na veda kaĹcid bhagavaášĹ cikÄŤrᚣitaáš
tavehamÄnasya nášášÄáš viá¸ambanam
na yasya kaĹcid dayito âsti karhicid
dveᚣyaĹ ca yasmin viᚣamÄ matir nášášÄm
O Lord, no one can understand Your transcendental pastimes, which appear to be human and so are misleading. You have no speciďŹc object of favor, nor do You have any object of envy. People only imagine that You are partial.
ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam 1.8.29
The Lordâs mercy upon the fallen souls is equally distributed. He has no one as the speciďŹc object of hostility. The very conception of the Personality of Godhead as a human being is misleading. His pastimes appear to be exactly like a human beingâs, but actually they are transcendental and without any tinge of material contamination. He is undoubtedly known as partial to His pure devotees, but in fact He is never partial, as much as the sun is never partial to anyone. By utilizing the sun rays, sometimes even the stones become valuable, whereas a blind man cannot see the sun, although there are enough sun rays before him. Darkness and light are two opposite conceptions, but this does not mean that the sun is partial in distributing its rays. The sun rays are open to everyone, but the capacities of the receptacles differ. Foolish people think that devotional service is ďŹattering the Lord to get special mercy. Factually the pure devotees who are engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord are not a mercantile community. A mercantile house renders service to someone in exchange for values. The pure devotee does not render service unto the Lord for such exchange, and therefore the full mercy of the Lord is open for him. Suffering and needy men, inquisitive persons, or philosophers make temporary connections with the Lord to serve a particular purpose. When the purpose is served, there is no more relation with the Lord. A suffering man, if he is pious at all, prays to the Lord for his recovery. But as soon as the recovery is over, in most cases the suffering man no longer cares to keep any connection with the Lord. The mercy of the Lord is open for him, but he is reluctant to receive it. That is the difference between a pure devotee and a mixed devotee. Those who are completely against the service of the Lord are considered to be in abject darkness; those who ask for the Lordâs favor only at the time of necessity are partial recipients of the mercy of the Lord; and those who are cent-percent engaged in the service of the Lord are full recipients of the mercy of the Lord. Such partiality in receiving the Lordâs mercy is relative to the recipient, and it is not due to the partiality of the all-merciful Lord.
When the Lord descends on this material world by His all-merciful energy, He plays like a human being, and therefore it appears that the Lord is partial to His devotees only, but that is not a fact. Despite such an apparent manifestation of partiality, His mercy is equally distributed. In the BattleďŹeld of Kurukᚣetra all persons who died in the ďŹght before the presence of the Lord got salvation without the necessary qualiďŹcations, because death before the presence of the Lord puriďŹes the passing soul from the effects of all sins, and therefore the dying man gets a place somewhere in the transcendental abode. Somehow or other if someone puts himself open in the sun rays, he is sure to get the requisite beneďŹt both by heat and by ultraviolet rays. Therefore, the conclusion is that the Lord is never partial. It is wrong for the people in general to think of Him as partial.
The Lord says in Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ (4.8):
paritrÄášÄya sÄdhĹŤnÄáš
vinÄĹÄya ca duᚣkáštÄm
dharma-saášsthÄpanÄrthÄya
sambhavÄmi yuge yuge
âIn order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.â
When God incarnates, He has two missions â to vanquish the demons and deliver the sÄdhus, the faithful devotees. The word sÄdhĹŤnÄm, which means âsaintly persons,â refers to devotees. It has nothing to do with worldly honesty or dishonesty, morality or immorality; it has nothing to do with material activities. Sometimes we may think that the word sÄdhu refers to a person who is materially good or moral, but actually the word sÄdhu refers to one who is on the transcendental platform. A sÄdhu, therefore, is a devotee, because one who engages in devotional service is transcendental to material qualities (sa guášÄn samatÄŤtyaitÄn).
Now, the Lord comes to deliver the devotees (paritrÄášÄya sÄdhĹŤnÄm), but it is clearly stated in Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ (14.26) that a devotee transcends the material qualities (sa guášÄn samatÄŤtyaitÄn). A devotee is in a transcendental position because he is no longer under the control of the three material modes of nature â goodness, passion, and ignorance. But if a sÄdhu is already delivered, being on the transcendental platform, then where is the necessity of delivering him? This question may arise. The Lord comes to deliver the devotee, but the devotee is already delivered. Therefore the word viá¸ambanam, meaning âbewildering,â is used in this verse because this appears contradictory.
