Krsna says, “I appear in this material world. I appear just like ordinary child appears. I take birth.” Actually, Krsna does not take birth. If you read Bhagavata, you will see how He appeared. Anyway, even if you take Him that He appeared as the son of Vasudeva or Mother Yasoda… You can say that He played just like a child in the hands of Mother Yasoda. So that’s all right. But you try to understand what kind of, this child display or lila of Krsna in front of Mother Yasoda. That is required. Janma karma me divyam [Bg. 4.9]. That is all divine, transcendental. So if we understand that “God has become a child” or “These people, accepting a child of certain woman whose name is Yasoda as God,” then you are mistaken. And if you understand that God has come as a child of this great devotee, Mother Yasoda, just to fulfill her desire… Because Mother Yasoda wanted God as her son, so God, being very much pleased on this devotee, He has appeared as a son of Mother Yasoda. Two understanding. If you take Krsna that “Here is a child born in a vaisya family of Mother Yasoda, Nanda Maharaja, and these people are accepting Him as God,” then you are mistaken.

Therefore Krsna says, janma karma ca me divyam. It is transcendental, divine. Therefore there are so many sastras to understand Krsna. Otherwise, if Krsna is ordinary child, then why there are so many books? There is no need of so many books to understand Krsna, just to understand Him that He is not ordinary child; He is God Himself. Otherwise who is writing so many books for understanding a ordinary child? Therefore Krsna says that “If one understands Me,” tattvatah — tattvatah means in fact, in truth — “then he becomes so qualified that after…” We have to give up this body, any circumstances. That’s a fact. Then such person who has become fully aware of Krsna, such person, tyaktva deham, giving up this body, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9], he does not take any more birth with another material body. Then what happens? Now, mam eti: “He comes to Me.” That means he gets his original, spiritual body.

So if we simply try to understand… It is not very difficult. Everything is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. You try to understand Krsna; then your life is successful. After giving up this body there is no more material body. You get spiritual body, and you enter in the spiritual world and dance with Krsna, play with Krsna, talk with Krsna, live happily, blissful life. This is instruction. This is the propaganda we are making.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Bhagavad-gita 9.4 — April 22, 1976,
Melbourne