23 / Krsna’s Personality

Srila Rupa Gosvami states that although Lord Krsna is the reser-
voir of unlimited pleasure and the greatest leader of all, He is still
dependent upon His devotees in three ways. According to the emo-
tional status of the devotee, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is
appreciated in three ways: as the most perfect, as very perfect and as
perfect. When He exhibits Himself in fullness, He is appreciated by
great learned scholars as most perfect. When He exhibits Himself in
lesser degrees, He. is called very perfect. And when He exhibits still
less, He is called perfect. This means that Krsna is appreciated for
three degrees of perfection. These three degrees of perfection are
especially exhibited as follows: when He is in Goloka Vrndavana His
transcendental qualities are exhibited as most perfect, when He is in
Dvaraka He exhibits His qualities as very perfect, and when He is in
Mathura He exhibits His qualities as perfect.

Krsna’s personality is analyzed as dhirodatta, dhira-lalita, dhira-
prasanta and dhiroddhata. If one asks how a personality can be be-
held in four quite opposing ways, the answer is that the Lord is the
reservoir of all transcendental qualities and activities. Therefore, His
different aspects can be analyzed according to the exhibition of His
limitless variety of pastimes, and as such there is no contradiction.

Dhirodatta

A dhirodatta is a person who is naturally very grave, gentle, for-
giving, merciful, determined, humble, highly qualified, chivalrous and
bodily attractive.

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