Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 15.179

koṭi-kāmadhenu-patira chāgī yaiche mare

ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pati kṛṣṇera māyā kibā kare?

SYNONYMS

koṭi — of millions; kāma-dhenu — of desire cows; patira — of the master; chāgī — one she-goat; yaiche — as; mare — dies; ṣaṭ-aiśvarya-pati — the master of six opulences; kṛṣṇera — of Kṛṣṇa; māyā — external energy; kibā — what; kare — can do.

TRANSLATION

"If a person possessing millions of wish-fulfilling cows loses one she-goat, he does not consider the loss. Kṛṣṇa owns all six opulences in full. If the entire material energy is destroyed, what does He lose?"

PURPORT

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, in clarifying verses 171-179, states that the meaning of these stanzas is very simple but that the purport is a little difficult to understand. Generally, the conditioned souls forget Kṛṣṇa when they are enticed by the material, external energy. Consequently they are called kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha, bereft of their relationship with Kṛṣṇa. When such a living entity comes under the jurisdiction of the material energy, he is sent into one of the innumerable material universes created by the material energy to give a chance to conditioned souls to fulfill their desires in the material world. Being very eager to enjoy the fruits of their activities, conditioned souls become involved in the actions and reactions of material life. Consequently they enjoy and suffer the results of karma. However, if a conditioned soul becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, the karma of his pious and impious activities is completely destroyed. Simply by becoming a devotee, one is freed of all the reactions of karma. Similarly, simply by the desire of a devotee, a conditioned soul can attain liberation and transcend the results of karma. Since everyone can be liberated in this way, one may conclude that it is according to the sweet will of the devotee whether the material world exists or does not exist. Ultimately, however, it is not the sweet will of the devotee but the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who, if He so desires, can completely annihilate the material creation. There is no loss on His part. The owner of millions of cows does not consider the loss of one she-goat. Similarly, Lord Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor of both the material and spiritual universes. The material world constitutes only one-fourth of His creative energy. If, according to the desire of the devotee, the Lord completely destroys the creation, He is so opulent that He will not mind the loss.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness