krishna/articles/2011/028

So those who are too much infected by these material qualities, they cannot understand Krsna. Naham prakasah sarvasya yoga-maya-samavrtah [Bg. 7.25]. They think that "Krsna and we are the same." But that is not the fact. Avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam [Bg. 9.11]. Because Krsna comes as human being, we may think that "Krsna is as good as I am." No, that should not be... Krsna is vibhu, and we are anu. Krsna is master, and we are servant. That is our eternal relationship. We should not forget that. And sa esa prakrtim suksmam daivim gunamayim vibhuh. Prakrti, prakrti, this prakrti is also Krsna's. Krsna, the supreme powerful, He can utilize the prakrti as He likes. He is not controlled by prakrti. But we are controlled by prakrti. Because He is vibhu... Vibhu means the great. So you cannot say great maya, or prakrti is greater than Krsna. You cannot say. Then your God is not great. If something is greater than God, then you cannot say God is great. If you accept this, that there is no more greater identity than Krsna, then you can say, "Krsna is great, or..." Krsna cannot be entrapped. Nunam mahatan tatra. If you are smaller, then you can be overpowered by the great. If your strength is lesser than another man... Say, two wrestler. If one wrestler is more powerful, he can defeat the other wrestler.

So therefore, here it is said that vibhuh... Krsna is vibhuh, and if He is covered by maya... As the Mayavadi philosopher thinks, that "When God comes within this material world, He is also covered by maya..." He is not covered by maya. If maya is greater than Krsna, then maya can cover Krsna. But that is not the fact. Krsna says, mama maya. That means... Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14]. If one surrenders to Krsna, then he becomes free from the clutches of maya. So how Krsna can be caught by maya? This is contradictory. If anyone surrenders to Krsna, he becomes free from the influence of maya, simply by surrendering. Then how Krsna can be influenced by maya? It is common sense. By surrendering to Krsna, by becoming a devotee of Krsna, you become free from the clutches of maya. Mam eva ye prapadyante. Simply by surrendering. Mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14]. So never think that Krsna... The Mayavadi thinks like that, that "We are one, Krsna and we. We are one." Yes, we are one -- in quality. The same thing: just like the fire and the spark, one in burning capacity. Even a small spark of the fire, it can burn. So we are one in the spiritual quality, but in quantity, we are different. Same example: vibhu and anu. This is very nice verse in the Bhagavad-gita, mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14].

Vyasadeva, Vyasadeva, when he was instructed by his spiritual master Narada Muni to write Srimad-Bhagavatam, at that time, by bhakti-yoga meditation, he could see the Supreme Personality of Godhead and this maya also. But it is said, mayam ca tad-apasrayam. Maya is situated in the back side, back side, without any influence upon Krsna, apasrayam, under the control. So maya is always controlled. Krsna is the controller of maya.

In another place, in the Brahma-samhita it is said, srsti-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktir eka chayeva yasya bhuvanani bibharti durga [Bs. 5.44]. Durga is the material energy, and she has got immense power. Srsti-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktih. She is controlling this creation or this whole universe, srsti, and sthiti, its maintenance, and pralaya. Three things she is controlling. She is so powerful. Srsti-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktir eka chayeva yasya bhuvanani bibharti durga [Bs. 5.44]. The durga-sakti, material energy, she is so powerful, but it is working chayeva, just like shadow. Shadow has no independent capacity; it is dependent on the substance. Substance and shadow. So Krsna is the substance, and the power derived from Krsna, partially exhibited by the durga-sakti. In the Upanisad also it is said, na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate na tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate. Krsna, the Supreme Personality of God, He has nothing to do. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate na tat-samah. Nobody is equal to Him. Krsna also says in the Bhagavad-gita, mattah parataram nanyat kincit: [Bg. 7.7] "There is nothing superior than Me, the Supreme." In the Srimad-Bhagavatam also it is said, om namo bhagavate vasudevaya, satyam param dhimahi [SB 1.1.1]. That is the Supreme Truth.

Ref: Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.26.4 -- Bombay, December 16, 1974.