Krishna is such an amazing person who doesn’t want to take the credit for anything. Many times people ask, “Why does Krishna say ‘I am this’, ‘I am that’ in the Bhagavad Gita?” Definitely, Krishna does say who he is in order to enlighten all of us.
In BG 10.8, He says aham sarvasya prabhavo – Everything inanimate and animate originate from Me, all the spiritual and material worlds originate from Me. In the Srimad Bhagavatam as well, it is described, janmady asya yatah – from whom everything emanates, in other scriptures also, he is termed as the creator – even brahma says – sarva karana karanam.
Yet, the same Krishna gives that TITLE of creator to Brahmaji. Krishna is never a person who desires any credit. In the battlefield of Kurukshetra, he gave all credit to Arjuna. He gave the credit to Bhisma for being able to pacify Yudishthira. He gave credit to Shiva in Samudra Manthan Lila. Lord Krishna, as Lord Caitanya would always give credit to His devotees. Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya became a devotee through the grace of Lord Caitanya, but He gave all credit to Gopinath Acarya, his brother-in-law. Lord Caitanya made Haridas Thakura as the namacarya, he made Raghunath Dasa Goswami as the foremost devotee known for his renunciation, he had Rupa and Sanatana showcase the extreme limits of humility. He magnified the glories of all His devotees.
Do Krishna’s devotees take the credit when Krishna gives them the credit?
Krishna’s devotees also deflect the credit to others. They never take it themselves. When Brahma is asked the question who created the universe, Brahmaji could have taken the credit, and he could definitely justify it. The entire secondary creation is done by Brahmaji. But when asked if he is the creator, he gets overwhelmed remembering Krishna. And he gives the entire credit to where it is due. When Yamadutas, being baffled in their attempts to take Ajamila ask Yamaraja about who has the Supreme position, Yamaraja immediately remembers the Supreme Lord and becomes very pleased to get an opportunity to glorify the Supreme Lord.
Prabhupada gave credit to his guru and also to his disciples. A devotee’s business is to work immensely hard for Krishna’s service, but when the question of taking credit comes, he or she is the most happy to share it with others.
A Vaishnava understands,
yogyatā-vicāre, kichu nāhi pāi,
tomāra karuṇā-sāra
When devotees examine themselves, they find that they have no standing on their own. It is purely the mercy of devotees, the spiritual masters and Krishna.
In the beginning of Caitanya Caritamrita, the very first chapter is named as “The Spiritual Masters”.
The very first verse of CC is as follows,
vande gurūn īśa-bhaktān
īśam īśāvatārakān
tat-prakāśāṁś ca tac-chaktīḥ
kṛṣṇa-caitanya-saṁjñakam
I offer my respectful obeisances unto the spiritual masters, the devotees of the Lord, the Lord’s incarnations, His plenary portions, His energies and the primeval Lord Himself, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya.
Without their grace, we can do nothing.
If we give credit to Krishna and His devotees, Krishna credits our heart with love for Him. And that enables us to do wonderful things for him.
If we grab the credits, Krishna might give us the credits, but He does not give Himself. A devotee doesn’t want anyone and anything else apart from Krishna. Therefore, a devotee doesn’t desire the credit, but he desires Krishna. And in Krishna, he or she finds everything – icchāpidhānaṁ nija-pāda-pallavam.
