28 TEACHINGS OF QUEEN KUNTI
because Devaki’s husband, Vasudeva, was living, whereas Kuntidevi
was a widow and there was none to help her except Krsna. The conclu-
sion is that Krsna bestows more favor upon a devotee who is in greater
dangers. Sometimes He puts His pure devotees in such dangers because
in that condition of helplessness the devotee becomes more attached to
the Lord. The more the attachment is there for the Lord, the more suc-
cess is there for the devotee.

Devaki, the devotee who became the mother of Krsna, was not an
ordinary woman. After all, who can become the mother of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead? Krsna agrees to become the son only of the
most advanced devotee. In their previous lives, Devaki and her husband
underwent severe austerities, and when Krsna therefore appeared before
them, wanting to give them a benediction, they told Him that they
wanted a son like God. But where can there be another person equal to
God? That is not possible. God is asamaurdhva; that is, no one can be
equal to or greater than Him. There cannot be any competition. One can-
not say, ‘“‘I am God, you are God, he is God, we are all God.” No. One
who says this is a dog, not God, for God is great, and He has no competi-
tor. No one is equal to Him; everyone is lower. Ekale isvara krsna ara
saba bhrtya: the only master is Krsna, God, and everyone else is His ser-
vant, including even great demigods like Brahma, Visnu, and Siva, not to
speak of others: Siva-virifici-nutam. In the Sastra, the Vedic scriptures, it is
said that Lord Krsna is offered respect even by Lord Siva and Lord
Brahma, the topmost demigods.

Above the human beings there are demigods. As we human beings
are above the lower animals, above us there are demigods, the most im-
portant of whom are Lord Brahma and Lord Siva. Lord Brahmi is the cre-
ator of this universe, Lord Siva is its destroyer, and Lord Visnu, who is
Krsna Himself, is its maintainer. For the maintenance of this material
world there are three gunas, or modes of material nature—sattva-guna
(the mode of goodness), rajo-guna (the mode of passion), and tamo-guna
(the mode of ignorance). Lord Visnu, Lord Brahma, and Lord Siva have
each taken charge of one of these modes—Lord Visnu of sattva-guna,
Lord Brahma of rajo-guna, and Lord Siva of tamo-guna. Yet these three
controllers are not under the influence of the gunas. Just as the superin-
tendent of a jail is not a prisoner but the controlling officer, so Lord Siva,
Lord Visnu, and Lord Brahma control these three gunas and are not
under the control of the gunas.

But above all others, the supreme controller is Krsna, who is known as
Hrsikesa. The word hArsika means ‘‘senses.”’ We are enjoying our senses,
