Krishna has many energies or potencies, which have three main categories. The first is his “internal energy”, which manifests as the spiritual world and his most confidential associates who always reside there. Chief among these is Radharani, who is Krishna’s eternal consort. She is the female aspect of the Supreme, and from her come many other consorts who are known as “gopis”, Krishna’s unmarried lovers, and as his married queens. The internal energy is also known as Yogamaya, a female personality who brings us closer to Krishna when we try to serve him.
His second energy is the “marginal potency”, which consists of the innumerable jivas or souls. We are called marginal as we can come under the influence of either the internal energy or the third of Krishna’s potencies, the external energy known asmahamaya. This is the material world and indeed the illusion of being the material body, separate and independent of God. Such is the condition we find ourselves in right now, and Krishna therefore acts in various ways to bring us into his association, as mentioned above. The name Krishna actually means ‘all-attractive’ and by coming to this world he reveals that attractiveness in order to draw us toward him.
Simply by hearing about Krishna and his divine pastimes from authorised scriptures such as the Vedas we can become attracted to him. There is no other way of gaining knowledge about God. He is beyond the material senses and the philosophers are correct when they say he cannot be encompassed by thought. Certainly no process of speculation will arrive at perfect knowledge of God, but he can reveal himself to us if he chooses, and we accept the Vedas as such revelation.
Ultimately God is a person who wants to be known and loved by us all. Those who have approached him say that he is the most wonderful personality, the one for whom we are all searching, unlimitedly qualified with all transcendental attributes. We get a glimpse of this by studying texts such as the Bhagavad-gita, but if we want to fully appreciate his greatness then we must follow the process it describes.
And the result? In Srila Prabhupada’s words, “Your life will be sublime.”
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