This is the distinction between God and others. He's also living entity, just . . . Kṛṣṇa comes just like ordinary human being, and He works also with us, but that does not mean that Kṛṣṇa is like us. No. That is a mistake.
That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritāḥ, paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ (BG 9.11). This is stated, that "Those who are mūḍhas"—mūḍha means rascal or asses—"they think that I am also equal to them or they're equal to Me." Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā. They deride. They think, "Kṛṣṇa is as good as I am." This term . . . thinking like this is meant for the asses, mūḍha. Muḍḥa means asses, who has no knowledge. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritāḥ, paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ. "He does not know what is the background of My existence, personality." That is known by the devotees.
So this is the statement of Bhagavad-gītā, and we should try to understand this verse very nicely. Kṛṣṇa says: "I existed." That means Kṛṣṇa existed as the Supreme Lord, not like us. Similarly, we existed also in the past as His servants. That is the explanation of this verse. Because we are eternal servant of God, and that service attitude, being misplaced, we have divided our service spirit in so many ways. Everyone is trying to render service. Big, big leaders, they also want to give some service.
So this is our service attitude. It is our eternal attitude. It cannot be changed. Just like faith. Today I am Muslim; tomorrow I may become Hindu. Today I am Christian; tomorrow I may become Muslim. The faith can be changed, but my character is still that I am servant. That cannot be changed. It does not mean . . . suppose you are working in office. Now today you are Hindu or tomorrow you become Muslim. Does it mean in the office you be . . . become master? No. The service is there. Either you change your faith or don't change your faith, your characteristic to serve will continue. That is the reality. That is sanātana. Sanātana means eternal. Try to understand.
So sanātana, this word has been used in three or four places in the Bhagavad-gītā. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūta jīva-loka sanātana (BG 15.7). Sanātana. These living entities, they are sanātana. And another place in the Eighth Chapter in Bhagavad-gītā, this sanātana word is used: paras tasmāt tu bhāva anya 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). There is another sky. Just like we are seeing this sky. This is called material sky, and we are seeing the sky in one universe.
We, according to our Vedic information, the sky which you are seeing, this is the sky of one of the universes. And there are millions of universes. We get this information from Vedic literature, Brahma-saṁhitā: yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Jagad-aṇḍa means universe, and koṭi means millions. So the sky which we're seeing before us, this is one of the sky of the universe. There are millions. And all these universes combined together is one part creation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That we find in the Bhagavad-gītā:
- atha vā bahunaitena
- kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna
- viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam
- ekāṁśena sthito jagat
- (BG 10.42)
"This material world is being maintained by one of My plenary portion, who is known as Paramātmā." Viṣṭabhya aham. "I enter by one of My plenary portion, and this whole material world is maintained in that." This material world is one-fourth manifestation of God's creation, and the spiritual world is three-fourth manifestation of . . . (break) . . . which is known as brahma-jyotir. There are millions and trillions of Vaikuṇṭha planets. Vaikuṇṭha planets . . .
Vaikuṇṭha, Vaikuṇṭha means vigata-kuṇṭha yasmād. Kuṇṭha means anxiety. Just like within this material world we are full of anxieties. Similarly, when you . . . when we go to the spiritual world there is also planet like this, but there is no kuṇṭha, there is no anxieties. Here anyone, up to Brahmā, ā-brahma bhuvanāl lokān punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16), even if you go to the highest planetary system within this universe, still your anxiety will go with you. Your anxiety for what? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). The anxiety for death, anxiety for birth, anxiety for disease—these are the sum and substance of all our anxieties. Anxiety must be there.