Approaching Krsna, the All-Pervading Truth 13

conception of Vasudeva, and therefore Kuntidevi points out, ‘“That
Vasudeva, the all-pervading, is Krsna.’’ /Svarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese
‘rjuna tisthati: Krsna, the Supreme Lord, is present in everyone’s heart.
Thus He is all-pervading.

Krsna, the original person, exists in three features: as the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, as the all-pervading Paramatma (the Supersoul),
and as the impersonal Brahman effulgence. Those who are interested in
bhakti-yoga have no interest in the impersonal Brahman effulgence,
which is for common men. If one were an inhabitant of the sun, what in-
terest would he have in the sunshine? That would be most insignificant
for him. Similarly, those who are advanced in spiritual life are not in-
terested in the impersonal Brahman effulgence. Rather, they are in-
terested in purusa, the Supreme Person, Vasudeva. As stated in
Bhagavad-gita, this realization of the Supreme Person takes place after
many, many births (bahtindm janmanam ante). The jfidnis, the imper-
sonalists, who are attached to the Brahman effulgence, try to understand
the Absolute Truth by dint of their knowledge, but they do not know that
their knowledge is imperfect and limited whereas Krsna, the Absolute
Truth, is unlimited. We cannot approach the unlimited by our limited
knowledge. That is not possible.

By the grace of devotees like Kuntidevi, we can understand that the
all-pervading Absolute Truth, Vasudeva, Paramatma, is present as Krsna
(krsndya vasudevaya). This realization of Vasudeva is not possible for im-
personalists very easily. Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (7.19):

bahtinam janmanam ante
jndnavan mam prapadyate
vasudevah sarvam iti
sa mahatma sudurlabhah

‘After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surren-
ders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is.
Such a great soul is very rare.”> The word mahdtma means ‘‘broad-
minded.’’ One who cannot understand Krsna is not broad-minded but
cripple-minded. If one becomes broad-minded, then by the grace of
Krsna one can understand Krsna.

The process of understanding Krsna is sevonmukha—by rendering ser-
vice. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau. Realization of Vasudeva is possible by
rendering service, beginning with the tongue. The tongue has two func-
tions—to vibrate and to taste. So if one repeatedly hears and vibrates the
