SB 1.3.28 (1962)

SB (1962) Third Chapter - Description of Incarnations of Godhead

SB 1.3.27 (1962) - SB 1.3.29 (1962)

Compare Versions: SB 1962 with SB 1972-77

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

TEXT No. 28

Ete cha ansha kala punsah krishnas tu bhagwan swayam Indrari vyakulam lokam mridayanti yuge yuge

ENGLISH SYNONYMS

Ete—all these, Cha—and, Ansha—plenary portion, Kalah—portion of the plenary portion, Krishna—Lord Krishna, Tu—but, Bhagwan—the personality of Godhead, Swayam—in person, Indrari—the enemies of Indra, Vyakulam—disturbed, Lokam—all the planets, Mridyanti—gives protection, Yuge Yuge—in different ages.

TRANSLATION

All the above mentioned incarnations are either plenary portion or portion of the plenary portion of the Lord but Lord Sri Krishna as above mentioned, is the Original Personality of Godhead and all of them advent themselves in all the Planets whenever there is disturbances by the atheists and the Lord incarnates to portect the theists.

PURPORT

In this particular stanza Lord Sri Krishna the Personality of Godhead is distinguished from other incarnations. He is counted amongst the Avatars (incarnations) because out of His causeless mercy the Lord descends from His transcendental abode. The Avatar means one who descends. All the incarnations of the Lord including the Lord Himself descend on different planets of the material world as also in different species of life to fulfil a particular mission only. Some times He comes Himself and sometimes His different plenary portions or parts of the plenary portions or His differentiated portions directly or indirectly empowered by Him descend on this material world to execute certain specific function. Originally the Lord is full of all opulences, all prowess, all fames, all beauties, all knowledge and all renunciations. When they are partly manifested through the plenary portions or parts of the plenary portions at that time it should be noted that so much manifestation of His different prowess is required for that particular function. When in the room small electric bulbs are displayed it does not mean that the electric power house is limited by such powers of the small bulbs. The same power house can supply power to roll on large scale industrial dynamos with greater volts. Similarly the incarnations of the Lord display limited powers because so much power is needed in that particular time.

For example Lord Parshuram and Lord Nrishingha displayed unusual opulence by killing the disobedient Khastriyas for twenty one times and killing the great powerful Atheist Hiranya Kasipu respectively. Hiranya Kasipu was so powerful that even the demigods in other planets would tremble simply by the unfavourable display of his eyebrow. The demigods in the higher level of material existence are many many times well placed than the most well-to-do human beings, in respect of duration of life, beauty, wealth, parapharnalia, and in all other respects. Still they were afraid of Hiranya Kashipu. Thus we can simply imagine how much powerful was Hiranya Kashipu in this material world. But even such powerful Hiranya Kashipu was also pierced into small pieces by the nails of Lord Nrisingha. This means that any one materially powerful can not even stand the strength of the Lord's nails. Similarly Jamadagnya displayed His power to kill all the disobedient kings powerfully situated in their respective states. His empowered incarnation Narada and plenary incarnation Varaha as well as indirectly empowered Lord Buddha manifested His feature of creating faith in the mass of people. The incarnation of Rama, Dhanwantari manifested the feature of His fame, Valarama Mohini and Vamana exhibited the feature of His beauty. Duttatreya, Matsya, Kumara and Kapila manifested the feature of His transcendental knowledge. Nara, Narayana Rishis manifested the feature of His renunciation. So all the different incarnations of the Lord indirectly or directly powerful manifested different features but Lord Krishna the primeval Lord exhibited the complete features of Godhead and thus it was confirmed that He is the source of all other incarnations. And the most extraordinary feature exhibited by Lord Sri Krishna was His internal energetic manifestations of His pastimes with cowherd girls. His pastimes with the Gopis are all display of the transcendental existence, bliss and knowledge although it was manifested apparently in way of sex love. The specific attraction of His pastimes with Gopis is never to be misunderstood. The Bhagwat has described about this transcendental pastimes in the tenth Canto. And in order to reach to that position to understand the transcendental nature of Lord Krishna's pastimes with the Gopis, the Bhagwat has tried to promote the student gradually in nine other cantos continually.

According to Srila Jiva Goswami's statement which he has dealt within terms of authoritative sources, Lord Krishna is the source of all other incarnation and it is not that Lord Krishna has any other source of being incarnated. All the symptoms of the Supreme Truth in full are present in the Person of Lord Sri Krishna and in the Bhagwat Geeta the Lord emphatically declares that there is no other greater and equal truth than Himself. In this stanza the word "Swayam" is particularly mentioned to confirm it that Lord Krishna has no other source than Himself. Although in other places the incarnations are described as Bhagwan, because of the incarnation's specific function still no where it has been declared that He is the Supreme Lord Personality. In this stanza the word "Swayam" signifies the supremacy as the Summum Bonum.

The Summun Bonum Krishna is one without a Second and He Himself has expanded Himself in various parts, portion and particles as Swayam Rupa, Swayam Prakash, Tadekatma, Prabhab, Baibhav, Vilash, Avatara, Avesh, Jivas all provided with innumerable energies just suitable to the respective persons and personalities. Learned scholars in the matter of transcendental subject has carefully analysed the Summum Bonum Krishna with sixty four attributes. And all the expansions or categories of the Lord possess only some percentages of the complete attributes. Sri Krishna is the possessor of the attributes cent per cent. And His personal expansions such as Swayam Prakash, Tadekatma up to the categories of the Avatars who are all Vishnu Tatwa possess up to ninety three percent of such transcendental attributes. Lord Shiva who is neither Avatara nor Avesh nor inbetween them possesses almost eighty four percent of the attributes. But the Jivas or the individual living beings in different status of life possesses up to the limit of seventy eight percent of the attributes. In the conditioned state of material existence the living being possesses all these 78 percent of the attributes in very minute quantity varying in terms of the pious life of the living being. The most perfect of the living being is Brahma the Supreme administrator of one universe. He possesses 78 percent of the attributes in full. All other demigods have the same attribute in less quantity while the human being possesses the attributes in very minute quantity. The standard of perfection for a human being is to develop the attributes up to 78 percent in full. The living being can never reach to the standard of possessing attributes like Shiva, Vishnu or Lord Krishna. A living being can become Godly by developing the 78 percent of transcendental attributes in fullness but he can never become a God like Shiva, Vishnu or Krishna. He can become a Brahma in due course. The Godly living being who are all residents of the planets in the spiritual sky are eternal associates of God in different spiritual planets called by the name of Haridhama and Maheshadhama. The abode of Lord Krishna on the top of all spiritual planets is called Krishna Loka or Golaka Vrindaban and the perfected living being by developing seventy eight percent of the above attributes in fullness can enter even in the planet of Krishnaloka after leaving the present material body.

(Compare SB 1.3.28 Current Edition)

SB 1.3.27 (1962) - SB 1.3.29 (1962)