# Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord ## 1. What is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and Viśṇu? In truth Kṛṣṇa and Viśṇu are one. Both are the Absolute Truth, complete, and full of energies. Kṛṣṇa, who is the personification of sweetness, is Viśṇu or Narayaṇa in His opulent feature. Kṛṣṇa has two arms and He plays the flute, and Viśṇu has four arms and carries a conch, disc, club, and lotus. Lord Viśṇu is full in sixty qualities and Lord Kṛṣṇa is full in sixty-four. Kṛṣṇa can attract Lakśmī, but Nārāyaṇa cannot attract the minds of the Vraja gopīs, who are Kṛṣṇa’s beloved devotees. Lord Viśṇu is served in two and a half rasas, or namely, Śānta, dāsya, and gaurava-sakhya (friendship with awe and reverence), but Lord Kṛṣṇa is served in all five rasas (śānta, dāsya, viśrambha-sakhya [friendship with love], vātsalya, and mādhurya). Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the original lamp from which innumerable lamps or Viśṇu-tattva forms have been ignited. Kṛṣṇa personifies sweetness and Viśṇu personifies opulence. Even though Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, He does not consider Himself as such. Rather, He considers Himself Nanda’s son and the beloved of Rādhā. Viśṇu is proud of being the Supreme Controller. Kṛṣṇa is served on the rāga-mārga and Viśṇu is served on the vaidhi-mārga. Since Viśṇu’s worship includes the mood of awe and reverence, the devotees always feel hesitant to approach Him, but the Vrajavāsīs serve Kṛṣṇa without hesitation. ## 2. Is the Supreme Lord controlled by the devotees? Lord Govinda is controlled by His devotees. Although the devotees are energies of the Lord and are therefore normally thought of as subordinate, according to the service consideration the Lord’s energies are superior to Him. If they were not superior, how could they serve the Lord? Even though the Lord is supremely independent, He becomes dependent on the service of His devotees. He states in the Ninth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: ahaṁ bhakta-parādhīno, hy asvatantra iva dvija sādhubhir grasta-hṛdayo, bhaktair bhakta-jana-priya The Supreme Personality of Godhead said to the brāhmaṇa: 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 devotee, even those who are devotees of My devotee are very dear to Me. Actually, one cannot properly serve the object of service unless he knows that object’s value and glories. A perfect servant sometimes waits for his master’s order and sometimes serves his worshipable master according to his master’s internal mood. As the Lord resides in the devotee’s heart, so the devotee resides in the Lord’s heart. The devotee is the supersoul of the Supersoul. ## 3. Who is the ultimate object of worship? Lord Kṛṣṇa is the only object of service and the master of all. He is the only friend of the jīvas, the only son of all parents, and the only lover of all women. A person who has accepted Kṛṣṇa as the object of his service does not serve anyone else. Lord Kṛṣṇa is the cause of all causes, and He is the cause of Brahman, Paramātmā, and all the Viśṇu-tattva forms. ## 4. Is material nature, Maya, the original cause of material creation? The three modes of material nature Maya represents are not the primary cause of the material world. When Maya is empowered by the Lord’s glance, on the strength of the Lord’s energy she becomes the secondary cause of material creation, just as when iron is placed in a fire it acquires the power to burn. But even for the indirect or secondary cause Lord Kṛṣṇa remains the ultimate cause. Nārāyaṇa is the direct cause. In the making of a pot, there is the direct cause, the potter, and the indirect cause, the wheel and a stick. Maya is the wheel and the stick. As no pots can be made without a potter, so creation cannot take place without Kṛṣṇa. Kāraṇadaksāyī Viśṇu’s glance towards Maya works in two ways. First, it injects her with unlimited living entities, each a spiritual spark, and second, it creates unlimited universes by the reflection of His touch. That His touch is a reflection means there is no direct bodily contact between Viśṇu and Maya. Therefore it should not be thought that the Supreme Lord appeared by Maya’s help in each universe. Kṛṣṇa alone entered each universe as His Puruśa incarnation. Again, Kṛṣṇa is the original cause of material creation. Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi 5.60 states: kṛṣṇa-śaktye prakṛti haya gauṇa kāraṇa agni-śaktye lauha yaiche karaye jāraṇa Thus prakṛti, by the energy of Lord Kṛṣṇa, becomes the secondary cause, just as iron becomes red-hot by the energy of fire. Outside the spiritual sky is the effulgent abode of Brahman, and outside the abode of Brahman is the Causal Ocean. The spiritual abode is devoid of cause, but Maya is illusion, and in the place between the material world and the abode of Brahman is an ocean of spiritual water called the Causal Ocean. Lord Viśṇu lies in this Causal Ocean. The glance He cast on Maya, who is situated outside the Causal Ocean, agitates her to create. Maya herself cannot touch the Causal Ocean. ## 5. Whom does the Supreme Lord attract? Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This Kṛṣṇa attracts the three worlds. The spiritual master, who is dear to Kṛṣṇa, represents Kṛṣṇa’s power of attraction. The Absolute Truth is all-attractive. Whom does He attract? As a magnet attracts iron and not wood, so the worshipable Lord attracts those inclined to serve Him. Through His inconceivable potency the Lord attracts both His own servants and those inclined to become His servants by His affection, mercy, and sweetness. But if those who are attracted become absorbed in some irrelevant object on the way to their Lord, they fall down from their original attraction. The living entities therefore face two types of attraction, the bondage or artificial attraction of material existence, and attraction to Kṛṣṇa. Sense objects that have form, taste, sound, and touch are always nearby. Because we are weak, we are attracted to them. Therefore we should absorb ourselves in hearing hari-kathā from living sources, powerful devotees. If we continue to hear such kathā from guru and sādhu, we will be protected from the enemies that drag our senses away. Until we are fully attracted to Kṛṣṇa, Maya will always attract us. ## 6. What is the difference between God, Allah, and Kṛṣṇa? The word “God” speaks of a limited idea. We find the perfect and highest conception of theism only in “Kṛṣṇa.”“Allah” means “the greatest” and suggests that God possesses a particular quality. It is an objective. But Krishna is the source of all power. He is the proper noun. ## 7. How does the Absolute Truth manifest? The Absolute Truth manifests in five ways: as parā tattva, vyūha, vaibhava, antaryāmī, and arcā. Each of these is the worshipable Lord. Apart from these manifestations, everything and everyone else is in the servant category. The Lord accepts offerings from His servants, and each of these five manifestations of the Lord reciprocates with His own servants. There is no meaning to being dominant if there is no servant to dominate. Therefore each manifestation of the Absolute Truth has His own servants. When one begins Deity worship, one uses particular ingredients. Then one worships the Supersoul in the mind. Then, one worships the Lord’s vaibhava incarnations. For example, one may worship Lord Rāma. Śrī Rāma appeared with His servants, especially Hanumān and Sugriva. One should worship the vaibhava incarnations only as They appear before Their servants. After worshiping the vaibhava manifestation, one worships the vyūhas. There are four vyūhas, namely Vāsudeva, Saṅkarśaṇa, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha. Ultimately one comes to the worship of the parā-tattva, Kṛṣṇa. To climb from the bottom of a hill to the top, we must go uphill step by step. In our journey toward parā-tattva Kṛṣṇa, we will find that worshiping the arcā will help us. Therefore śāstra states: yena janma-śataiḥ pūrvaṁ,vāsudevaḥ samārcita tan-mukhe hari-nāmāni, sadā tiśṭhanti bhārata O descendant of Bharata, the holy names of Lord Viśṇu are always vibrating in the mouth of one who has previously worshiped Vāsudeva perfectly for hundreds of lifetimes. Immanent, pure, unalloyed conscience is called antaryāmī or caitya-guru, the Supersoul. The antaryāmī is an internal entity. Because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, we have come to this material world, far from our eternal home. We are meant to return. The first aid on our journey is Deity worship, then awareness of and focus on the antaryāmī, then worship of the vaibhava incarnations, then worship of the vyūha forms, and finally, full consciousness of the parā-tattva. Even after worshiping the Supreme Lord for many births a materialist cannot make the kind of advancement made by those who associate directly with guru and the Vaiśṇavas, hearing hari-kathā from them. The fortune we receive by faithfully hearing about Kṛṣṇa from the most merciful spiritual master and the Vaiśṇavas cannot be achieved even if the Deity form mercifully reveals Himself to us. The Supersoul does not always speak to us directly. Śāstra states: śikṣā-guruke ta’ jāni kṛṣṇera svarūpa, antaryāmī, bhakta-śreṣṭha ei dui rūpa One should know the instructing spiritual master to be the Personality of Kṛṣṇa. Lord Kṛṣṇa manifests Himself as the Supersoul and as the greatest devotee of the Lord. