Krishna’s Lust & Divine Ignorance


So, without fighting he inspired the kings (who were creatures that burdened the earth by hording powerful armies) to hate and kill each other, just like fire in the bamboo.

Kṛṣṇa is transcendental. What does that word mean? Trans- means across, -scend means movement, so the word means “a thing which moves across.” Specifically it indicates a thing which operates within a certain boundary, without being bound to or originated by anything within that boundary. When Krishna “incarnates” he operates within a field that ordinary material senses and minds can perceive and comprehend. Although moving within these boundaries, he is not bound within them and does not originate within them.

The wind is transcendental to a forest. It moves through the forest. It can be perceived within the forest. It causes things to happen within the forest, but it is not a product of the forest. In a bamboo forest, many of the reeds get brown and dry. When the winds come, friction between these reeds causes a huge fire. The green reeds survive because the fire burns very quickly. The brown reeds turn to ash and fertilize the ground.

What caused the fire, The wind?

In a sense, yes, but the wind is transcendent to the forest.


Perhaps, but friction is dependent on the wind and the density of the dry reeds.

The real cause of the fire is the brownness of the bamboo itself. Similarly the real cause of all the kings dying in the Mahābhārata war is their own foulness. Our own deaths and misfortunes are also not caused by random fate. Fate is merely the friction enabled by the abundance of brown reeds in our mentality. As for God, his part in our suffering or fortune is extremely remote. He is merely the wind that blows impartially everywhere. The real cause of our misfortunes is not being “green bamboo,” not being rooted into the soul of divinity. Misusing our freewill to uproot ourselves from our true nature, we become dry and brown – and it is then only a matter of time before we are burnt.

The theme that Sūta will continue to present is that Kṛṣṇa is transcendental to all the effects caused within human perception.


He appears in the human world by his own magic. He enjoys amidst a host of jewel-like women, who are the All-Attractive energy.

Krishna is transcendental to the human world. How then does he fit inside it?

By his own all-powerful magic (sva-māyā).

What does he do in the human world?

He enjoys!


He becomes the cynosure of a necklace made of jewel-like females (strī-ratna-kūṭastha).

Ordinary sexuality!?

Yes and no. Ordinary sexuality dimly reflects the external appearance of this necklace; but in truth these women are the direct All-Attractive Energies (bhagavān-prākṛti), the divine goddesses, eternal manifestations of the fullness of the Absolute All-Attractive Being.


Their limitlessly exciting and pure emotions expressed through lovely smiles and flirtatious glances overpower cupid himself, who gives up his bow. But the schemes of these utmost intoxicating women never could overpower his senses.

A human male reflexively drools and stupefies over a highly attractive woman out of an involuntary need to fulfill an inner hunger. The All-Attractive Male does not at any time relate to women in this manner, although his legendary pastimes with women crush any playboy or “Don Juan” into shameful dust. The All-Attractive male is exactly opposite to the material imitation of manhood. The deeds of the All-Attractive result from an overflowing of his inner self-satisfaction, a desire to amplify his pure and natural bliss by sharing it in infinite ways with infinite other beings.


So many ordinary people think that the unattached is attached. Ordinary people are tied up in ignorance and stupidity, and they think everyone else must be just like them.


This is the mastery of the master: Although situated within his energy, he does not merge himself with it but remains always fixed within his true self. This is also true of the wise who take shelter of him.

Godhead can most certainly operate in names and forms and deeds which the human mind can perceive and comprehend, but this does not mean that in doing so he becomes limited to those names, forms, and deeds! There is so much chatter about Krishna from the pens, keyboards and mouths of trolls. Such is not kirtan. We have confidence that we can come to understand and realize the All-Attractive by hearing from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, not from loudmouths who cannot grasp the simple algebras of transcendence.


They think he is weak and foolish, secretly led around by women. Their opinion about The Husband is of no importance! He is the Supreme Master!

This verse has another implication: “Kṛṣṇa’s wives, although knowing that their husband is the supreme controller (bhartuḥ īśvaram matayaḥ yathā), still treat him as if he is a weak, simple, submissive man (abalāḥ mūḍhāḥ strainam ca) as they lead him around in private affairs (anuvratam rahaḥ).

In a philosophy class I once took in college I encountered some sort of Zen saying, “In the beginning a teapot is a teapot. In the middle a teapot is not a teapot. In the end a teapot is a teapot.” It is appropriate here. Fools do not treat Kṛṣṇa as Godhead; the enlightened do; but the most enlightened again do not.

Fools do not treat Kṛṣṇa as Godhead because they are bewildered by ignorance and are so egotistical that they think everyone, including Kṛṣṇa, must be fundamentally just like them. The enlightened are not burdened by this ignorance, so they treat Kṛṣṇa as Godhead. But the fully enlightened become intoxicated by the universal desire to amplify the infinite all-expansive bliss of Kṛṣṇa, and thus submerge themselves into roles within the Divine Play. The Queens of Dvārakā take the roles of Kṛṣṇa’s wives.

Here is another way to understand it. The all-powerful awe-inspiring stature of Godhead is like a huge mountain. Blind men cannot see it. The sighted can. But when there is a flood of divine bliss, the mountain submerges. The greater the divine love, the higher the flood. In the topmost divine lovers the mountain is entirely submerged. The mountain, however, never ceases to exist.


