God As a Child - The Supreme Pastime of Love
The idea that the omnipotent creator of the universe could become a helpless infant bewilders mundane scholars, yet it represents the highest pinnacle of spiritual theology. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, though eternally unborn, willingly assumes the form of a child simply to taste the pure, unmotivated love of His most exalted devotees.
Inconceivable Birth
The Supreme Lord does not take birth under the strict laws of material nature like an ordinary living entity. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa declares Himself to be aja, unborn. Yet, by His inconceivable internal potency (ātma-māyā), He seemingly takes birth to please His pure devotees. To prove His divine identity to His parents, Vasudeva and Devakī, the Lord initially appeared in the prison house of Kaṁsa not as an infant, but in His fully decorated, four-armed Nārāyaṇa form.
- From the description of the Lord's birth in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, we learn that the Lord appeared before Vasudeva and Devaki as Narayana, with four hands. But when they prayed to Him to conceal His divinity, the Lord became a small baby with two hands.
- He (Vasudeva) could immediately understand (by seeing a newborn child decorated so nicely with valuable garments and gems) that the Supreme Personality of Godhead had appeared, not as an ordinary child but in His original, fully decorated, four-handed form.
- Ajo 'pi sann avyayatma bhutanam isvaro 'pi san (Bhagavad-Gita 4.6). As stated in Bhagavad-gita, the Lord is aja, unborn, and He is the supreme controller of everything. Nonetheless, He appeared as the child of Devaki.
- The Lord is not a prakrta-sisu, a child of this world, but by His personal energy He appeared like one.
Power of Maternal Affection
The majestic form of Nārāyaṇa evokes awe and reverence, but Devakī longed for the intimate exchange of maternal love. Furthermore, she was terrified that King Kaṁsa would see the four-armed form and immediately try to kill the Lord. Driven by this intense, protective affection, Devakī begged the Supreme Controller to conceal His opulence and become an ordinary human child. The Lord, completely conquered by her love, obliged.
- I request You to conceal this four-armed form of Your Lordship, which holds the four symbols of Visnu - namely the conchshell, the disc, the club and the lotus flower - Devaki requested the Lord to assume the form of an ordinary child.
- Because of affection for the transcendental child, she (Devaki) believed that Kamsa could kill Him. Instead of thinking of the unlimited power of the Lord, she thought of God with affection, and therefore she requested the transcendental child to disappear.
- If Kamsa were to come, she (Devaki) thought, upon seeing the Visnu form he would immediately kill the child, but if he saw a human child, he might reconsider.
- In other appearances also - the Lord said - I took the form of an ordinary child just to become your (Vasudeva and Devaki's) son so that we could reciprocate eternal love.
God is Always God
Even when the Lord perfectly plays the part of a helpless infant, He never loses His supreme status. Śrīla Prabhupāda stresses that Kṛṣṇa does not need to perform mystic yoga or austerities to become God. Whether He is sucking His toe on a banyan leaf during the universal devastation, imitating the voices of animals with His brother Balarāma, or begging Mother Yaśodā for food as if He were starving, He is fully the Supreme Personality of Godhead at every moment.
- As far as Krsna is concerned, He is God always, either as a child on the lap of His mother, or as the coverer of the universe, Vamanadeva. He does not require to become God by undergoing severe penances, although some men think of becoming God that way.
- Gold is natural, and similarly God is natural. In His childhood pastimes, in the lap of His mother, He is God; while He is playing with His boyfriends, He is God; while He is dancing, He is God; while He is fighting at Kuruksetra.
- Sometimes the Lord, as the child of mother Yasoda, requests His devotee for some food, as if He were very hungry.
- Sometimes They (Krsna and Balarama) would imitate the voices of the animals. In this way They enjoyed sporting, exactly like two ordinary human children - Srimad Bhagavatam 10.11.39-40.
Highest Conception of Love
The desire to have God as a child represents a radical shift in spiritual consciousness. Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently explains that the conception of God as a dependent child is philosophically superior to the conception of God as a father. When we view God as a father, our underlying motive is often to extract material benefits or protection from Him. However, when a pure devotee views God as their child, their only motive is to completely surrender themselves to nurture, protect, and serve Him without expecting anything in return.
- The conception of accepting God as child is better conception than to accept God as father, because from father we simply take away.
- The parents of the Lord (who are all pure devotees) consider Him a child only. The Lord accepts the chastisements of the parents more cheerfully than the prayers of the Vedic hymns.
- When a mother loves a child, she is not forced to do so, nor does she do so out of expectation of some salary or remuneration. Similarly, we can love the Supreme Lord in so many ways - we can love Him as master, as friend, as child or as husband.
- You teach us that those who are very fond of children within this material world and who enter into marriage to enjoy family life can have the Supreme Personality of Godhead as their child, the most wonderful thing is that the Lord Himself licks His toe.
Conclusion
The supreme majesty of God is not found in His ability to create galaxies or destroy demons, but in His willingness to become a small, dependent child for the pleasure of His devotees. By meditating on the Lord's childhood pastimes, we can move beyond the formal, awe-inspired worship of the Absolute Truth and enter into the intimate, selfless realms of pure devotional service.
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