698 Stimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 17
TRANSLATION

My dear Lord, I am also the creation of one of Your energies, composed
of the three modes of material nature. Consequently I am bewildered by
Your activities. Even the activities of Your devotees cannot be understood,
and what to speak of Your pastimes. Thus everything appears to us to be
contradictory and wonderful.

PURPORT

The activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His various forms
and incarnations are always uncommon and wonderful. It is not possible for
a tiny human being to estimate the purpose and plans of such activities;
therefore Srila Jiva Gosvami has said that unless the Lord’s activities are
accepted as inconceivable, they cannot be explained. The Lord is eternally
existing as Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in Goloka
Vrndavana. He has also simultaneously expanded Himself in innumerable
forms, beginning with Lord Rama, Lord Nrsitnha, Lord Varaha and all the
incarnations coming directly from Sankargana. Sankargana is the expansion
of Baladeva, and Baladeva is the first manifestation of Krsna. Therefore all
these incarnations are known as kala.

The word isvardnam refers to all the personalities of Godhead. As stated
in Brahma-samhita: (5.39) ramadi-martisu kala-niyamena tisthan. In the
Srimad-Bhagavatam it is confirmed that all the incarnations are partial ex-
pansions or kala of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, Krsna
is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead. One should not take the
plural number of the word tsvaranam to mean that there are many Godheads.
The fact is that God is one, but He exists eternally and expands Himself in
innumerable forms and acts in various ways. Sometimes the common man
is bewildered by all this and considers such activities contradictory, but they
are not contradictory. There is a great plan behind all the Lord’s activities.

For our understanding it is sometimes said that the Lord is situated in
the heart of the thief as well as in the heart of the householder, but the
Supersoul in the heart of the thief dictates, “Go and steal things from that
particular house,” and at the same time the Lord tells the householder, ‘Now
be careful of thieves and burglars.” These instructions to different persons
appear contradictory, yet we should know that the Supersoul, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, has some plan, and we should not consider such
activities contradictory. The best course is to surrender unto the Supreme
