learned / intelligent / genius / cleaver / expert

Krsna's fine discretion was exhibited when He was fighting with the untouchable king who attacked the city of Mathura. According to Vedic rites, those who are untouchable are not to be touched by the ksatriya kings, not even for killing. Therefore, when the untouchable king seized the city of Mathura, Krsna did not think it wise to kill him directly with His own hand. Still the king had to be killed, and therefore Krsna decided with fine discretion that He should flee from the battlefield so that the untouchable king would chase Him. He could then lead the king to the mountain where Mucukunda was lying asleep. Mucukunda had received a benediction from Lord Siva to the effect that when he awoke from his sleep, whomever he might see would at once be burnt to ashes. Therefore Krsna thought it wise to lead the untouchable king to that cave so that the king's presence would awaken Mucukunda, and he would at once be burnt to ashes.    (More...)

A person is called a genius when he can refute any kind of opposing element with newer and newer arguments. In this connection there is a statement in Padyavali which contains the following conversation between Krsna and Radha: One morning, when Krsna came to Radha, Radha asked Him, "My dear Kesava, where is Your vasa at present?" The Sanskrit word vasa has three meanings: one meaning is residence, one meaning is fragrance, and another meaning is dress.    (More...)

Actually Radharani inquired from Krsna, "Where is Your dress?" But Krsna took the meaning as residence, and He replied to Radharani, "My dear captivated one, at the present moment my residence is in Your beautiful eyes."    (More...)

To this Radharani replied, "My dear cunning boy, I did not ask You about Your residence. I inquired about Your dress."    (More...)

Srimati Radharani again enquired from Krsna, "Where did You pass Your night?" The exact Sanskrit word used in this connection was yaminyamusitaḥ. Yaminyam means at night, and usitaḥ means pass. Krsna, however, divided the word yaminyamusitaḥ into two separate words, namely yaminya and musitaḥ. By dividing this word into two, it came out to mean that He was kidnapped by Yamini, or night. Krsna therefore replied to Radharani, "My dear Radharani, is it possible that night can kidnap Me?" In this way He was answering all of the questions of Radharani so cunningly that He gladdened this dearest of the gopis.    (More...)

A person who can perform various types of work at once is called clever. In this connection one of the gopis said: "My dear friends, just see the clever activities of Sri Krsna! He has composed nice songs about the cowherd boys and is pleasing the cows. By the movement of His eyes He is pleasing the gopis, and at the same time, He is fighting with demons like Aristasura and others. In this way, He is sitting with different living entities in different ways, and He is thoroughly enjoying the situation."    (More...)

Any person who can quickly execute a very difficult task is called expert. About the expertise of Krsna there is a statement in the Tenth Canto, 59th Chapter, 13th verse, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, wherein Sukadeva Gosvami tells Maharaj Pariksit: "O best of the Kurus, Sri Krsna cut into pieces all the different weapons used by different fighters." Formerly, fighting was done by releasing different kinds of arrows. One party would release a certain arrow, and the other party had to defeat it by counteracting it with another arrow. For example, one party might release an arrow which would cause water to pour from the sky, and to counteract this, the opposing party would have to release an arrow which could immediately turn the water into clouds. So from this statement it appears that Krsna was very expert in counteracting the enemy's arrows. Similarly, at the rasa dance, each and every gopi requested that Krsna individually become her partner, and Krsna immediately expanded Himself into so many Krsnas in order to be coupled with each and every gopi. The result was that each gopi found Krsna by her side.    (More...)

When a person is highly educated and acts strictly on moral principles, he is called highly learned. A person conversant in different departments of knowledge is called educated, and because he acts on moral principles, he is called morally stout. Together, these two factors constitute learning.    (More...)

Krsna's receiving education from Sandipani Muni is described by Sri Narada Muni as follows: "In the beginning, Lord Brahma and others are as clouds of evaporated water from the great ocean of Krsna. In other words, Brahma first received the Vedic education from Krsna, as the clouds receive water from the ocean. That Vedic education or instruction which was spoken by Brahma to the world was then reposed upon the mountain of Sandipani Muni. Sandipani Muni's instructions to Krsna are like a reservoir of water on the mountain, which flows as a river and goes again to mix with the source, the ocean of Krsna." To be more clear, the idea is that Krsna actually cannot be instructed by anyone, just as the ocean does not receive water from any source but itself. It only appears that the rivers are pouring water into the ocean. So it is clear that Brahma received his education from Krsna, and from Brahma, via the disciplic succession, this Vedic instruction was distributed. Sandipani Muni is likened to the river which is flowing down again to that same original ocean of Krsna.    (More...)

The Siddhas, the inhabitants of Siddha-loka (where all are born with fully developed mystic powers), and the Caranas, the inhabitants of a similar planet, pray to Krsna as follows: "My Lord Govinda, the goddess of learning, who is decorated with fourteen kinds of educational ornaments, whose intelligence is all-pervading within the four departments of the Vedas, whose attention is always on the lawbooks given by great sages like Manu, and who is appareled in six kinds of expert knowledge-namely Vedic evidence, grammar, astrology, rhetoric, vocabulary, and logic, and whose constant friends are the supplements of the Vedas and Puranas, decorated with the final conclusion of all education-has now acquired an opportunity to sit with You as a class friend in school, and she is now engaged in Your service."    (More...)

Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, does not require any education, but He gives a chance to the goddess of learning to serve Him. Being self-sufficient, Krsna does not require the service of any living entity, although He has many devotees. It is because Krsna is so kind and merciful that He gives the opportunity to everyone to serve Him, as though He requires the service of His devotees.    (More...)

Regarding His moral principles, it is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam that Krsna is ruling over Vrndavana as death personified to the thieves, as pleasing bliss to the pious, as the most beautiful Cupid to the young girls and as the most munificent personality to the poor men. He is as refreshing as the full moon to His friends, and to His opponents He is the annihilating fire generated from Lord Siva. Krsna is therefore the most perfect moralist in His reciprocal dealings with different kinds of persons. When He is death personified to the thieves, it is not that He is without moral principles or that He is cruel; He is still kind, because to punish thieves with death is to exhibit the highest quality of moral principles. In the Bhagavad-gita, also, Krsna says that He deals with different kinds of persons according to their dealings with Him. Krsna's dealings with devotees and with nondevotees, although different, are both equally good. Because Krsna is all good, His dealings with everyone are always good.    (More...)