Is Krishna just an Avatar, not God as said by some books?
A devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Respected Sir, The problem I am going to mention is n’t my personal problem. There are many religious/spirituality group where people are claiming that they can become God by practicing meditation. Surrendering to God with a humble heart makes no sense to them. To prove their point that they are God, they give the example of Sankaracharya’s statement “Tat Tvm Asi”, and say that thinking God is superior to all involves duality. They deny that Krishna has a personal form. They criticize ISKCON & Prabhupada. If sometimes I give them the example of “Bhaja Govindam” commentaries of Shankaracharya, they ignore it. They tell that they are gaining practical experiences through meditation & realizing that they are God. They say that Shiva or Shakti are God, but Krishna is n’t. In their view, Krishna is just a prophet or incarnation of Vishnu. They claim that They are also Shiva & will merge in Shiva by the practice of meditation. They think Bhakti is inferior than meditation, because according to them mediation gives practical experience, while Bhakti is practiced by unintelligent persons or by blind followers of God who don’t gain any practical experience like the persons doing meditation. They have become successfull in deviating some people from the path of Bhakti. For them Brahman is the highest realization, and all Gods including Krishna are the manifestations of Brahman. How to handle these people ? Also please let us know the most powerful evidence in Vedas that say Krishna is Supreme.”
REPLY:
This discussion of whether Krishna just an Avatar not God is going on for centuries though there are clear proofs in the criptures.
There are different religious paths followed by various groups in India. Everyone has to manage the affairs of their set ups. So, everyone tells that their paths alone are superior.
If you run a shop and another person is also running a similar shop next to yours, what will you say to your customers? “I never sell duplicate products, but, many shops sell duplicate goods. And, all the items in our shop are fresh and I do not keep any product more than one week.” like that.
(Why Krishna engages us in material trap and expects us to come to Him? READ HERE!)
Why do you say so though another shop is selling similar products? Because, you have to run your shop beating the competition. If one brand of tooth paste says that it has Neem, another claim that his tooth paste has salt, calcium also in addition to Neem and hence this paste is superior and the best for teeth. Another paste comes and claims that their paste makes the teeth glowing like anything. Another toothpaste comes and claim that their paste has Triclosan that will drive away bad odour from mouth. And so on. Endless.
Thus, everyone claims that their product alone is superior though all tooth pastes clean the teeth. Otherwise, they can not remain in market.
Same applies in spirituality also. Every spiritual personality gets some realizations. They come across some scriptures that claim different gods as superiors. Some others say that no form for god and only brahmam is supreme that is formless and all gods originate from that brahmam.
This is like whether egg came first, or, hen.
Brahmam is like the sun light and Krishna is like sun. The light emanating from the body of Krishna constitutes brahma jothi, called as brahmam. This is an empty space. Those who do not worship Krishna, but meditate and renounce their material desires attain mukthi and go to this brahma jothi. They can not penetrate through this brahmam and reach Krishna.
Whereas, those who worship Krishna, penetrates this brahmam and reaches Krishna Himself. So, you have to decide whether to settle with the brahmam itself or to go to Krishna.
(Why Krishna gives failures in career, Love, etc., if we are His children? READ HERE!)
Let us see what Krishna says to clear these types of conclusions in Bhagavad Gita that is the essence of all vedas:
Ch-18, Verse 65:
“Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.”
Ch-18, Verse-66:
Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.
So, BAKTHI to Krishna is superior to all the varieties of religious processes that you have mentioned.
Let me give some words of Srila Prabhupada from Vedas as you need proof from vedas to refute the concept of “Krishna just an Avatar not God”:
(1) Srila Prabhupada’s Discussion on 11.5.1977:
“All Vedic literature agrees that Krsna is the source of Brahma, Siva and all other demigods. In the Atharva Veda it is said, yo brahmanam vidadhati purvam yo vai vedams ca gapayati sma krsnah: ‘It was Krsna who in the beginning instructed Brahma in Vedic knowledge and who disseminated Vedic knowledge in the past.’
(Why Krishna allows demonic people and their evil deeds on earth? READ HERE!)
(2) Then again it is said, “atha puruso ha vai narayano ‘kamayata prajah srjeyety upakramya”: ‘Then the Supreme Personality Narayana desired to create living entities.’
(3) Again it is said, narayanad brahma jayate, narayanad prajapatih prajayate, narayanad indro jayate, narayanad astau vasavo jayante, narayanad ekadasa rudra jayante, narayanad dvadasadityah: ‘From Narayana, Brahma is born, and from Narayana, the patriarchs are also born. From Narayana, Indra is born, from Narayana the eight Vasus are born, from Narayana the eleven Rudras are born, from Narayana the twelve Adityas are born.’
(4) It is said in the same Vedas, brahmanyo devaki-putrah: ‘The son of Devaki, Krsna, is the Supreme Personality.’
(5) Then it is said, eko vai narayana asin na brahma na isano napo nagni-samau… [break] … dyav-aprthivi na naksatrani na suryah sa ekaki na ramate tasya dhyanantah sthasya yatra chandogaih kriyamanastakadi-samjnaka stuti-stomah stomam ucyate: ‘In the beginning of the creation there was only the Supreme Personality Narayana. There was no Brahma, no Siva, no fire, no moon, no stars in the sky, no sun. There was only Krsna, who creates all and enjoys all.’
(6) In the many Puranas it is said that Lord Siva was born from the highest, the Supreme Lord Krsna, and the Vedas say that it is the Supreme Lord, the creator of Brahma and Siva, who is to be worshiped. In the Moksa-dharma Krsna also says, “prajapatim ca rudram capy aham eva srjami vai tau hi mam na vijanito mama maya-vimohitau [Moksa-dharma, Mahabharata]”
(Why Krishna left us in material world after creating us from Himself? READ HERE!)
‘The patriarchs, Siva and others are created by Me, though they do not know that they are created by Me because they are deluded by My illusory energy.’
(7) In the Varaha Purana it is also said,
narayanah paro devas tasmaj jatas caturmukhah tasmad rudro ‘bhavad devah sa ca sarva-jnatam gatah [Varaha Purana]
‘Narayana is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and from Him Brahma was born, from whom Siva was born.’ Lord Krsna is the source of all generations, and He is called the most efficient cause of everything. He says that ‘Because everything is born of Me, I am the original source of it all. Everything is under Me. No one is above Me.’
(8) There is no supreme controller other than Krsna. One who understands Krsna in such a way from a bona fide spiritual master and from Vedic literature, who engages all his energy in Krsna consciousness, becomes a truly learned man. In comparison to him, all others, who do not know Krsna properly, are but fools. Only a fool would consider Krsna to be an ordinary man. A Krsna conscious person should not be bewildered by fools. He should avoid all unauthorized commentaries and interpretations on Bhagavad-gita and proceed in Krsna consciousness with determination and firmness.”
All these 8 points are the words of Srila Prabhupada from vedic texts.
What else you want to get convinced that it is not true that Krishna just an Avatar not God as said by some books??
Abandon all forms of religion. Just surrender to Krishna and show your devotion to the beautiful form of Krishna who is the supreme personality of godhead and who is the source of brahmam also.
So, It is baseless to say that Krishna just an Avatar not God.
(WHY KRISHNA IS THE MOST ATTRACTIVE & POWERFUL PERSON? READ HERE!)