24 Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge

planets in the solar system are resting in the sunshine,
everything within the creation is resting on Krgna-
shine. All of these potencies of the Lord give pleasure
to a devotee, but one who is envious of Krsna rejects
them. When one is a nondevotee, the statements of
Krsna seem to be so much bluff, but when one isa
devotee, he thinks, “Oh, my Lord is so powerful,”
and he becomes filled with love and adoration. Non-
devotees think that because Krsna says, “I am God,”
they and everyone else can say the same. But if asked
to show their universal form, they cannot do it. That
is the difference between a pseudo god and the real
God. Krsna’s pastimes cannot be imitated. Krsna
married over 16,000 wives and kept them nicely in
16,000 palaces, but an ordinary man cannot even
keep one wife nicely. It is not that Krsna just spoke
so many wonderful things; He also acted wonderfully.
We should not believe one thing that Krsna says or
does and reject another; if belief is there, it must be
full belief.

In this regard, there is a story of Narada Muni, who
was once asked by a brahmana: ‘“‘Oh, you are going
to meet the Lord? Will you please ask Him when I’m
going to get my salvation?”

“All right,’ Narada agreed. “I shall ask Him.”

As Narada proceeded, he met a cobbler who was
sitting under a tree mending shoes, and the cobbler
similarly asked Narada, “Oh, you are going to see
God? Will you please inquire of Him when my sal-
vation will come?”

When Narada Muni went to the Vaikuntha planets,
he fulfilled their request and asked Narayana (God)
