The Nectar of Devotion - 1970 Edition -- Prabhupada Books by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Author:A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada [Prabhupada, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Philosophy
Publisher: Prabhupada Living Archive
Published: 2010-12-08T13:30:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-three

Kṛṣṇa's Personality

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī states that although Lord Kṛṣṇa 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 Kṛṣṇa is appreciated for three degrees of perfection. These three degrees of perfection are especially exhibited as follows: when He is in Goloka Vṛndāvana His transcendental qualities are exhibited as most perfect, when He is in Dvārakā He exhibits His qualities as very perfect, and when He is in Mathurā He exhibits His qualities as perfect.

Kṛṣṇa's personality is analyzed as dhīrodātta, dhīra-lalita, dhīra-praśānta and dhīroddhata. 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.

A dhīrodātta is a person who is naturally very grave, gentle, forgiving, merciful, determined, humble, highly qualified, chivalrous and bodily attractive.

In this connection, the following statement given by Indra, the King of heaven, is very significant: "My dear Lord, I admit that I have committed great offenses unto You, but I cannot express my feelings of regret, being bewildered at seeing Your extraordinary chivalrous spirit, Your endeavor to protect Your devotees, Your determination, Your steadiness in lifting the great Hill of Govardhana, Your beautiful bodily features and Your astonishing characteristic of being pleased simply by accepting the prayers of Your devotees and offenders."

The above statement by the King of heaven is an exact corroboration of Kṛṣṇa's being dhīrodātta. Many learned scholars have agreed to also accept Lord Rāmacandra as dhīrodātta, but all of Lord Rāmacandra's qualities are also included in the character of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

A person is called dhīra-lalita if he is naturally very funny, always in full youthfulness, expert in joking, and free from all anxieties. Such a dhīra-lalita personality is generally found to be domesticated and very submissive to his lover. This dhīra-lalita trait in the personality of Kṛṣṇa is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam where Yajñapatnī, the wife of one of the brāhmaṇas who were performing sacrifices in Vṛndāvana tells her friends: "One day Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, accompanied by Her associates, was taking rest in Her garden, and at that time Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa arrived in that assembly. After sitting down, He began to narrate very impudently about His previous night's pastimes with Rādhārāṇī. While He was speaking in that way, Rādhārāṇī became very embarrassed. She was feeling ashamed and was absorbed in thought, and Kṛṣṇa took the opportunity to mark Her breasts with different kinds of tilaka.

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