· Visnu and Krsna bhakti

[Guest guest]

Some info from Sr…la Prabhup€da....

 

ys Dbd

 

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Advaitam acyutam. Advaitam acyutam ananta-r¦pam. K™¢a’s ananta-r¦pam does

not make any difference. There is no difference between R€macandra and

K™¢a. R€m€di-m¦rti¢u kal€-niyamena ti¢¤han [bs. 5.39]. K™¢a is always...

When we say “K™¢a”—K™¢a with all His expansions, Vi¢u expansions. So

either you worship R€ma or K™¢a, it is the same. Or Vi¢u. There is no

difference. Therefore advaitam acyutam an€dim ananta-r¦pam €dyam [bs. 5.33].

But still, K™¢a is the €dyam, original.

 

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That is also advised in Bhagavad-g…t€: man-man€, mad-bh... Man-man€ bhava

mad-bhaktaƒ. Your mind should be engaged always in K™¢a. K™¢a or R€ma,

which form ever you like—Vi¢u form, or Lord Vi¢u, N€r€yaa, Kapiladeva.

There are innumerable forms of God. Advaitam acyutam an€dim ananta-r¦pam

[bs. 5.33]. So R€ma, N™siˆha, Var€ha, K™¢a, Kapiladeva, Balar€ma—there are

so many forms. So any one of Them, whichever you like... Everyone is... Just

like Hanum€n. He liked R€macandra forms, and Arjuna liked K™¢a’s form. But

there is no difference between R€ma and K™¢a. R€m€di-m¦rti¢u kal€-niyamena

ti¢¤han n€n€vat€ram akarod bhuvane¢u kintu [bs. 5.39].

 

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Sometimes foolish people question us that “You are worshiping K™¢a. Why you

do not worship R€ma?” R€ma and K™¢a, there is no difference. But anyone has

got his liking. Just like Hanum€n has liking to worship Lord R€macandra, and

the gop…s had the liking to worship K™¢a. That does not make any

difference. It is like... Ye yath€ m€ˆ prapadyante [bg. 4.11]. K™¢a, the

Lord, appears in different way. Sometimes the gop…s... The K™¢a went away

from the gop…s, and the gop…s were searching out K™¢a. So in some place

K™¢a was sitting in the Vi¢u form. So the gop…s passed through that Deity,

and they did not offer muc h respect. “Oh, He is Vi¢u. All right,

namask€ra.” Because they wanted to see K™¢a. There is no difference between

K™¢a and Vi¢u, but every devotee has got some inclination, love K™¢a.

R€m€di-m¦rti¢u kal€-niyamena ti¢¤han [bs. 5.39].

 

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K™¢a is the paramaƒ pum€n, although there is no difference between R€ma and

Vi¢u and N€r€yaa and K™¢a. They are the same, same potency. Just like the

candle, first candle. And lit up another candle, it is second candle, but

the second candle is not less in power of lighting, the same. But still this

is first, this is second. Similarly, k™¢aƒ svayaˆ samabhavat paramaƒ pum€n

yo

 

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The vi¢u-tattva is called sv€ˆœa. There is no difference between one

vi¢u-tattva to another. Just like (indistinct) R€macandra, He is

vi¢u-tattva. N€r€yaa, vi¢u-tattva. Balar€ma, vi¢u-tattva. So there is no

difference in power. They are called sv€ˆœa, sv€ˆœa-vist™ra

 

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Paramahaˆsa: Sometimes people ask, though, they say, “Why is it that even

among the €c€ryas sometimes we find there is a difference of opinion?”

 

Prabhup€da: They are not €c€ryas. They are not €c€ryas. There is no

difference of understanding between €c€ryas. What Madhv€c€rya understands,

we also understand. Suppose you are present also. So there is no difference.

What R€m€nuj€c€rya understands, we also understand. What Caitanya Mah€prabhu

understand, we also understand. So where is the difference? Difference

should be that the fact that he is not €c€rya. As soon as he differs from

the previous €c€ryas, that means he is not €c€rya. Otherwise there is full

agreement between all the €c€ryas. Just like K™¢a is the Supreme Person,

all €c€ryas agree. Where is the difference? Does R€m€nuj€c€rya differ from

Madhv€c€rya, or Madhv€c€rya differ from Œr… Caitanya, Caitanya differs

from—no. There is no difference. That is Vai¢ava. All the Vai¢avas

understand that Vi¢u is the Supreme. There may be, sometimes, such as K™¢a

is understood as incarnation of Vi¢u, and sometimes they understand Vi¢u

as the incarnation of K™¢a. That is samprad€ya. That is samprad€ya. But

either K™¢a or Vi¢u, He is Supreme, that is accepted by all.

 

Paramahaˆsa: So that point is not so important whether K™¢a is coming from

Vi¢u or Vi¢u is coming from K™¢a.

 

Prabhup€da: Yes, that is not important. Because, actually both of them the

same, the Supreme. That example we give that candle, two candles, that so

far the power of lighting is concerned, both of them equal. Now, you may say

this is first candle, I say if it is first candle. But so far the power is

concerned, there is no difference of opinion. If I love somebody, I’ll say

he is first. And if you love somebody, you’ll say he is first. But both of

them same. Just like devotees, some devotees are very... Hanumanji, he’ll

never accept K™¢a. And the gop…s will never accept R€ma or Vi¢u. So far

the K™¢a and Vi¢u, they are all the same. What do you think?

