Prabhupāda: The Christian conception of God as Father is not so perfect. Because if we conceive God as Father and Mother, then the policy is to take from Him. Because everyone wants to take from the father, "Father, give me that. Mother, give me that." But this philosophy, that to accept the Supreme Lord as son, that means to give service. Yaśodāmāyi, he has gotten . . . she has gotten Kṛṣṇa as her son. So always anxious: "Kṛṣṇa may not be in danger. Kṛṣṇa is crawling; some animal may not attack. He may not fall down in the water. He may not touch fire." Always anxiety, giving protection to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is giving protection to the whole universe, and Yaśodāmāyi is giving protection to Kṛṣṇa. This is conception of philosophy, Vaiṣṇava philosophy. She is anxious to give protection. Kṛṣṇa was taken away by the . . . what is that asura?
Yaśomatī-nandana: Tṛṇāvarta.
Prabhupāda: Tṛṇāvarta. Yes. So Kṛṣṇa was taken, and Mother Yaśodā became mad, "My son has been taken." But Kṛṣṇa became so heavy that the asura could not stay in the sky. He fell from a deep, distant place and immediately died. Kṛṣṇa . . . and Yaśodāmāyi saw that, "God has saved my Kṛṣṇa." Yaśodāmāyi saw: "God has saved." He (she) began to thank some other god, some devatā. Because she knows, "Kṛṣṇa is my son." She does not know that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If she thinks that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then the relationship between mother and son will be destroyed. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is playing just like an ordinary child, and Mother Yaśodā is treating Him as her son. All Kṛṣṇa's friends complained to Mother Yaśodā, "Mother Yaśodā, your Kṛṣṇa was eating dirt." "Eh? I gave You sandeśa, and You are eating dirt?" (laughter) "No, Mother, I did not eat. They are telling all lies. This morning we had some quarrel." "No, Baladeva says also." "Yes, elder brother, He has also become My enemy." (laughter) "No, You open Your mouth." "Yes." When He opened His mouth, she saw the whole universe within the mouth. So she did not take very seriously. "All right, don't do it again." That's all. She never could take Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Neither Kṛṣṇa's friends, the cowherd boys. Neither the gopīs. The gopīs used to chastise Kṛṣṇa like anything.
So this is Kṛṣṇa's love. Kṛṣṇa is the īśvara. Here it is said, puṁsām īśvaraḥ: the controller of the whole universe. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). But a devotee can control the Supreme Controller. Why they shall become one with God? They'll be God's father, God's controller. This is bhakti-mārga. Bhakti-mārga is not satisfied . . . they do not want to be equal with God or one with God. No. They want to give service. This is bhakti-mārga. Therefore Bhagavān. Bhagavān means "full of all opulence, all-powerful, almighty." That is Bhagavān. So to understand the Absolute Truth, you have to understand what is the meaning of Bhagavān. That is Absolute Truth. Here Devahūti . . . Devahūti is not ordinary woman. She was the wife of Kardama Muni, one of the greatest yogī. She has learned something from her husband. Otherwise, if she's not a very exalted woman, how Bhagavān has become her son? She is not ordinary woman. Therefore she says . . . she has understood Kapiladeva that ya ādyaḥ bhagavān.
Ādya is Bhagavān. Ādya is not Brahman or Paramātmā. Origin of everything is neither Paramātmā nor Brahman. Brahman is the bodily rays of Bhagavān. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṇḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ. Yasya prabhā. The . . . just like the sunshine. Sunshine is not ādya; the sun-god is ādya. The sunshine is distributed all over the world, all over the universe. Everyone knows it. But is it ādya? Is it the origin? No, no, no. It is not origin. The origin is the sun globe, or the sun-god. As soon as the sun disappears, there is no more sunshine. Therefore sunshine is not ādya. Sunshine is dependent on the sun globe. Similarly, this Brahman effulgence is dependent on the body of Kṛṣṇa. Brahmaṇo 'haṁ pratiṣṭhā. Similarly, Paramātmā is also Kṛṣṇa's expansion. Ekaṁ bahu syāma. That is the Vedic instructions. He becomes many—as many living entities are there. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣam . . . (Bs. 5.33). Ādyam again. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam. That ananta-rūpam, as Paramātmā or incarnation. Advaitam acyutam. But it does not mean that because Kṛṣṇa has become many, it does not mean Kṛṣṇa is finished. No. Kṛṣṇa is there. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation).
This is Vedic instruction. Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇa, and if He expands Himself in millions of Kṛṣṇa . . . actually, He has done so as Paramātmā. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 18.61). There are millions. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). This bahu-vacana, living entities, they are anantyāya kalpate. They are unlimited number. There is no counting. So many. But He is the leader. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām. So we are, living entities, we are expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Viṣṇu-tattva also expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Svāṁśa, vibhinnāṁśa. We are vibhinnāṁśa. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). But there are svāṁśa, personal expansion, and separated expansion. The separated expansions we are. We are also expansion of Kṛṣṇa. And viṣṇu-tattva also expansion of Kṛṣṇa. But viṣṇu-tattva is vibhu; we are aṇu—very, very small. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca, jīva-bhāgaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 5.9). The . . . if you divide the top portion of your hair into one hundred parts, then take one part, again divide into one hundred parts, that is the dimension of the jīva. Therefore aṇu. Aṇu means like atom. And Kṛṣṇa is vibhu. So therefore Kṛṣṇa is ādya. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8). Kṛṣṇa says, and Devahūti says also, the same thing.