168 Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

one cannot bestow any benefit upon others. But sometimes the demigods
become puffed up by the influence of material nature; thinking themselves
as all in all, they try to forget the supremacy of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, it is clearly stated that in this
instance Krsna wanted to make King Indra angry. Krsna’s advent was
especially meant for the annihilation of the demons and protection of the
devotees. King Indra was certainly a devotee, not a demon, but because he
was puffed up, Krsna wanted to teach him a lesson. He first tried to make
Indra angry by stopping the Indra Puja which was arranged by the cow-
herd men in Vrndavana.

With this purpose in mind, Krsna began to talk as if He were an atheist
supporting the philosophy of karma-mimarnisa. Advocates of this type of
philosophy do not accept the supreme authority of the Personality of
Godhead. They put forward the argument that if anyone works nicely,
the result is sure to come. Their opinion is that even if there is a God who
gives man the result of his fruitive activities, there is no need to worship
Him because unless man works He cannot bestow any good result. They
say that instead of worshiping a demigod or God, people should give
attention to their own duties, and thus the good result will surely come.
Lord Krsna began to speak to His father according to these principles of
the karma-mimamsa philosophy. “My dear father,” He said, “I don’t think
you need to worship any demigod for the successful performance of your
agricultural activities. Every living being is born according to his past
karma and leaves this life simply taking the result of his present karma.
Everyone is born in different types or species of life according to his past
activities, and he gets his next birth according to the activities of this life.
Different grades of material happiness and distress, comforts and dis-
advantages of life, are different results of different kinds of activities,
either from the past or present fife.”

Maharaja Nanda and other elderly members argued that without satis-
fying the predominating god, one cannot derive any good result simply by
material activities. This is actually the fact. For example, it is sometimes
found that, in spite of first-class medical help and treatment by a first-class
physician, a diseased person dies. It is concluded, therefore, that first-class
medical treatment or the attempts of a first-class physician are not in
themselves the cause for curing a patient; there must be the hand of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, a father’s and mother’s taking
care of their children is not the cause of the children’s comfort. Sometimes
it is found that in spite of all care by the parents, the children go bad or
succuml to death. Therefore material causes are not sufficient for results.
