanted. His special abode is at the top of the spiritual sky, and He resides there with His associates—the cowherd boys, the #i#gopīs#/i# and all the goddesses of fortune. It is there that He is known as Madana-mohana.
#$p#There are many different pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, such as His pastimes in the forms of Vāsudeva and Saṅkarṣaṇa. In the material sky He performs pastimes as the first #i#puruṣa#/i# incarnation, the creator of the material world. There are also pastimes in which He incarnates as a fish or a tortoise or takes the forms of Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, incarnations of the material qualities. In His pastimes as an empowered incarnation, He takes the form of King Pṛthu, and He also performs pastimes as the Supersoul in everyone 's heart and as the impersonal Brahman as well.
#$p#Among Kṛṣṇa 's innumerable pastimes, however, the most important are His humanlike activities—frolicking in Vṛndāvana, dancing with the #i#gopīs#/i#, playing with the Pāṇḍavas on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra and playing in Mathurā and Dvārakā. And His most important pastimes in the human form are those in which He appears as a cowherd boy, a newly grown youth who plays a flute. Just a partial manifestation of His pastimes in Goloka—in Gokula, Mathurā and Dvārāvatī, or Dvārakā—can overflood the whole universe with love of Godhead. Everyone can be attracted by the beautiful qualities of Kṛṣṇa.
#$p#The manifestation of Kṛṣṇa 's internal potency (#i#yogamāyā#/i#) is not exhibited in the part of the kingdom of God comprising the Vaikuṇṭha planets, but Kṛṣṇa does exhibit that internal potency within the universe when He descends from His personal abode out of His inconceivable mercy. Kṛṣṇa is so wonderful and attractive that He Himself becomes attracted by His own beauty, and this is proof that He is full of all inconceivable potencies. As far as the ornaments decorating Kṛṣṇa 's body are concerned, it appears that they do not beautify Him but that they themselves become beautiful simply by being on His body. Always standing in a three-curved way, He attracts all living entities, including the demigods. Indeed, He even attracts the Nārāyaṇa form who presides in every Vaikuṇṭha planet.
#/div# |
Compare previous verse
|
Compare next verse 