Caturbhuja (the four-armed one), or the Personality of Godhead, after hearing the words of Bhima, Draupadi and others, saw the face of His dear friend Arjuna, and He began to speak as if smiling."

Actually, sometimes it is said that Krsna is the incarnation of Visnu, but actually Visnu is incarnation of Krsna. Aham adir hi devanam [Bg 10.2], that is said in the Bhagavad-gita. Visnu also one of the devas, first, principle devas. Brahma, Visnu, Mahesvara. Brahma, Lord Visnu, and Lord Siva. Gunavatara. Visnu expanding Himself in three avataras. Sattva-guna He takes charge Himself, sattva-guna. Rajo-guna it is given to Brahma in charge, and tamo-guna is given to the Lord Siva. Srsti-sthiti-pralaya. Srsti, creation, is done by Brahma, rajo-guna; and sthiti, maintenance, is done by Visnu; and destruction is done by Lord Siva, tamo-guna. He is not tamo-guna. In charge of tamo-guna. Just like somebody becomes superintendent of jail. It does not mean that the superintendent is also one of the prisoners. No. He's in charge of the jail department. Similarly, Lord Siva, He's not in tamo-guna. He's transcendental. He is almost Visnu. He's neither ordinary human being. Lord Siva is in between visnu-tattva and jiva-tattva. So how he can be in the tamo-guna? Nobody is... They are all transcendental. Especially Lord Visnu.

Lord Visnu has nothing to do with these material affairs, as a big man, a rich man has nothing to do personally, but he gets things done by his assistant, by his servant. It is like that. In the Vedas also, Upanisad, it is said, na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. Lord Visnu has nothing to do personally. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate, na tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate. Nobody is equal to Him, neither nobody is greater than Him. Everyone is below. Therefore visnu-tattva is asamordhva. Nobody is equal, nobody is higher. To consider equal to visnu-tattva is aparadha, offense. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has warned this offense very strictly.

So in order to confirm Krsna's position, here it is not Devaki-suta. Because one may doubt, that "Devaki-suta is ordinary human being or living being." No. Here it is said, catur-bhuja. Here it is said, bhagavan. Here it is said, catur-bhuja. So we should always remember that Krsna is the Supreme Being. And Krsna says, mattah parataram nanyat [Bg. 7.7]. Don't think that above Krsna there is any other higher authority, either Brahman or Paramatma or Visnu. So many... Absolute Truth is manifested in so many features. But Krsna is the original. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Ete camsa-kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28].

It is summarized in the Srimad-Bhagavatam that there are so many descriptions of the incarnation of Visnu, but at the end, Vyasadeva concludes that whatever incarnations are described here, they are amsa-kala. Amsa means direct expansion, and kala means expansion of the expansion. Just like Krsna, the first expansion is Balarama, Baladeva. And the next expansion is Sankarsana, Vasudeva, Aniruddha, Pradyumna. The next expansion is Narayana. The next expansion again second catur-vyuha. Sankarsana again. Dvitiya-catur-vyuha. Then next expansion, Visnu, Maha-Visnu. Next expansion, Garbhodakasayi Visnu. And next expansion is Ksirodakasayi Visnu. In this way, there are different expansion, but krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Adyam purusam sasvatam. Krsna is the original person. Therefore Krsna says, mattah parataram nanyat [Bg. 7.7]. "I am not expansion of anybody." Sarva-karana-karanam. Isvarah paramah krsnah [Bs. 5.1]. They are all isvaras, controller. Visnu-tattva is controller always. Mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram [Bg. 9.10]. Everywhere Visnu is the Supreme Controller.

So every visnu-tattva is controller. There is no doubt. And they have got equal power. Not that Lord Ramacandra is less powerful than Krsna. No. They have equal power. The example is described in the Brahma-samhita. Diparcir eva hi dasantaram abhyupetya [Bs. 5.46]. Just like one candle. You ignite another candle, you ignite another, another, another. But all these candles, they are equally powerful. Although you can say, "This is first candle, this is second candle, this is third candle..." Similarly, visnu-tattva, everyone is equally powerful. Although Krsna is first, Balarama is second, Sankarsana is third, like that. But do not think They are less powerful. No. Visnu-tattva means They are equally powerful. Svamsa. Ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthan [Bs. 5.39]. Kala. Rama is expansion of Visnu, but it is not that Rama is less powerful than Krsna. Nobody is less powerful. Ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthan nanavataram akarod bhuvanesu kintu [Bs. 5.39]. There are so many avataras. Krsnah svayam samabhavat paramah puman yah. But Krsna is the paramah puman, the Supreme Being, the Supreme Person. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. Everywhere. Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1]. Mattah parataram nanyat [Bg. 7.7]. This is the conclusion of the sastras. So don't consider that Krsna, because He has come, appeared in Vrndavana like a cowherd boy, never think...

Of course, the Vrndavana-vasi, they do not know what is Krsna. They are villagers. They do not know. But they do not love anyone more than Krsna. That is their qualification. They do not know even Visnu. When the gopis saw visnu-murti... Krsna assumed the visnu-murti. They were passing. They said, "Oh here is Visnu. All right. Namaskara." They were not interested even with Visnu. They were interested with Krsna, although they do not know that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, if, without knowing what is Krsna, if you simply become attached to Krsna, then your life is successful. Simply, somehow or other, you become attached to Krsna. Mayy asakta-manah partha yogam yunjan mad-asrayah... [break] ...yatha jnasyasi tac chrnu. Simply you have to... This is Krsna consciousness movement. Somehow or other, you increase your attachment for Krsna. Some way or other. Yena tena prakarena manah krsne nivesayet. This is Rupa Gosvami's instruction. Somehow or other, you become attached to Krsna. Then your life is successful.

