On the sweetness of Krishna's attributes
[The Master continued His teaching of Sanatan thus:]
"God in His all-embracing form dwells in the highest Space
(_para-byom_). The diverse Vaikunthas are beyond count. The extent of
each Vaikuntha is millions and millions of miles. _Ananda_ inspired by
_chit_ fills all the Vaikunthas. All of [His] attendants are filled
with the six attributes (_aishwaryya_). The endless Vaikunthas and
Space are His retinue; above all of them is Krishna's Heaven, like the
seed-pod of the lotus. Thus, [Krishna's] six attributes are [only]
places of [His] incarnation. Even Brahma and Shiva cannot count them,
what to speak of men? _Vide_ the _Bhagabat_, X. xiv. 21, Brahma's hymn
to Krishna.
"Thus Krishna's celestial attributes are endless; Brahma, Shiva, Sanak
and others cannot see their end. _Vide_ the _Bhagabat_, X. xiv. 7.
"Not to speak of Brahma and others, even Ananta with his thousand
tongues, is eternally singing [of His attributes] without being able to
finish them. Vide Bhagabat, II. ii. 40.
"Even Krishna, the omniscient and supreme being, cannot find the end of
His own attributes, but remains eagerly longing [to know of them]. _Vide
Bhagabat_, X. lxxxvii. 37.
"The mind fails to comprehend His exploits, even of the time when He
incarnated himself in Brindaban. At one and the same time He created the
natural and the supernatural groups of cow-herds and kine, as described
in _Bhagabat_, [X. xiii and xiv], countless Vaikuntha-born embryos, with
their respective Lords. Such a marvel is heard of no other [god]. The
hearing of it makes the heart overcome [with rapture]. In that miracle
of His every one of the millions and millions of calves, cowboys, their
rods, pipes, horns, clothes and ornamems, all assumed the form of the
four-armed Lord of Vaikuntha, each with a separate universe, and Brahma
adored him. From the body of one Krishna all these appeared! And after a
moment they all disappeared in that body! The sight amazed and
fascinated Brahma, and after hymning [to Krishna], he declared this, Let
him who says that he knows the full extent of Krishna's power, know it.
But as for me, I admit with all my body and mind that not a drop of this
endless ocean of your power is cognizable by my speech or intellect!
_Vide Bhagabat_, X. xiv. 36.
"Many are the glories of Krishna; who can know them? Think of the
wondrous quality of the place Brindaban: the _Shastras_ speak of it as
32 miles in extent, and yet in one corner of it the embryos of the
universe floated! Krishna's divine power is boundless beyond
calculation."
The Master, Himself the ocean of divine attributes, was seized with
ecstasy in speaking of Krishna's divine attributes; His mind became
absorbed in the subject and He lost consciousness. He (then) recited
_Bhagabat_, III. ii. 21, and expounded it, relishing with delight its
sense. "Krishna is the Supreme Deity, God Himself. None else is greater
than He or even equal to Him. _Vide Brahma Samhita_, V. I. Brahma,
Vishnu, and Shiva, the lords of creation, [preservation, and
destruction], all obey Krishna; He is their suzerain. _Vide Bhagabat_,
II. vi. 30.
"Hear the meaning of the phrase _unequalled Supreme Lord_: Three
_purush_ incarnations are the causes of the universe, _viz._,
Maha-Vishnu, Padmanava, Kshirodak Swami. These three occupy the souls of
everything, gross or subtle. These three are the refuge of all, and the
lords of the universe. And yet they are mere particles of Krishna, who
is supreme [over them]. _Vide Brahma Samhita_, v. 54.
"This interpretation is only external. Listen to the esoteric sense. The
_Shastras_ speak of three abodes of Krishna, _viz._, Antahpur, Golok,
and Brindaban, in which [last] ever dwell [His] parents and friends;
where He manifested His sweet attributes, tenderness, mercy, &c.; where
the illusion of _yog_ was His bondmaid, and where _rasa_ and other
exploits took place.
"Below it the Supreme Space named Vishnu's Heaven, where dwell Narayan
and other eternal forms of Him, is situated. The middle abode of Krishna
is the store-house of the six attributes, where He dwells in His eternal
form (_ananta_). The Vaikunthas are endless, and there the rooms and
attendants (even) are full of the six attributes. _Vide Brahma
Samhita_, v. 49, [and other Sanskrit verses].
