Who was Lord Krishna in his previous and his afterlife?

Shri Anil asked: Padanamaskaram Swami, A person in Quora forum asked the following question. Kindly give Your answer to this. According to Bhagavad Gita, the soul is immortal. According to this theory, who was Lord Krishna in his previous and his afterlife? At Your Lotus Feet, Anil

Swami replied:- Soul is a part of creation only. Creation is not immortal especially with reference to the unimaginable God or Parabrahman. The soul is not immortal in absolute level. It is immortal only in the relative level with reference to the mortal body and this is clearly told in the Gita (Na hanyate hanyamaane shariire). Of course, the souls are saved in the final dissolution (Mahaa Pralaya) also so that these souls having different compositions of the three qualities are preserved for the future cinema show (Punahsrushti). Even the inert world is saved as it is in micro level or film reel after the show (avyaktam). The souls with different compositions of the three qualities are like different actors available even for a new story in the next show.

The Veda says that this creation is expressed again as it was before final dissolution (Dhaataa yathaapuurvamakalpayat). This means that the inert world as well as souls were preserved in the memory of God, which is the film reel after a show of cinema. A person imagining world can regenerate it after sleep bringing it back from the memory power. After the final dissolution, God is compared to a person sleeping in the night after entertaining himself with some imaginary world before sleep. When the creation is started again after the sleep in the morning, God is compared to a person awakening from the sleep in the morning (Raatryaagame praliiyante… Gita). This means that the creation is stored as it is in the memory power and is regenerated again as it is. This is a better way of administration than destroying everything and creating it again. The disappearance of the imaginary world as soon as sleep attacks can be taken as final dissolution, which is not destruction. The interim dissolutions (avaantara pralaya) can be treated as the scenes exhibited on the curtain while the cinema show is running (as the world continues in existence). The disappearance of cinema show on the curtain at the end can be taken as final dissolution. The film reel of cinema or the memory power of imaginary world is called as avyaktam or that which is not exhibited. This hidden micro form of memory is called as avyaktam, which is maintained by God (Avyaktaat purushah parah— Veda). In this way, the whole inert world and the group of souls are immortal. There may be some changes in very few souls in the composition of three qualities since the soul might have been reformed and changed its composition of qualities. But, this immortality of world is not absolutely real because God can even destroy this whole world including souls and can regenerate it as it is since the unimaginable God is capable of doing anything. Scripture says this by telling that Rama can destroy the whole creation and can create it again in the same way (Punareva tathaasrashtum— Ramaayana). Therefore, the actual relative immortality of world appearing as real immortality is actually relative only with reference to really immortal God on one side and the perishing form of body on the other side. If the soul is really immortal, it shall not be regenerated again while it is existing. But, Lord Krishna regenerated the souls along with their bodies without even a trace of difference when the cows and cowherds were stolen by the representative of creator (Prajaapati) designated as God Brahma.

Rama is a human incarnation, a mixture of two components, which are God and human being. The soul and the body are the human being component. God Datta, who is the first energetic incarnation of unimaginable God alone enters the energetic body or human body and merges with it to become energetic incarnation or human incarnation. If your question is about the God-component, the same God Datta is existing in every incarnation constantly and hence, this question can’t touch Him. If your question is about the human being-component, then, the body of Krishna is certainly different from the body of Rama (the previous human being component). Regarding the soul, the compositions of these qualities also differ and the souls of the human being-components are also different. But, both souls are charged by the same merging God-component called as God Datta and hence, oneness results. The details of the human being- component are immaterial because any human being-component’s soul is totally dominated by God Datta only so that we can say that the soul is same, which means God Datta only. The body is treated as external dress only and the internal soul is treated as the person wearing the dress. Therefore, the variation of composition of qualities is also immaterial because the total three qualities exist in both Rama and Krishna, the compositions of which are varying as per the will of God Datta. The quality, Sattvam (Knowledge) exists in both along with Rajas (work) and Tamas (ignorant fascination). If Krishna is fascinated towards Radha, Rama is also fascinated towards Sita in running after the golden deer due to her desire even though Lakshmana objected it. Rama preached the spiritual knowledge through practice and Krishna taught the same spiritual knowledge as theory through the Gita. It is like doing an experiment in the laboratory and based on the practical results, theory is developed. Rama is the path whereas Krishna is the goal. This means that God acted as path to preach it to human beings and the same God acted as goal to preach about the nature of goal to the human beings. The programmes were totally different and hence, the compositions of the three qualities differed to suit the programmes. Rama never stole and never did any illegal sex and both these are preached to the human beings as the main concepts of Pravrutti. Without succeeding in Pravrutti, Nivrutti is impossible. Krishna stole butter and danced with Gopikas in order to test those climax devotees of Nivrutti in the three strong bonds (Eshanas). However, the structural analysis of human incarnation is not much important and does not help the devotee to progress in the spiritual path. The most important aspect helping the devotee is to believe the human incarnation as God Datta (Father of heaven) and follow the knowledge given by the incarnation in the spiritual path.

Scripture clearly says that Rama is the previous birth of Krishna. In between the births of Rama and Krishna several human incarnations came since God Datta visits this earth in every generation. Several devoted souls were used as media by God Datta. It becomes immaterial whether the same soul is used or a different soul. A soul represents a specific composition of the three qualities. In every soul, all the three qualities co-exist. Whatever may be the specific composition of the soul, it is changed by the will of God Datta charging that soul. By this, the specific nature or individuality of the soul disappears. We have to always see the human incarnation through the inner God Datta only and not through the external human being component, which has no individuality. The exhibition of the human nature of the human being-component is also the will of God Datta only, who is the testing the devotees regarding the strength of their faith in the human incarnation unaffected by the exhibited human nature. The God component presides over the human being-component controlling it as per the divine will of God everywhere and in this way the human being-component acts like an inert chair for the God-component, who is like the person sitting on it. Even if the human being-component is non-inert awareness in inert body, you can replace the chair by a horse that is ridden by a very capable person. This concept of presiding and riding is told in the Gita by the word ‘Adhishthaaya’ (Prakrutim svaamadhisthaaya). Here Prakruti means both soul (Paraa) and inert body (aparaa). You must note that whether the Prakruti is a chair or horse, it is immaterial because even the horse becomes like inert chair due to the powerful control of the riding God on it.

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