Hare Kṛṣṇa,
This lesson on the conversation between Maharaja Pariksit and Sukadeva Goswami is deeply profound. Mahārāja Parīkṣit’s question to Śukadeva Gosvāmī reveals a crucial theological tension:
Parīkṣit Mahārāja said: O brāhmaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord of the universe, has descended to this earth along with His plenary portion to destroy irreligion and reestablish religious principles. Indeed, He is the original speaker, follower and guardian of moral laws. How, then, could He have violated them by touching other men’s wives? (SB 10.33.26-27)
To phrase it in another way, he asks, “In order to establish dharma and destroy adharma (irreligion), svayam bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, whose expansion is Visnu has appeared. Or svayam bhagavan Kṛṣṇa has appeared with His aṁśena, Balarama. How then can Kṛṣṇa perform acts contrary to dharma? If you say that Kṛṣṇa can act contrary to dharma because He is the independent Lord (īśvaraḥ), then He should also accept the sinful reaction, just as He sometimes gets cursed and accepts the result.”
His concern is not born of doubt but of reverence. As Pariksit Maharaja observes, Vedic morality strictly forbids association with others’ wives, and thus Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa-līlā appears, on the surface, jugupsitam—abominable. Yet Parīkṣit simultaneously affirms Kṛṣṇa as aptakāma, fully self-satisfied, and yadu-pati, the crest jewel of a supremely pious dynasty.
Pariksit Maharaja: “Then how could Kṛṣṇa be the head of the Yadus who follow the highest dharma? This is not only our doubt but the doubt of many people. Sri Kṛṣṇa is āpta-kāmaḥ and ātmā-rāma, yet He enjoyed enthusiastically with the gopis, who were the very form of prema and bliss. This is a very deep concept, so naturally people will have doubts. You yourself are totally committed to proper conduct, still you have become fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes portraying such condemned behavior. This too creates another doubt.”
This apparent contradiction forces a deeper conclusion: Kṛṣṇa’s actions cannot be judged by the moral framework meant for conditioned souls.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The status of powerful controllers is not harmed by any apparently audacious transgression of morality we may see in them, for they are just like fire, which devours everything fed into it and remains unpolluted. (SB 10.33.29)
Morality governs those bound by desire, karma, and the modes of nature; Kṛṣṇa, however, stands as their source and controller. As Śukadeva Gosvāmī explains, when the Supreme Controller appears to transgress moral law, it does not indicate moral failure but supreme autonomy. Just as fire remains pure while consuming impure substances, and the sun purifies even contaminated places, Kṛṣṇa remains untouched by actions that would bind any other being. His līlās reveal not moral weakness but transcendental supremacy.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī further clarifies that what is permissible for the controller is never permissible for the controlled.
One who is not a great controller should never imitate the behavior of ruling personalities, even mentally. If out of foolishness an ordinary person does imitate such behavior, he will simply destroy himself, just as a person who is not Rudra would destroy himself if he tried to drink an ocean of poison. (SB 10.33.30)
The Lord may act beyond His own injunctions, but such acts are non-imitable and deeply dangerous if misunderstood. Hence the strong warnings against sahajiyā tendencies and Māyāvāda imitation, where conditioned souls falsely place themselves in Kṛṣṇa’s position. Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa-līlā was not driven by personal desire—na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti—nor by subjugation to the gopīs’ emotions. Rather, it was an act of divine reciprocation, fulfilling vows made across lifetimes to eternally perfected devotees. His extraordinary deeds—lifting Govardhana, killing Pūtanā, and dancing with the gopīs—belong to the same category of absolute freedom. Because Kṛṣṇa is the supreme controller of karma, morality, and material nature itself, He is not subordinate to religious or irreligious principles. Instead, those principles derive their authority from Him. Thus, Kṛṣṇa is above morality because He is its very source, eternally pure, eternally free, and eternally acting only for the welfare and delight of His devotees.
Some of Srila Prabhupada’s statements defending Krsna’s transcendental morality are worth pondering.
“There are many other circumstances also which testify to the supreme authority of Krsna and show that He is not bound to the rules and regulations of the material world. In special cases, He acts as He likes to favor His devotees. This is only possible for Him, because He is the supreme controller. People in general should follow the instructions of Lord Krsna as given in the Bhagavad-gita and should not even imagine imitating Lord Krsna in the rasa dance… Duties are required for ordinary persons. They should not jump up and try to imitate Krsna and indulge in rasa-lila and thus bring about their ruin. One should know with certainty that Krsna had no personal interest in whatever He did for the benediction of the gopis… As stated in the Bhagavad-gita, na mam karmani limpanti: Krsna never enjoys or suffers the result of His activities. Therefore, it is not possible for Him to act irreligiously. He is transcendental to all activities and religious principles. He is untouched by the modes of material nature. He is the supreme controller of all living entities, either in human society, in the demigod society in heavenly planets, or in lower forms of life. He is the supreme controller of all living entities and of material nature; therefore, He has nothing to do with religious or irreligious principles.”
Therefore, what should be the attitude of sadhakas like us who hear these intimate pastimes of the Lord?
For one, Sukadeva Goswami advises that it is more important to follow the instructions of the Lord, the demigods or great personalities than imitating them.
“Sukadeva Gosvami replied, “The instructions of the demigods or great personalities are always auspicious for the devotees to follow. When the Lord performs pastimes as Rāma, one should follow His instructions. One should perform only those acts which do not contradict the orders given by the demigods or great persons. But even those instructions must be approved by scriptures. Then one can act, otherwise not. An intelligent person should conduct himself in this way.” (SB 10.33.31, Sārārtha-darśini)
Sukadeva Gosvami said, “Even the devotees of the Lord are not bound by religion or irreligion. Satisfied with their exclusive service to the dust of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, the devotees become liberated from the bondage of karma by the power of bhakti-yoga. What is the question of bondage for the Lord of those devotees, who accepted the transcendental bodies of others’ wives by His unrestricted free will? (SB 10.33.34, Sārārtha-darśini)
In conclusion, Kṛṣṇa is above all morality and immorality, not vice-versa. When He appears to violate morality, He is not being immoral but is demonstrating His supremacy over morality. Unlike us, who are tempted to break moral principles by the force of alluring temptations, Kṛṣṇais never motivated by selfish desire. He is always motivated by love, and everyone gets the supreme benefit whenever He breaks any moral principle. In all the Vraja-lila pastimes (including the rasa), it is love that reigns supreme. The gopis thus demonstrated the supreme level of renunciation, and that is the reason they are known as the greatest devotees of Kṛṣṇa. They transcended all moral obligations, including their chastity, and surrendered their lives completely to Him. And as a result He feels free to exchange the most loving relations in the sweetest possible manner.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Krsna Katha 