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SRILA RUPA GOSVAMI'S
SRI LAGHU-BHAGAVATAMRTA
Translation By Kushkratha Dasa
Volume One
A Little
Nectar of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His Devotees
Volume One
Part One
Shri
Krishnamrta
The Nectar of
Shri Krishna
Chapter One
Svayam-rupa-vilasa-svamsavesa-prakasa-laksana-bhagavat-tattva-nirupana
The
Svayam-rupa, Vilasa, Svamsa, and Avesa Forms of the Lord page 1
Chapter Two
Purusavatara
and Guna Avataras page 3
Chapter Three
Lilavatara-nirupana
The
Lila-avataras page 7
Chapter Four
Manvantara-yugavatara-prabhava-vaibhavavatara-tat-sthana-nirupana
Description
of the Manvantara-avataras, Yuga-avataras, Prabhava-avataras, vaibhava
avataras, and Their abodes 13
Chapter Five
Paravastha-nirupana
Description
of the Most Important Forms of the Lord
18
Lord Krishna
is not an incarnation of Nara-Narayana Rsi or Lord Vamana
Lord Nrsimha
Lord
Krishna's killing the demons proves he is the Original Supreme Personality of
Godhead
Part One
Shri Krishnamrta
The Nectar of
Shri Krishna
Chapter One
Svayam-rupa-vilasa-svamsavesa-prakasa-laksana-bhagavat-tattva-nirupana
The
Svayam-rupa, Vilasa, Svamsa, and Avesa Forms of the Lord
1 I offer my respectful obeisances to Shri
Krishna, who is glorified in the following verses of Shrimad-Bhagavatam
(10.87.46 and 11.5.22).
"I offer my respectful obeisances
to Shri Krishna, the omniscient Supreme Personality of Godhead who, in order to
liberate the conditioned souls from the cycle of repeated birth and death, appears
in the material world in the forms of His innumerable incarnations."
2 "In the age of Kali, intelligent
persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead
who constantly sings the name of Krishna.
Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krishna Himself. He is accompanied by His associates,
servants, weapons and confidential companions."*
3 May the honey-sweet flute music that
flows from Lord Mukunda's lotus mouth fill me with bliss.
4 Glory to the Hare Krishna maha-mantra,
the Lord's names spoken by Shri Chaitanya's mouth, which drown the world in
pure love!
5 Of Shri Brhad-bhagavatamrtam, manifested
by the louts words of my master, this book is a summary.
6 This book will describe two kinds of
nectar: the nectar of Shri Krishna, and
the nectar of His devotees. First will
be the nectar of Krishna, nectar relished by the Lord's friends.
7-8 Because the Vedic revelation is the best of
all evidence, I will base my arguments on it and not on material logic. The best of sages accepts the Vedic
revelation as the best evidence, for he said (Vedant-sutra 1.1.3): "The
Supreme is understood from the Vedic revelation".
9 With the words (Vedanta-sutra 2.1.11)
"The Supreme cannot be understood by material logic" he directly
criticised material logic.
10 To prove that the Supreme Lord, Shri
Krishna, is the best of they who are worthy of worship, His forms will be
described here, one after another.
11 In His abodes beyond the worlds of matter,
the Supreme Lord is manifest in three kinds of forms: 1. svayam-rupa 2. tad-ekatma-rupa and 3. avesa-rupa.
12 The svayam-rupa is said to be the original
form, not manifested from any other.
13 It is described in Brahma-samhita (5.1)
"Krishna, who is known as
Govinda, is the supreme controller. He
has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body.
He is the origin of all. He has
no other origin, for He is the prime cause of all causes."*
14 The svayam-rupa is not different from His
original form. In the tad-ekatma-rupa
the Lord's form and other features are different from His original form. The tadekatma-rupa forms are divided into two
types: 1. vilasa-rupa and 2. svamsa-rupa.
15-16 When the Lord displays numerous forms with
different features by His inconceivable potency, such forms are called
vilasa-vigrahas.* In this way from Lord Govinda is manifest Lord Narayana, the
master of the spiritual sky, and from Lord Narayana is manifest Lord Vasudeva.
17 These forms manifest other forms that have
lesser power, and are called svamsa-rupas.
The forms headed by Lord Sankarsana and the forms headed by Lord Matsya,
each manifest in His own abode, are examples of these forms.
