15 Reasons Why Krishna is not the Supreme God - Bhagavad Gita

Krishna is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. A common belief in Hinduism is that Shri Krishna is the Supreme God. The worshippers of Lord Krishna call him the Supreme personality of Godhead. They frequently quote this phrase "कृष्णस्तु भगवान् स्वयम्" (Krishanas tu bhagvana swayam) from Bhagavad Purana to support their statement. They are oblivious to the fact that Lord Vishnu has a limited life span. Age of Lord Vishnu is 7 times the age of Brahma. Another thing they believe in is that Shri Krishna spoke Bhagavad Gita at the time of Mahabharata and gave the most important knowledge to the whole mankind. 

Let us for a moment accept the common notion that Krishna is speaking Bhagavad Gita (which is not actually the case), there are 15 reasons given in Bhagavad Gita which prove why Krishna is not the Supreme God. The verses of Bhagavad Gita which prove Shri Krishna is not the Supreme Lord are given below. 

15 Verses from Bhagavad Gita which prove that Krishna is not the Supreme God

Lord Krishna talks about another God

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 46

यतः, प्रवृत्तिः, भूतानाम्, येन्, सर्वम्, इदम्, ततम्,
स्वकर्मणा, तम्, अभ्यच्र्य, सिद्धिं, विन्दति, मानवः।।46।।

The God from whom all the living beings have originated and from whom this whole world has pervaded, by worshipping that God through the performance of one’s natural activities i.e. while performing worldly tasks instead of practicing Hathyog, a man attains spiritual success.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 62

तमेव शरणं गच्छ सर्वभावेन भारत।
तत्प्रसादात्परां शान्तिं स्थानं प्राप्स्यसि शाश्वतम्‌॥

हे भारत! तू सब प्रकार से उस परमेश्वर की ही शरण में जा। उस परमात्मा की कृपा से ही तू परम शांति को तथा सनातन परमधाम को प्राप्त होगा॥62॥

O scion of Bharata, surrender unto Him utterly. By His grace you will attain transcendental peace and the supreme and eternal abode.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 66

सर्वधर्मान्, परित्यज्य, माम्, एकम्, शरणम्, व्रज,
अहम्, त्वा, सर्वपापेभ्यः, मोक्षयिष्यामि, मा, शुचः।।66।।

Relinquishing all my religious practices in me, you go in the refuge of only that one unique i.e. Complete God. I will release you from all the sins. You do not grieve.

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As has been mentioned in verses in Chapter 18 of Bhagavad Gita, Krishna talks about the same Supreme God in Chapter 15 verses 1-4. 

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15 Verse 4

ततः पदं तत्परिमार्गितव्यं यस्मिन्गता न निवर्तन्ति भूयः ।
तमेव चाद्यं पुरुषं प्रपद्ये यतः प्रवृत्तिः प्रसृता पुराणी ॥

उसके पश्चात उस परम-पदरूप परमेश्वर को भलीभाँति खोजना चाहिए, जिसमें गए हुए पुरुष फिर लौटकर संसार में नहीं आते और जिस परमेश्वर से इस पुरातन संसार वृक्ष की प्रवृत्ति विस्तार को प्राप्त हुई है, उसी आदिपुरुष नारायण के मैं शरण हूँ- इस प्रकार दृढ़ निश्चय करके उस परमेश्वर का मनन और निदिध्यासन करना चाहिए॥4॥

Thereafter that Supreme God should be searched for, having gone where, devotees do not return (in birth-death) to this world i.e. attain the eternal salvation and the Supreme God, from whom the creation has originated since time immemorial.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15 Verse 17

उत्तमः पुरुषस्त्वन्यः परमात्मेत्युदाहृतः ।
यो लोकत्रयमाविश्य बिभर्त्यव्यय ईश्वरः ॥

उत्तम पुरुष तो अन्य ही है, जो तीनों लोकों में प्रवेश करके सबका धारण-पोषण करता है एवं अविनाशी परमेश्वर और परमात्मा- इस प्रकार कहा गया है॥17॥

The Supreme God is someone else (other than the two above-mentioned Purushas (Gods), Kshar Purush and Akshar Purush in verse 16), who is actually said to be the Eternal Supreme God. He only, by entering into the three loks (worlds), sustains everyone.

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In Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8, there are a sequence of verses in which Shri Krishna talks at length about another Supreme God. In verses 5-7, he talks about himself and then from verses 8-10, he talks about the Supreme God. A very clear distinction has been drawn by Shri Krishan in these verses between himself and some other Supreme God. Please read the verses below. 

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8 Verse 8

अभ्यासयोगयुक्तेन चेतसा नान्यगामिना ।
परमं पुरुषं दिव्यं याति पार्थानुचिन्तयन्‌ ॥

हे पार्थ! यह नियम है कि परमेश्वर के ध्यान के अभ्यास रूप योग से युक्त, दूसरी ओर न जाने वाले चित्त से निरंतर चिंतन करता हुआ मनुष्य परम दिव्य पुरुष को अर्थात परमेश्वर को ही प्राप्त होता है॥8॥

O Parth, He who meditates on the name of Supreme God with undivided attention and thinks of him constantly, attains the Supreme God (Param Purusham Divyam).

