SB 1.3.5 (1962)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 5
Etat nana avataranam nidhanam vijam avyam Yasya ansa ansena srijyante deva tiryang naradayah
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Etat-this (Form), Nana-multifarious, Avataranam-of the incarnations, Nidhanam-source, Vijam-seed, Avyam-indestructible, Yasya-whose, Ansa-plenary portion, Ansena-part of the plenary portion, Srijyante-create, Deva-demigod, Tiryang-animals, Naradayah-humanbeings.
TRANSLATION
This (second manifestation of Purusha) Form is the source and indestructible seed of multifarious incarnations within the universe and from the particles and portion of this form different living entities like the demigods, human beings or other than human beings are created.
PURPORT
The Purusha after creating innumerable universes in the Mahat Tattwa enters in each of them as the second Purusha Garbhodakashayee Vishnu. When He saw that within the Universe it is all darkness and is full of space only without any resting place, He filled up half of the universe with water out of His own perspiration of the body and He laid Himself down on the same water. This water is called Garbhodak. Then from His navel the stem of the lotus flower sprouted and on the flower petals the birth of Brahma, or the master engineer of the universal plan, took place. Brahma became the engineer of the Universe and the Lord Himself took charge of the maintenance of the Universe as Vishnu. Brahma is generated from Rajaguna of the Prakriti or the modes of passion in nature and Vishnu became the Lord of the modes of goodness. Vishnu being transcendental to all the modes, He is always aloof from the materialistic affection. This is already explained before. And from Brahma there is Rudra who is in-charge of the modes of ignorance or darkness. He destroys the whole creation by the will of the Lord. Therefore all three namely Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra all are incarnations of the Garvohodakashayee Vishnu. From Brahma the other demigods like the Dakshya, Marichyadi, Manu and many others became incarnated for generating living entities within the Universe. This Garbhodaka Shayee Vishnu is glorified in the Vedas in the hymns of Garvastuti which begins with the description of the Lord as having thousands of heads etc. The Garbhodakshayee Vishnu is the Lord of the Universe and although He appears to be lying within the Universe, He is always transcendental. This is also already explained. Vishnu Who is the Plenary Portion of the Garbhodakshayee Vishnu is the Super Soul of the Universal life and He is known as the maintainer of the Universe or Khirodakashyaee Vishnu. So the three features of the Original Purusha is thus understood. And all the incarnations within the Universe are emanations from this Khirodakashayee Vishnu.
In different millennium there are different incarnations and they are innumerable although some of them are very prominent as Matsa, Kurma, Varaha, Rama, Nrisingha, Vaman, etc. and so many others. These incarnations are called Leela incarnations. Then there are qualitative incarnations such as the Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva or Rudra who takes charge of the different modes of material nature.
Lord Vishnu is non-different from the Personality of Godhead. Lord Shiva is in the marginal position between the Personality of Godhead and the living entities or Jivas. Brahma is always a Jiva tatwa. The highest pious living being or the greatest devotee of the Lord is empowered with the potency of the Lord for creation and He is called the Brahma. His power is like the power of the sun reflected in valuable stones and jewels. When there is no such living being to take charge of the post of Brahma the Lord Himself becomes a Brahma and takes charge of the post.
Lord Shiva is not an ordinary living being. He is the plenary portion of the Lord but because Lord Shiva is in direct touch with the material nature He is not exactly in the same transcendental position as Lord Vishnu. The difference is like that of milk and curd. Curd is nothing but milk and yet it cannot be used in place of the milk.
The next incarnations are the Manus. Within one day's duration of the life of Brahma (which is calculated by our solar year as 4300000 X 1000 years) there are fourteen Manus. Therefore there are four hundred and twenty Manus in one month of Brahma and five thousands and forty Manus in one year of Brahma. Brahma lives for one hundred years of his age and therefore there are 5040 X 100 or five lacs and four thousands of Manus in the duration of Brahma's life. There are innumerable universes with one Brahma in each of them and all of them are created and annihilated during the breathing time of the Purusha. Therefore one can simply imagine how many crores of Manus are there by one breathing of the Purusha.
The Manus who are prominent within this Universe are as follows; Yajna as Swayambhuva Manu, Bibhu as Swarochis Manu, Satyasen as Uttam Mahu, Hari as Tamas Manu, Vaikuntha as Raibata Manu, Ajita as Chaksusa Manu, Vaman as Vaibswata Manu. (The present age is under the Vaibaswata Manu) 'Sarbahouma as Savarnya Manu, Rishava as Daksya Savarnya Manu, Viswaksen as Brahma Savarnya Manu, Dharmasetu as Dharma Savarnya Manu, Sudhama as Rudra Savarnya Manu, Yogeswar as Deva Savarnya Manu, Vrihatbhanu as Indrasavarnya Manu. These are the names of one set of fourteen Manus covering 4300000 X 1000 solar years as described above.
Then there are the Yugavatars or the incarnations of the millenniums. The Yugas are known as the Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dwapara Yuga and the Kali Yuga. The incarnations of each Yuga are of different colours. The colours are like White, Red, Black, and Yellow. In the Dawapara Yuga Lord Krishna in black colour appeared and in the Kali Yuga Lord Chaitanya in yellow colour appeared. So all the incarnations of the Lord are mentioned in the revealed scriptures. There is no scope for a misnomer to become an incarnation without the reference of Shastras. The incarnation does not declare Himself as the incarnation of the Lord but great sages indicate them by the symptoms mentioned in the revealed scriptures. The features of the incarnation and the particular type of mission which He has to execute are mentioned in the revealed scriptures.
Apart from the direct incarnations there are innumberable empowered incarnations. They are also mentioned in the revealed scriptures. Such incarnations are directly as well as indirectly empowered. When they are directly empowered they are called the incarnation but when they are indirectly empowered they are called Bibhutis. Such directly empowered incarnations are the Kumaras, Narada, Prithu, Sesha, Ananta etc. So far Bibhutis are concerned they are very explicitly described in the Bhagwat Geeta in the Bibhutiyoga chapter. And for all these different types of incarnations the fountain Head is the Garbhodakashayee Vishnu.