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The life of an entire incarnation is not an easy one. Perhaps it is his līlā, his divine play; perhaps it occurs under his will or not under his will. But God definitely demonstrates through this how terrible things can happen in the world. And that is precisely why God must incarnate. It has been observed especially that the parents of incarnations also undergo immense suffering. Consider the mother and father of Lord Rāma—they had a very hard life. The mother of Kṛṣṇa had a very, very hard life. The mother of Buddha had a very hard life. The mother of Jesus, Mary—you know how difficult her life was from the beginning onward: during the pregnancy, after the birth, and until the end when he was crucified. For a mother, it is not easy to see her child crucified. Why does this happen? We will not understand. Yet, for the sake of all creatures and for the sake of humans, the bhaktas, the devotees, God incarnates. Such parents exist, and they are also holy, even though they must pass through difficulties. They gave birth to the child, but they offered that child for all; they did not keep that child only for themselves. Today is a very auspicious day, a holy day. Just now, in these hours according to the moon calendar, God Kṛṣṇa is incarnating. Therefore, today is called Janmāṣṭamī, the incarnation day of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Of course, in Hindu families and among all believers, especially those who have greater faith in Kṛṣṇa, it is celebrated worldwide. Wherever there are Hindu temples, in many places they perform beautiful theatre, sing bhajans, and distribute prasāda, the sweets, the presents. Indeed, today is such a holy day, and luckily we are together, completing our spiritual courses. May the spirituality of Kṛṣṇa be born in your consciousness—Kṛṣṇa as spirituality, the universal God—and may He guide our consciousness. In the Mahābhārata, Kṛṣṇa is also a very important figure. Consider the difficult situation into which Kṛṣṇa was born and what had happened. There was a king; he had one son and one daughter. The son was very naughty; he misused the powers of the king and became nearly like a devil. Quality makes a human. Quality makes a devil; quality makes one holy. Quality makes a thief. Whatever kind of quality is developed in a person, that person becomes like that. As he grew into a strong young man—his name was Kaṁsa—he came to his father and said, "Father, give me your crown, because you are no longer worthy to be a king. Give me the crown, or I will take it. Do you give it to me, or should I take it?" The wise father knew he could do nothing against him; he simply gave the crown. That young king, the son, put his father in prison, saying, "You are a coward, and you are not worthy to be a king." A lifelong prison for a father. This happened at the very minute the king was consulting with an astrologer for the wedding of his beloved daughter, Devakī. But he could not fulfill this. Kaṁsa continued to look at the constellation for Devakī's wedding. He decided himself who should be her husband and married her to one of his friends—not a real friend, but someone he tried to keep under his power. After the marriage, a voice came, an oracle from heaven: "Kaṁsa, your destiny, your death, will be born through the womb of your sister." So he put his sister and brother-in-law in prison as well. It was said the sixth child would be his destiny. He ordered soldiers to guard them there twenty-four hours a day. Whenever she gave birth to a child, they were to inform him immediately. They did, and he came. He took the child and threw it against the wall, killing it in front of his sister and brother-in-law. They were crying, praying, "Please do not do it." He said, "Sister, I love you, but I love my life also; I do not want my enemy to be born." They said, "Well, it is the sixth one; why do you kill the first and second, these children?" He replied, "How should I know which is the sixth one?" And like this, he killed them all. When Kṛṣṇa was born, Kṛṣṇa gave a sign through a voice. When Kṛṣṇa was born, all the soldiers fell asleep, the doors of the prison opened, and he told his father, "Take me to the other village, Gokula." He was born in Mathurā, and they took him to Gokula. It was the rainy monsoon season. The Yamunā River was flowing very high, with a strong current. Vasudeva did not know how to cross the river. But as soon as he came near, the river stopped and gave way. He walked through the water. Then the river began to rise again. He thought he would drown. At that moment, Kṛṣṇa put his leg out; the river touched Kṛṣṇa's feet, and it went down again. Thus began the miracles and life of Kṛṣṇa. It is a very long story to tell. I wish you all the best and the blessings of the Divine One. May God Kṛṣṇa bless all of us, and may He incarnate again quickly to destroy all the devils. Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān. Dīp Nārāyaṇa. Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Summer seminar