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8 Verse 9

कविं पुराणमनुशासितार-मणोरणीयांसमनुस्मरेद्यः ।
सर्वस्य धातारमचिन्त्यरूप-मादित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात्‌ ॥

जो पुरुष सर्वज्ञ, अनादि, सबके नियंता सूक्ष्म से भी अति सूक्ष्म, सबके धारण-पोषण करने वाले अचिन्त्य-स्वरूप, सूर्य के सदृश नित्य चेतन प्रकाश रूप और अविद्या से अति परे, शुद्ध सच्चिदानन्दघन परमेश्वर का स्मरण करता है॥9॥

A worshipper, who remembers Supreme God (Sachidanandghan) Kabir (Kavim), the Eternal, Controller of all, Subtler than the subtlest, the Sustainer of all, Self-effulgent like the sun (i.e. possessing a bright body), beyond the darkness of ignorance,

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8 Verse 10

प्रयाण काले मनसाचलेन भक्त्या युक्तो योगबलेन चैव ।
भ्रुवोर्मध्ये प्राणमावेश्य सम्यक्‌- स तं परं पुरुषमुपैति दिव्यम्‌ ।

वह भक्ति युक्त पुरुष अन्तकाल में भी योगबल से भृकुटी के मध्य में प्राण को अच्छी प्रकार स्थापित करके, फिर निश्चल मन से स्मरण करता हुआ उस दिव्य रूप परम पुरुष परमात्मा को ही प्राप्त होता है॥10॥

That worshipper, who is endowed with bhakti, by the power (the earnings of naam jaap) of the meditation of naam, while leaving the body at the time of death, fixing his life air between the eyebrows, while doing the sumiran of naam, goes to that divine Supreme God only.

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God Krishna in Birth & Death

In the following verses, Shri Krishna talks about birth and death. He makes clear that he himself is in birth and death (so is Arjun) but the Supreme God is immortal. Krishna declares that no one has the ability to destroy the Supreme Immortal God.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 Verse 5

बहूनि, मे, व्यतीतानि, जन्मानि, तव, च, अर्जुन,
तानि, अहम्, वेद, सर्वाणि, न, त्वम्, वेत्थ, परन्तप।।5।।

O Parantap Arjun! You and I have had several births. You do not know all of them but I know.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 Verse 9

जन्म, कर्म, च, मे, दिव्यम्, एवम्, यः, वेत्ति, तत्त्वतः,
त्यक्त्वा, देहम्, पुनः, जन्म, न, एति, माम्, एति, सः, अर्जुन।।9।।

O Arjun! My births and actions are divine i.e. transcendental. Thus one who understands this in essence, he on abandoning the body does not take birth again, but one who does not know me, Kaal, in essence, comes to me only.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 12

न, तु, एव, अहम्, जातु, न, आसम्, न, त्वम्, न, इमे, जनाधिपाः,
न, च, एव, न, भविष्यामः, सर्वे, वयम्, अतः, परम्।।12।।

Neither it is that I was not there at any time or you were not there or these kings were not there, and nor it is that we will not be there beyond this.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 17

अविनाशि, तु, तत्, विद्धि, येन्, सर्वम्, इदम्, ततम्,
विनाशम्, अव्ययस्य, अस्य, न, कश्चित्, कर्तुम्, अर्हति।।17।।

You should know Him to be indestructible/immortal from whom this whole visible world has pervaded. No one is capable of destroying this Immortal.

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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13 Verse 12

ज्ञेयम्, यत्, तत्, प्रवक्ष्यामि, यत्, ज्ञात्वा, अमृतम्, अश्नुते।
अनादिमत्, परम्, ब्रह्म, न, सत्, तत्, न, असत्, उच्यते।।12।।

I shall properly declare him who is worthy of being known and knowing whom one attains the supreme happiness. That beginningless Supreme Brahm (God) is neither called manifest, nor unmanifest.

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Om & Om Tat Sat

In Gita 8.13, Krishna says that his mantra is ॐ (Om) whereas in Gita 17.23, he clarifies that the mantra of remembering the Supreme God is 'Om Tat Sat'. Again Shri Krishna draws clear distinction between 2 Gods.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17 Verse 23

ॐ, तत्, सत्, इति, निर्देशः, ब्रह्मणः, त्रिविधः, स्मृृतः,
ब्राह्मणाः, तेन, वेदाः, च, यज्ञाः, च, विहिताः, पुरा।।23।।

ॐ/Om’, Tat’, Sat’. In this way, there is direction of rememberance of three types of mantras of Supreme God, and in the beginning of creation, based on that very Tatvgyan, the scholars created Vedas and yagya etc. They used to worship according to that.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8 Verse 13

ओम्, इति, एकाक्षरम्, ब्रह्म, व्याहरन्, माम्, अनुस्मरन्,
यः, प्रयाति, त्यजन्, देहम्, सः, याति, परमाम्, गतिम्।।13।।

One who departs from the body while remembering Me, and chanting the syllable Om, will attain the supreme goal.

Conclusion

Shrimad Bhagavad Gita clearly proves that Lord Krishna is not the Supreme God. Krishna is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. If one reads Shrimad Devi Bhagavad, it become clear that Lord Vishnu (along with Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva) is in the cycle of birth and death. This itself proves that Lord Vishnu or his incarnation Shri Krishna is not the Supreme God. The fact is that Lord Vishnu or Shri Krishna is God of three worlds (Earth, Heaven and Pataal Lok) but it has been made clear from Bhagavad Gita that the Supreme Lord is definitely some other God. That Supreme Lord is mentioned in Gita 8.9 and at various places in the Vedas. His name is Kavir Dev. Readers are encouraged to read the following articles to dispel their doubts

• Shrimad Devi Bhagwat
• Shiv Purana
• Fascinating facts about Lord Vishnu
• Rig Veda Mandal 9 Sukt 20 Mantra 1

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