Preface xiii

an ordinary human being. In the Fourth Chapter Krsna states that He can
remember instructing the lessons of the Bhagavad-gitad some millions of
years ago to the sun-god, Vivasvan.

Nowadays it is the fashion of the atheistic class of men to try to become
God by following some mystic process. Generally the atheists claim to be
God by dint of their imagination or their meditational prowess. Krsna is
not that kind of God. He does not become God by manufacturing some
mystic process of meditation, nor does He become God by undergoing the
severe austerities of the mystic yogic exercises. Properly speaking, He
never becomes God because He is the Godhead in all circumstances.

Within the prison of His maternal uncle Kamsa, where His father and
mother were confined, Krsna appeared outside His mother’s body as the
four-handed Visnu-Narayana. Then He turned Himself into a baby and
‘told His father to carry Him to the house of Nanda Maharaja and his wife
YaSoda. When Krsna was just a small baby the gigantic demoness Piitana
attempted to kill Him, but when He sucked her breast He pulled out her
life. That is the difference between the real Godhead and a God manu-
factured in the mystic factory. Krsna had no chance to practice the mystic
yoga process, yet He manifested Himself as the Supreme Personality of
Godhead at every step, from infancy to childhood, from childhood to
boyhood, and from boyhood to young manhood. In this book Krsna, all
of His activities as a human being are described. Although Krsna plays like
a human being, He always maintains His identity as the Supreme Per-
sonality of Godhead.

Since Krsna is all-attractive, one should know that all his desires should
be focused on Krsna. In the Bhagavad-gitd it is said that the individual per-
son isthe proprietor or master ofthe body, but Krsna, who is the Supersoul
present in everyone’s heart, is the supreme proprietor and supreme master
of each and every individual body. As such, if we concentrate our loving
propensities upon Krsna only, then immediately universal love, unity and
tranquility will be automatically realized. When one waters the root of a
tree, he automatically waters the branches, twigs, leaves and flowers; when
one supplies food to the stomach through the mouth, he satisfies all the
various parts of the body.

The art of focusing one’s attention on the Supreme and giving one’s love
to Him is called Krsna consciousness. We have inaugerated the Krsna
consciousness movement so that everyone can satisfy his propensity for
loving others simply by directing his love towards Krsna. The whole world
is very much anxious to satisfy the dormant propensity of love for others,
but the inventions of various methods like socialism, communism, altruism,
