Who is Lord Krishna, Why should we accept Him as our leader?

Many a times Krishna consciousness movement is criticized for not being open and propagating only
worship of one god - Lord Krishna.

So today we will explore why only Lord Krishna is worshipped. A very well-known shloka from the
scriptures says

vasudevaà-sutaà devaà
kaàsa-cäëüra-mardanam
devaké paramänandaà
kåñëaà vande jagat-gurum

The Lord who was born as the son of Vasudeva, who killed Kamsa and Canura and who gave lot of
joy to Mother Devaki, that Krishna is the only Guru of the universe.

Have you come across situations where you don’t know what to do?

It’s not just simple humans but also prodigious leaders sometimes won’t know what to do? Maharaja
Yudhisthira was known as Dharmaraja, the one who has mastered religious principles. Despite being
the foremost followers of religious principle, he was very very sorry when for his sake sixty-four
crores of men were killed in the battlefield of Kurukñetra. We cannot even imagine how much grief
he had in his heart while killing so many people which would disturb lives of many more who were
dearly related to those 64 crore people. He was an ideal king and for an ideal king entire population is
his dear family and he bothers for everyone’s grief. In any family if one person dies we know how
much grief one experiences.

So taking a decision is not easy. And once we do something we have to reap the result of our deeds.

So what is the solution?

In Srimad Bhagavatam it is said

dharmaà tu säkñäd bhagavat-praëétaà

na vai vidur åñayo näpi deväù
na siddha-mukhyä asurä manuñyäù
kuto nu vidyädhara-cäraëädayaù [SB 6.3.19]

Real religious principles are enacted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although fully situated
in the mode of goodness, even the great åñis who occupy the topmost planets cannot ascertain the real
religious principles, nor can the demigods or the leaders of Siddhaloka, to say nothing of the asuras,
ordinary human beings, Vidyädharas and Cäraëas.

In spite of this reality we humans have manufactured many religions. What is a religion? It’s basically
rules of conduct. How one should behave. What one should practice, What morals should one follow,
What should be his worldviews etc

Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion, Parsee religion, Buddha religion. Srila
Prabhupada says - they are all mental concoction.
If people follow different man made religion there will be contradiction. When this way manmade
religion fails people become whimsical or impulsive.

But Bhagavad Gita warns

yaù çästra-vidhim utsåjya

vartate käma-kärataù
na sa siddhim aväpnoti
na sukhaà na paräà gatim

He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection,
nor happiness, nor the supreme destination. (Bg16.23)

So we should follow not man made religion but god made religion to be happy, to get perfection and
to reach supreme destination after death.

Just like we cannot make any law at our home but law can be made only by government, the supreme
government is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is why in Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna says

sarva-dharmän parityajya
mäm ekaà çaraëaà vraja
ahaà tväà sarva-päpebhyo
mokñayiñyämi mä çucaù [Bg 18.66]

Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful
reactions. Do not fear.
Someone may ask why I should believe Krishna. For this question the Lord answers -

ahaà sarvasya prabhavo

mattaù sarvaà pravartate
iti matvä bhajante mäà
budhä bhäva-samanvitäù [Bg 10.8]

I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who
perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.
mattaù parataraà nänyat
kiïcid asti dhanaïjaya
mayi sarvam idaà protaà
sütre maëi-gaëä iva [Bg 7.7]

O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung
on a thread.
This concept that there is no other way for our liberation from the stringent laws of material nature but
to follow the instructions of Lord Krishna are so true that Krishna Himself came as a devotee, in the
form of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, to teach how to surrender to Krishna perfectly and asked us to
chant His holy name.

We should be in full knowledge of who is Krishna, not that accepting Krishna as something fictitious.
The Katha Upanisad says:
nityo nityänäà cetanaç cetanänäm
eko bahünäà yo vidadhäti kämän
tam ätma-sthaà ye 'nupaçyanti dhéräs
teñäà çäntiù çäçvaté netareñäm
(Kaöha Upaniñad 2.2.13)

"Among all the eternal, conscious beings, there is one who supplies the needs of everyone else. The
wise souls who worship Him in His abode attain everlasting peace. Others cannot."

The very first shloka in Srimad Bhagavatam says “Lord Çré Krishna is the Absolute Truth. He is the
primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes.
He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no
other cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of
Brahmäjé, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into
illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on
water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the
three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord
Çré Krishna, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the
illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth.”

One should be in full knowledge of who is Krishna and not accept Lord Krishna as fictitious.

Therefore Krishna consciousness movement strictly follows only Lord Krishna and our leader is only
Krishna.

Jai Srila Prabhupada. Jai Sri Krishna.