16 Mar 2025
Part-1 Part-2
O Learned and Devoted Servants of God
1. Why did God Brahma tell Naarada that the only celibate is Krishna only?
[Ms. Thrylokya asked:- Paadanamaskaaram, Swami. God Krishna married 16,108 women and produced 10 sons plus 1 daughter through each wife! Why God Brahma told Sage Naarada that the only celibate (Brahmacaarii) is Krishna only?]
Swami replied:- First of all, I can say that your question is actually the question and its answer. The number of children (1,77,188) itself proves that Krishna is God. God is omnipotent. Omnipotence of God means that any impossible thing is possible to God. He can do all impure works and can remain the purest simultaneously.
I will answer this question in different angles also. Krishna is the absolute God Parabrahman (unimaginable God) since the first energetic incarnation (God Datta) containing the unimaginable God (unimaginable God or Parabrahman merged with the first created energetic form called Datta and made Datta as God Datta, the first energetic incarnation) merged with Krishna. Hence, we can treat Krishna as the original ultimate unimaginable God (Parabrahman), who created this world containing inert and non-inert items. Gopikas are the products of His unimaginable creating power called Maayaa. Maayaa means that it is not inherently real, but becomes real due to gifted reality from God. Gopikas are the products of Maayaa and hence, are inherently unreal. When the thousand Gopikas are dancing in a circle (Raasakeli) in Brundaavanam, the real Krishna is standing at the centre singing on His flute. Krishna, the human incarnation, is real because He is merged by the unimaginable God. A thousand Krishnas appear by the side of the thousand Gopikas and each Krishna is dancing with each Gopika.
These thousand Krishnas are also created by the will (Maayaa) of God Krishna. Hence, the thousand Gopikas and these thousand Krishnas are the products of His will (Maayaa). Maayaa is inherently unreal and its product is also inherently unreal. Therefore, the thousand unreal Gopikas are dancing with the thousand unreal Krishnas. These thousand Krishnas are not real because God Datta containing Parabrahman did not merge with anyone of these thousand forms. These forms are as good as the Gopikas. When an unreal form does any action like even sex, all such actions are unreal only. Therefore, all the actions done by the thousand unreal Krishnas with the thousand unreal Gopikas are unreal actions only in view of the absolutely real God. Hence, God Krishna did not do any sin in practical action. These unreal Krishnas might have expressed several love feelings along with several loving words to the thousand unreal Gopikas. These feelings and words might have come from the original God Krishna like voice dubbing to a role in cinema. Since thoughts or feelings and words belong to theoretical phase, both feelings and words are totally unreal by themselves because theoretical phase is always unreal compared to the practical phase. You may argue that even a feeling and word brings sin. It will not bring any sin because at least for the intensive sweet devotion of the Gopikas (devotees), the devotional justice (Bhakti Dharma) is to express the love through at least feelings and words. Even though these feelings and words are from the real Krishna, it is not a sin on the part of the real Krishna because He fulfilled the devotional justice. Moreover, the receiving Gopikas are unreal, the speaking Krishnas are unreal and the theoretical love and words expressed through unreal Krishnas are also unreal.
This point will destroy any trace of possibility to bring even a trace of sin on the real Krishna. This means that the real Krishna did not do any real sin. Producing so many children by unreal Krishnas through the thousands of His unreal wives comes under the phase of unreal Maayaa only. Even in this creation of God, the unreal male souls are producing unreal children through unreal female souls making the entire non-inert part of the creation also as unreal just like the inert part of the creation from the angle of absolutely real God. Hence, there is no real practical sin done by God Krishna. [Maayaa is real as causal power or Kaarana Shakti and Maayaa is unreal as effect power or Kaarya Shakti. As causal power, Maayaa is the same unimaginable God and is wonderful or unimaginable as per the root meaning Maya-Vaicitrye. As effect power, Maayaa is the product of the causal power or God and is inherently unreal as per the meaning Yaa maa saa maayaa. The causal power gifts its absolute reality to the effect power so that the creation, which is the product becomes real. Otherwise, creation is inherently unreal.]
