Category Archives: Krishna

Service to the Supreme Lord

Krishna,

If Krishna is self-sufficient then why did He create us? Is it to serve Him?

Yes, Krishna is self-sufficient, however we are not self-sufficient. He is perfect, however we are not. He is self-satisfied, however we are not. He is completely independent, however we depend on Him. It was our desire to be separate from the Lord, therefore He has created this material world. He never created us. Both the Supreme Lord and the living entities eternally exist. Only thing is that we forget, however He never forgets us. He wants us to come back to Him as quickly as possible. He doesn’t like His children to be suffering in this material world in forgetfulness of Him.

Just like father feels happy when the child offers him a flower or a small gift on his birthday. Similarly, Supreme Lord feels happy, when someone makes a small gesture of service toward Him. We have not realized how much pleasure is there in serving Him. We are trying to serve family, nation, community and many others, however we are not satisfied at all by serving them. Because all of them are like leaves of the tree. A tree can not be nourished by pouring water on the different branches, fruits or leaves of the tree. However, when someone waters at the root of the tree, all the leaves, branches and fruits are properly nourished. Supreme Lord Krishna is the root cause of everything. Many devotees in the past have served Lord Krishna and achieved perfection of their lives. Therefore, it is better and safer to serve Krishna than to serve material agents and prolong our existence in this material world.

Cause of all causes

Creation, Krishna, ,

I read in the Srimad Bhagvatam that Lord Krishna is the creator of everything that exists including demigods. However how did Krishna come into existence. I know that He always existed before but yet there should be a time when He also got into creation. Kindly explain.

It is explained in Katha Upanishad, nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam which means that there are 2 eternals, one is the eternal living entity and the other is eternal Supreme Lord. In the material world we do not have experience of any object which does not have origin. Every object in the material world has beginning, middle and an end.

However spiritual objects are opposite to material objects in the sense that they do not have beginning and an end. They exist eternally. Therefore when we explain God has no beginning that means we can not put a particular date at which He came into existence.

By definition He is the beginning of everything,
ishvarah paramah krishnah
sac-cid-ananda vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
sarva karanam karanam
He is the cause of all causes. If He had some cause, then that cause would have been the superior to Him. This is little difficult to understand in the beginning, however it is possible to understand it by performing devotional service to Lord Krishna.

Transcendental form of Krishna

Krishna,

It is stated in scriptures that the Supreme Lord has form and has got a spiritual body (sat-cid-ananda vigraha). We too have body but it is called material. With some of our body organs we give out body waste like stool, urine etc. Because we both have similar form does the Lord has body organs like us? If so, then why?

The Vedic literature is full of references to God’s form. For example, it is said that God has no hands or legs but that He can accept anything you offer. Also, it is said that God has no eyes or ears but that He can see everything and hear everything. So, these are apparent contradictions, because whenever we think of someone seeing, we think he must have eyes like ours. This is our material conception. Factually, however, God does have eyes, but His eyes are different from ours. He can see even in the darkness, but we cannot. God can hear, also. God is in His kingdom, which is millions and millions of miles away, but if we are whispering something “conspiracy” He can hear it, because He is sitting within us.
So, we cannot avoid God’s seeing or God’s hearing or God’s touching.

In the Bhagavad-gita  [9.26] Lord Krishna says,

patram pushpam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aham bhakty-upahaytam ashnami prayatatmanaa

“If somebody offers Me flowers, fruits, vegetables, or milk with devotional love, I accept and eat it.” Now, how is He eating? We cannot see Him eat, but He is eating. We experience this daily: When we offer Krishna food according to the ritualistic process, we see that the taste of the food changes immediately. This is practical. So God eats, but because He is full in Himself, He does not eat like us. If someone offers me a plate of food, I may finish it, but God is not hungry, so when He eats He leaves the things as they are. God is so full that He can eat all the food that we offer and still it remains as it is. He can eat with His eyes.

As stated in Brahma-samhita(5.32):

angani yasya sakalendriya-vrittimanti pashyanti panti kalayanti ciram jaganti
ananda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami

“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental form is full of bliss, truth and substantiality and is thus full of the most dazzling splendor. Each of the limbs of that transcendental figure possesses, in Himself, the full-fledged functions of all the organs, and eternally sees, maintains and manifests the infinite universes, both spiritual and mundane.”

