Hare Krsna,
SB 10.13.40-43: When Lord Brahmā returned after a moment of time had passed (according to his own measurement), he saw that although by human measurement a complete year had passed, Lord Kṛṣṇa, after all that time, was engaged just as before in playing with the boys and calves, who were His expansions.
Lord Brahmā thought: Whatever boys and calves there were in Gokula, I have kept them sleeping on the bed of my mystic potency, and to this very day they have not yet risen again.
A similar number of boys and calves have been playing with Kṛṣṇa for one whole year, yet they are different from the ones illusioned by my mystic potency. Who are they? Where did they come from?
Thus Lord Brahmā, thinking and thinking for a long time, tried to distinguish between those two sets of boys, who were each separately existing. He tried to understand who was real and who was not real, but he couldn’t understand at all.
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Lord Brahma’s confusion to find another set of boys and calves is bewildering but understandable. As a condition soul, we, including Brahma, are all subjected to four defects – making mistakes, being illusioned, having a tendency to cheat others, and having imperfect senses.
First of all, Brahma made the mistake of messing with Krsna and stealing His cowherd friends and calves. Secondly, he became illusioned after seeing the same set of boys and calves that he stole playing with Krsna – as if nothing had happened. Thirdly, he was trying to bewilder Krsna with his limited mystic power by his imperfect senses (I am taking the liberty to say that Brahma’s senses are imperfect even though he is an exalted personality).
“Brahmā wanted to bewilder Kṛṣṇa, who bewilders the entire universe. The whole universe is under Kṛṣṇa’s mystic power (mama māyā duratyayā), but Brahmā wanted to mystify Him. The result was that Brahmā himself was mystified, just as one who wants to kill another may himself be killed. In other words, Brahmā was defeated by his own attempt.” (SB 10.13.44 Purport)
Keeping aside for a moment that this is also a divine plan of Krsna, we find it astonishing that Brahma could even think about trying to bewilder Krsna. Every pastime has a deeper lesson and a key takeaway for us. Srila Prabhupada unravels that lesson for us by saying that Brahma’s act is non-different than the act of the scientists and philosophers who want to overcome the mystic power of Krsna. For example, scientists claim to be able to create life from matter. Srila Prabhupada fought against that idea by reiterating that life comes from life, not from matter. The more scientists and philosophers try to challenge Krsna or the concept of Godhead, the more they are implicated in suffering.
Nowadays a rather peculiar theory is going around in the country. The theory of Flying Sphagetti Monster or Pastafarianism. It is a parodic new religious movement that promotes a light-hearted view of religion. It originated in opposition to the teaching of intelligent design in public schools in the United States. According to adherents, Pastafarianism (a portmanteau of pasta and Rastafarianism) is a “real, legitimate religion, as much as any other”. It has received some limited recognition as such. It originated in protest of the Kansas State Board of Education decision to permit teaching intelligent design as an alternative to evolution in state school science classes. (Source: Wikipedia)
Where are we heading with the modern education system with all these nonsense theories? I am quoting this example to highlight how so-called scientists and philosophers repeatedly come up with absurd theories to challenge the existence of God and His teachings. Flying Sphagetti Monster is one such ridiculous idea.
Being an empowered personality and acarya, Srila Prabhupada is tri-kala-jna: one who could see past, present and future. He could see the future and knew what was coming. Therefore he strongly admonishes us to stop trying to challenge Krsna.
“The lesson here is that we should not try to overcome Kṛṣṇa. Rather, instead of endeavoring to surpass Him, we should surrender to Him (sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja).” (SB 10.13.44 Purport)
Rather than paraphrasing, it is better I quote what Srila Prabhupada explains:
“Instead of defeating Kṛṣṇa, Brahmā himself was defeated, for he could not understand what Kṛṣṇa was doing. Since Brahmā, the chief person within this universe, was so bewildered, what is to be said of so-called scientists and philosophers? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. We should give up all our tiny efforts to defy the arrangement of Kṛṣṇa. Instead, whatever arrangements He proposes, we should accept. This is always better, for this will make us happy. The more we try to defeat the arrangement of Kṛṣṇa, the more we become implicated in Kṛṣṇa’s māyā (daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā). But one who has reached the point of surrendering to the instructions of Kṛṣṇa (mām eva ye prapadyante) is liberated, free from kṛṣṇa-māyā (māyām etāṁ taranti te). The power of Kṛṣṇa is just like a government that cannot be overcome. First of all there are laws, and then there is police power, and beyond that is military power. Therefore, what is the use of trying to overcome the power of the government? Similarly, what is the use of trying to challenge Kṛṣṇa?” (SB 10.13.44 Purport)
Srila Prabhupada tries to say, “it is impossible to beat the system and win against it.” He says the power of Krsna is just like a government that cannot be overcome. Therefore, what is the use of trying to overcome the power of the government? There is a popular saying in the casino world, “The house always wins.” No matter what game you choose to play, the odds of the casino winning your money are greater than the odds of you winning the casino’s money. That’s because all casino games are designed to provide the house with a built-in edge, diminishing the chances and sizes of potential payouts. Similarly, the government machinery is cunningly designed to fool us at every step. Try beating the IRS, the Social Security System, the healthcare provider-insurance company nexus the immigration system (familiar to people like us who need a visa to stay in this country), the gun lobby, and so on. The system is designed for the rich and powerful. Lower and middle class are pawns to be crushed in between. Similarly, it is pointless to try to mess around with Krsna and His supremely intelligent design of the creation.
The simple way out is to simply surrender to Krsna acknowledging that He is the most powerful, supreme controller and also supremely merciful and loving.
“As the darkness of snow on a dark night and the light of a glowworm in the light of day have no value, the mystic power of an inferior person who tries to use it against a person of great power is unable to accomplish anything; instead, the power of that inferior person is diminished.” (SB 10.13.45)
“Similarly, Brahmā became insignificant in the presence of Kṛṣṇa’s mystic power. Kṛṣṇa’s māyā was not diminished in value, but Brahmā’s māyā was condemned. Therefore, one should not try to exhibit one’s insignificant opulence before a greater power.” (SB 10.13.45 Purport)
Therefore, it is wise to surrender to Krsna unconditionally and lovingly. This is the most sensible thing to do in life.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Krsna Katha 