Coming to the main aspect of your question, the central real Krishna is standing along with Radha. Krishna is the incarnation of Vishnu and Radha is the incarnation of Shiva. Vishnu and Shiva are one and same God Datta. Since Radha is Shiva and Shiva is Vishnu and Vishnu is Krishna, there is no real dualism between Radha and Krishna. Even Radha is also told as the power of Krishna (Hlaadinii Shakti). Even if you take the case of Rukmini, she is the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, who is the power of God Vishnu or Krishna. The case of Radha and Rukmini is one and the same. Here, the possessor of power and power are one and the same (Śakti Śaktimato rabhedaḥ). In this case, the real Krishna is really enjoying with Himself and hence, there is no dualism between real Radha and real Krishna or real Rukmini and real Krishna or real Radha and real Rukmini. Since there is no dualism in this type of enjoyment of Radha and Krishna due to monism between both, you cannot even say that Krishna is a householder (Gruhastha Aashrama). Even in this context, due to the ultimate monism, the real Krishna shall be treated as the real celibate. Even in the case of Rama and Sita, the same above argument applies since Rama is Vishnu and Sita is Lakshmi, who is the power of Vishnu. This also proves that there is no difference between Krishna and Rama. This proves the Vedic statement that God is always one in reality (Ekamevādvitīyaṃ Brahma).
In scriptures, you will find that God is playing with Himself (Ātma krīḍāḥ) and that God is enjoying Himself (Aatma ratih). These words denote that when the incarnation is not married (like Vaamana, Parashuraama etc.), He is enjoying and playing with His own power. When the incarnation is married (like Rama, Krishna etc.), His power (His power means Himself as the possessor of the power) becomes personified as Sita (in the case of Rama) and Radha and Rukmini (in the case of Krishna). This is the secret behind the saying of scholars that Radha and Krishna are one and the same. This type of self-enjoyment should not be misunderstood as the worst beastlike homosexuality! Hence, Goddess Saraswati is the creation power of God Brahma. Goddess Lakshmi is the maintenance power of God Vishnu. Goddess Parvati is the destruction power of God Shiva. Since God Datta is one and the same Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, Goddess Anaghaa is one and the same Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati.
Here, one special point is to be noted that a celibate does not mean unmarried. Similarly, fasting does not mean foregoing food completely on an entire day. Celibate means maintaining sexual life with one legally married wife. The reason is that the devotee producing children is doing the service of God by extending the next human generation for the visit of entertainment of God as human incarnation on this earth. Hence, the Veda and the Gita say that one man shall be married to one woman only and not to many women (Prajātantuṃ mā vyavaccetsīḥ – Veda, Dharmāviruddhaḥ kāmo'smi – Gita). This Vedic rule is confined to the souls only and not to God incarnating on the earth like Shankara etc., as per the same Veda (Na prajayā, kiṃ prajayā kariṣyāmaḥ). Similarly, fasting does not mean foregoing food completely on a worship day because such fasting will bring a lot of weakness so that the worship of God cannot be done at all. Over-eating is also not fasting because that gives a lot of drowsiness due to which worship cannot be done. Fasting means eating little food to avoid weakness and drowsiness. This is exactly told in the Gita (Nātyaśnatastu yogo'sti, Na caikāntamanaśnataḥ). Marrying one woman is like eating little food, while not marrying at all is like foregoing food completely and marrying many women is like over-eating.
When Sage Naarada enquired about who is the real celibate in the creation, God Brahma replied that Krishna is the real celibate because God Brahma knows the secrecy of Krishna. How is this possible? It is possible because Krishna and Vishnu are one and the same, and Vishnu and Brahma are one and the same. Hence, Krishna and Brahma are one and the same. Therefore, the secrecy of self is certainly known to Krishna, which means that it is known to Brahma also. Hence, Brahma could reply this question opening the secrecy of Krishna, which is in fact self-secrecy only! If you analyze the meaning of the word ‘Brahmacaarii’ (celibate), the meaning is: i) ‘Brahmaṇi carati iti Brahmacārī’ (He Who moves in God). ii) Gatyarthānāṃ dhātūnāṃ jñānārthakatvam (verbs used in the sense of movement denote the knowledge). This means that He Who knows God. iii) Brahmavit Brahmaiva bhavati (the knower of God is God Himself). This means that He Who knows God is God Himself. Since Krishna is the fullest incarnation of God (Paripūrṇatamāvatāra), Brahmacaarii or celibate finally means God Himself. Like this, the meaning of the statement of God Brahma is that Krishna is God. The word Brahmacaarii or celibate does not mean an unmarried person, but means the real God in real sense.
2. Will the real Krishna get sin because the expressed feelings belong finally to the real Krishna?
[Swami, You said that intention is very important and not the inert action. Hence, the real Krishna gets sin because the expressed feelings belong finally to the real Krishna only.]
