Speaker: Srila Prabhupada
Source: We Are Controlled
Only Krsna is the supreme master. Ekale isvara krsna, ara saba bhrtya. Now… Siva-virinci-nutam. Even great demigods like Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, they also subordinate to Krsna. They offer their obeisances to Krsna. Siva-virinci-nutam. And in the Brahma-samhita it is confirmed by Brahma: isvarah paramah krsnah (BS.5.1). Isvara. Everyone can be an isvara. Isvara means controller. So we are also controller of something. A business man is controller of his business; I am controller of my disciples. There are so many controllers. So in that sense, everyone is isvara, in the sense of controller. But Lord Brahma says, isvarah paramah krsnah (BS.5.1) “The supreme controller, the supreme controller is Krsna.” What is the difference between supreme controller and ordinary controller? Ordinary controller means that he controls and he is controlled, both. We are controller, but nobody can say that “I am not controlled.” We are controlled. But Krsna, He’s controller, but not controlled. That is the difference between Krsna and ourself. So we cannot be equal with Krsna. We are controlled. I think in Glasgow, one boy, he was presenting himself as God. So I asked him, “Whether you are controlled or not controlled?” He admitted, “Yes, I am controlled.” “Then how you can be God?” God is never controlled. God is controller, but He’s not controlled. So if we take ourself as so many samples of God, that is all right, but we are controlled God, not controller God.