Page 13 - History of Tirupathi Balaji and comparison of Sri Vaishnava

universe!” (Bg 10.15)

Bhismadeva, who worshipped Lord Narayana, explained to King Yudhistira,
This Sri Krishna is no other than the inconceivable, original Personality of Godhead. He
is the fi rst Narayana, the supreme enjoyer. But He is moving amongst the descendants of
King Vrisni just like one of us and He is bewildering us with His self-created energy. (SB
1.9.18) Lord Krishna says himself, All created beings have their source in these two
natures. Of all that is material and all that is spiritual in this world, know for certain that
I am both the origin and the dissolution. O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to
Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread. (Bg 7.6-7) Brahma has
said, I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who manifested Himself personally as Krishna
and the different avataras in the world in the forms of Rama, Nrisimha, Vamana, etc., as
His subjective portions. (BS 5.39) Thus Lord Krishna is confi rmed by Bhishma,
Brahma and Arjuna to be the origin of everything including all expansions like
Narayana, Vishnu and all incarnations.
Govinda, which means the protector and well-wishers of cows, brahmanas
and all humanity, is the name of Krishna in the spiritual world called Goloka
(Goloka is the place of cows). Lord Krishna also appears once in a day of
Brahma, which is comprised of 1000 cycles of four ages. Each cycle of four ages
lasts 4.3 million years. He manifests His original transcendental form of the
spiritual world in the material universe. He says, Although I am unborn and My
transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all living entities, I
still appear in every millennium (1000 cycles of four ages) in My original transcendental
form.(Bg 4.6) This means that the original form of God from which all other
expansions emanate is Lord Krishna with two arms holding a fl ute and playing
with the cows and cowherd boys in Goloka, the highest planet in the spiritual
world. He also appears in His original form as one of the incarnations of God
in the material world in order to attract the bewildered persons in this world by
His sweet pastimes. He performs these pastimes in the replica of the spiritual
Vrindaban called Gokula that appears in this material world. Goloka is in the
spiritual world and Gokula is in the material world.
Many Vedantists consider the Upanisads as the highest Vedic scriptural
authority. In the Gopala-tapani Upanisad, it is stated, I offer my respectful
obeisances unto Krishna, who has a transcendental form of eternity, bliss and knowledge.
I offer my respect to Him, because understanding Him means understanding the Vedas
and He is therefore the supreme spiritual master. (GTU 1.1) Then it is said, “Krishna
vai paramam daivatam: Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
(GTU Upanisad 1.3) “Eko vasi sarva-gah Krishna idyah: That one Krishna
is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He is worshipable.” “Eko ‘pi san
bahudha yo ‘vabhati: Krishna is one, but He is manifested in unlimited forms
and expanded incarnations.” (GTU 1.21)
In the Srimad Bhagavatam, which is the mature spiritual revelation of
Vyasadeva, the author and compiler of all the Vedic literatures, there is a list
of twenty fi ve scheduled incarnation of Lord Krishna in the material world
during one day of Brahma. It is said, “All of the above-mentioned incarnations are
13