The answer to this contradiction is that a sÄdhu, a devotee, does not require deliverance, but because he is very much anxious to see the Supreme Lord face to face, KášášŁáša comes not to deliver him from the clutches of matter, from which he has already been delivered, but to satisfy his inner desire. Just as a devotee wants to satisfy the Lord in all respects, the Lord even more wants to satisfy the devotee. Such are the exchanges of loving affairs. Even in our ordinary dealings, if we love someone we want to satisfy him or her, and he or she also wants to reciprocate. So if the reciprocation of loving affairs exists in this material world, in what an elevated way must it exist in the spiritual world. There is a verse in which the Lord says, âThe sÄdhu is My heart, and I am also the sÄdhuâs heart.â The sÄdhu is always thinking of KášášŁáša, and KášášŁáša is always thinking of the sÄdhu, His devotee.
The appearance and disappearance of the Lord within this material world are called cikÄŤrᚣitam, pastimes. It is KášášŁášaâs pastime that He comes. Of course, when the Lord comes He has some work to perform â to protect the sÄdhu and kill those who are against the sÄdhu â but both of these activities are His pastimes.
The Lord is not envious. The killing of the demons is also a display of His affection. Sometimes we may punish our children by giving them a very strong slap because of love. Similarly, when KášášŁáša kills a demon this killing is not on the platform of material jealousy or envy, but on the platform of affection. Therefore it is mentioned in the ĹÄstras, the Vedic literatures, that even the demons killed by the Lord attain immediate salvation. PĹŤtanÄ, for example, was a demoniac witch who wanted to kill KášášŁáša. When KášášŁáša was performing pastimes as a small child, she coated the nipple of her breast with poison and approached KášášŁášaâs home to offer the milk of her breast. âWhen KášášŁáša sucks my nipple,â she thought, âthe child will immediately die.â But that was not possible. Who can kill KášášŁáša? Instead she herself was killed, for KášášŁáša sucked the nipple and also sucked out her life altogether. But what was the result? KášášŁáša took the bright side. âThis demoniac woman came to kill Me,â He thought, âbut somehow or other I have sucked her breast milk, so she is My mother.â Thus PĹŤtanÄ attained the position of KášášŁášaâs mother in the spiritual world. This is explained in the ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam, where Uddhava says to Vidura that KášášŁáša is so kind, God is so kind, that even the witch who wanted to kill Him with poison was accepted as His mother. âSince KášášŁáša is such a kind God,â he said, âwhom else shall I worship but KášášŁáša?â
KuntÄŤdevÄŤ says, na yasya kaĹcid dayitaḼ. The word dayita means âfavorite.â KášášŁáša favors no one. DveᚣyaĹ ca: and no one is His enemy. We expect some benediction or proďŹt from a friend and harmful activities from an enemy, but KášášŁáša is so perfect that no one can harm Him nor can anyone give Him anything. So who can be His friend or enemy? Na yasya kaĹcid dayito âsti: He doesnât need anyoneâs favor. He is complete. I may be a very poor man, and therefore I may expect some favor from a friend, but that is because I am imperfect. Because I am not full, because I am deďŹcient in so many ways, I am always needy, and therefore I want to create some friend, and similarly I hate an enemy. But since KášášŁáša is the Supreme, no one can harm KášášŁáša, nor can anyone give KášášŁáša anything.
Why then are we worshiping KášášŁáša in the temple by offering KášášŁáša so many comforts, dressing Him, decorating Him, and giving Him nice food? We should try to understand that KášášŁáša does not need our offerings of nice garments, ďŹowers, or food, but if we give such offerings to KášášŁáša, we shall beneďŹt. Thus it is KášášŁášaâs favor that He accepts such offerings. If one decorates oneself, oneâs reďŹection in a mirror will also appear decorated. Similarly, since we are reďŹections of KášášŁáša, if we decorate KášášŁáša we also shall be decorated. In the Bible it is said that man was made in the image of God, and this means that we are reďŹections of Godâs image. It is not that we invent or imagine some form of God according to our own form. Those who adhere to the MÄyÄvÄda philosophy of anthropomorphism say, âThe Absolute Truth is impersonal, but because we are persons we imagine that the Absolute Truth is also a person.â This is a mistake, and in fact just the opposite is true. We have two hands, two legs, and a head because God Himself has these same features. We have personal forms because we are reďŹections of God. Furthermore, we should philosophically understand that if the original person beneďŹts, the reďŹection also beneďŹts. So if we decorate KášášŁáša, we also shall be decorated. If we satisfy KášášŁáša, we shall become satisďŹed. If we offer nice food to KášášŁáša, we shall also eat the same food. Those who live outside the temples of KášášŁáša consciousness may never have imagined such palatable food as the food we are offering to KášášŁáša, but because it is being offered to KášášŁáša, we also have the opportunity to eat it. So we should try to satisfy KášášŁáša in all respects, and then we shall be satisďŹed in all respects.