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi 1.47) jīve sākśāt nāhi tāte guru caitya-rūpe, śikśā-guru haya kṛṣṇa-mahānta-svarūpe Since one cannot visually experience the presence of the Supersoul, He appears before us as a liberated devotee. Such a spiritual master is none other than Kṛṣṇa Himself. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi 1.58) antaryāmīīśvarera ei rīti haye, bāhire nā kahe, vastu prakāśe hṛdaye The Supersoul within everyone’s heart speaks not externally but from within. He instructs the devotees in all respects, and that is His way of instruction. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 6.83) The vaibhava incarnations like Śrī Rāma speak with, instruct, and guide the jīvas, ascertaining what is for their benefit and what is not. The vyūhas’ activities are of a different nature. The supreme Absolute Truth, parā-tattva, manifests in four ways, but one can only understand this science by the Lord’s mercy. Śāstra states: īśvarera kṛpā-leśa haya ta’ yāhāre sei ta’ īśvara-tattva jānibāre pare If one receives but a tiny bit of the Lord’s favor by dint of devotional service, he can understand the nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 6.83) We think that the Lord’s Deity is inanimate; but He is not a product of matter. He is sat-cit-ānanda. Śrī Gaurāṅgadeva said: īśvarera śrī-vigraha sac-cid-ānandākāra, se-vigrahe kaha sattva-guṇera vikāra The transcendental form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is complete in eternity, cognizance, and bliss. However, you describe this transcendental form as a product of material goodness. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 6.166) śrī-vigraha ye nā māne, sei ta’ pāśaṇḍī, adāśya aspāśya, sei haya yama-daṇḍī One who does not accept the transcendental form of the Lord is certainly an agnostic. Such a person should be neither seen nor touched. Indeed, he is subject to be punished by Yamarāja. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 6.167) Elsewhere in Śāstra it is stated: pratimā naha tumi sākśāt vrajendra-nandana vipra lāgi’ kara tumi akārya-karaṇa My dear Lord, You are not a statue; You are directly the son of Mahārāja Nanda. Now, for the sake of the old brāhmaṇa, You can do something You have never done before. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 5.96) The spiritual master helps us as the intermediary so that there will be a guide between the Deity, the worship, and the worshiper. Otherwise, if the worshiper is not self-realized or if he lacks knowledge of the Deity form, his worship will turn into the idol worship of children. We do not need idol worship; we have a great need to worship the Lord. The Deity is defined as that form that is offered worship. The Deity is nondifferent from the Lord. For our benefit the Supreme Lord manifests in the Deity. Ordinary people think the Deity only an idol because He cannot walk and cannot take initiative. This is their illusion. If they learn to associate with pure devotees, their illusion can be removed. Cultivation of the Absolute Truth depends heavily on hearing and chanting. That is why the śāstra states: brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva, guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja mālī hañā kare sei bīja āropaṇa, śravaṇa-kīrtana-jale karaye secana Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service. When a person receives the seed of devotional service, he should take care of it by becoming a gardener and sowing the seed in his heart. If he waters the seed gradually by the process of śravaṇa and kīrtana [hearing and chanting], the seed will begin to sprout. