Prayers by the Personified Vedas 247

unlimited potencies, unlimited strength, unlimited influence, unlimited
beauty and unlimited renunciation. Therefore the word Brahman can be
applied to Krsna only. Arjuna affirms that because the impersonal Brah-
man is the effulgence emanating as rays of Krsna’s transcendental body,
Krsna is the Parambrahman. Everything is resting on Brahman, but
Brahman itself is resting on Krsna. Therefore Krsna is the ultimate
Brahman or Parambrahman. The material elements are accepted as inferior
energies of Krsna because by their interaction the cosmic manifestation
takes place, rests on Krsna, and after dissolution again enters into the body
of Krsna as His subtle energy. Krsna is therefore the cause of both mani-
festation and dissolution.

Sarvam khalv idarh brahma means everything is Krsna, and that is the
vision of the mahabhdgavatas. They see everything in relation to Krsna.
The impersonalists argue that Krsna has transformed Himself into many
and that therefore everything is Krsna and worship of everything is wor-
ship of Him. This false argument is answered by Krsna in the Bhagavad-
gita: although everything is a transformation of the energy of Krsna, He is
not present everywhere. He is simultaneously present and not present. By
His energy He is present everywhere, but as the energetic He is not present
everywhere. This simultaneous presence and non-presence is inconceivable
to our present senses. But a clear explanation is given in the beginning of
the [gopanisad, in which it is stated that the Supreme Lord is so complete
that although unlimited energies and their transformations are emanating
from Krsna, Krsna’s personality is not in the least bit transformed. There-
fore, since Krsna is the cause of all causes, intelligent persons should take
shelter of His lotus feet.

Krsna advises everyone just to surrender unto Him alone, and that is the
way of Vedic instruction. Since Krsna is the cause of all causes, He is
worshiped by all kinds of sages and saints by observance of the regulative
principles. When there is a necessity for meditation, great personalities
meditate on the transcendental form of Krsna within the heart. In this
way the minds of great personalities are always engaged in Krsna. With
minds engaged in Krsna, naturally the captivated devotees simply talk of
Krsna.

Talking of Krsna or singing of Krsna is called kirtana. Lord Caitanya
also recommends kirtaniyah saddé harih, which means always thinking and
talking of Krsna and nothing else. That is called Krsna consciousness.
Krsna consciousness is so sublime that anyone who takes to this process is
elevated to the highest perfection of life—far, far beyond the concept of
liberation. In the Bhagavad-gita, therefore, Krsna advises everyone to