KášášŁáša does not need our service, but He kindly accepts it. When KášášŁáša asks us to surrender unto Him (sarva-dharmÄn parityajya mÄm ekaáš Ĺaraášaáš vraja), this does not mean that KášášŁáša is lacking servants and that if we surrender He will proďŹt. KášášŁáša can create millions of servants by His mere desire. So that is not the point. But if we surrender to KášášŁáša, we shall be saved, for KášášŁáša says, ahaáš tvÄáš sarva-pÄpebhyo mokᚣayiᚣyÄmi: âI shall free you from all sinful reactions.â We are suffering here in this material world without any shelter. We even see many people loitering in the street, with no aim in life. When we go walking by the beach in the early morning, we see many young people sleeping or loitering there, aimless, confused, and not knowing what to do. But if we take shelter of KášášŁáša, then we shall know, âOh, now I have found shelter.â Then there will be no more confusion, no more hopelessness. I receive so many letters daily from people expressing how they have found hope in KášášŁáša consciousness. Therefore, it is not a fact that KášášŁáša descended here merely to collect some servants. Rather, He descended for our beneďŹt.
Unfortunately, however, instead of becoming KášášŁášaâs servants, we are becoming servants of so many other things. We are servants of our senses and the sensual activities of lust, anger, greed, and illusion. Actually the whole world is serving in this way. But if we engage our senses in the service of KášášŁáša, we shall no longer be servants of the senses, but masters of the senses. When we have the strength to refuse to allow our senses to be engaged other than in the service of KášášŁáša, then we shall be saved.
Here KuntÄŤdevÄŤ says, âYour appearance in this material world is misleading, bewildering.â We think, âKášášŁáša has some mission, some purpose, and therefore He has appeared.â No, it is for His pastimes that He appears. For example, sometimes a governor goes to inspect a prison. He gets reports from the prison superintendent, so he has no business going there, but still he sometimes goes, thinking, âLet me see how they are doing.â This may be called a pastime because he is going by his free will. It is not that he has become subject to the laws of the prison. But still a foolish prisoner may think, âOh, here the governor is also in prison. So we are equal. I am also governor.â Rascals think like that. âBecause KášášŁáša has descended as an avatÄra,â they say, âI am also an avatÄra.â So here it is said, na veda kaĹcid bhagavaášĹ cikÄŤrᚣitam: âNo one knows the purpose of Your appearance and disappearance.â TavehamÄnasya nášášÄáš viá¸ambanam: the Lordâs pastimes are bewildering. No one can understand their real purpose.
The real purpose of the Lordâs pastimes is His free will. He thinks, âLet Me go and see.â He doesnât need to come to kill the demons. He has so many agents in the material nature that can kill them. For example, in a moment He can kill thousands of demons merely by a strong wind. Nor does He need to come to give protection to the devotees, for He can do everything simply by His will. But He descends to enjoy pleasure pastimes. âLet Me go and see.â
Sometimes KášášŁáša even wants to enjoy the pleasure pastimes of ďŹghting. The ďŹghting spirit is also in KášášŁáša, otherwise wherefrom have we gotten it? Because we are part and parcel of KášášŁáša, all the qualities of KášášŁáša are present in minute quantity within us. We are samples of KášášŁáša. Wherefrom do we get the ďŹghting spirit? It is present in KášášŁáša. Therefore, just as a king sometimes engages a wrestler to ďŹght with him, KášášŁáša also engages living entities to engage in ďŹghting. The wrestler is paid to ďŹght with the king. He is not the kingâs enemy; rather, he gives pleasure to the king by mock ďŹghting. But when KášášŁáša wants to ďŹght, who will ďŹght with Him? Not anyone ordinary. If a king wants to practice mock ďŹghting, he will engage some very qualiďŹed wrestler. Similarly, KášášŁáša does not ďŹght with anyone ordinary, but rather with some of His great devotees. Because KášášŁáša wants to ďŹght, some of His devotees come down to this material world to become His enemies and ďŹght with Him. For example, the Lord descended to kill HiraášyakaĹipu and HiraášyÄkᚣa. Should we think that these were ordinary living entities? No, they were the great devotees Jaya and Vijaya, who came to this world because KášášŁáša wanted to ďŹght. In the Vaikuášášha world, the spiritual world, there is no possibility of ďŹghting, because everyone there engages in KášášŁášaâs service. With whom will He ďŹght? Therefore He sends some devotee in the garb of an enemy and comes here to this material world to ďŹght with him. At the same time, the Lord teaches us that becoming His enemy is not very proďŹtable and that it is better to become His friend. KuntÄŤdevÄŤ therefore says, na veda kaĹcid bhagavaášĹ cikÄŤrᚣitam: âNo one knows the purpose of Your appearance and disappearance.â TavehamÄnasya nášášÄáš viá¸ambanam: âYou are in this world just like an ordinary human being, and this is bewildering.â