About Vic DiCara


7 responses to “Krishna’s Lust & Divine Ignorance

  • partha

    Prabhuji pranam, the examples you have given are very nice. Prabhuji you said that the Lord is like the wind which blows impartially everywhere, but it is said that for the devotees the Lord sometimes becomes partial. For ex. in the war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, when Bhishma inflicted upon Arjuna, at that time Lord Krishna could not withstand His anger and dashed toward him with the chariot wheel. In view of this what I feel is, the jivas particularly the devotees, by their own ability can never cross this material existence. The Lord’s impartiality towards His devotees gives them unprecedented bliss and relieves them from the material domain. Hope I understood it properly.
    Radhe Radhe

    • Vic DiCara / Vraja Kishor

      Jai Sri Radhe, thank you for your comment sadhuji.

      Can you give a sastric example of a statement which actually says that Krsna becomes partial in some cases?

      Krsna is completely impartial in all cases, but the living entities are always partial. He is impartial but not impersonal. Thererfore he reciprocates with each living entity exactly according to their partiality towards him. If a living entity loves Krsna, he experiences nothing but love from Krsna. If a living entity dislikes Krsna he experiences nothing but dislike from the universe. Etc. This is completely impartial.

      Krsna dashed towards Bhisma because Bhisma wished to feel the touch of Krsna and therefore Krsna wanted to fulfill that desire. Krsna impartially fulfills everyone’s desire. He will break his own word to fulfill your desire. He is the most loving person. He is the nourisher of love.

      No one can escape illusion, but Krsna frees those who desire to be freed. This is completely impartial.

      Jai Sri Krishna!

      • partha

        Prabhuji thanks for the reply, I could not understand what you meant my saying that Bhishma wished to feel the touch of Krishna. In the Brahma Samhita, if I remember correctly, there is a sloka that from Lord Indra upto the tiny insect Indragopa all are bounded by their results of Karma but for the devotees their Karma Bandhan (bindings resulted from activities) is waived off by Govinda. Radhe Radhe.

    • Vic DiCara / Vraja Kishor

      Perhaps reading this would clarify:

      Bhisma loved Krsna and aspired for the position of a Gopi of Vrindavana. He shot his arrows at Krsna, which pierced his armor and touched his skin. Krsna wished to return this gesture. This all of course is the secret, inner feelings of very martial external situations.

      The statement of Brahma Samhita does not say that God is partial to anyone, it simply says that some people have karma and others do not. there is no need to suppose that this is caused by god’s partiality towards some and not towards others. To whomever approaches him with devotion, karma dissapears quite quickly. This is comepletely impartial.

      God is always impartial.
      But never impersonal.

  • Kamal Vyas


    in your title, you use the word Lust. May I ask why and what is the definition of lust in the way you use the term? It is confusing, because in Chapter 3 of Bhagavad Gita by Srila Prabhupada, the last verse is:

    Chapter 3. Karma-Yoga

    TEXT 43

    evam buddheh param buddhva
    samstabhyatmanam atmana
    jahi satrum maha-baho
    kama-rupam durasadam


    evam–thus; buddheh–of intelligence; param–superior; buddhva–so knowing; samstabhya–by steadying; atmanam–of the mind; atmana–by deliberate intelligence; jahi–conquer; satrum–the enemy; maha-baho–O mighty-armed one; kama-rupam–the form of lust; durasadam–formidable.


    Thus knowing oneself to be transcendental to material senses, mind and intelligence, one should control the lower self by the higher self and thus–by spiritual strength–conquer this insatiable enemy known as lust.


    This Third Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita is conclusively directive to Krsna consciousness by knowing oneself as the eternal servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without considering impersonal voidness as the ultimate end. In the material existence of life, one is certainly influenced by propensities for lust and desire for dominating the resources of material nature. Desire for overlording and sense gratification are the greatest enemies of the conditioned soul; but by the strength of Krsna consciousness, one can control the material senses, the mind and the intelligence. One may not give up work and prescribed duties all of a sudden; but by gradually developing Krsna consciousness, one can be situated in a transcendental position without being influenced by the material senses and the mind–by steady intelligence directed toward one’s pure identity. This is the sum total of this chapter. In the immature stage of material existence, philosophical speculations and artificial attempts to control the senses by the so-called practice of yogic postures can never help a man toward spiritual life. He must be trained in Krsna consciousness by higher intelligence.

    Thank you for considering this question.

    Also, may I ask what is the origin of the picture? In the encounters with Gopis, Krishna was depicted in Rasa Lila in separating Himself into many Krishnas, each dancing separately with each Gopi. In the Yamuna river while playing, there was a depiction of playing. I have trouble understanding why Krishna is depicted in a group hug in this picture; when this is not the depiction given to us by our acaryas. Thanks! 🙂

    • Vic DiCara / Vraja Kishor

      I intentionally phrase things, especially the titles to pique attention and wake up the readers interest and eagerness to hear. Therefore I intentinally used a controversial word – lust.

      Sri Rupa uses the same word, however, in Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu. He says that the perfected devotees are of two categories: sambanda-atmika and kama-atmika. Those who are related to him and those who are lusty with him (kama). Friends and family and servants are sambanda, lovers are kama. The devotional practice that aspires to follow the lovers of Krsna, Sri Rupa calls kama-anuga. The entirety of the pure romantic relationship with Krsna he calls Kama-rupa. In Caitanya Caritamrita Krsnadas Kaviraja explains the use of the word “lust” (kama) at more length. He says that gold and iron have the same properties (they are both metallic) but they are vastly different in value. Similarly the love of the gopis (and by extension the queens) for Krsna has the same properties as ordinary lust but they are vastly different in value. The names, forms, shapes, etc of lust is identitical or at least very similar, but the value of it is infinitely different because Sri Krsna’s love affairs are devoid of personal ego and selfishness.

      The origin of the picture is google. There are many descriptions of Krsna, it is not only the rasa lila in which he enjoys time with the gopis.

  • Kamal Vyas

    Thank you for your excellent explanation. 🙂

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