A father knows about the birth and life of his son, because he witnesses it. But the birth and childhood of his father are beyond the ken of the son, because they occurred before he was born. Likewise, the
devatās
(celestial gods) and the
ṛiṣhis
(sages) cannot comprehend the real nature of the origin of God, who existed before they were even born. And so, the Rig Veda states
ko addhā veda ka iha prāvochat, kuta ā jātā kuta iyaṁ viśhrushtiḥ
arvāgdevā asya visarjanāya, athā ko veda yata ābabhūva
(10.129.6)[v1]
“Who in the world can know clearly? Who can proclaim from where this universe was born? Who can state where this creation has come from? The
devatās
came after creation. Therefore, who knows from where the universe arose?” Again, the Īśhopaniṣhad states
nainaddevā āpnuvan pūrvamarṣhat
(Īśhopaniṣhad 4)[v2]
“God cannot be known by the celestial
devatās
, as he existed before them.” Yet, such inaccessible knowledge will now be given by Shree Krishna to nurture the devotion of his dear friend.