Appearing Before Kṛṣṇa - The Divine and Demoniac Encounters
Standing before the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate test of a living entity's consciousness. Śrīla Prabhupāda details the myriad ways different souls approach Lord Kṛṣṇa. Whether it is the loving descent of eternal associates, the humble submission of powerful demigods, or the arrogant, weapon-wielding charge of foolish demons, every encounter perfectly demonstrates Kṛṣṇa's absolute supremacy and reciprocal grace.
The Descent of Eternal Associates
The Supreme Lord never performs His pastimes alone. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that whenever and wherever Kṛṣṇa appears, His eternal companions, plenary expansions, and loving parents also take birth to appear before Him and fulfill their divine roles.
- When Krsna appears, all His plenary expansions and other incarnations appear with Him. This is elaborately explained in Caitanya-caritamrta. This time, Baladeva would appear before Krsna as Krsna's elder brother.
- Arjuna is a companion and associate of Krsna's, and whenever Krsna appears on any planet, Arjuna also takes birth and appears with Him.
- Before Krsna's appearance, Drona and Dhara appear in order to become His father and mother. It is they who appear as Nanda Maharaja and his wife, Yasoda.
- Because whenever Krsna appears on this earth He superficially needs a father and mother, Drona and Dhara, His eternal father and mother, appeared on earth before Krsna as Nanda Maharaja and Yasoda.
Approaching with Love and Humility
When pure devotees and enlightened universal administrators appear before Kṛṣṇa, their only motive is loving service and profound respect. From the Lord's intimate family members to the deities governing the elements, their appearances are marked by deep emotional surrender.
- When Kunti, the mother of Pandavas, saw her nephew Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, she was overpowered by love and affection. She at once got up from her bedstead & appeared before Him with her daughter-in-law, Draupadi, and in maternal love and affection she embraced Him.
- Brahma fell down before the Lord just like a stick to offer respect; and because the complexion of Brahma is golden, he appeared to be like a golden stick lying down before Krsna. All the four helmets on the heads of Brahma touched the lotus feet of Krsna.
- At this time, the earth personified appeared before Lord Krsna and greeted Him with a Vaijayanti flower garland. She then returned the dazzling earrings of Aditi, bedecked with jewels and gold.
- The ocean deity immediately appeared before the Lord and offered Him all respectful obeisances with great humility.
Demigods Seeking Forgiveness
Occasionally, powerful universal managers become intoxicated by their own opulence and commit offenses against the Supreme Lord. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights that once their false prestige is thoroughly smashed, these demigods stealthily appear before Kṛṣṇa to beg for His causeless mercy.
- But after this incident, his false, puffed-up prestige was destroyed. Being conscious of his subordinate position, he appeared before Krsna with folded hands and began to offer the following prayers.
- Indra, the King of heaven, was conscious of his offense before Krsna; therefore he stealthily appeared before Him in a secluded place. He immediately fell down at the lotus feet of Krsna, although his own crown was dazzling like sunshine.
- When Krsna saved the inhabitants of Vrndavana from the wrath of Indra by lifting Govardhana Hill, a surabhi cow from Goloka Vrndavana, as well as King Indra from the heavenly planets, appeared before Him.
- He (Vidyadhara, the serpent) offered obeisances to Lord Krsna and stood before Him with great humility. Krsna then asked the demigod, "You appear to be a very nice demigod and to be favored by the goddess of fortune."
The Hostile Encounters of Demons
Atheists and demons are completely blind to the Supreme Lord's position. Driven by anger, envy, and false bravado, they frequently appear before Kṛṣṇa brandishing weapons or assuming terrifying forms. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that these arrogant displays always conclude with the demon's swift annihilation.
- In the Dasama-skandha, the Tenth Canto, of Srimad-Bhagavatam, there is a vivid description of how the demons appear before Krsna in various wonderful forms. For instance, Bakasura appeared before Krsna and His cowherd boyfriends as a gigantic crane.
- Banasura appeared before Lord Krsna, who was seated on His chariot, with different kinds of weapons in his one thousand hands. Very much agitated, Banasura splashed his different weapons upon the body of Lord Krsna like torrents of rain.
- Out of grief and anger, Viduratha was breathing very heavily, and just to avenge the death of his brother (Dantavakra) he appeared before Lord Krsna with a sword and a shield in his hands. He wanted to kill Krsna immediately.
- The cowherd men innocently thought - Because our Krsna is innocent, the causes of death that appeared before Him were themselves killed instead of Krsna. This is the greatest grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Conclusion
In conclusion, appearing before Kṛṣṇa is an event that immediately exposes the heart of the living entity. Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully illustrates that while demons approach the Lord with weapons and hostility, sealing their own doom, pure devotees and eternal associates approach Him with boundless love, rendering their lives eternally successful. Whether one is a majestic demigod begging forgiveness or a simple resident of Vṛndāvana marveling at the Lord's protection, stepping into the divine presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate, purifying culmination of all universal activities.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Appearing Before Krsna. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.