Kṛṣṇa is the parama-pumān, the Supreme Personality. And rāmādi-mūrtiṣu, an incarnation—Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, there are thousands and thousands of incarnations. Here also Kṛṣṇa's incarnation.
So here it is said when Kṛṣṇa departed from this world to His abode, because He's dharma-varmaṇi . . . His whole existence is from dharma, religious principles. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7): whenever there are discrepancies in the matter of executing religious principles . . . yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, abhyutthānam adharmasya. One side, if religion is neglected, then irreligious principles will develop. That is the nature of everything. If you neglect this side, this side will be prominent.
So Kṛṣṇa also says that dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya, "I come, I appear, My only business is to reestablish the religious principles." Kṛṣṇa does not come to this planet for making some money. He has got enough money, because He's worshiped by the goddess of fortune. His business, coming down on this planet—to reestablish the religious principles. Dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya.
And what is that religious principle? The religious principle is not man-made. Just like we have manufactured so many religious principles: "This is Hindu dharma," "This is Muslim dharma," "This is Christian dharma," and this is this, this is that. So many. Kṛṣṇa does not come to reestablish the principles of this man-made religion. No. He has nothing to do. Because they are manufactured, concocted by imperfect men, they are not religious. The religious system means, dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Religion means the principles which is given by God Himself. That is religion. You cannot imagine. Just like already I have explained: you cannot make law at home that, "I am a big man. I make my own law." That you can do. You may go on amongst some of your friends or your servants, but that law will not be accepted by everyone. But the law given by God, that will be accepted by everyone. Just like law given by the state government is accepted by everyone. So religion means dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam. The principles of religion means which is given by God.
So what is that religion? That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā very clearly: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is religion. Your man-made, so-called, manufactured religion you give up . . . (indistinct) . . . it has got some temporary value. It has no permanent value. The permanent value of religion is that religion which is given by God. And that is . . . what is that? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ: you simply surrender unto God.
When I speak of "Kṛṣṇa," we mean God. And Kṛṣṇa is the best name of God. Kṛṣṇa means "all-attractive." God must be all-attractive. God cannot be attractive for a few men or few . . . for a . . . by a community. No. God must be attractive by everyone. That is God. So Kṛṣṇa, by His opulences, by His strength, by His beauty, by His knowledge, by His renouncement—everything complete. Therefore He's God. You study. These are the attractive features. If one is very rich, he's attractive. If one is very powerful, he's attractive. If one is very beautiful, then he's attractive. If one is very wise, he's attractive. If one is in the renounced order of life, first-class, he's attractive. So Kṛṣṇa has all these opulences, therefore He's accepted as God—not superficially—by great, great saintly persons.
When Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord, paraṁ brahma, paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12), it is not that because he was Kṛṣṇa's friend, therefore, out of his sentiments he accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He accepted on the authority of the Vedas. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. So according to Vedic system, all the sages, all the great saintly persons, all the great kings, everyone accepts Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There are many instances. Now here it is inquired by the sages, saintly persons, from Sūta Gosvāmī:
- brūhi yogeśvare kṛṣṇe
- brahmaṇye dharma-varmaṇi
- svāṁ kāṣṭhām adhunopete
- dharmaḥ kaṁ śaraṇaṁ gataḥ
- (SB 1.1.23)
"After the departure of Kṛṣṇa . . . so long Kṛṣṇa was here, the religious principles were being properly executed. Now, after His departure, who has taken charge of this religious department?" This is the question. "Who has taken charge of this religious department?" This is the question by the great sages, saintly persons at the Naimiṣāraṇya. You have heard the name of Naimiṣāraṇya. Then this is the last śloka of the First Chapter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Then in the next chapter, Second Chapter, vyāsa uvāca, Vyāsadeva said:
- iti sampraśna-saṁhṛṣṭo
- viprāṇāṁ raumaharṣaṇiḥ
- pratipūjya vacas teṣāṁ
- pravaktum upacakrame
- (SB 1.2.1)
The Sūta Gosvāmī was very much engladdened that they had questioned about Kṛṣṇa. The question was, "Who has taken charge of the religious system after departure of Kṛṣṇa from this planet?" This is the question. So because the question was about Kṛṣṇa, therefore Sūta Gosvāmī was explaining bhāgavata-dharma in that great assembly. He became very much engladdened, "Ah, you have put questions about Kṛṣṇa. Very nice." Because if we simply question about Kṛṣṇa and hear the answers about Kṛṣṇa, our life becomes very . . . (indistinct) . . . life. This is the process. To become spiritually advanced means, "Just try to question about Kṛṣṇa and try to understand the answers about Kṛṣṇa." Then your life is. It is so nice.
So we can make so many questions—intelligent questions must be, of course—about . . . (indistinct) . . . and the answers are there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhagavad-gītā. So every effort of our . . . (indistinct) . . . this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is there, that not just in this meeting we shall discuss about Kṛṣṇa, but at every home, every family, you can sit down together at the end of their work and simply question about Kṛṣṇa and try to understand the answers. The books are already there. Answers are already there.
So this is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is simple. Because people are contaminated by the three qualities. This material world is running on under the influence of three qualities of the modes of material nature: sattva-guṇa, raja-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. There are three qualities.
(break) Therefore you do not find one kind of living entity, because there are three qualities, and again multiplied three by three, it becomes nine qualities, then again multiplied nine into nine, then it becomes eighty-one qualities. Just like an expert artist, he's using three colors: blue, red and yellow. You mix the colors and he will manifest thousands of colors. Thousands of colors.
So actually the basic principle of this material world is the three qualities: sattva-guṇa, raja-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Now they are mixed up. Here you cannot find out purely sattva-guṇa. Sattva-guṇa is the topmost quality in this material world. But here in material world also, you cannot find pure sattva-guṇa. When you come to the pure stage of sattva-guṇa, that is transcendental stage, spiritual life. Pure sattva-guṇa means there is no more attack by the other two guṇas. That is pure, śuddha-sattva. That is called śuddha-sattva, pure goodness. In that stage one can understand what is Kṛṣṇa.