Swami replied:- You must see the context for every concept. What you said is correct in the context, where X planned a murder of a good fellow and Y carried it for the sake of some materialistic benefit from X. In this case, the above concept is true and X is a greater sinner than Y. Here also, I am not telling that Y is sinless. I am only telling that comparatively Y is a lesser sinner than X. Here, the basic point is that the person, who got murdered was a good fellow. Had the murdered person been a bad fellow, everything is reversed so that both X and Y become sinless. In the above context of Krishna and Gopikas, where the real Krishna is X and the unreal Krishna is Y, the basic point is that God must fulfill the devotional justice for every devotee. In this process, the real practical phase is absent since the action is between two unreal forms. The action becomes real if the two forms are real or at least one form is real. The intention belongs to mind and the words spoken also belong to the mind since the words are inline with the intention. This word-mind process is theoretical phase, which is fundamentally unreal. The devotee got satisfaction believing that the unreal Krishna is real. Such satisfaction of the devotee is the final goal of devotional justice. Hence, both the situations are quite different everywhere. These words and feelings are the reflections of the sweet devotion of the devotee only and not the inherent activity from God, who is always an ocean of bliss (Āptakāmasya kā spṛhā - Veda).
3. How can You prove that the real Krishna as sinless?
[Swami, let us take the example of two created human beings, who are doing illegal sin. Since the two souls are unreal and the action of sin done by the two unreal souls is also unreal, they should not be punished in hell. If they are punished in hell, the unreal Gopika and the unreal Krishna must also be punished. Since the unreal Krishna is doing everything by the will of the real Krishna only, the punishment must actually go to the real Krishna. In the case of human beings, since they are given full freedom, the punishment need not go to God. How can You prove the real Krishna as sinless?]
Swami replied:- The example given by you regarding two unreal human beings belongs to Pravrutti. In this context, a logical reply can also be given, which is that since the creation is unreal, hell and the punishment are also unreal. This is like Shankara replying that His running is also unreal just like the elephant is unreal (Yathā gajo mithyā tathā palāyanamapi mithyā). But, the context of Gopikas and God Krishna is Nivrutti in which even justice is rejected and God is only voted. In Pravrutti only, justice is voted against injustice. This difference is due to the purity and greatness of God. In any type of devotion, the starting point is only soul and not God. This does not mean that the devotee is fully responsible in the sin. Since it is not sin at all, this doubt has no value. In the case of every devotee, God has to fulfill the justice of devotion. Hence, you shall not equate the case of God with the case of souls. Even then, the unreal Krishna underwent double punishment (His own punishment and the punishment of unreal Gopika) in the case of each Gopika for the sake of maintaining protection from imitation danger (This means that the unreal human being may think itself as the real God and do the sin.). When the unreal Krishna underwent the punishment in hell, all the suffering is experienced by the real Krishna only since the real Krishna is the main responsible doer from the root. You must remember that such suffering of punishment by God is only to prevent the imitation by ignorant souls and not because God has done the sin in the real sense.
4. When it is time to enjoy the true love of the Gopikas, why did God create His imaginary forms withdrawing from merging into it?
[The aim of this creation by God is to enjoy the dualistic bliss of true love of souls. When the time has come to enjoy the true love expressed by the topmost souls called Gopikas, why would God create imaginary forms of Himself withdrawing from merging into it? That will defeat the purpose of His creating the creation. Isn't it? When He is not doing the sin and is undergoing the punishment, He could have done the sin and undergone the punishment.]
Swami replied:- No doubt, the Gopikas are the topmost devotees of God Krishna. But, all these Gopikas are just human beings only and of course, they stand in the topmost position in humanity. The Gopikas are also a part of the inherently unreal creation and are unreal forms created by God’s will-power called Maayaa. For the sake of unreal forms, unreal forms of Krishna are suitable and sufficient. That is the decision of God. Who are you to question about the decision of God? God in His real form associates with His real forms like Hanuman, Sita, Radha, Rukmini etc. What God has done is perfectly correct.
You have told that God should have sinned and should have undergone the inevitable punishment. Such attitude will be for a soul, but not for the omniscient God. If a human being is present in the place of God, it would have thought that let it enjoy the sin since the punishment is anyhow inevitable from another angle. God being the infinite ocean of bliss need not bend for such petty enjoyment since nothing is there that is not achieved by Him or to be achieved by Him (Nānavāptamavāptavyam… - Gita).
To be continued in Part-2
Part-1 Part-2
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