Doesn’t God have unlimited opulences – why limit them to six?
That Krishna has six opulences, why are we limiting him to six? God can have many more opulences at other dimensions. Yes, the Bhagavatam itself says that the number of qualities of Krishna are more than the number of atoms in the universe.
They are more than the number of stars in the sky. They are more than the number of waves in the ocean. Basically, they are uncountable.
So, this acknowledges that God's qualities are uncountable. But it is a human, it is a need and nature of the human mind to analyze and categorize. So, there are different, at different times, different frames for analysis are used.
So, when we talk about six qualities, the point is that these are six prominent qualities. And whatever qualities we may have, that these are the six prominent, when we are talking about this principle that Krishna has six qualities, six opulences, what is the point of that? Every analytical framework has a particular point to it. So, the point is that we are attracted to different people in this world.
And the point of analyzing this is, in terms of six opulences is that whatever we are attracted to anyone in this world, that is present in a far richer quantity in Krishna. If we are attracted to beauty, beauty is present much more in Krishna. If we are attracted to wealth, wealth is present much more in Krishna.
So, the point of this analysis is not to reduce God to six qualities. The point is to redirect our heart from the attractive things of this world, from the attractive people of this world towards Krishna. So, every analytical frame is like a rubber band.
Now, a rubber band can be used to say hold the object. But the rubber band is not the object. And if the rubber band is stretched too much, either it has to snap back or it has to break.
So, any analytical framework we use, that God outgrows every frame that we apply to him. But still, it is by applying some frames that we get some understanding of his greatness. But while using those frames also, we have to remember that God is bigger than this frame.
But if we don't have any frame, then we'll have no sense of what God's greatness is. So, this analytical framework of six opulences is meant to help us redirect our love from the attractive.