Srimad Bhagavatam – 1.18.20 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Chennai | Nov 24, 2025
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracharine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi-pashchatya-desha-tarine
jaya sri-krishna-chaitanya
prabhu nityananda
sri-adwaita gadadhara
shrivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Reading from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1 Chapter 18 Verse 20.
ŚB 1.18.20
एतावतालं ननु सूचितेन
गुणैरसाम्यानतिशायनस्य ।
हित्वेतरान् प्रार्थयतो विभूति-
र्यस्याङ्घ्रिरेणुं जुषतेऽनभीप्सो: ॥ २० ॥
etāvatālaṁ nanu sūcitena
guṇair asāmyānatiśāyanasya
hitvetarān prārthayato vibhūtir
yasyāṅghri-reṇuṁ juṣate ’nabhīpsoḥ
Synonyms
etāvatā — so far; alam — unnecessary; nanu — if at all; sūcitena — by description; guṇaiḥ — by attributes; asāmya — immeasurable; anati-śāyanasya — of one who is unexcelled; hitvā — leaving aside; itarān — others; prārthayataḥ — of those who ask for; vibhūtiḥ — favor of the goddess of fortune; yasya — one whose; aṅghri — feet; reṇum — dust; juṣate — serves; anabhīpsoḥ — of one who is unwilling.
Translation
It is now ascertained that He [the Personality of Godhead] is unlimited and there is none equal to Him. Consequently no one can speak of Him adequately. Great demigods cannot obtain the favor of the goddess of fortune even by prayers, but this very goddess renders service unto the Lord, although He is unwilling to have such service.
Purport
The Personality of Godhead, or the Parameśvara Parabrahman, according to the śrutis, has nothing to do. He has no equal. Nor does anyone excel Him. He has unlimited potencies, and His every action is carried out systematically in His natural and perfect ways. Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead is full in Himself, and He has nothing to accept from anyone else, including the great demigods like Brahmā. Others ask for the favor of the goddess of fortune, and despite such prayers she declines to award such favors. But still she renders service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although He has nothing to accept from her. The Personality of Godhead in His Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu feature begets Brahmā, the first created person in the material world, from His navel lotus stem and not in the womb of the goddess of fortune, who is eternally engaged in His service. These are some of the instances of His complete independence and perfection. That He has nothing to do does not mean that He is impersonal. He is transcendentally so full of inconceivable potencies that simply by His willing, everything is done without physical or personal endeavor. He is called, therefore, Yogeśvara, or the Lord of all mystic powers.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
So the previous verses were describing the devotees of the Lord, this verse is directly describing the Supreme Lord. And as Prabhupad says in the purport, no one can excel the Lord. That means that, He is the highest person. How is He the highest? By His qualities. So, if we examine the great qualities of the Lord, we will find that no one has qualities equal to Him. Of course, the previous verse said the Lord is ‘ananta’, so He has unlimited qualities. Others also have qualities. But the Lord has unlimited qualities. And even if others have qualities similar to the Lord’s, He has those qualities in a greater degree.
So because His qualities are unlimited, it is rather difficult to start discussing His qualities. But just to show the comparison of the Lord with others, then in Nectar of Devotion, Rupa Goswami begins to enumerate qualities. So he says, Krishna has 64 qualities. Vishnu has 60 qualities. Shiva has 55 qualities. And Jivas have 50 qualities. This of course is only to give an idea of the superiority of Krishna. So how can He have 64 qualities, if He has unlimited qualities? So that’s just an idea. And though it is mentioned that Jivas can have 50 qualities, even the qualities that they show are a very small degree of those qualities. So even if Krishna only had 50 qualities like the Jivas, He has those qualities in a much greater amount. So, no one can equal Him in the amount of each quality shown.
But even the number of qualities is greater in the Lord, He has qualities that Jivas or Devatas do not display. And then Krishna displays qualities that even Vishnu does not display. So in any case, the Supreme Lord is in that position because of the amount and number of qualities that He shows. And those who manifest only less qualities, worship the person with a higher number of qualities. And thus the Devatas worship Vishnu. And even Vishnu worships Krishna. So in this way, when we talk about the Supreme Lord, He is rightly in that position and should be worshipped.
Although the Lord is worshipped, He actually doesn’t need the worship. The need for worship in the material world is an anartha. And therefore, puja and pratishtha are considered weeds in devotional service. So obviously in the Supreme Lord, we don’t have such qualities. But nevertheless, everyone should worship the Lord. But of course, in pure bhakti, we say we should worship without asking for material benefits or liberation. Of course, the question will arise, then why worship if we don’t get anything? So, one can worship with expectation of serving the Lord. So that is an approved type of worship.