So this Krsna consciousness movement is trying to induce people how to become attached to Krsna. That is bhakti-yoga. Yena tena prakarena manah krsne nivesayet. Then? Vidhi-nisedhah. There are so many rules and regulations for bhakti-yoga. Yes, there are. And Rupa Gosvami says, sarve vidhi-nisedhah syur etayor eva kinkarah. Some way or other, if you become attached to Krsna, then all the vidhis and regulative principles and rules and regulations, they will act as your servant. They'll, automatically there will be... Because as soon as you become attached to Krsna, Krsna said, ksipram bhavati dharmatma.

Don't think that these Europeans or Americans, they are mlecchas and yavanas. That is aparadha. Offense. Because they are sadhu. They do not know... They have accepted Krsna without any hodgepodge understanding, that "This is also good, this is also good, this is also good." They are strictly following the instruction of their spiritual master. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. Even a small child in our association, Syamasundara's daughter, she would go to somebody, she was only five years old. She would ask, "Do you know Krsna?" So somebody said, "No, I do not know." "Oh, Supreme Personality of Godhead." She would preach like that. So they are convinced, krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. This conviction is the foremost quality. Then other things will follow. Sarve vidhi-nisedhah syur etayor eva kinkarah. So if one is simply convinced on this point, that krsnas tu bhagavan svayam, and he does like that, follows the principle, krsnaika-saranam. Varnasrama-dharma. Krsnaika-saranam. That is wanted. Mam ekam saranam vraja. So do that. Stick to this principle, that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krsna is para-tattva, the Absolute Truth, and Krsna is all-pervading. Maya tatam idam sarvam [Bg. 9.4]. Krsna is everywhere. Jagad avyakta-murtina. This avyakta. The Krsna's potency is everywhere. Therefore those who are advanced devotee, they do not see anything else than Krsna. Everywhere he sees Krsna. And that is a fact.

Krsna also teaches that "I am here." If you cannot conceive that Krsna is everywhere present, Krsna personally gives you instruction, "Here I am." Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya [Bg. 7.8]. Everyone is drinking water at least four times, five times. So at the time of drinking water, or drinking anything, if you remember Krsna then you become purified. Mayy asakta-manah partha. That is yoga, bhakti-yoga. If you practice only this. Whatever you drink, you drink something for some taste. So either you drink soda water, or water, or milk, or even wine. Because the Europeans, Americans, they are accustomed to drink wine. But if they follow this instruction of Krsna, that "This taste is Krsna," then he remembers Krsna. Man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah. As soon as he brings Krsna in his mind, he becomes a bhakta. So easy. Anyone can become krsna-bhakta if he follows the instruction of Bhagavad-gita. There is no difficulty. Man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah. This is the simple process. Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhasmi sasi-suryayoh [Bg. 7.8]. This is for ordinary class of men. But if you think that you are very advanced in learning, in Vedic literature, and Vedic mantras, yes, then Krsna says, pranavah sarva-vedesu. That pranava-omkara, om tad visnoh paramam padam sada pasyanti surayah. That pranava is Krsna. Pranavah sarva-vedesu.

So either you become a highly learned scholar in Vedic literature or you are simply an ordinary person, you can think of Krsna and you become successful in your life. There is no difficulty. Raso 'ham. If you are ordinary person... Any, every, every person drinks water or drinks something. Let him immediately think of, as soon as he tastes, "Here is Krsna." Punyo gandhah prthivyam ca. A flower, a rose flower, very fragrant. As soon as you smell you can remember Krsna. "Oh, this smell is Krsna." Actually, that is Krsna. You cannot create that smell. It is Krsna, Krsna's art. That, punyo gandhah prthivyam ca, that gandha, that smell, flavor, is within the earth. Wherefrom the rose is coming? From this earth. But still the rose is so fragrant. You cannot take out the fragrance from the earth. Everything is there. Sarva-kama-dugha-mahi. Everything is within the earth. But you cannot take out. It is Krsna. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. He has got this power to exact, to extract punya-gandha through the rose flower. You haven't. You may be very big chemist, but you cannot do that. So in this way, if we study Krsna, if you become Krsna conscious, then your life is successful. That we are teaching. This is Krsna consciousness movement. And the sastras will help you.

But even if you do not read sastra, if you always remember Krsna, impression of Krsna. The temple is made for layman. Even woman, child, if he sees daily Krsna here, then he gets impression. He can think of Krsna. Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto [Bg. 18.65]. Therefore the temple is there. Everyone should come every day, every morning, or as many times as possible and take the impression of Krsna and keep it within your core of heart and think of Krsna. Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam... And offer little You don't require to study Vedanta philosophy or this or that. Because what is the purpose of Vedanta? The purpose of Vedanta is vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg. 15.15]. You have to understand Krsna. So if you simply think of Krsna, then you are greatest Vedantist. Greatest Vedantist. Vedais ca sarvair. Vedanta-vid vedanta-krt ca aham. He is the compiler of Vedas. So whatever instruction Krsna has given in the Bhagavad-gita, that is all Vedanta. This simple instruction, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto, this is Vedanta. Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya [Bg. 7.8]. This is Vedanta. So to become Vedantist means to understand Krsna, follow Krsna's instruction, and be successful in your life. Thank you very much. (end)