Hare Krishna -
 
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Krishna and to all of his pure devotees and aspiring devotees.
 
----------

Sri Krsna’s sixty-four qualities and symptoms

Vrajanatha: Babaji Mahasaya, there is no doubt that Bhagavan Sri Hari is para-tattva, but what is the position of the devatas such as Brahma, Siva, Indra, Sürya, and Ganesa? Please be merciful and explain this to me. Many brahmanas worship Mahadeva as the highest brahma-tattva. I took birth in one such brähmana family, so I have been hearing and saying this from my birth until now. I want to know the actual truth.

Babaji: I shall presently describe to you the respective qualities of the ordinary living entities, the worshipable devatäs and devis, and of Sri Bhagavän. Through the gradation of their respective qualities, you can easily understand the truth regarding the supreme object of worship.

ayam netä su-ramyangah sarva-sal-laksananvitah

ruciras tejasä yukto baliyän vayasänvitah

These are the qualities of Sri Krsna, the supreme hero. He is: 1) endowed with delightfully charming bodily limbs; 2) endowed with all auspicious characteristics; 3) beautiful; 4) radiant; 5) strong; and 6) eternally youthful;

vividhädbhuta-bhäsä-vit satya-väkyah priyam-vadah

vävadükah su-pänòityo buddhimän pratibhänvitah

7) conversant with many kinds of astonishing languages; 8) truthful; 9) a pleasing speaker; 10) eloquent; 11) intelligent; 12) learned; 13) resourceful;

vidagdhas caturo daksah krta-jnah su-drdha-vratah

desa-käla-supätra-jnah sästra-caksuh sucir vasi

14) expert in relishing mellows; 15) clever; 16) expert; 17) grateful; 18) very firm in His vows; 19) an astute judge of time, place and circumstance; 20) a seer through the eyes of sästras; 21) pure; 22) self-controlled;

sthiro däntah ksamä-silo gambhiro dhrtimän samah

vadänyo dhärmikah sürah karuno mänya-mäna-krt

23) steadfast; 24) forebearing; 25) forgiving; 26) inscrutable; 27) sober; 28) equipoised; 29) munificent; 30) virtuous; 31) chivalrous; 32) compassionate; 33) respectful to others;

daksino vinayi hrimän saranägata-pälakah

sukhi bhakta-suhrt prema-vasyah sarva-subhan-karah

34) amiable; (35) modest; 36) shy; 37) the protector of surrendered souls; 38) happy; 39) the well-wisher of His bhaktas; 40) controlled by prema; 41) the benefactor of all;

pratäpi kirtimän rakta-lokah sädhu-samäsrayah

näré-gaëa-manohäré sarvärädhyaù samåddhimän

42) the tormentor of His enemies; 43) famous; 44) beloved by all; 45) partial to the side of the sadhus; 46) the enchanter of women’s minds; 47) all-worshipable; 48) all-opulent;

variyän isvaras ceti gunäs tasyänukirtitäh

samudrä iva pancäsad durvigähä harer ami

49) superior to all; and 50) the controller. These fifty qualities are present in Bhagavän Sri Hari to an unlimited degree like the unfathomable ocean.They are present to a minute degree in the jivas, whereas they are fully represented in Puruñottama Bhagavän. Another five of Krsna’s qualities are present in Brahmä, Siva and other devatas, but not in ordinary jivas:

sadä svarüpa-sampräptah sarva-jïo nitya-nütanah

sac-cid-änanda-sändrängah sarva-siddhi-niñevitah

51) He is always situated in His svarüpa; 52) He is omniscient; 53) He is ever-fresh and new; 54) He is the concentrated form of existence, knowledge and bliss; and 55) He is served by all mystic opulences.

These fifty-five qualities are partially present in the devatäs.

athocyante guëäh panca ye laksmisädi-vartinah

avicintya-mahä-saktih koti-brahmända-vigrahah

avatärävalé-bijam hatäri-gati-däyakah

ätmäräma-ganäkrsity ami krsne kilädbhutäh

Laksmipati Näräyana has an additional five qualities: 56) He possesses inconceivable potencies; 57) innumerable universes are situated within His body; 58) He is the original cause or seed of all avatäras; 59) He awards gati (a higher destination) to those whom He kills; and 60) He can attract even those who are ätmäräma (satisfied within the self).

These additional five qualities are not present in Brahmä or Siva, but they are wonderfully present in Sri Krsna in their most complete form. Besides these sixty qualities, Sri Krsna Himself has four extra qualities, namely:

sarvädbhuta-camatkära-lilä-kallola-väridhih

atulya-mädhurya-prema-manòita-priya-mandalah

tri-jagan-mänasäkarsi-murali-kala-küjitah

asamänorddhva-rüpa-srih vismapita-caräcarah

61) He is like a vast ocean teeming with waves of the most astonishing and wonderful lilas; 62) He is adorned with incomparable mädhurya-prema, and thus is auspiciousness personified for His beloved bhaktas, who also have unparalleled prema for Him; 63) He attracts the three worlds with the marvelous vibration of His murali (flute); and 64) the resplendent rupa (beauty) of His transcendental form is unparalleled, charming and astonishing to all moving and non-moving entities in the three worlds.

lila premna priyadhikyam madhurye venu-rupayoh

ity asädhäranam proktam govindasya catustayam

Sri Krsna’s sixty-four qualities and symptoms have been described, including lila-madhuri, prema-madhuri, venu madhuri and rüpa-mädhuri. These are four extraordinary qualities that He alone possesses.

These sixty-four qualities are fully and eternally manifest in Sri Krsna, who is the embodiment of sac-cid-änanda. The last four qualities are present only in Sri Krsna’s svarüpa, and not in any of His other pastime forms. Apart from these four qualities, the remaining sixty qualities are brilliantly situated in their complete and fully conscious state in Sri Näräyana, who is the embodiment of Transcendence. Setting aside the last five of these sixty qualities, the remaining fifty-five are present to some extent in Siva,

Brahmä and other devatas, and the first fifty qualities are present to a very limited degree in all jivas.

The devatas such as Siva, Brahmä, Sürya, Ganesa and Indra, are endowed with Bhagavän’s partial qualities in order to run the affairs of the material universe. They have received a special measure of Bhagavän’s opulences to do this, so they are considered one type of special incarnation. The inherent and constitutional nature of all these devatäs is that they are Bhagavän’s servants, and many jivas have obtained bhagavad-bhakti through their mercy. Since they are so much more qualified than other jivas, they are also considered to be among the worshipable deities of the jivas, depending on the jivas’ qualification and level of consciousness. Performing their püjä is therefore considered a secondary limb of the rules and regulations of bhagavad-bhakti. They are always worshiped as the gurus of the jivas, for they mercifully bestow upon them one-pointed krsna-bhakti. Mahädeva, the Ésvara of all the devas, is so complete in bhagavad-bhakti that he is perceived as nondifferent from bhagavat-tattva. This is the reason that the Mäyävädis worship him as the supreme brahma-tattva.

----------
Please forgive me for any offence or inconvenience.
 
Jai Sri Radha Madhav Ki Jai!!
 
Source: Jaiva Dharma (Srila Bhaktivinoda Thäkura)