Krishna is Everything but Everything is not Krishna

(written Jan 5, 2019)

(References: BG 9.5, 9.6, 10.42, 7.12.)

In Bhagavad Gita 9.5, Krsna says, “And yet everything that is created does not rest in Me. Behold my mystic opulence! Although I am the maintainer of all living entities and although I am everywhere, I am not a part of this cosmic manifestation, for My Self is the very source of creation.” This is what it means by Krsna is everything, but everything isn’t Krsna.

Similarly, in 7.12, Lord Krishna also says “Know that all states of being – be they of goodness, passion or ignorance – are manifested by My energy. I am, in one sense, everything, but I am independent. I am not under the modes of material nature, for they, on the contrary, are within Me.” In this verse, he clearly states that while all the material nature was manifested by His energy, he is not affected by them. Everything comes from Krsna, or is manifested by Him. We can come from Krsna, but we cannot be Krsna. In fact, Krishna is within every single atom in the universe, but still remains aloof. The Lord says, “Although they are situated on My inconceivable energy, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead I am aloof from them.” This is the inconceivable opulence of the Lord.

His personality remains untouched, even as his energies are spread across the universe. This phrase also supports the fact that Krsna is absolute. Krsna is the only absolute, and we are relative to him and cannot become him. An example Prabhupada gives is in the purport of Bhagavad Gita 9.6: “But although the wind is great, it is still situated within the sky; the wind is not beyond the sky.” Like so, Krsna is everything, but everything is not Krsna.