Beyond Birth and Death 109
nature, and we are servants of nature. Therefore Kuntidevi says, kecid
ahuh: ‘Someone may say that the unborn has taken birth.’’ It may ap-
pear that He has taken birth just like us, but in fact He has not. Kuntidevi
distinctly says, kecid ahuh: ‘‘Some foolish persons may say that He has
taken birth.’ Krsna Himself also says in Bhagavad-gita (9.11), avajananti
mam mudhd manusim tanum 4Gsritam: ‘Because | have appeared just like a
human being, those who are rascals think that I am also just like an ordi-
nary human.”’ Param bhavam ajanantah: ‘‘They do not know the mystery
behind God’s taking birth like a human being.”

Krsna is everywhere. The Lord is situated in everyone’s heart (isvarah
sarva-bhitanam hrd-dese ’rjuna tisthati). And since He is within us and is
all-powerful, why should it be difficult for Him to appear before us?
When the great devotee Dhruva Maharaja was engaged in meditation on
the four-handed form of Visnu, all of a sudden his meditation broke, and
he immediately saw before him the same form upon which he had been
meditating. Was it very difficult for Krsna to appear in this way? Of
course not. Similarly it was not difficult for Him to appear before Devaki
in the same four-handed form. Therefore Krsna says, janma karma ca me
divyam: ‘‘One must understand My transcendental birth and activities.”
Kuntidevi has this understanding. She knows that although to some fools
Krsna appears to take birth, in fact He is unborn.

But why should Krsna perform the pastime of taking birth? Kuntidevi
replies, punya-slokasya kirtaye: to glorify those who are very pious and
very much advanced in spiritual understanding. Krsna comes as the son
of Devaki to glorify His devotee Devaki. Krsna becomes the son of
Yasoda to glorify Yasodd. Similarly, Krsna appears in the dynasty of
Maharaja Yadu, His great devotee, just to glorify Maharaja Yadu. Thus
Krsna is still known as Yadava, the descendant of Maharaja Yadu. Krsna
has no obligation to take His birth in a particular family or country, but
He takes birth to glorify a certain person or a certain family because of
their devotion. Therefore His birth is called divyam, transcendental.

The Lord is not obliged to take birth, but we are obliged to do so. That
is the distinction between our birth and the birth of Krsna. If by our
karma, or activities, we are fit to take birth in a good family in human
society or demigod society, we shall do so, but if our activities are low
like those of animals, we shall have to take birth in a family of animals.
That is the force of karma. Karmana daiva-netrena jantor dehopapattaye
(Bhag. 3.31.1). We develop a certain type of body according to our
karma.

The human form of life is meant for understanding the Supreme, the