Even if the organ parts are there they are there just to increase His pleasure in any way possible and not for excretion, digestion, eating etc as there is no need for it.

janma karma ca me divyam

Krishna, , ,

I read in the Srimad Bhagavatam that Lord Krishna is the creator of everything that exists including demigods. Here also it is explained how he creates everything. However can you please explain me that how did God come into existence. I know that He always existed before but yet there should be a time when he also got into creation.

It is explained in Katha Upanishad,“nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam….” which means that there are two eternals, one is the living entity and the other is Supreme Lord.

In the material world we do not have experience of any object which does not have origin. Every object in the material world has beginning, middle and an end. However spiritual objects are opposite to material objects in the sense that they do not have beginning and an end. They exist eternally. Therefore when we explain God has no beginning that means we can not put a particular date at which He came into existence.

By definition He is the beginning of everything, “ishvarah paramah krishnah, sac-cid-ananda vigrahah, anadir adir govindah, sarva karana karanam”. He is the cause of all causes. If He had some cause, then that cause would have been the superior to Him.

Because He is unlimited, naturally Krishna’s birth and activities are difficult for us limited beings to understand. The great saint Queen Kunti praises Lord Krishna in this way: Of course it is bewildering, O soul of the universe, that You work, though You are inactive, and that You take birth, though You are the vital force and the unborn.

Which way is correct – Jesus or Krishna?

Bhagavad Gita, Krishna, Religion, , ,

Can you explain me  which way is correct, Jesus or Krishna on the basis of spiritual proof by Bible as well as Bhagavad-gita?

The question is, as to which way is correct – Jesus or Krishna.

Firstly, it is necessary to examine the credentials of this question in the light of following references from Holy Bible and also Bhagavad-Gita.

Jesus is the son of God.

This statement is based upon the relationship between Jesus and The Supreme Lord.
(This is known as, ‘Sambandha’ in Vedic literature).

When Jesus says that he is the son of God he actually reveals what is the relationship between him and the Supreme Lord. In other words, Jesus explains about the, ‘Sambandha’ as described in Vedic literature. So there is no contradiction between words of Jesus and the contents of Vedic literature.

This can be further examined with following references –
a) Bible  (John 16.28)
‘I came forth from the father and have come into this world. Again I leave the world and go to the father.’

b) Bible (John 17.25)
‘O righteous Father! The world has not known you but I have known you. And these have known that you sent me’

c) Bible (John 17.26)
‘And I have declared to them your Name and will declare it that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them’

The above references from Bible make following things clear-

Reference (a) – John 16.28
Jesus affirms that there is a world which is eternal resting place and shelter of the living entities, who reside with the Supreme Lord there. And the Supreme Lord is the father of every living entity.

Reference (b) – John 17.25
Jesus affirms that he was sent by the Supreme Lord to this material world.

Reference (c)- John 17.26
Jesus instructs everyone about the glories of the Holy Name of the Lord so that everyone can attain love of the Supreme Lord.

In other words, Jesus lays stress upon
1) the relationship between living entity and the Lord.
2) existence of the eternal spiritual world which is the destination of every living entity.
3) attaining the love of Supreme Lord by chanting His Holy Name is the actual goal of life.

Now let us examine the above by referring to Bhagavad-Gita.
a) Bhagavad-Gita 14.4
Lord Krishna says, ‘sarva yonishu kaunteya …… aham beej-pradah pita’.
It is to be understood that all species of life, O son of Kunti, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I AM the seed giving FATHER.

(Thus Krishna affirms that He is the eternal father of all living entities.)

b) Bhagavad-Gita 8.15
Lord Krishna says, ‘After attaining Me, the great souls who are yogis in devotion never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.
(Thus Krishna declares that He and His abode is the actual eternal destination of every living entity.)

c) Bhagavad-Gita 9.34
Lord Krishna says, ‘Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me’.

(Thus Krishna instructs every living entity to remember Him.
And when we remember someone we always think of that person by that person’s name. As such Krishna instructs everyone to remember Him by chanting His Holy Names ‘.)

The above explanation reveals that Jesus is the spiritual master empowered by the Supreme Lord in order to guide and lead the living entities to approach the Supreme Lord.