 

Paramahaˆsa: I think perhaps (indistinct) So actually the differences,

whatever little differences may arise, those differences amongst the

€c€ryas, they are due to different feelings of love for K™¢a or His

manifestations.

 

Prabhup€da: You’ll find in some, among some devotees, they will criticize,

“Why you are worshiping R€macandra? He could not save even His wife.”

(laughter) And some will, “Ah, you are worshiping K™¢a. He was so fond of

women.” Like that. In V™nd€vana you’ll find they are different. Somebody

will say, “Hare K™¢a,” another will say, “S…t€ R€ma.” There will be

competition. There is not difference. Both of them know that either I

worship R€ma or K™¢a, They are the same.

 

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So as soon as you focus your mind upon K™¢a or Vi¢u, that is bhakti-yoga.

Either you do it by meditation or do it twenty-four hours by practical

application of your activities for K™¢a, that is called bhakti-yoga.

 

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Sometimes they argue that K™¢a is the incarnation of Vi¢u, but that is not

the fact. Vi¢u is incarnation of K™¢a. Now, there is no use arguing,

because there is no difference between incarnation and the source of

incarnation. The example is given: just like d…p€rcir eva hi daœ€ntaram

abhyupetya d…p€yate [bs. 5.46]. Just like you have got one thousand candles

here. So first you light on one candle, then the second, the third, the

fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh—you go on increasing. So each candle is equal

to another candle. So far candlepower light is concerned, there is no

difference. The first candle and the second candle, although second candle

is lit up from the first candle, but the power of light is the same, either

in the first candle or in the second candle. Similarly, do not think that

because K™¢a is the original candle and the next candle is Balar€ma, or

R€ma, that does not mean Balar€ma, or R€ma, is less powerful than K™¢a.

 

They are equally powerful. D…p€rcir eva hi daœ€ntaram abhyupetya d…p€yate

viv™ta-hetu-sam€na-dharm€ [bs. 5.46]. There is no difference.

 

So don’t consider that incarnation means less important. No. But because

K™¢a is the original source, therefore Bh€gavata is pointing out that

“These incarnation, all these incarnation, they are expansion of the

original Personality of Godhead, K™¢a, or expansion of the expansion,”

kal€ƒ. Aˆœa and kal€. Aˆœa means direct expansion, and kal€ means expansion

of the expansion. Just like K™¢a’s direct expansion is Balar€ma. Then, from

Balar€ma, there is further expansion: Sa‰kar¢aa, Aniruddha, Pradyumna, like

that. Then Mah€-Vi¢u, another expansion. Then from Mah€-Vi¢u to

Garbhodakaœ€y… Vi¢u. Then Garbhodakaœ€y… Vi¢u to K¢…rodakaœ€y… Vi¢u. From

K¢…rodakaœ€y… Vi¢u, Param€tm€, ®œvara. ®œvaraƒ sarva-bh¦t€n€ˆ h™d-deœe

’rjuna ti¢¤hati [bg. 18.61]. The all-pervading. So all of them are expansion

and equally powerful. But still, for understanding, for pure knowledge, we

should under stand that K™¢a is the origin. Ahaˆ sarvasya prabhavaƒ [bg.

10.8]. This is the...

 

So anyone who will recite these incarnations of God, K™¢a, regularly, in

the morning and evening, that is the phala-œruti...(?) Janma guhyaˆ

bhagavataƒ. Bhagavataƒ.

 

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R€ma is paraˆ brahma, and K™¢a is also paraˆ brahma. K™¢a is recognized by

Arjuna after understanding Bhagavad-g…t€, paraˆ brahma paraˆ dh€ma pavitraˆ

paramaˆ bhav€n [bg. 10.12]. So there is no different between R€ma and K™¢a.

K™¢a is also paraˆ brahma and R€ma is also paraˆ brahma. [break] ...day of

Lord R€macandra. So we Vai¢ava, we have equal faith and obeisances to all

vi¢u-m¦rtis, r€m€di-m¦rti¢u, R€ma, N™siˆha, Var€ha, N€r€yaa, Mah€vi¢u....

There are advaitam acyutam an€dim ananta-r¦pam [bs. 5.33]. But we Gau…ya

Vai¢ava or Madhva-Gau…ya Vai¢ava, we are worshiper of Lord K™¢a m¦rti.

Lord R€macandra’s m¦rti and K™¢a’s m¦rti, there is no difference. But as I

have already explained, K™¢a paraˆ brahma full-fledged, and Lord R€macandra

is also paraˆ brahma, but He did not exhibit His full-fledged opulence. So

these are very confidential things, but still, on the birthday of Lord

R€macandra we offer our respectful obeisances at His lotus feet so that He

may be merciful upon us to bestow His bhakti, devotional service.

 

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Sama means equal. ÷rdhva means greater. Asamordhva So everyone is emanation

from God, but nobody is equal with God. But the vi¢u-tattva, They are the

same. There is no difference between K™¢a and R€macandra, N€r€yaa, Vi¢u,

because They are vi¢u-tattva. Baladeva. They are equally powerful. But

j…va-tattva, we living entities, although we are part and parcel of God, we

are not equally powerful. That is called the philosophy of

acintya-bhed€bheda-tattva, simultaneously one and different.