Srimad Bhagavatam

The Lord is bewildering because though He is inactive, He still works, and He takes birth, though He is the vital force and the unborn. He descends amongst animals, men, sages and aquatics. Although all pervading, the Lord descends in the form of a boar among animals, in the form of a human being as Rāma, in the form of a sage like (Nara)-Nārāyaṇa, and as a fish among aquatics. The Lord has manifold energies, and everything is performed by automatic knowledge, strength and activity. Thus the Lord’s activities, forms and deeds are all inconceivable to our limited thinking power. He descends as a hog and as a fish. He is banished to the forest as Rāma. He is born in a prison as Kṛṣṇa. His intimate devotees, the Pāṇḍavas, undergo continuous tribulations. He steals butter and distributes it to the monkeys. One acts motivated by the desire to achieve something, but Kṛṣṇa lacks nothing. He possesses supreme self satisfaction. Kṛṣṇa is not impelled by anything outside Himself, as no such thing exists. Jīva Gosvāmī concludes that the Lord’s pastimes are inconceivable. The Lord can be understood by pure devotees, who know that although the Lord appears among animals, humans, sages or fish, He is not any of these but the Supreme Lord in all circumstances.

Since the Lord is without birth and material action, His pastimes with birth and action must not actually be true. But this is incompatible with the fact that the pastimes were attractive to ātmārāmas like Śuka. And from BG 4.9 we know that the Lord’s birth and activities are factual. But this is incompatible with the statement that the Lord has no birth and activities. Thus who can know the truth about the Lord possessing unlimited, inconceivable powers?

Because the Lord’s appearance in this world is bewildering, there are different opinions about the birth of the Unborn. Some say that the unborn is born for the glorification of pious kings like Yudhiṣṭhira. The Lord wanted to establish the rule of the Pāṇḍavas for the good of the world. Others say that He appeared to please King Yadu, one of His dearest devotees. Kṛṣṇa appeared in Yadu’s family as sandalwood appeared in the Malaya hills. Trees can grow anywhere and everywhere, yet because the sandalwood trees grow mostly in Malaya hills, the name sandalwood and the Malaya hills are interrelated. The conclusion is that the lord is ever unborn like the sun, and yet He appears as the sun rises on the eastern horizon. As the sun is never the sun of the eastern horizon, so the Lord is no one’s son.

Others say that since Vasudeva and Devakī, in their previous births as Sutapā and Pṛśni, prayed for Him, Kṛṣṇa took birth as their son. Although unborn, He takes birth for their welfare and to kill the enemies of the demigods. Some say that when Brahmā prayed for the Lord to diminish the burden of the world, He appeared. Nārāyaṇa as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu entered the material universe, and from Him Brahmā was born from the lotus that grows out of Nārāyaṇa’s navel. Brahmā is called ātma-bhū because he was directly born from his father without being put into the womb of a mother. Within the halo of the universe there is a planet called Śvetadvīpa, which is the abode of Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. When there is trouble in the universe that cannot be solved by the administrative demigods, they approach Brahmā, and even if Brahmā cannot solve it, then he prays at the shore of the Kṣīrodaka ocean asking the Lord to incarnate. When the earth became overburdened by the misdeeds of Kaṁsa and other demons, Brahmā prayed and was advised of the descent of Kṛṣṇa as the son of Vasudeva and Devakī.

Yet others say that the Lord appeared to rejuvenate the devotional service of hearing, remembering, worshiping and so on in order that the conditioned souls suffering from material pangs might take advantage and gain liberation. The Lord appears to reestablish the way of religion. No one but the Lord can establish the path of religion. The constitutional position of a living being is to render service to the Lord. But under illusion one becomes the servant of the senses due to material desires. Thus he becomes entangled in the cycle birth and death. First there is ignorance and then desire and then action. People suffer due to actions arising from material desires which are due to ignorance. The Lord out of His causeless mercy appears and renovates the principles of devotional service comprised of hearing, chanting, remembering, serving, worshiping, praying, cooperating, becoming friends and surrendering everything unto Him.

Kuntī said that they were completely dependent on the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, with no one to protect them. She asked why the Lord was leaving when all the kings were at enmity with them. If Kṛṣṇa were to say that He had to go because of having necessary work to do at Dvārakā, Kuntī says all His deeds are automatically accomplished. In the material world it is a sign of misfortune to be dependent on someone else’s mercy. But in transcendental relation with the Lord, it is most fortunate when we can live completely dependent on Him. The cruel material nature does not allow us to be independent, and this false attempt to become independent of the stringent laws of nature is known as material advancement of experimental knowledge. But the highest goal of human civilization is to work under the guidance of the Lord depending on His mercy. The Pāṇḍavas were dependent on the goodwill of the Lord but they were not idle parasites. We must try to be sanātha, having the Lord to protect us. After many births, a fortunate person becomes aware that Vāsudeva is all in all and surrenders unto Him. That is the sign of a mahātmā. After the battle of Kurukṣetra, although the inimical kings were killed, their sons and grandsons were still there to deal with the Pāṇḍavas. All of us are always in a condition of enmity and the best way to live is to be completely dependent on the will of the Lord.

As the name and fame of a particular body is finished with the spirit leaving the body, similarly if the Lord did not protect the Pāṇḍavas, their fame would also end at once. The Pāṇḍavas were guided by the great Yudhiṣṭhira, who was morality personified, and the Yadus were great allies. But without the guidance of Kṛṣṇa, all of them are non entities as much as the senses are useless without the consciousness. The ultimate dependable object is the Lord Himself.

Kuntī asked Kṛṣṇa, who is the Lord, soul and the form of the universe, to sever her tie of affection for her kinsmen, the Pāṇḍavas and the Vṛṣṇis. A pure devotee is ashamed to ask anything in self interest from the Lord. But being bound by family affection, the householders are sometimes obliged to ask favors from the Lord. Being conscious of this fact, Kuntī prayed to be free from the affectionate tie of her kinsmen. Kuntī wished the Lord to remain with the Pāṇḍavas, but then her paternal family, the Vṛṣṇis would be bereft of the benefit. Both – Kṛṣṇa’s departure from Hastināpura and coming there – were unfortunate: departure for the Pāṇḍavas and coming there for the Yādavas. All these partialities troubled Kuntī’s mind and thus she desired to cut off the affectionate tie. The truth is that when she sees how the two sides of her family dearly love Kṛṣṇa, her own love increases. Therefore on the pretext of praying to destroy her affection for her kinsmen, she was really praying that Kṛṣṇa not leave the association of either of the two sides of her family.

A pure devotee cuts off the limited ties of affection for his family and widens his activities of devotional service for all forgotten souls. The six Gosvamīs are an example of this. Although belonging to cultured and rich families of the higher castes, they left their homes to benefit the mass of population. The Lord is described as the Lord of the universe indicating His ability to cut off the hard knot of family affection. Sometimes out of special affinity towards a weak devotee, the Lord breaks the family affection by force of circumstances arranged by His all powerful energy. By doing so, He causes the devotee to become completely dependent on Him.