Sri Krsna – The Ever-Shifting Center

By: Babhru Dasa

Sri Krsna, the Infinite Godhead, is known throughout the vedas, and by those who’s mysticism has reached maturation, to be the center of everything and all that be. He is the divine central reality, and all other points of existence are attached to Him in a subsidiary position. In other words, all outer points, and most pertinently, the individual souls (atmas), move according to the supreme soul (paramatma).

 Yet, He is not obliged to remain in one place. For His own purposes, He is ready to move anywhere and everywhere. Sometimes He personally moves, and at other times, He may cast His all-attractive glance, or send His very dear emissary, His venu-gita (flute-song) to achieve a purpose in some far off destination.  In this way, He moves in so many unpredictable ways.

And why is He moving Himself in these different ways throughout His infinite material and spiritual cosmic manifestations? It is solely for the purpose of acquiring ananda (ecstasy).  Searching after His ever-expanding reality, and especially those souls who are replete in love for Him.

Such a role, is the only true role of the Supreme Godhead, to taste ever-expanding ecstasy at all times. Even though He is ecstasy personified, still due to his infinitely expanding nature, His thirst cannot be quenched. And thus He searches after that taste of love and ecstasy. Just see! He who has the ability to be unmoved, moves Himself willingly.  

If there is any other role performed by the Godhead, than it can be known that such a function is being carried out by a slightly removed form of His. The original Godhead truly has no purpose other than tasting ecstasy.

And thus in the pursuit of ecstasy, Sri Krsna moves, up, down, sideways, front, back, and even in ways that are not perceivable by any dimension of rational thought. Sometimes He appears very close, and sometimes very far away. Like a flash of lightning, His movements are completely unreliable. These motions of His are so beyond the scope of understanding, that not even the celestial devatas can catch it within their highly developed intellectual grasp, so what to speak of mere humans?  

And in such a situation, where Bhagavan is on the move, so are His servants. Just as sunrays have their exclusive dependence in the Sun, so to the Bhakta cannot live without Bhagavan. In this way a desperate maddened chase ensues.

Bhagavan chasing the Bhakta, and the Bhakta chasing Bhagavan! And the only hint for one to find the other is the channel that ties them together, namely Bhakti. Hence the bhakti-marga is known as the crooked path, an ever-moving path. A path of fluctuation and ecstatic movement.

Like a sidewinder snake, the head, tail, and body are all in drastically different places at the same time, yet all their existances are tightly bound up together.  This is the original movement of all existence. The original action of soul and supersoul.

The outer fragments of consciousness, follow their divine center, wherever it may lead. It may lead them to heaven, hell, or to realties unknown, but such ideas hold no consequence to them.  And why would it? They find the totality of their existence expressed in His connection, wherever it may be.