Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.9.21
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
Because He is absolute, there is nothing different from Him. He is kaivalya; there is nothing except Himself. Everything and everyone is the manifestation of His energy, and thus He is present everywhere by His energy, being nondifferent from it. The sun is identified with every inch of the sun rays and every molecular particle of the rays. Similarly, the Lord is distributed by His different energies. He is Paramātmā, or the Supersoul, present in everyone as the supreme guidance, and therefore He is already the chariot driver and counsel of all living beings. When He, therefore, exhibits Himself as chariot driver of Arjuna, there is no change in His exalted position. It is the power of devotional service only that demonstrates Him as the chariot driver or the messenger. Since He has nothing to do with the material conception of life because He is absolute spiritual identity, there is for Him no superior or inferior action. Being the Absolute Personality of Godhead, He has no false ego, and so He does not identify Himself with anything different from Him. The material conception of ego is equibalanced in Him. He does not feel, therefore, inferior by becoming the chariot driver of His pure devotee. It is the glory of the pure devotee that only he can bring about service from the affectionate Lord.
“Becoming a messenger or charioteer because of being controlled by bhakti is a degradation of his position. If he is like that, how can the Lord’s prema give him real happiness?” This verse answers. Kṛṣṇa is without fault, and possesses faultless prema (niravadyasya). His actions like being a messenger (tat-kṛtam) are not a deviation of his mind, because he is at all times the possessor of great powers which accomplish everything automatically. He is the soul of everyone (sarvātmanaḥ), even of Arjuna, since he acts as his charioteer and also fights in the chariot. Because he is the soul of everyone, he sees everyone as equal to himself (sama-dṛśaḥ). Because he is the soul of everyone, there is no one except him (advayasya). Because there is no one else, he has no pride (anahaṅkṛteḥ). Moreover, even a person without great powers, being filled with prema, does not consider his suffering, caused by sinful acts that he alone has performed, to be suffering, because of his prema. Thus the Lord who is full of all powers and is bliss personified can have no suffering from his actions of prema.
You are special examples of prema because this Lord has become your messenger (tat-kṛtam). He is brought under control by your prema.
- Priya Valabha Mataji SB 01-09-21-23 Hindi
- Keshav Anand Pr SB 01-09-21 Hindi - Krishna hi kewal Hero hai Baaki sab Zero hai - 2016-02-03 Delhi
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- Kratu Pr SB 01-09-21 Hindi - Bhishma Dev dwara Bhagavan ka Gungaan
- Pankajanghri Pr SB 01-09-21 - 2019-05-31 Bhaktivedanta Manor
- Pariksit Pr SB 01-09-21 - Krishna is Equal to Everyone - 2022-04-11 Philadelaphia
- Vaisesika Pr SB 01-09-21 - 2008-08-09
- BRasamritaSw Hindi SB 01-09-21
- PrahladAnS SB 01-09-21 Slovenian Translation - Prepoznavanje vodstva naddu%C5%A1e - 2025-07-29 ISKCON Slovenia
- PrahladAnS SB 01-09-21 - Recognizing Supersoul Guidance - 2025-07-29 ISKCON Slovenia
- Where do I feel left out — and is that feeling rooted in misperception?
- How does His equibalance reframe my comparison with others?
My note
Source: vedabase.io