Of course, the Lord does not need the worship as such. As described in the purport, the Supreme Lord is completely independent, He does not depend on anything. However, on a higher level, in terms of devotion, the Lord is dependent. He shows affection to devotees. And then He becomes dependent on devotees. The Lord gives up His independence. Now this looks contradictory. He is supposed to be supreme and independent, but yet He serves others. Of course, in this verse it is said that Lakshmi serves the Lord, but the Lord does not really need the service. So that is true, but just as in the case of Krishna, Krishna also does not need service, but He also lives because of service. So, Krishna is tied up by mother Yasoda by the ropes of Prema. He becomes dependent on mother Yasoda, Why? Because she has such great Prema. So it is said, ‘Krishna is not actually drinking mother Yasoda’s milk, He is drinking her Prema. Her Prema gives him life.’ Of course, in the spiritual world there is no hunger, there is no thirst, Krishna has no hunger and thirst. But then Krishna is dependent on His devotees, dependent on Prema.
So then we ask, how is the Lord Supreme, how is He independent, if He is dependent on devotees? So this can also be explained. Krishna has His internal energy. And Prema manifests through the internal energy. And that Prema manifests in the devotees. And it controls Krishna. But then that Shakti, internal Shakti, Hladini Shakti, Samvit Shakti, are also non-different from Krishna. So if a devotee has Prema, that Prema is non-different from Krishna. So if Krishna is controlled by Prema, He is controlled by Himself. So when we talk about the Lord being independent, He is completely not dependent on any other living being. But if that living being is full of Prema, then the Lord is controlled by that person. If the Lord is completely independent even in terms of Prema, then he wouldn’t show affection for anybody. The greatest quality of the Lord is affection. And because of that affection, then He is controlled by the devotee. But this does not put the Lord in an inferior position. If we have a Supreme Lord, who is superior to everyone else and has no affection for anyone, that Lord would be in an inferior position. So, the Lord’s display of affection puts Him in the highest position.
And of course, of all the forms of the Lord, Krishna displays the most affection, therefore He is put in the highest position. So among all the forms of the Lord, Krishna shows extra qualities, even more qualities than Vishnu. And the four qualities that distinguish Krishna from Vishnu are all qualities of sweetness. And sweetness means, how Krishna relates with His devotees. So, in other words, the four qualities that make Krishna superior to Vishnu are qualities of His Prema. And in Nectar of Devotion, Rupa Goswami says, of course Vishnu and Krishna are ‘abheda’, they are the same, there are no two Bhagavans, there is only one Bhagavan ultimately. Yet, we make distinctions between the different forms of Bhagavan. And we put Krishna in the highest position. So why we distinguish? Because of Rasa. The Prema and the Rasa in Krishna is sweeter, more intense. And in this way, He is supreme in his manifestation of qualities.
Hare Krsna!
Q & A:
1.) In the spiritual world there is no hunger and thirst, this kind of things are not there, but still Krishna eats and He steals. So if we try to understand it logically or materially, it’s like something like, it looks like artificial.
So in the material world, we have hunger and thirst and so many activities, etc, all due to material bodies. So, spiritual world has no material bodies, so therefore freedom from hunger, thirst, birth, death, etc. However, that does not mean that in the spiritual world, because there is no material bodies, then there is no bodies at all or there is no activity. Yes, there are spiritual bodies and there is activity. So, if we have spiritual bodies, there must be senses in those bodies. So, we have eyes and ears and nose and mouth, etc. And if we have senses, the senses must do their activities. So the devotee of the spiritual world sees Krishna, talks to Krishna, listens to Krishna, etc, with his senses. So difference from material activities is that, these are all done with spiritual senses.
And the only motive of the jiva in the spiritual world is to please Krishna. So, senses are doing activities, but all to please Krishna. So the activities of the senses in the spiritual world do not cause karma or suffering. Hunger and thirst and old age, etc, in the material world would not be criticized as bad qualities if you didn’t get any pain from them [Laughs]. But we suffer because of these qualities in the material world. Due to our senses, we do activities, we get karma and we suffer. So, in the spiritual world, senses also do activities, no karma, but opposite, bliss. So, the activities are similar in one sense, but also completely different. Bodies are spiritual, senses are spiritual, and it is all for pleasing Krishna. And the result is bliss. So, Krishna eats and He gets blissful. The bliss is because of Prema, because of service of devotee. And so the devotee also eats and gets bliss. And this is involved in the Lord serving the devotee.
2.) Second question is that, see, in siddhanta, there is no difference between Vishnu and Krishna. Both are Supreme Lord. But we see, sometimes Vishnu gets attracted to the pastimes of Krishna. When one gets attracted to the pastimes of others, that means there is a difference, difference is coming. So, how to understand, because although there is no difference, both in Siddhanta are one, both are Supreme Lord. But one is getting attracted to other.
So, Supreme Lord is one entity. But we say Lord has many forms. Forms may be similar or quite different. But in one sense, that itself is a problem. If He is one, how can He have differences, different forms [Laughs]? And in those different forms, He does different activities. So, Matsya acts differently from Narasimha Dev. Through those activities, they also show different qualities. So we have different forms of the Lord manifesting different activities and different qualities. So, how is that possible, if the Lord is one? And of course, the answer is, the Lord is inconceivable.
