20 Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

The highest blunder committed by the impersonalist is te think that
when the incarnation of God comes, He accepts the form of matter
in the modes of goodness. Actually the form of Krsna or Narayana is
transcendental to any material idea. Even the greatest impersonalist,
Sankaracarya, has admitted that na@rayanah paro’vyaktat: the material
creation is caused by the avyakta impersonal manifestation of matter or
the nonphenomenal total reservation of matter, and Krsna is transcen-
dental to that material conception. That is expressed in the Srimad-
Bha as Suddha-sattva, or transcendental. He does not belong to the
material mode of goodness, and He is above the position of material
goodness. He belongs to the transcendental eternal status of bliss and
knowledge.

“Dear Lord, when You appear in Your different incarnations, You take
different names and forms according to different situations. Lord Krsna is
Your name because You are all attractive; You are called Syamasundara
because of Your transcendental beauty. Syama means blackish, yet they
say that You are more beautiful than thousands of cupids. Kandarpa-koti-
kamaniya. Although You appear in a color which is compared to the
blackish cloud, because You are transcendental Absolute, Your beauty is
many many times more attractive than the delicate body of Cupid.
Sometimes You are called Giridhari because You lifted the hill known as
Govardhana. You are sometimes called Nandanandana or Vasudeva or
Devakinandana because You appear as the son of Maharaja Nanda or
Devaki or Vasudeva. Impersonalists think that Your many names or forms
are according to a particular type of work and quality because they accept
You from the position of a material observer.

“Our dear Lord, the way of understanding is not to study Your absolute
nature, form and activities by mental speculation. One must engage him-
self in devotional service; then one can understand Your absolute nature,
transcendental form, name and quality. Actually only a person who has a
little taste for the service of Your lotus feet can understand Your transcen-
dental nature or form and quality. Others may go on speculating for
millions of years, but it is not possible for them to understand even a single
part of Your actual position.” In other words, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, Krsna, cannot be understood by the nondevotees because
there is a curtain of Yogamaya which covers Krsna’s actual features. As
confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, naham prakasah sarvasya. The Lord says,
“I am not exposed to anyone and everyone.” When Krsna came, He was
actually present on the battlefield of Kuruksetra, and everyone saw Him.
But not everyone could understand that He was the Supreme Personality of