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 19.151-152) It used to be that when the spiritual master glorified Kṛṣṇa everyone listened. Nowadays it is just the opposite. Professional reciters sit on their guru’s āsanas to glorify Kṛṣṇa without ever having become disciples. A real disciple should first learn what understanding his spiritual has and how he worships Kṛṣṇa. It is stated: oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya, jñānāñjana-śalākayā cakśur unmīlitaṁ yenam tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him. When the cataract of our material eyes is removed, we are free from foreign conception. Don’t think that pretense when approaching a spiritual master will give you perfection. It would be foolish to think that you have gained a coconut just because you are standing under a coconut tree. You have to climb the tree, pick the coconut from the treetop, and break its shell. Then only can you take advantage of the coconut and drink its water. You should also not think that performing bhajana under the guidance of guru and the Vaiśṇavas and practicing mystic yoga are synonymous. If devotion is absent from a process, it is useless. If we simply live comfortably while studying Vedānta and logic, we will not make advancement. Even if we become geniuses in logic and Vedānta, we will not go to Vaikuṇṭha. The only path to spiritual fortune is to perform hari-bhajana while in the shelter of a bona fide guru’s lotus feet. ## 8. How can we attain Kṛṣṇa’s service? Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra, Lord of Vṛndāvana, is the eternal son of Nanda and Yaśodā, who are eternally perfect residents of Vraja. He is no one else’s son. Nanda and Yaśodā rendered unlimited amounts of service, and therefore they were given the gift of having the Supreme Personality of Godhead as their son. This Śyāmasundara, who is Yaśodās son, is our worshipable Lord. In the śloka beginning ārādhya bhagavān vrajeśa tanaya, Devakīs son has not been described as the worshipable Lord but the son of Yaśodā. Vasudeva and Devakī were not as qualified as Nanda and Yaśodā in terms of their service. Worship of Nandanandana is the highest of all. Better than that, however, is the worship of Nanda, who by his service pleases Kṛṣṇa so much. If we receive Nanda’s mercy, we will certainly receive the blessings to serve his beloved son. Nandanandana lives in Vṛndāvana, and He lives in the pure soul’s heart, which is compared to Vṛndāvana. Unless our heart is completely purified by serving the guru, Nanda, we will not be able to find the Lord in our heart. The residents of Vraja want Kṛṣṇa simply so they can serve Him. They are extremely anxious to see Him. Their happiness lies only in making Kṛṣṇa happy. They do not trade favors with Kṛṣṇa but are selfless and devoid of the desire for personal happiness. They have natural attraction for Him. If we can follow in their footsteps, we will attain the good fortune of attaining Kṛṣṇa’s service. ## 9. Are the scriptures nondifferent from the Lord? Śāstra is directly Kṛṣṇa. It is His incarnation. Lord Kṛṣṇa has personally manifest in this world in the form of śāstra to provide us with something we need. Gaurāṅgadeva said: śāstra-guru-ātma’-rūpe āpanāre jānāna kṛṣṇa mora prabhu, trātā jīvera haya jñāna The forgetful conditioned soul is educated by Kṛṣṇa through the Vedic literatures, the realized spiritual master, and the Supersoul. Through these, he can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead as He is, and he can understand that Lord Kṛṣṇa is his eternal master and deliverer from the clutches of Maya. In this way, one can acquire real knowledge of his conditioned life and can come to understand how to attain liberation. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 20.123) If we try to study śāstra while in lost in mental speculation, we will be cheated. Śāstra reveals its treasures only to surrendered souls. If we have the same unalloyed devotion for the spiritual master as we have for Supreme Lord, the purports of all the scriptures will reveal themselves to us automatically. People proud of their knowledge cannot understand the true purport of śāstra. If we hear from the sādhus while surrendering body, mind, and speech, only then will we be able to realize the confidential purport of the śāstras. ## 10. What is God? The Lord is sat-cit–ānanda, full of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. He is not formless, even though He does not have a material body like ours. There is no difference between His body and His self, His name, form, or qualities. The Supreme Lord is fully independent and infinite. He does not require help from any living being. He may descend into any situation He pleases and is not dependent on anyone’s help. He is impartial and self-manifest. His eyes, ears, and other senses are not material but are fully transcendental. ## 11. Is the Supreme Lord inconceivable? Lord Kṛṣṇa is indeed inconceivable; He is not only inconceivable but conceivable for the service-inclined