"Below it is His external abode, beyond the _Biraja_, where the
universes are endless, and the rooms are illimitable. It is named
Devidham, where creatures dwell. The Lakshmi of the Universe nourishes
it; illusion dwells there as His slave.
"In these three places does Krishna dwell as the Supreme Lord, _viz._,
Golok, the Supreme Space, and Nature. The region where He manifests His
_chit_ power is called the Three-fold Divinity (_tripad aishivaryya_),
whereas the places of the display of His power of illusion are called
One-fold (_ekapad_).
"The Three-fold Divinity of Krishna is beyond speech. Hear, therefore,
of the One-fold Divinity. All the Brahmas and Shivas of the eternal
universe are embraced by the term 'eternal rulers of spheres'
(_chira-loka-pala_). One day Brahma came to Dwaraka to see Krishna; the
porter took the message to Krishna, who asked 'Which Brahma? What is his
name?' The porter returned and asked Brahma, who replied in amazement,
'Go, tell him, it is the four-headed father of Sanak.' After taking
Krishna's permission, the porter introduced him. Brahma prostrated
himself at Krishna's feet, who showed him honour and reverence and asked
for the reason of his visit. Brahma replied, 'I shall tell you of that
afterwards. First solve one problem of my mind. What did you mean by
asking 'Which Brahma?' What Brahma other than I can there be in the
universe?' At this Krishna smiled and plunged into meditation, and
immediately innumerable troops of Brahmas came there, some with ten
heads, some with twenty, hundred, thousand, million, even a milliard,
beyond the power of counting. Rudras came with millions of millions of
heads. Indras appeared with millions of eyes. At the sight the
four-headed Brahma became senseless, like a hare surrounded by a herd of
elephants. All these Brahmas prostrated themselves before Krishna's
seat, which was touched by their crowns. None can [adequately] describe
the unimaginable power of Krishna. In one body there were as many images
as there were Brahmas. His seat, struck with the crowns of the Brahmas,
set up a sound, as if the crowns recited praises of His seat! With
folded palms, Brahma Rudra and other deities hymned Krishna thus: 'Lord!
Great is thy mercy to us, as thou hast shown us thy feet. Oh our good
fortune! thou hast called and accepted us as thy slaves. Bid us, and we
shall place thy behest on our heads.' Krishna replied, 'I longed to see
you, and so called you all together. Be ye all happy! Have you any thing
to fear from the demons?' They said, 'Thanks to thy grace, we are
everywhere triumphant. Latterly thou hast, by incarnating thyself,
destroyed the load of sins which used to weigh the Earth down.' This
proves the divine nature of Dwaraka and other [spheres], each of which
imagines 'Krishna dwells in _my_ region.' The presence of Krishna made
Dwaraka feel glory (_baibhaba_); they had all met together, and yet
none could see the others. Then Krishna gave leave to all the Brahmas,
and they returned home after bowing to Him. The four-headed Brahma was
amazed at the sight, and again bowed at Krishna's feet, saying, 'I have
to-day witnessed an example of what I had previously known for certain
in my mind.' _Vide Bhagabat_, X. xiv. 36.
"Krishna replied, 'This universe, though 500 million leagues in extent,
is very small; hence you have four heads only. Other universes are a
thousand million, a _lakh kror_, or even a _kror kror_ leagues in
extent, and their Brahmas have heads proportioned to these sizes. Thus
do I uphold the whole system of universes. Even my one fold divinity
cannot be measured. Who will measure my three-fold divinity?' So saying
Krishna dismissed Brahma. The divine form of Krishna cannot be
explained. The phrase _Supreme Lord_ has another deep meaning: the term
_tri_ means the three regions of Krishna, _viz._, Gokul (named Golok),
Mathura, and Dwaraka. In these three He always dwells naturally. These
three places are full of His inner complete divinity. Of these three
Krishna Himself is the lord. The guardians of directions in all the
aforesaid universes, and the eternal guardians of creation in _Ananta_
and Vaikuntha, all bow to Krishna's seat, touching it with the jewel of
their crowns. In His own _chit_ power Krishna dwells ever. This
property of _chit_-power is called the six divine attributes; it is
also styled Lakshmi in the form of supreme bliss. Hence, the Vedas
declare Krishna to be God Himself. I cannot plunge in the boundless
nectar-oceah of Krishna's divine power, but have touched only a drop of
it". The Master paused for a while, and after composing Himself
continued to teach Sanatan. [Text, canto 21.]