Beauty in Krsna’s Presence 165

There are two stages of meeting Krsna. Being personally present with
Krsna, personally meeting Him, personally talking with Him, and per-
sonally embracing Him is called sambhoga, but there is another way to be
with Krsna—in separation from Him—and this is called vipralambha. A
devotee can benefit from Krsna’s association in both ways.

Because we are now in the material world, we do not see Krsna
directly. Nonetheless, we can see Him indirectly. For example, if one
sees the Pacific Ocean one can remember Krsna immediately, if one is
advanced in spiritual life. This is called meditation. One may think, ‘‘The
Pacific Ocean is such a vast mass of water, with many large waves, but al-
though I am standing only a few yards from it, I am confident that I am
safe, however powerful this ocean may be and however fearful its waves.
Iam sure that it will not go beyond its limits. How is this happening? By
the order of Krsna. Krsna orders, ‘My dear Pacific Ocean, you may be
very big and powerful, but you cannot come beyond this line.’ ’’ In this
way one can immediately remember Krsna, or God, who is so powerful
that even the Pacific Ocean abides by His order. In this way one can think
of Krsna, and that is Krsna consciousness.

Similarly, when one sees the sunrise one can immediately remember
Krsna, for Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (7.8), prabhasmi Sasi-stiryayoh: ‘‘I
am the shining of the sun and the moon.”’ If one has learned how to see
Krsna, one can see Him in the sunshine. Our scientists have not created
the sun, and although they may juggle words, it is beyond their ability to
know what the sun actually is. But the Veddnta-stitra (1.1.3) says, sdstra-
yonitvat: one can know everything through the Sdstra, the Vedic
literature. For example, if one studies the Vedic literature one can know
what the sun is, for the sun is described in the Brahma-samhita (5.5.2):

yac-caksur esa savita sakala-grahanam .
raja samasta-sura-murtir aSesa-tejah
yasyajnaya bhramati sambhrta-kala-cakro
govindam Gdi-purusam tam aham bhajami
This verse describes the sun as the eye of all the planets, and if one medi-
tates upon this one can understand that this is a fact, for at night, before
the sun rises, one cannot see. The sun is also described as the eye of the
Lord. The sun is one of His eyes, and the moon is the other. In the
Upanisads, therefore, it is said that only when Krsna sees can we see. The
sun is also described as asesa-tejah, unlimitedly hot. And what is its func-
tion? Yasyajfaya bhramati sambhrta-kala-cakrah. The sun has its orbit.
