56. KṚṢṆA’S INCONCEIVABLE POTENCIES
Kṛṣṇa is present everywhere, not only within the universe, not only within the hearts of all living entities, but also within every atom. In the prayers of Queen Kuntī we find mention of this inconceivable potency of Kṛṣṇa. While Kṛṣṇa was talking with Kuntī, He simultaneously entered the womb of Uttarā, who was in danger due to the atomic weapon of Aśvatthāmā. Kṛṣṇa can illusion even Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, and He can protect all surrendered devotees from the reactions of sinful activities. These are some of the examples of His inconceivable potencies.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī therefore offers his obeisances unto Kṛṣṇa by saying, “Kṛṣṇa, who is present as a human being, has as His mere shadow the whole material nature. He has expanded Himself into so many cows, calves and cowherd boys, and He has again manifested Himself in all of them as the four-handed Nārāyaṇa. He has taught millions of Brahmās self-realization, and thus He is worshipable not only by the heads of all universes, but by everyone else also. Therefore let me always accept Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
When Indra was defeated by Kṛṣṇa in the matter of taking the pārijāta plant from heaven, Nārada met Indra and criticized him, “O Indra, great king of heaven, Kṛṣṇa has already defeated Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva. So what can be said of an insignificant demigod like you?” Nārada Muni, of course, was criticizing Indra jokingly, and Indra enjoyed it. In Nārada’s statement it is confirmed that Kṛṣṇa was able to illusion even Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva as well as Indra. So there is no question of Kṛṣṇa’s power to do the same to lesser living entities.
A description of Kṛṣṇa’s power in minimizing the sufferings of sinful reactions is given in Brahma-saṁhitā as follows: “Beginning from the great king of heaven down to the ant, everyone is undergoing the reactions of past deeds. But a devotee of Kṛṣṇa is relieved from such reactions by the grace of Kṛṣṇa.” This was clearly proved when Kṛṣṇa went to the place of Yamarāja, the Lord of death, to reclaim the dead son of His teacher. Kṛṣṇa’s teacher had requested Kṛṣṇa to bring back his dead son, and to do so Kṛṣṇa went to the place of Yamarāja to claim that soul, who had been brought there by Yamarāja and was being kept under his control. Kṛṣṇa immediately ordered Yamarāja, “Be benefited by My order and return that soul unto Me!” The purport of this incident is that even a person who is under the regulative principles of the laws of nature, and who is therefore punishable by Yamarāja under these laws, can be granted complete immunity by the grace of Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa’s inconceivable potencies have been described by Śukadeva Gosvāmī as follows: “Kṛṣṇa is bewildering my intelligence because, although He is unborn, He has appeared as the son of Nanda Mahārāja. He is all-pervading, but still He is held on the lap of Yaśodā. In spite of His being all-pervasive, He has become limited by the love of Yaśodā. Although He has innumerable forms, still He is moving as one Kṛṣṇa before His father and mother, Nanda and Yaśodā.” In the Brahma-saṁhitā also it is said that although Kṛṣṇa is eternally living in Goloka Vṛndāvana, His transcendental abode, He is still present everywhere, even within the atoms.
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