Krishna’s smile is welcoming us

Kadamba Kanana Swami

The jnani is more concerned with that aspect that this world is temporary and full of misery. The devotee is seeing behind this material world is Krishna, for he sees everywhere Krishna, because the creations tell something about the creator.

Just as an example human beings have made so many things - example a car:
A car says a lot about human beings. It has eyes, it has a nose, it has a place where you put the petrol, the fuel, it has a tank , it has an exhaust! It has a nerve system-the electrical wiring, it has veins in the form of tubes!

There are so many similarities- it tells a lot about it’s maker, because it is fully relating to the senses of it’s maker. It’s serving those senses, therefore it is an extension of the senses. So this material world is also revealing something about the nature of Krishna and this is interesting to the devotee. In the tenth canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam it is stated that if you see beauty within this world then know it to be the smile of Krishna.


I always found that a very encouraging thing to read. Because if I have to only look at this world as a temporary place full of misery and I have to make the use of a bad bargain and have to try and engage whatever I can of this miserable energy with my miserable material body in the service of Krishna....then that’s very nice ! (crowd laughter) because of the service to Krishna!

But when I read in Bhagavatam that beauty in this world is the smile of Krishna then I can also see that something of the spiritual nature of Krishna is coming through in this material energy and that the smile of Krishna is welcoming me.
A smile is a welcome for something, you know, either we welcome you or we welcome your money! But a smile is a welcome, it is a sign of welcome. So Krishna’s smile is welcoming us to the spiritual world!



The smile of Krishna is found in the beauty of this world is meaning that we can actually appreciate, we can appreciate the rays of the morning sun, we can appreciate the beauty in this world and not just write it off as maya - because we can understand that it is the reflection of the spiritual world which is still unlimitedly greater and unlimitedly more beautiful. Just imagine if this is just the refection alone, impressive – it is promising!

Thus a vaishnava can be in this world and simultaneously have a spirit of renunciation, a spirit of not becoming under the influence of the material energy - trying to enjoy the material body and he can say “No, no I go for a higher goal in life”
And at the same time he can be soft hearted and he can be open, he doesn’t need to close himself off: “No this illusion will not enter, I will not see it, I will not hear it, I will not register it”
No, a vaishnava can actually register it: “Nice, beautiful, How wonderful is Krishna!”

(Kadamba Kanana Swami 01/07/2009)