Because KášášŁáša sometimes appears like an ordinary man, people sometimes cannot believe or understand His activities. They wonder, âHow can God become an ordinary person like us?â But although KášášŁáša sometimes plays like an ordinary person, in fact He is not ordinary, and whenever necessary He displays the powers of God. When sixteen thousand girls were kidnapped by the demon BhaumÄsura, they prayed to KášášŁáša, and therefore KášášŁáša went to the demonâs palace, killed the demon, and delivered all the girls. But according to the strict Vedic system, if an unmarried girl leaves her home even for one night, no one will marry her. Therefore when KášášŁáša told the girls, âNow you can safely return to your fathersâ homes,â they replied, âSir, if we return to the homes of our fathers, what will be our fate? No one will marry us, because this man kidnapped us.â
âThen what do you want?â KášášŁáša asked. The girls replied, âWe want You to become our husband.â And KášášŁáša is so kind that He immediately said yes and accepted them.
Now, when KášášŁáša brought the girls back home to His capital city, it is not that each of the sixteen thousand wives had to wait sixteen thousand nights to meet KášášŁáša. Rather, KášášŁáša expanded Himself into sixteen thousand forms, constructed sixteen thousand palaces, and lived in each palace with each wife.
Although this is described in ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam, rascals cannot understand this. Instead they criticize KášášŁáša. âHe was very lusty,â they say. âHe married sixteen thousand wives.â But even if He is lusty, He is unlimitedly lusty. God is unlimited. Why sixteen thousand? He could marry sixteen million and still not reach the limits of His perfection. That is KášášŁáša. We cannot accuse KášášŁáša of being lusty or sensuous. No. There are so many devotees of KášášŁáša, and KášášŁáša shows favor to all of them. Some ask KášášŁáša to become their husband, some ask KášášŁáša to become their friend, some ask KášášŁáša to become their son, and some ask KášášŁáša to become their playmate. In this way, there are millions and trillions of devotees all over the universe, and KášášŁáša has to satisfy them all. He does not need any help from these devotees, but because they want to serve Him in a particular way, the Lord reciprocates. These sixteen thousand devotees wanted KášášŁáša as their husband, and therefore KášášŁáša agreed.
Thus KášášŁáša may sometimes act like a common man, but as God He expanded Himself into sixteen thousand forms. Once the great sage NÄrada went to visit KášášŁáša and His wives. âKášášŁáša has married sixteen thousand wives,â he thought. âLet me see how He is dealing with them.â Then he found KášášŁáša living differently in each of the sixteen thousand palaces. In one palace He was talking with His wife, in another He was playing with His children, in another He was arranging for the marriage of His sons and daughters, and in this way He was engaged in varied pastimes in all of the sixteen thousand palaces. Similarly, in His childhood KášášŁáša played just like an ordinary child, but when His mother, YaĹodÄ, wanted Him to open His mouth so that she could see whether He had eaten dirt, within His mouth He showed her all the universes. This is KášášŁáša. Although He plays just like an ordinary human being, when there is need He shows His nature as God. To give another example, KášášŁáša acted as the chariot driver of Arjuna, but when Arjuna wanted to see KášášŁášaâs universal form, KášášŁáša immediately showed him a cosmic form with thousands and millions of heads, legs, arms, and weapons. This is KášášŁáša.
KášášŁáša is completely independent, and He has no friends or enemies, but He plays for the beneďŹt of both His friends and enemies, and when He acts for the beneďŹt of either, the result is the same. That is KášášŁášaâs absolute nature.