And the Supreme Lord Krishna is the destination.

Thus there is no question as to who is right, whether Krishna or Jesus. It can be said that Jesus is the authorized representative of the Supreme Lord who has lent a helping hand to everyone who are willing to approach the Supreme Lord by chanting His Holy Names and engage in His devotional service.

But unfortunately as people do not study scriptures under proper guidance of authorized spiritual master, they find various scriptures (whether Bhagavad-Gita, Bible or other scriptures) and various religious sects as contradictory. This is very very unfortunate.

The purpose of all religious scriptures is the same, i.e. to guide the living entities toward the path of God consciousness and service of the Supreme Lord. But relevant scriptures contain only that much knowledge which is understandable by people depending upon their level of consciousness. Hence some of the scriptures and spiritual masters reveal only partial knowledge about God while some reveal more knowledge. But ultimately their goal is same, i.e. to make everyone God conscious.

Now it is for us to decide whether we want to properly understand the scriptures or we want to just waste our valuable time and life in finding insignificant conflicts and contradictions among them. Like the purpose of all schools is to impart education. But those students who don’t understand this and are not serious about studies, they fight over petty issues by raising irrational doubts.
I hope this answers your question.

Krishna, the God in the Bible

Krishna, Religion, , , , ,

Was Krishna the God in the Bible?

God is one.
Just like there is one Sun.
There is no American Sun or Japanese Sun or Indian Sun.
We may call God by different names, just like son may address father by Pappa, Daddy.
Father’s friend may call him by his name.
Depending upon relationship, one may address the same person by different names.
Similarly, we may address God by different names, but ultimately he is one God.
In Hinduism, we call him by the name Krishna, which means one who is all-attractive.
In Islam, God is addressed as Allah, which means one who is all-powerful.
If this basic understanding is taught to everyone, then many problems in the world can be solved.

Is Radharani also eternal consort

General, Krishna, , , , ,

In almost all avatars it is seen that Lakshmi is the consort of the Lord. For ex: Whether be it mother Sita or Visnupriya or Padmavati (Lord Venkateswara’s consort). And not Radharani, why is it that way?

As Krishna is the original personality of Godhead, so Srimati Radharani is His hladini sakti manifestation, or His eternal consort. Since Narayana in Vaikuntha is an expansion of Krishna, similarly Lakshmi is also an expansion of Srimati Radharani. For that matter, all the goddesses of fortune in the spiritual realm are manifestations of Srimati Radharani. Having made the above statements, we can identify the particular consort of the Supreme Lord by a particular nomenclature also. For example, Sita is the consort of Lord Ram. Ramadevi (found in Sri Brahma Samhita) is the consort of Maha Vishnu. Each of the expansions of the Supreme Lord have their consorts, or energetic expansions. They go by various names, but the original Personality of Godhead is Krishna, and His eternal consort is Srimati Radharani.

Lord Krishna did not marry Radharani

General, Krishna, , ,

Why did Lord Krishna not marry Radharani when Her deity is always next to Krishna and we worship Krishna and Radha? Krishna loved Srimati Radharani, but married someone else. Why?

The relationship between Radha and Krishna in Their Vrindavan-lila is of a very special type known as “parakiya rasa” or unwedded love. Even from our mundane experience we know that such a relationship can be of greater intensity than within marriage. Yet these ‘affairs’ are grossly perverted reflections of the love found in the spiritual world; worldly paramourship is morally reprehensible, but the spiritual counterpart is of the highest level of spiritual joy as well as purity.
In Vrindavana, yoga-maya (the Lord’s personal internal potency) orchestrates events just to enhance this ‘parakiya-bhava’, which serves to increase the intensity of the loving pastimes between Radha and Krishna. For example, there is a very sweet pastime described by our acaryas wherein Radha and Krishna were actually to be betrothed, but Paurnamasi (who is Yogamaya herself) foils the plan on the pretext of so-called inauspicious planetary influences, just so that the parakiya relationship is preserved.

In short, the lila of Radha and Krishna is that of an unwed couple, lover and beloved, but the spiritual reality is that they are eternally with one another as the Lord and His internal potency, or His ‘consort’. Their unmarried love enhances the sweetness of their exchanges, and is altogether wholesome and pure.

