Many heard about Krsna, the beautiful blue boy who plays the flute. Many talk about him, but very few can understand him in truth.
Once, Lord Brahma, the architect of our Universe was notified by one of his assistants that one cowherd boy on earth was doing some amazing feats, defeating many powerful demons who were previously ravaging the universe. Some believed he was Vishnu, the Supreme Controller.
Due to his position, Brahma has a personal relationship with Lord Vishnu, who is the ultimate creator of the Universe. Vishnu creates the shell of the universe, the material elements, and finally Brahma, the first living entity, who is empowered to create the planets and stars, as well as the first living beings who populate the Universe. Brahma took his birth from a beautiful lotus flower that sprouts from Lord Vishnu’s navel. It was from Him that he received the order of performing austerities to progress in the path of self-realization and thus be able to fulfill his mission in creating the universe. Previously, when powerful demons created chaos all over the cosmos, the same Lord Vishnu descended in different incarnations to protect the universal order. Brahma knows very well how powerful Lord Vishnu is, and understands that He lives in an imperishable abode beyond the material elements that form the Universe.
This cowherd boy may be some powerful mystic, or maybe some Siddha-yogi, and thus are being able to perform such feats, but how can people claim that he is the supreme controller? I know my Lord — Brahma taught.
He decided to test Krsna. At the time, Krsna was playing with his numerous friends and tending a large number of calves. Lord Brahma decided to steal all friends and cows, and see how Krsna would react.
Back on earth, it was time for Krsna and His cowherd friends to take lunch. However, they noticed that one of the calves was missing. Krsna told them to not worry, they would find the calf. In the meantime, they should just sit and peacefully take their lunch.
Brahma took the opportunity: he quickly made all the cowherd boys and all the calves fall into a deep sleep and transported them to a safe place, where they could enjoy their slumber without the knowledge of Krsna.
When Krsna came back, he suddenly saw himself alone. All his friends and calves had disappeared. He immediately understood that this was the work of Brahma, but taking it as a play, he decided to also play a trick on Brahma.
Using his unlimited potencies, Krsna expanded Himself into replicas of every cowherd boy and calf who Brahma stole. Having done that, He just continued playing as if nothing had happened. In this way, he also fulfilled the desires of all the mothers of Vrindavana, who desired to have Krsna as their son. By assuming all these different forms, Krsna simultaneously became the son of all the mothers, and thus everyone was perfectly happy.
After one year, Brahma decided to come back and see how Krsna was doing. However, when he came back to Earth he saw how Krsna was still playing with the boys and calves, just like before. He quickly went to the place where he put the original boys and indeed they were still there. How they could simultaneously be with Krsna!?
Seeing the bewilderment of Brahma, Krsna revealed to Him how all the boys and calves were actually Vishnu expansions, each one with four arms and all opulence and ornaments. Brahma knew only one Lord Vishnu, who he understood to be the Supreme Lord. Now, he was not only seeing many different Visnus, but all of them were worshipping this small blue boy!
As the bewilderment of Brahma grew, he saw that many other Brahmas, much bigger and powerful than Him simultaneously appeared and were offering their respects to Krsna! Brahma always thought he was the only Brahma, the most powerful living being of the Universe, but now he saw he was only one in the midst of millions of other Brahmas!
Seeing all these wonderful exhibitions of opulence from Krsna, Brahma could understand that, mysteriously as it may seem, Krsna is actually the cause of all causes, the source of the impersonal Brahman, and of all spiritual planets, as well as of all material universes. However, although being so wonderfully powerful, He spends His time as a cowherd boy, playing with His friends, allowing His different expansions, as well as servants, like Lord Brahma himself to take care of the universal affairs.
Understanding his mistake, Brahma offered prayers that were recorded in the pages of the Srimad Bhagavatam, the main amongst the 18 puranas that are part of the Vedic literature. Brahmā said:
“My Lord, just see my uncivilized impudence! To test Your power I tried to extend my illusory potency to cover You, the unlimited and primeval Supersoul, who bewilder even the masters of illusion. What am I compared to You? I am just like a small spark in the presence of a great fire.
Therefore, O infallible Lord, kindly excuse my offenses. I have taken birth in the mode of passion and am therefore simply foolish, presuming myself a controller independent of Your Lordship. My eyes are blinded by the darkness of ignorance, which causes me to think of myself as the unborn creator of the universe. But please consider that I am Your servant and therefore worthy of Your compassion.
What am I, a small creature measuring seven spans of my own hand? I am enclosed in a potlike universe composed of material nature, the total material energy, false ego, ether, air, water and earth. And what is Your glory? Unlimited universes pass through the pores of Your body just as particles of dust pass through the openings of a screened window.” (SB 10.14.9-11)
Someone who is not really great may have to work very hard to maintain his position and fulfill all his responsibilities, but someone who is really great doesn’t need to do so: he can, with minimal effort, arrange things in such a way that he will have time to spend with his friends and do the things he really wants to do.
The Vedas explain that the Absolute Truth can be understood in many different aspects. Things are actually much more complex than we usually imagine. Although God is one, He appears in different forms, reciprocating with different levels of worshippers.
In His Universal form, he appears as the Universe, in its varied manifestations. Yogis that are still attached to matter are advised to meditate in this form. From the effulgence of His body comes the impersonal Brahman, the place where imperialists go to achieve freedom and immortality. For the ones who want to relate to God as the Supreme Master, the processor of all opulence, He appears as Narayana, in the Vaikuntha planets, and so on.
Krsna is the original aspect of the Absolute Truth, when God shows himself without the restrictions that exist in his other forms. He is God in the form which can reciprocate to His devotees in the most intimate ways. As Queen Kunti prays:
“O Lord, no one can understand Your transcendental pastimes, which appear to be human and so are misleading. You have no specific object of favor, nor do You have any object of envy. People only imagine that You are partial.” (TQK 12)
After Brahma finished his prayers, he left back to Brahmaloka, his own abode to continue his work of supervising the universal affairs. Krsna took the boys and calves back to the same place they were taking their lunch an year later. As they woke from their sleep, the boys saw Krsna and continued playing as before, without realizing that a whole year had passed.