The Bhagavad-gītā philosophy is like that. Yudhyasva mām anusmara (BG 8.7). You have to . . . this world is so made that one has to work. Without working, nobody even can maintain his body and soul together. That you cannot avoid. But at the same time, we can remember Kṛṣṇa. That is . . . that depends only on practice and understanding, pure understanding.
So here Kṛṣṇa says that, "There is nobody greater than Me." That is the verdict of all ancient Vedic literature. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also, the same thing is confirmed, that kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). There is a list of different incarnations of God. In that list Lord Buddha's name is also there. Lord Buddha's name is described: kīkaṭeṣu bhaviṣyati. Buddho nāmnāñjana-sutaḥ kīkaṭeṣu bhaviṣyati (SB 1.3.24). In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam the Lord Buddha's name is mentioned as future incarnation. Bhaviṣyati, "will appear"; kīkaṭeṣu, "in the province of Gayā."
So this is called śāstra. Because Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was composed five thousand years ago, and Lord Buddha appeared 2,600 years ago. Therefore five thousand years ago Lord Buddha's case was in the future. Therefore it is said bhaviṣyati, "He will appear." This is called śāstra. Trikāla-jña. Śāstra writer, they are not ordinary men. Just like Kṛṣṇa is speaking. He is not ordinary man. Nobody will be interested so much if Bhagavad-gītā was written by ordinary man. It was spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and it was recorded by His incarnation, Vyāsadeva.
So it is transcendental literature. Ordinary literatures, they cannot be perfect because there are four defects: bhrama-pramāda-karaṇāpāṭava-vipralipsā (CC Adi 2.86). Bhrama means "to commit mistake"; pramāda means "illusion"; and vipralipsā means "cheating" and karaṇāpāṭava, "inefficiency of the senses." So śāstra means above these defects. Where there is no such defect, that is śāstra.
And you can understand how five thousand years ago Lord Buddha's appearance was predicted. Similarly, still there is prediction about Kalki-avatāra, which will take place about four lakhs and 27,000 years hereafter. Kalki-avatāra's name, his father's name and where He will appear, everything is there. This is called śāstra.
So we have to understand Kṛṣṇa from the śāstra. Kṛṣṇa Himself speaking that mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7): "There is nobody else greater than Me." And when Arjuna understood Bhagavad-gītā, he also accepted Kṛṣṇa like that. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12): "You are Para-brahman."
So Kṛṣṇa is Para-brahman. Brahman, we are all Brahman, because we are part and parcels of Para-brahman. But we are not Para-brahman. We are subordinate Brahman. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). We are supported by Kṛṣṇa. We are supported by God. He is one. God is one. And the supported Brahmans, or living entities, they are innumerable, beyond the numerical strength. Asaṅkhyam. Nobody can count how many living entities are there, but God is one.
So from the ancient literature we understand that kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). There are many incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, expansion of Kṛṣṇa, svāṁśa and vibhinnāṁśa. Some of the expansions are direct personal expansions, just like Lord Rāma, Nṛsiṁha-deva, Varāha. There are many. Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan (Bs. 5.39). Kṛṣṇa is existing, expanding Himself in various forms like Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, and so many others.
There are different kinds of incarnations, avatāras—śaktyāveśāvatāra, guṇāvatāra, manvantarāvatāra, yugāvatāra. Many incarnations. And in the Bhāgavata it is concluded that the Lord's incarnations are so numerous that you cannot count. Just like if you sit down on the bank of a river, you cannot keep an account of the waves, how many waves are passing, similarly, there is no account how many incarnations are coming out from Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa is above all.