Rukmini devi is an expansion of Radharani. She also belongs to the internal potency of Krishna, just like Radha, only the lila is that they marry.

Radha and Krishna’s loving relationship can be (and has been) misused by unscrupulous people to manipulate religious principles. But Radha-Krishna relationship should not be confused with that of a mundane relationship.

The material world is 180 degrees the opposite of the spiritual world. When looking upon the lake’s surface where a tree is growing on the far bank of the lake, what do you see? You see a reflection! And what is the upper portion of the tree which you see in the reflection? Since the reflected image is upside down, you will see the roots growing up, and the branches growing down!

In the ‘spiritual tree of life’, everything is actually meant for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord, but when misused for our sense gratification, it becomes reflected, upside-down and perverted. Thus we see even lust, greed, anger — all abominable qualities — have their untainted spiritual counterpart in ‘the spiritual tree, in the spiritual realm, the realm of Krishna’s pastimes.

And, If you go to Bhandiravana one of the 12 forests in Vrajamandal, you will come to know that when Radha and Krishna were very small, they had come with Nanda Maharaja to Bhandiravana. And suddenly clouds came there and it was about to rain and at that time Nanda Maharaja made both of them sit under a Banyan tree holding each other hands and gone for his work. At that time both of them became young and Brahmaji came and performed their formal marriage.

Radharani is Krishna’s own internal pleasure potency. Thus there is no question of immorality in their relationship. Krishna, being self-satisfied, does not depend on an external source for happiness, but manifests His own potency when He wants to enjoy; this manifestation is Radharani. We worship Radha with Krishna, because She is the dearest devotee of Krishna, and by pleasing Her we can also become dear to Him.

Meaning of Hare Krishna Mahamantra

Chanting, Krishna

Q. “What is the exact meaning of Ram and Hare in mahamantra?
If Ram is Lord Ram then how we are connecting Radha’s name with Ram?”

A. Krishna and Ram are addressed to the Supreme Lord in Hare Krishna Mahamantra.
‘Krishna’ meaning the ‘all-attractive’ and ‘Ram’ means the ‘reservoir of all-pleasure’.
‘Hara’ is the pleasure potency of the Supreme Lord, termed as ‘Hare’ in vocative.
So the meaning of Hare Krishna Mahamantra is a prayer to the Supreme Lord, who is all-attractive and reservoir of all-pleasure to enagage us in His loving devotional service.
Some other places, Srila Prabhupada refers ‘Ram’ to Lord Balaram and sometimes Lord Nityananda.

Meaning of Hare Krishna

Chanting, Krishna, Practices In ISKCON, Srila Prabhupada

Q. What does Hare Krishna mean?

A. ‘Hare Krishna’ refers to the Sanskrit prayer we sing (the maha-mantra, or ‘great chant for deliverance’) and to our group. Since we are often seen chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, we are referred to as the ‘Hare Krishnas’.

Srila Prabhupada came to the United States from India in 1965 to introduce the Western world to bhakti-yoga, which features the chanting of Hare Krishna as its main spiritual practice.
Srila Prabhupada represents a lineage of teachers dating back into antiquity, but which was revitalized 500 years ago by the incarnation of God named Lord Chaitanya.

The voluminous Vedic scriptures of India contain everything we need to know about how to live happily in the world while we realize our spirituality and our relationship with God. These scriptures describe many methods of spiritual attainment, but they specifically recommend the chanting of Hare Krishna as the most effective method of God realization for the time we live in.

Since God is unlimited, He has unlimited names with different purposes and meanings. The purpose of the Hare Krishna prayer is to awaken us to our eternal nature as servants and lovers of Krishna.

The Hare Krishna mantra is composed of three Sanskrit words: Krishna, Rama and Hare. Krishna and Rama are both names for God. Krishna means “the all-attractive,” and Rama means “the supreme pleasure.” We can approach the all-attractive Supreme Lord, and experience the supreme pleasure of His company, through the help of His devotional or pleasure energy, Hare.

Placed together the words of the prayer mean “O Lord, O energy of the Lord, please engage me in Your loving service”. By chanting Hare Krishna we become purified of material conditioning and become reinstated in our normal eternal position.