Srimad Bhagavatam

Being beyond the range of limited sense perception, Kṛṣṇa is eternally irreproachable covered by the curtain of deluding energy. It is not that He is covered by māyā, just as the sun is not covered by the cloud. It is our vision that is covered by māyā because the Lord is beyond sense knowledge. He is not visible to the foolish observer just as an actor dressed as a player is not recognized. Though an ignorant person sees a dancer dancing, he still does not see being unaware of the rasas involved. Similarly though Kuntī saw Kṛṣṇa, she said she really did not see Him. Though He is the soul within all living beings, He personally counteracted the weapon of Aśvatthāmā. Though He promised not to use weapons, He took up a weapon. Though He protects the righteous, He had Bhīṣma and others killed. Though He was most affectionate to Draupadī and Subhadrā, He let their sons be killed. Thus Kuntī could not know the truth about Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.

The Lord affirms in Bhagavad gītā that the foolish mistake Him to be an ordinary person, and deride Him. But we see that the Lord performed many pastimes which are humanly impossible like the killing of Pūtanā, lifting the Govardhana hill and so on. In addition He has delivered wonderful instructions in the form of the gītā. He is accepted as the Supreme Personality by authorities such as Vyāsa, Devala, Asita, Nārada and others. But due to poor fund of knowledge and stubborn obstinacy, some are reluctant to accept the Lord as the Supreme Absolute truth. The Lord cannot be known by imperfect experimental knowledge because He is beyond the range of mundane perception. Our observation is limited to certain material conditions. To recognize the authority of the Lord, one should start with worshipping Him in temples, mosques or churches. Only the foolish would decry the establishment of such places of worship. For the less intelligent this worship is as beneficial as it is for the advanced devotees to meditate upon the Lord by active service.

Kuntī offered her respectful obeisances unto Kṛṣṇa, who is the son of Vasudeva, the pleasure of Devakī, the boy of Nanda and other cowherd men of Vṛndāvana, and the enlivener of the cows and senses. (kṛṣṇāya vāsudevāya, devakī-nandanāya ca, nanda-gopa-kumārāya, govindāya namo namaḥ). Kṛṣṇa’s most intimate names are those that indicate His dealings with His devotees. When He is called by those names, He remembers Himself in relation to the particular devotee connected with that name and His heart melts. Because of His quality as bhakta-vatsala, Kṛṣṇa may be known by His own grace. The Lord being unapproachable by material means, descends on the earth out of causeless mercy in order to show His special mercy on His unalloyed devotees and to diminish the upsurges of the demons. The Lord as Kṛṣṇa is more approachable than any other incarnation. When He came as Rāma, He remained a king’s son but as Kṛṣṇa He played the part of a cowherd boy in Vrajabhūmi.

Though all those who have prema are fortunate, Vasudeva was more fortunate since Kṛṣṇa selected him as His father. And Devakī endowed with even more prema was most fortunate since Kṛṣṇa situated Himself within her womb. Nanda and Yaśodā are more fortunate than Vasudeva and Devakī because they could relish the childhood (kumāra) pastimes, which are more attractive than all other pastimes. The pastimes of kaiśora age has even more sweetness than the kaumāra pastimes. Thus Kuntī addressed Kṛṣṇa as Govinda, a name He got at the beginning of his kaiśora age after He was bathed by the Surabhi cow. He takes possession (vinda) of all the senses (go) of all people. The enjoyers of this form of Kṛṣṇa was not mentioned by Kuntī because of the esoteric nature of this love.

The Lord had released His mother, Devakī, who was imprisoned and distressed by Kaṁsa, and Kuntī and her children from a series of constant dangers. Kuntī, being a widow, was shown greater favor than Devakī because the Lord protected all her sons whereas the sons of Devakī born before Kṛṣṇa were killed by Kaṁsa. Devakī had a husband and was happy with repeated expectations that the Supreme Lord would be born from her womb. And after Kṛṣṇa was born, she had no danger at all. But Kuntī was in all ways wretched. The Lord was more merciful to her because He is the friend of the most fallen. Thus Kṛṣṇa endows more favor to a devotee who is in greater dangers. Sometimes He puts His devotees in such dangers because in that condition the devotee becomes more attached to the Lord.

Devakī was once put into difficulty by Kaṁsa, otherwise she was well. Kṛṣṇa killed Kaṁsa and released Devakī. But the Pāṇḍavas were put into one difficulty after another for many years. Each time they were saved by the Lord. Once Bhīma was administered poison in a cake; then the Pāṇḍavas were put into a house made of shellac and set afire; during exile in the forest Bhīma had to fight with cannibals; Draupadī was insulted by the Kauravas in the assembly. Then there was the battle of Kurukṣetra where Arjuna had to meet great generals like Droṇa, Bhīṣma and Karṇa. At last Aśvatthāmā released the brahmāstra to kill the son of Uttarā within her womb. The Lord saved the Pāṇḍavas from all these tribulations.

Kṛṣṇa can be easily approached only by those who are materially exhausted. He is available to those who have nothing except Him. Those with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty cannot approach the Lord with sincere feeling. All materialists are mad after possessing opulences and this is known as the advancement of material civilization. The result is one becomes puffed up and cannot address the Lord feelingly, “O Govinda, O Kṛṣṇa.” The Lord’s holy name is so potent that even once chanting them, one can get rid of huge piles of sin. But there is a quality for such utterances also. A helpless man can feelingly utter the holy name, whereas a man who utters the name in great material satisfaction cannot be so sincere. Thus the principles of material advancement outlined above are disqualifications for progress on the path of spiritual advancement. Sometimes it is seen that spiritually advanced persons become materially impoverished. This is a good sign as much as the falling of temperature from a diseased body. When the fever of material illusion reduces, one can progress rapidly toward Kṛṣṇa. Yet it must be said that matter used fully in Kṛṣṇa’s service does not cause a devotee to stumble. Poverty does not help one make spiritual advancement, but selfish attempts to prosper materially will certainly hinder one’s progress. Some examples of akiñcana are: Gaura-kiśora Bābājī who possessed nothing and his disciple Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, who possessed so many temples. Similarly Rūpa Gosvāmī was an akiñcana as well as Rāmānanda Rāya, who was a very opulent gṛhastha.