Lord Krsna, the possessor of infinite powers

tathapy asesa-sthiti-sambhavapyayesv

 ananya-hetur yad asesa-sakti-dhrk

naicchat pranetum vapur atra sesitam

 martyena kim sva-stha-gatim pradarsayan

 

Translation: 

 

Although Lord Krsna, being the possessor of infinite powers, is the only cause of the creation, maintenance and destruction of innumerable living beings, He simply did not desire to keep His body in this world any longer. Thus He revealed the destination of those fixed in the self and demonstrated that this mortal world is of no intrinsic value.

 

Purport: 

 

Although Lord Krsna descended to this world to save the fallen souls, He did not want to encourage people in the future to loiter here unnecessarily. In other words, as soon as possible one should perfect one’s Krsna consciousness and go back home, back to Godhead. If Lord Krsna had remained longer on the earth, He would have unnecessarily increased the prestige of the material world.

 

As stated by Sri Uddhava in Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.2.11), adayantar adhad yas tu sva-bimbam loka-locanam: “Lord Sri Krsna, who manifested His eternal form before the vision of all on the earth, performed His disappearance by removing His form from the sight of those who are unable to see Him [as He is] due to not executing the required penance.” Uddhava also states in the Bhagavatam (3.2.10):

 

devasya mayaya sprsta

 ye canyad-asad-asritah

bhramyate dhir na tad-vakyair

 atmany uptatmano harau

 

“Under no circumstances can the words of persons bewildered by the illusory energy of the Lord deviate the intelligence of those who are completely surrendered souls.” One who follows the Vaisnava authorities in his attempt to understand Lord Krsna’s transcendental disappearance easily appreciates that the Lord is the omnipotent Personality of Godhead and that His spiritual body is identical with His eternal spiritual potency.

martyena yo guru-sutam yama-loka-nitam

 tvam canayac charana-dah paramastra-dagdham

jigye ’ntakantakam apisam asav anisah

 kim svavane svar anayan mrgayum sa-deham

 

Translation: 

 

Lord Krsna brought the son of His guru back from the planet of the lord of death in the boy’s selfsame body, and as the ultimate giver of protection He saved you also when you were burned by the brahmastra of Asvatthama. He conquered in battle even Lord Siva, who deals death to the agents of death, and He sent the hunter Jara directly to Vaikuntha in his human body. How could such a personality be unable to protect His own Self?

 

Purport: 

 

To mitigate his own and Pariksit Maharaja’s distress at the narration of Lord Krsna’s departure from this world, Sri Sukadeva Gosvami here gives several clear examples proving that Lord Krsna is far beyond the influence of death. Although the son of Lord Krsna’s spiritual master (Sandipani Muni) had been taken by death, the Lord brought him back in his same body. Similarly, the power of Brahman cannot touch Lord Krsna, since Pariksit Maharaja, though burned by the brahmastra weapon, was easily saved by the Lord. Lord Siva was clearly defeated by Lord Krsna in the battle with Banasura, and the hunter Jara was sent to a Vaikuntha planet in his same human body. Death is an insignificant expansion of Lord Krsna’s external potency and cannot possibly act upon the Lord Himself. Those who actually understand the transcendental nature of Lord Krsna’s activities will find convincing evidence in these examples.