hearts. He is simultaneously the reservoir of all transcendental qualities and devoid of qualities. All qualities are found in Him. He is the source of the universe. This world is not His form, but He is present in every universe. Anything that is perceived through the material senses is an object of sense gratification. The Supreme Lord is not the universe but the basis of the universe, and therefore we are not perceiving Him when we perceive the universe. Unless I give up my false ego, I cannot approach Him. Lord Hari is the Supreme Brahman, the Personality of Godhead. He is not limited by anything. It is impossible to measure or enjoy Him. ## 12. Why do some people consider the Supreme Lord formless? This is their mistake. The Absolute Truth is not impersonal but full of spiritual variegatedness. He possesses transcendental forms, qualities, and pastimes. He has the ability to take initiative. He is fully independent. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the director of His three principal energies. Kṛṣṇa has the ability to know, feel, and will, just as we have those capabilities, but His ability is complete. As soon as we forget that Kṛṣṇa is the fountainhead of everything, we are attacked by His illusory energy. It is Maya who forces us to commit mistakes, become illusioned, and lose our power of discrimination. The Absolute Truth manifests in the state of pure goodness. The heart of one favored by Kṛṣṇa becomes completely purified by His mercy. Whatever realization takes place in such a heart is true realization, the realization of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. ## 13. Who is God? God is the transcendental Absolute Truth. The word “transcendental” means that object which is beyond the reach of sense perception. Godhead is He who has reserved the absolute right of not being exposed to our human senses. God is He who never comes under the control of the living entity’s material senses. He alone reserves this right. ## 14. What is the transcendental object? The transcendental object is that which is beyond the reach of our material senses, or that which cannot be measured by our material senses. Adhokśaja means “that which is beyond sense perception, transcendental.” The transcendental object becomes the subject of our realization only when He appears to our service-inclined senses by His own sweet will. Otherwise, the science of Kṛṣṇa cannot be understood even partially by the best sādhana methods, studies, use of intelligence, or worldly ability to discriminate. Yet many people dare to discuss the science of the Absolute Truth by considering the scripture an ordinary literature or the philosophy mundane. The transcendental Absolute Truth never reveals Himself to such people. Transcendental subject matter belongs to the fourth dimension. Therefore being unable to realize Him, we try to compromise by calling Him impersonal. But the fully transcendental Absolute Truth is never impersonal. The Absolute Truth is supremely independent. He has not been invented by the limited conceptions of jīvas. Anything invented or imagined is an idol. All such objects created by the power of discrimination and imagined to be either personal or impersonal are idols. The transcendental Absolute Truth, the Supreme Brahman, Kṛṣṇa, is not impersonal, not personal, not possessing form, and not formless like an idol. He is of the fourth dimension—beyond the reach of our senses. Do not try to approach the Absolute Truth in a challenging mood. That is the path of argumentation. Better to approach Him with utmost humility. Kṛṣṇa Himself will take the initiative. We can make thousands of exertions and never find Him. ## 15. What is the ultimate object of worship? Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are the ultimate object of worship. The Vedic literature declares that Śrī Rādhā is the wife of the immortal. This immortal supreme being is Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the reservoir of all transcendental pleasure. Śrī Rādhā is His beloved. The Atharva-veda states: rādhe viśākhe saha bhānu rādhā: “Rādhā, the daughter of Vṛśabhānu, along with Viśākhā, worships the Lord.” The service Vṛśabhānu’s daughter offers to Kṛṣṇa is unique. She alone is capable of giving Kṛṣṇa complete happiness. ## 16. What is the complete whole? The Supreme Lord is the complete whole. It is essential for everyone to strive toward meeting that complete whole. If we spend our lives trying to attain incomplete objects we will certainly attain them and nothing else.