Multidimensional Pastimes

Krishna performs pastimes in this world for a variety of reasons:

Revelation: To establish His supremacy and reveal to the world His transcendental nature beyond the material energy.

Education: To teach the errant souls and evolve their consciousness through His activities and words.

Attraction: To display His beautiful character and relationships so that souls become attracted to rekindling their connection with Him.

Reciprocation: To fulfil the desires of the devotees who have given their lives to Him and have thus conquered Him.

Rectification: To create spiritual resurgence and annihilate disturbing elements in the world.

Recreation: To experience a variety of relationships, emotions and loving pastimes for His own pleasure.

Due to the variety of reasons underpinning the Lord’s activities, it can be quite confusing for an unfamiliar person to decipher why the Lord acts in certain ways. If we add our own limited intelligence and material conditionings to the mix, then the result can be bewilderment and misunderstanding. Therefore, Vyenkata Bhatta, when asked by Sri Chaitanya as to why the Lord and His associates act in certain ways, replied: “I am an ordinary human being. Since my intelligence is very limited and I am easily agitated, my mind cannot enter within the deep ocean of the pastimes of the Lord.” (CC Madhya 9.125). Thus, one must understand the pastimes of the Lord through the realisations and commentaries of the acaryas, who give the context and depth to each transcendental incident.