CONTENTS:
- THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD
- SRILA PRABHUPADA’S APPRECIATION
- SRILA PRABHUPADA APPRECIATION
1. THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD
As Krishna, He appeared as the son of Vasudeva and Devaki. Although Krishna appeared as the son of Vasudeva and Devaki right after His birth, He displayed His form armed Narayana form to His parents. There is a difference between our birth and His birth. Krishna appeared as the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His full glory. When we take birth, we are born in total ignorance, we do not know where we came from or where we are going so somehow, we just appeared here and we begin to gather information which is retained in our memory and that is how we are able to function.
But that is not the case with Krishna. Krishna was born in His full glory as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His activities are always superhuman although He appeared as a human being. His activities were unusual. Krishna when He was only seven days old, He killed a witch called Putana. Putana came to kill Krishna by offering Him her breasts which was smeared with the deadliest poison but Krishna not only digested the poison but He sucked her life air out. In this way we can see that Krishna’s activities are unusual. That is the Supreme Personality of Godhead although He appears as an ordinary human being.
Krishna Himself said in Bhagavad Gita 4.9:
janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so ‘rjuna
TRANSLATION
One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.
His birth and activities are divine or transcendental and one who knows that in truth when he leaves his body he does not come back into this world. If we can understand that Krishna’s birth and Krishna’s activities are divine and transcendental beyond the laws of material nature then we become free from our bondage of birth and death. Krishna also said He appeared with His internal potency.
Krishna said in Bhagavad Gita 4.6
ajo `pi sann avyayatma bhutanam isvaro `pi san
prakrtim svam adhisthaya sambhavamy atma-mayaya
TRANSLATION
Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all living entities, I still appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form.
Although He is unborn and is the Lord and master of all the living entities but still, He takes birth as a human being through His internal potency. In Caitanya Caramrita it is stated that of all the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead His most wonderful activities are His human pastimes. His original form is like that of a man but that does not mean that Krishna is a human being. In this context we can remember a statement from the Bible, a man has been created according to the image of God. Do we find some resemblance here? If our form is created according to His image then does not it imply that His original form is like ours? But there is a difference, our form is made of matter whereas His form is spiritual, sacidanandavigraha, His form is made of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. These are the three spiritual substances.
Beyond this material nature there is another nature which is called the spiritual nature. This spiritual nature is composed of three elements known as saccidananda, eternity, knowledge, and bliss. This material nature is composed of eight elements: earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind intelligence, and false ego. Krishna’s form is not made with these elements but is made of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. Our form is made of these elements. Krishna comes to take us back to the spiritual sky to Him.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA’S APPRECIATION
Today we are seeing by Srila Prabhupada’s wonderful arrangement it has at least spread throughout the world. Prabhupada very boldly announced that, “If you want to know about God then come to me. I will tell you how He looks like, what His name is, what He does, what He likes and dislikes. I can even give you, His telephone number.” When Prabhupada said that he meant it.
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
If we can understand that Krishna’s birth and Krishna’s activities are divine and transcendental beyond the laws of material nature then we become free from our bondage of birth and death.
(The content of this E-magazine was based on a lecture given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami entitled Lila Avatars given on 2 August 1993.)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)