He is one, He is different. He can be hundred. So, He can have one form, He can have many forms. So right there, there is difference. He is many and He is one. At the same time, He is still one. So how it takes place is inconceivable power of the Lord. When Narada Muni went to Dwaraka, then he saw Krishna in all the palaces. It was, He looked like the same Krishna, but obviously it was different in one sense because simultaneously He was in all the different palaces. And in each palace, Krishna was doing different activities. And when Narada Muni talked to Him, it looks as if Krishna was unaware, the other forms were existing [Laughs]. So in this way, Narada Muni was also astonished.
How the Lord can infinitely expand His form and do activities completely different as if He is even unaware of the other forms. Of course, we can also say that Lord is in the spiritual world, that He manifests Himself in the material world, but doesn’t leave the spiritual world, so He is here. And then He is in different universes simultaneously also doing same activities [Laughs]. But they are all one person, by the inconceivable Shakti.
3.) Last question is that, Maharaj, in the material world there is a growth, there is a old age, some changes happening in the body of living entity in the material world. But in the spiritual world we see, they also eat, they also sleep, do everything, but there is no change with the body. So, is it not like, do they have any feeling that, oh, I am eating something, but I’m not, there is no change of the body?
So, change and ultimate destruction are part of the material world. So, in the spiritual world these things do not exist. But we do have some sort of change. Action itself takes place in the spiritual world. Action implies change of some sort. And then of course we have changing bhavas, changing sentiments, which produces rasa [Laughs].
If there were absolutely no change in the spiritual world, nothing would happen. Senses wouldn’t operate, no activity, nothing, that is like impersonal [Laughs]. So therefore, some sort of change is there. But that change is only there for increasing rasa. In other words, we have pastimes in the spiritual world to create that rasa. So, there are pastimes and a sense of time only for increasing prema.
4.) Maharaj, in continuation of Shyam Balarama prabhu’s first question, the difference between material hunger and spiritual hunger. Can we understand the hungry in the spiritual world is more of, it is also hunger, but it is spiritual hunger for prema? Can we understand it is between the Lord and the devotees?
So, in the material world hunger is considered bad quality, because it is related to needs of a material body [Laughs]. And hunger in the spiritual world does not exist because there is no material body. But we see Cowherd boys became hungry and then Krishna said, okay, go and beg from the priests, the brahmana priests [Laughs]. So that hunger is there simply as a means to have pastimes.
Similarly, Cowherd boys go in the fields and then at noon time they all get hungry, so they sit down and they have their lunch with Krishna [Laughs]. They also have sleep. Sleep is ignorance, tamo-guna. But sleep is there as part of pastimes in spiritual world. So, in other words these functions are there similar to the material world in one sense, but opposite function. They don’t function to support a material body. They only function as part of pastimes.
5.) Hare Krishna Maharaj, here it is mentioned, Krishna is full. No need of expecting or accepting. But we are worshipping Krishna and doing devotional service with affection. So Krishna accepts that main element affection. For that only we are doing?
So, of course, in Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says, offer me a leaf, fruit or flower. But Krishna is not hungry. He doesn’t need the fruit [Laughs] or the water or whatever. No hunger or thirst. So why does He accept it? So the verse says, you offer, but the offering is filled with bhakti. So, Krishna accepts the affection.
6.) Hare Krishna Maharaj, so I have read somewhere that Srimati Radharani has 25 qualities and one such quality is She can control Krishna. So She becomes superior to Krishna. So how do I understand this and also jiva has 50 qualities as you have mentioned. So how do we understand both cases?
Well, when we say that Radharani has 25 qualities, that doesn’t mean that She doesn’t have the 50 qualities. She has more than that [Laughs]. So the 25 qualities that are enumerated are qualities particularly of Radha in relation to Her service to Krishna. And these qualities are outstanding qualities.
7.) Hare Krishna Maharaj, so in this connection as you were talking about the ‘patram’, ‘pushpam’. Even in the 81st chapter of the Srimad Bhagavatam, Sudama brings a handful of pounded rice and Lord accepts it and in turn the Lord worships him. It is in the 80th chapter he was given a special seat and his feet was washed and the Lord is sprinkling the water on His head and Rukmini Devi is also fanning Sudama. How to understand this Maharaj?
Well, whether it is chipped rice or flowers or water or whatever, if you have devotion, the Lord accepts it. In the case of Advaita Acharya, he said I will offer Ganga water and Tulasi. That’s all. Nothing else and I will call the Lord. So, the actual item we offer is not so important. That’s only a medium to express our devotion.
So in expressing your affection, one of the things is giving. You give things and you receive things. But the item itself is not so important. What is important is the action itself and the intention behind the action. So many people are doing many activities. They are doing yajnas and austerity, so many things and the Lord says, ‘Well I am not really pleased with that’ [Laughs]. But He says, ‘I am pleased with prema’. So Sudama was offering chipped rice but actually he was showing his prema for the Lord. So the Lord accepts it.
Devotees: Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai!!! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj ki jai!!! Srila Prabhupada ki jai!!!