One who knows Kṛṣṇa is the cause of all causes, Vāsudeva. Vāsudeva means Kṛṣṇa. Sarvam iti. Vāsudeva-parā makhāḥ, vāsudeva-parāḥ . . . (SB 1.2.28). There is . . . everything to satisfy Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. Either you perform sacrifices or you work piously, the aim should be how to satisfy Vāsudeva. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti. Just like if you want to keep your body fit and healthy, you must satisfy the stomach. If you satis . . . if your stomach is all right and if you supply proper food to the stomach, then whole body will be energized, without fail. Similarly, the mahātmā means whose business is to satisfy Vāsudeva. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti.
Kṛṣṇa says, Vāsudeva . . . when Kṛṣṇa is in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, He's Vāsudeva. Kṛṣṇa does not go away from Vṛndāvana. But when He has got other business to do, He does it as Vāsudeva. Vāsudeva is in Mathurā. Vāsudeva is in Dvārakā. But original Kṛṣṇa is in Vṛndāvana. But that does not mean that this Vāsudeva is different from Kṛṣṇa. The foolish person, who cannot study, who does not know what is Vāsudeva, what is Aniruddha, what is Pradyumna, the, the Saṅkarṣaṇa . . . these are all expansion of Kṛṣṇa. They are not different from Kṛṣṇa, but still, They are not original Kṛṣṇa. There is no . . . it is not that Vāsudeva has got less power than Kṛṣṇa. They are equally powerful. Advaitam acyutam . . . advaita. They are not different. Acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). But the difference is that the . . . several times I explained that one candle, you lit up another candle, you lit up another candle, you lit up another, another, millions. So all the candles are of the same power, so far candlepower is concerned, but still, you have to say: "This is the first candle, this is the second candle, this is third candle, this is the fourth candle," like that. Not that because the second candle is lit up from the first candle, therefore second candle is less powerful than the first candle. No, that is not. That is called advaya-jñāna.
Advaitam acyutam. Advaitam acyutam ananta-rūpam. Kṛṣṇa's ananta-rūpam does not make any difference. There is no difference between Rāmacandra and Kṛṣṇa. Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan (Bs. 5.39). Kṛṣṇa is always . . . when we say "Kṛṣṇa"—Kṛṣṇa with all His expansions, Viṣṇu expansions. So either you worship Rāma or Kṛṣṇa, it is the same. Or Viṣṇu. There is no difference. Therefore advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyam (Bs. 5.33). But still, Kṛṣṇa is the ādyam, original. Ādyam purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca. Although He is ādyam, purāṇa-puruṣam, the oldest personality, still, nava-yauvanaṁ ca, always young. You have never seen Kṛṣṇa's photograph as old man. No. When He was charioteer of Arjuna, He was great-grandfather at that time. His grandson had sons. He's old man. But you see, just a young man of twenty years old. That is Kṛṣṇa. Nava-yauvanaṁ ca. Ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca. And these rascals, they try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa personally says that:
- manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
- kaścid yatati siddhaye
- yatatām api siddhānāṁ
- kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ
- (BG 7.3)
Out of many millions of person, one is perfect, and out of many millions of perfect person, one can hardly understand what is Kṛṣṇa. And these rascals understand Kṛṣṇa. They remark that, "Kṛṣṇa is like this. Kṛṣṇa is like this." How much rascaldom it is. This is the . . . Kṛṣṇa says personally, and Lord Brahmā says, vedeṣu durlabham. Vedeṣu durlabham (Bs. 5.33). You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa simply by studying Vedic literature. It is not possible. Then? How we shall understand Kṛṣṇa? Adurlabham ātma-bhaktau. If you want to understand Kṛṣṇa, then go to His devotee. He'll make known Kṛṣṇa. That is mahātmā. You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa personally by your so-called speculation, neither you can understand Kṛṣṇa simply by studying Vedas as a scholar. There are many Vedāntists scholars. They cannot understand. So many Vedāntists there are in India, but they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). Kṛṣṇa says: "I am not exposed to everyone." That is Kṛṣṇa.