Kṛṣṇa's Personality

Srila Rupa Gosvami states that although Lord Krsna is the reservoir of unlimited pleasure and the greatest leader of all, He is still dependent upon His devotees in three ways. According to the emotional status of the devotee, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is appreciated in three ways: as the most perfect, as very perfect and as perfect. When He exhibits Himself in fullness, He is appreciated by great learned scholars as most perfect. When He exhibits Himself in lesser degrees, He is called very perfect. And when He exhibits still less, He is called perfect. This means that Krsna is appreciated for three degrees of perfection. These three degrees of perfection are especially exhibited as follows: when He is in Goloka Vrndavana His transcendental qualities are exhibited as most perfect, when He is in Dvaraka He exhibits His qualities as very perfect, and when He is in Mathura He exhibits His qualities as perfect.

Krsna's personality is analyzed as dhirodatta, dhira-lalita, dhira-prasanta and dhiroddhata. If one asks how a personality can be beheld in four quite opposing ways, the answer is that the Lord is the reservoir of all transcendental qualities and activities. Therefore, His different aspects can be analyzed according to the exhibition of His limitless variety of pastimes, and as such there is no contradiction.