Aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47).
There are six kinds of opulences—means wealth, strength, beauty, knowledge and renunciation. Renunciation is also considered as opulence. Somebody has got immense money, immense wealth, but at once he renounces everything and becomes a mendicant, for some cause, of course.
There are many instances in political field. Somebody, for political emancipation, he gives up everything, all homely comforts and everything, renounces, and becomes a very famous man in the political field. Similarly, there are men in the spiritual field also, they renounces everything for achievement of spiritual perfection. So renunciation is also one of the opulences. So wealth, strength, beauty, knowledge, renunciation—so these things are opulences.
Now, Lord Kṛṣṇa, He says that "I have nothing to gain, all these opulences." But because the definition of God is one who has got in full all these opulences, He is God. The definition of God is like that in the Vedic literature. Everything has got a definition. So the definition of God is that aiśvaryasya samagrasya. One who possesses full wealth, full wealth and full strength, full fame, full beauty, full knowledge and full renunciation—He is God.
So Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa proved. When Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was present amongst ourselves, from the history we can see that . . . if we have to believe the history, then He was in full in everything. He was full in everything. So far as a householder also, when Lord Kṛṣṇa displayed His capacity as a householder . . . you will be surprised.
Perhaps most of you know that He married 16, 108 wives. Sixteen thousand . . . so somebody may be surprised that "How a person can marry 16, 108 wives?" Yes. A ordinary person like us or a little more strong person as, that is not possible. But when the word omnipotency is applied . . . God is called omnipotency, so for Him nothing is impossible.
So if we have to believe the history, then Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa married 16, 108 wives, and He built 16, 108 palaces also, well-decorated, fully equipped, all-marble palaces. And there was no need of light. The palaces were so nicely decorated with jewels that the light focused by the jewels, that will illuminate the house. And another thing—He was present in every house simultaneously. Sixteen thousand wives and sixteen thousand houses—He was present in sixteen thousand expansions by Himself. That is called opulence. These are the opulences. Lord Kṛṣṇa was full.
Now, when Lord Kṛṣṇa was present on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra, He was very old man. He was very old man, although you see His picture just like a young man of twenty years old. But you have seen. Some of you must have seen the picture of Kṛṣṇa, of battlefield. Arjuna is sitting on the chariot, and Kṛṣṇa is the chariot driver. Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa was of the same age, but Arjuna looks older; Kṛṣṇa looks younger. And Kṛṣṇa at that time had great-grandchildren. His grandchildren and His grandchildren's children were present at that time, and the whole family extended to about ten millions.
So this may be astonishing, but for God is nothing astonishing. If it is a fact that everyone is the son of God . . . sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ (BG 14.4). You will find in the Bhagavad-gītā that "In every species of life, in whatever form you may see them, I am the father of all of them."
Now, if He is the father of all living beings, just calculate how many living beings there are throughout the whole universe or in the creation. In comparison to that, if He displayed that He had only ten millions of sons and grandsons and grandchildren, that was nothing more. So these are things. Kṛṣṇa was equipped in that way.
So He says that "Pārtha, My dear Arjuna, I have nothing to gain. Don't think that I am here in the battlefield to assist you just for some remuneration or for some gain, because I can have anything and everything at My will only." Na me pārthāsti kartavyam: "Therefore I have no fixed duty." In the Upaniṣad you will find the definition of Brahman. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8): "The Supreme Brahman has nothing to do." That is the distinction.
We, we have got everything to do. Suppose we want spiritual perfection. So we have to do something. We have to perform something. We have to act practically. We have to go, accept penance, we have to accept . . . just like we are trying to chant:
- Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
- Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.
So the idea is that, "I may be elevated to the perfect position." So anything, if we desire, we have to do something. But the definition of Brahman and God is that He has nothing to do.
The Veda, Upaniṣad, say. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate: "He has nothing to do." Still, He is God.