I have often pondered the very first book I ever read by Shrila Prabhupada, “Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead.” I remember reading about the various qualities of Lord Krsna, which taken together define and identify Him as God.
As Prabhupada explained, ..."In these Western countries, when someone sees the cover of a book like Krishna, he immediately asks, 'Who is Krishna? Who is the girl with Krishna?' etc. The immediate answer is that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. How is that? Because he conforms in exact detail to descriptions of the Supreme Being, the Godhead. In other words, Krishna is the Godhead because He is all-attractive.
"Outside the principle of all-attraction there is no meaning to the word Godhead. How is it one can be all-attractive? First of all, if one is very wealthy, if he has great riches, he becomes attractive to the people in general. Similarly, if someone is very powerful, he also becomes attractive, and if someone is unattached to all kinds of possessions, he also becomes attractive. So from practical experience we can observe that one is attractive due to 1) wealth, 2) power, 3) fame, 4) beauty, 5) wisdom, and 6) renunciation. One who is in possession of all six of these opulences at the same time; who possesses them to an unlimited degree is understood to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
This has always struck me as something quite wonderful, and I've thought about this definition many times. It even dawned on me that one could say that the Lord is also “the Greatest Hero.” This is just a tremendous fact "BECAUSE EVERYONE LOVES A HERO."
Indeed, mankind the world over recognizes this quality and holds any person who truly acts heroic with the greatest esteem. There is the example of the man who saves a child from drowning, but drowns himself in the process. Or, at the last moment an elderly gentleman is pushed from the path of an oncoming bus, but the hero dies saving him. Communities across America and in every country across the globe honor such heroic men and women every year. No one is more honored than the person who gives his life to save another. Even dogs are awarded medals for acts of lifesaving valor, such as the "Carnegie Medal of Honor." Furthermore, nearly the same honor is bestowed upon those who don't die, but who clearly and unselfishly "came to the rescue."
Besides these outstanding individual efforts, organizations such as The Salvation Army receive award after award for their unending commitment to help in times of great need. I once worked with The Salvation Army during a dramatic fire at the Denver airport (photos in the appendix). Several large aviation-fuel tanks caught fire, which ended up burning for a week. Besides the extreme danger involved with the nature of this particular fire, the temperatures at night were well below freezing.
Believe me, after five days and nights, 24 hours around the clock with countless meals fed to the firefighters, praise and admiration for The Salvation Army was broadcast all over the city. In the end, officials from Stapleton International Airport held a ceremony in their honor and handed The Salvation Army a sizable check for "coming to the rescue."
Shrila Prabhupada has pointed out that there is no greater hero than God. Additionally, it makes sense that Lord Krsna is also the most interesting person. These two facts are simply fascinating to me. For so many years I've thought about this, especially within the context of what Shrila Prabhupada wanted to accomplish: his dream.
As the religious embodiment of Prabhupada's life's mission, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness certainly has its work cut out. But this challenge can be achieved simply by presenting Lord Krishna "as He is." This is the key.
As for me, the author of this book, besides all that goes into writing a book, the challenge before me is to present Lord Krishna as He is, but in a way that most have probably not considered.
Lord Krsna is in fact the "Greatest Hero." This is what this book is all about. "How do we present Krsna As He Is? What will happen if we successfully present Lord Krishna to the world as He is: the "Greatest Hero?"
Lord Krishna in the 21st Century
Chapter 1 - The Greatest Hero