“The Trinavarta demon who took baby Krishna on his shoulder went high in the sky, but the baby assumed such a weight that suddenly he could not go any further, and he had to stop his whirlwind activities. Baby Krishna made Himself heavy and began to weigh down the demon. The Lord caught hold of his neck.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality Of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 7)

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1. Why is one car faster than another?

“You see these commercials on television. To me, they are more prominent during sporting events, such as football games. These cars are racing through winding roads with a scenic backdrop. There is the written statement at the bottom of the screen. In small letters, we read that this car is driving through a closed course.

“I guess this is to prove that there were no traffic laws violated during the filming of the commercial. Anyway, the allure is obvious. This particular car is so fast. You just have to have it. You will have so much fun on the road.

“But what exactly makes the car faster? Why are other cars not as fast? What is the difference? If it is in the engine, why are not all engines constructed identically? Why is there variation?”

2. Why does one television display a superior picture compared to another?

“I admittedly don’t keep up with all the tech news. The most recent development I noticed was 4K. This is in terms of display capability for televisions. The advancement prior to that was HD, which is high-definition picture.

“What exactly is the difference? Why were not the original television sets equipped with the same features? Is the difference in the way the scenes are filmed? Is it the cameras or the equipment used to display the pictures?”

3. How exactly is this medication safe and effective, while the other is shunned?

“Oh my goodness, enough already! You repeat this mantra. Over and over, you tell me that this medication which has been around for less than a year is entirely safe and effective. It is so safe and effective that there are no side effects and a doctor does not need to conduct a routine exam prior to administering it.

“What exactly is in this miracle drug? I know that in some cases taking over-the-counter pain medication can do lethal damage. This is based on existing medical conditions of the patient. Why are the other medications shunned for this particular disease? Why are they not safe and effective, while this new magic potion is?”

4. Why is this person respected, while that person is loathed?

“The search engine results are so biased it is laughable. Apparently, this one politician is wonderful. They have no flaws. They have never lied. Their son apparently isn’t caught on camera doing horrible things with children, taking this illegal drug and that, exposing himself in front of a mirror.

“This other politician is the worst human being alive, you see. Because they say mean things about other people, they should be put in jail. They are worse than murderers and rapists, you see. This politician does not even deserve to have attorneys representing them in criminal cases. Something is up. There has to be a reason for the stark difference in media treatment.”

5. Why does the rock sink in the water but the boat remains afloat?

“Have you ever thought about that? The boat is much heavier than the rock. The cruise-ship hosts passengers for an extended party for weeks. No one is really worried about anything happening. If all goes according to plan, the boat will be just fine.

“Whereas the small rock immediately sinks to the bottom. It cannot stay on the surface. What is the reason? You can explain buoyancy to me, but a higher force had to first install that law of nature. It could not have happened at random.”

…

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains that an intelligent person has curiosity into the nature of different mechanisms and positions within nature. They use their intelligence to question. They are inquisitive. They do not simply accept things as they are.

There is the saying, “Trust, but verify.” A person can make one claim after another. They may insist upon the stated facts and urge you to agree to them. They ask that you suspend disbelief and skepticism. They ask you to simply accept, as a matter of faith.

That person might be telling the truth, they may be correct in their assessments, and believing them might not result in any harm. Nevertheless, knowledge provides assurance. If you can know exactly why something should be trusted, why it is better, the reason for the difference, then you can apply that same knowledge to other areas of the life experience.

Within the scope of spirituality, based in popularly followed traditions, one person may claim that Shri Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everyone should follow Krishna. People should become conscious of Krishna, such that they will be spared the dreaded cycle of rebirth in the future.

आ-ब्रह्म-भुवनाल् लोकाः
पुनर् आवर्तिनो ऽर्जुन
माम् उपेत्य तु कौन्तेय
पुनर् जन्म न विद्यते

ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ
punar āvartino ‘rjuna
mām upetya tu kaunteya
punar janma na vidyate

“From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.16)

There is no harm to hearing the claims. I might be willing to listen to what others have to say, but why exactly Krishna over others? How is Krishna the Supreme Lord? Are there ways to understand His nature? In what ways is He special?

Analyzing at a higher level, in the general case, what is the standing of God? If there is this Supreme Divine Being, what are His properties? What are His features? What can He do that others cannot? What makes Him extraordinary?

Vedic culture is a direct match for such inquiry. A person can spend many lifetimes studying the features of Shri Krishna and continue to appreciate them. There is no endpoint precisely because with the further passage of time, there is more to explore into the one who is infinite in His existence, presence, and potency.

In terms of a comparative assessment for Shri Krishna, we can say that He is lighter than the lightest. The earthly pastime involving the Trinavarta character highlights this feature. A villain who can turn into a whirlwind, based on acquired expertise with black magic, Trinavarta is looking for Krishna within the area of Gokula-Vrindavana. He has deadly intent. He is basically a hired assassin, sent from Mathura by King Kamsa.

Krishna is a child at the time. This feature is another potential area for study. How can God be a child? How can He be so small as to be picked up and placed in the lap by mother Yashoda? How can He be cared for by the elderly gopis within the community? How can God provide the visual of a child sucking His toe while the entire world has reached its end and is being annihilated in preparation for a reset?

स त्वं भृतो मे जठरेण नाथ
कथं नु यस्योदर एतद् आसीत्
विश्वं युगान्ते वट-पत्र एकः
शेते स्म माया-शिशुर् अङ्घ्रि-पानः

sa tvaṁ bhṛto me jaṭhareṇa nātha
kathaṁ nu yasyodara etad āsīt
viśvaṁ yugānte vaṭa-patra ekaḥ
śete sma māyā-śiśur aṅghri-pānaḥ

“As the Supreme Personality of Godhead, You have taken birth from my abdomen. O my Lord, how is that possible for the supreme one, who has in His belly all the cosmic manifestation? The answer is that it is possible, for at the end of the millennium You lie down on a leaf of a banyan tree, and just like a small baby, You lick the toe of Your lotus foot.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 3.33.4)

Trinavarta is able to find and lift Krishna. This is because God is lighter than the lightest. Whatever frame of reference we have for something which lacks significant mass, understand that Krishna can become even lighter than that.

The distinction is that the same Krishna can also become heavier than the heaviest. The position can change in an instant, as was unfortunately experienced by Trinavarta. After the demon took the baby high in the air, with the intent to kill, suddenly there was a change.

Krishna became so heavy that Trinavarta could no longer hold Him. It was the demon who fell to the ground, going against the original plans. It was the demon who died, while the supposedly helpless child survived.

In Closing:

Lacking attention and care,
Taking infant high in air.

Not putting up a fight,
Since Krishna so light.

But demon sudden change to see,
That the child too heavy to be.

Because greatest mystic of all,
It was Trinavarta to fall.

Categories: the five

Tags: god, hare krishna, philosophy, poem, poems, poetry, religion