Kṛṣṇa, when He was present, He married sixteen thousand wives. Where is competition? One cannot marry even sixteen wives—and he becomes God. Just see the foolishness. Even from materialistic view, who is that God who can marry sixteen thousand wives? Is there any God, so-called rascal God? Is there any possibility? Kṛṣṇa showed, yes. Kṛṣṇa was attempted to be killed from the very childhood when He was three months old by Pūtanā. But He killed the Pūtanā rakṣasī, not He was killed. Similarly, Aghāsura, Bakāsura, this asura, that asura, simply from the beginning of His life, Kaṁsa and others, from the rogues, the asuras, they were making plan to kill Kṛṣṇa as soon as He is born. Kaṁsa, he was planning that, "As soon as Kṛṣṇa is born . . ." He was trying to kill Kṛṣṇa's mother, Devakī, but with argument of Vasudeva that, "Don't do this. Your sister's son will kill you, but your sister will not kill. So let the son be born. I shall bring it to you," Kaṁsa believed the honorable words of Vasudeva. Because he knew that, "Vasudeva is very respectable, honorable man. He has promised that the children . . . the child will be brought to me," so he saved his sister. He was such a cruel. The rogues and cruel, they do not care even for mother and sister. They can kill anyone, you see. That is the roguism. So Kaṁsa was that type of rogue. But Vasudeva, by his intelligence, saved the situation, but as honorable person, he brought all the children to Kaṁsa. You know this history.
So the Kaṁsa or the asura's plan is how to kill Kṛṣṇa, or God. That is going on. Everyone, "God is dead. God is dead." When I first went to your country the philosophy was that, "God is dead." But they admitted, "No, God is living. Swāmījī has brought in saṅkīrtana." That also they admit. Yes. So God cannot be dead. If we are not ever dead—na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20)—how God can be dead? That is another foolishness. God cannot be dead. Nitya. Then there is no meaning of nitya. So this is the position of Kṛṣṇa. He is the Supreme Person, supreme ruler, without any competitor. Advitīya, no competition. Here we have got competition, but with Kṛṣṇa there is no competition. There cannot be any competition. You cannot say that Lord Śiva or Lord Brahmā or any other demigods, they are also as good as Kṛṣṇa, equally. No. That is not possible. Then he would not have used this word advitīya. There cannot be any competition. If somebody puts any competitor before Kṛṣṇa, he's a pāṣaṇḍī.
- yas tu nārāyaṇaṁ devaṁ
- brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ
- samatvenaiva vīkṣeta
- sa pāṣaṇḍī bhaved dhruvam
- (CC Madhya 18.116)
"Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Person, if one compares with Nārāyaṇa with such exalted demigods like Lord Śiva, Lord Brahma . . ." brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ, "what to speak of other, Indra, Candra—they are nothing in comparison to Brahmā. Brahmā is the creator of this universe. So even such creator, even so powerful demigod as Lord Śiva, cannot be compared with Kṛṣṇa." Advitīya. Cannot be compared. That is pāṣaṇḍī. Sa pāṣaṇḍī bhaved dhruvam. So those who are comparing, "All the demigods and Kṛṣṇa, they are on the same level. You can worship anyone," they are all rascals. Because here it is said advitīya: Kṛṣṇa cannot be compared with anyone else. That is Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). They may be īśvara. Lord Śiva may be īśvara, Lord Brahmā may be īśvara, but they cannot be parama īśvara. That is not possible. Parameśvara is Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ.
So . . . but, at the same time, nandātmaja, or vasudevātmaja. That is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. That is dealing between His devotee and Himself. Although nobody can become Kṛṣṇa's father, because He is the original father—aham ādir hi devānām (BG 10.2)—but He agrees to become the son of His devotee. This is called devotional dealing. Śānta, dāsya sākhya, vātsalya-rasa. This is the dealing of vātsalya-rasa. The father . . . nobody can become father of Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. He is the father. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). He is the original father. Then how nandātmaja? How Nanda Mahārāja can become the father of Kṛṣṇa? No. That father means he wanted to become the best servant of Kṛṣṇa. When I become father of my child, I am the best servant of the child, actually. You see the children moving, and the mother is taking care. So the mother is the best servant of the child.
So this is Vaiṣṇava philosophy. They want to become one with the God, but we keep ourself always servant of God. And to become the best servant of God is also to become His father and mother. This is nandātmaja. Therefore one devotee prayed, aham iha śrī-nandaṁ vande yasyālinde paraṁ brahma, śrutim apare smṛtim apare (Padyāvalī 126). The devotee is praying that, "Somebody is studying the Vedas, somebody is studying the Purāṇas, the smṛtis," śrutim apare smṛtim apare, "and somebody is studying Mahābhārata to understand God." But the devotee says: "I do not want to understand God. I want to worship Nanda Mahārāja, under whose . . . in the courtyard of his house the Para-brahman is crawling." That is nandātma . . . that is the, I mean to say, superior position of nandātmaja, Nanda Mahārāja. So this is philosophy. Ordinary men cannot understand. But Vaiṣṇava philosophy is so nice that instead of becoming one with the Supreme, they want to become the father of the Supreme. This is Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Nandātmāja. Rasika-śekhara. This is also a pleasure. Kṛṣṇa wants to be subordinate to His devotee as son so that He may be punished. He is punishing everyone, but He wants to be punished also. That is His pleasure. And who will punish Him? His father and mother, superior. Or superior lover, Rādhārāṇī, can punish Him.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very scientific and sublime. Try to understand. Always read the books. Don't try to understand Kṛṣṇa ordinarily.