18-9 Exalted individual souls (jivas) into whom
Lord Janardana enters with a portion of His knowledge-potency and other
potencies, are called avesas. Sesa,
Narada, and the four Kumaras are examples of them in Vaikuntha. They were seen by Akrura, as described in the
Tenth Canto.
20 Prakasa-rupas are the same form manifest
in many places.
21-2 If numerous forms, all equal in their
features, are displayed simultaneously, such forms are called prakasa-vigrahas
of the Lord.* Lord Krishna did this in the many places of Dvaraka. This will be proved when Shrimad-Bhagavatam
10.69.2 is quoted here.
23 Sometimes, without abandoning His
Krishna-form, Lord Krishna manifests a four-arm form. This is a prakasa-rupa of His two-arm form.
24 The many forms of the Supreme Lord each
have their own abode in the spiritual sky, beyond the touch of matter. This is confirmed in the Uttara-khanda of the
Padma Purana, and in many other Vedic literatures also.
Chapter Two
The Purusa
and Guna Avataras
1 Now the Lord's incarnations, among which
Shri Krishna is the best, will be described.
2-3 To act in the material world, the Supreme
Lord appears in the previously described forms and in other ways, as if He had
never appeared in that way before. These
appearances are known as "incarnations". In this way He appears in His tad-ekatma
forms, such as Sesasayi Vishnu, and in His empowered devotees, such as Maharaja
Vasudeva.
4-5 Again there are three kinds of incarnations
of the Lord: 1. purusa-avatara 2. guna-avataras, and 3. lila-avataras. These incarnations are mostly svamsa-rupa and
avesa-rupa forms. The Lord may also
appear in His svayam-rupa among them.
6 Now the purusa-avataras will be
described. In Vishnu Purana (6.8.59) it
is said:
"I offer my respectful obeisances
to the eternal, unchanging purusa-avatara, who has a great variety of
transcendental qualities, who seems to be impure although He is supremely pure,
who appears in many forms, who is full of transcendental knowledge, and who is
the origin of all transcendental powers and opulences."
Shridhara Svami notes that the phrase
"tasyaiva anu" means "after the Supreme Controller is
described."
7-8 Here is an explanation. He who is expanded from the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who although He seems to be part of the manifested and
unmanifested material modes, in truth only observes them, and who is the source
of many incarnations of Godhead, the Sruti-sastras describe as the
purusa-avatara. For example,
Shrimad-Bhagavatam explains (2.6.40):
"Karanarnavasayi Vishnu is the
first incarnation of the Supreme Lord."
9 The different purusa-avataras are
described in Satvata Tantra:
"Vishnu has three forms called
purusas. The first, Maha-Vishnu, is the
creator of the total material energy (mahat), the second Garbhodasayi, who is
situated within each universe, and the third is Ksirodasayi, who lives in the
heart of every living being. He who
knows these becomes liberated from the clutches of maya."*
10 The first purusa-avatara is described in
Shrimad-Bhagavatam (11.4.3):
"When the primeval Lord Narayana
created His universal body out of the five elements produced from Himself and
then entered within that universal body by His own plenary portion, He thus
became known as the Purusa."*
11 Brahma-samhita (5.10-13) also describes
Him:
"The Lord of the world
Maha-Vishnu is manifest in him (Lord Mahesvara) by His subjective portion in
the form of His glance."**
"The Lord of the mundane world,
Maha-Vishnu, possesses thousands of thousands of heads, eyes and hands. He is the source of thousands of thousands of
avataras in His thousands of thousands of subjective portions. He is the creator of thousands of thousands
of individual souls.**
"The same Maha-Vishnu is spoken
of by the name of Narayana in this mundane world. From that eternal person has sprung the vast
expanse of water of the spiritual causal ocean.
The subjective portion of Sankarsana who abides in Paravyoma, the above
supreme purusa with thousands of subjective portions, reposes in the state of
divine sleep (yoga-nidra) in the waters of the spiritual causal ocean."**
"The spiritual seeds of
Sankarsana existing in the pores of skin of Maha-Vishnu are born as so many
golden sperms. These sperms are covered
with five great elements."**
12 In this passage the word "linga"
means "different from the original form (svayam-rupa) of the Lord".
13 Brahma-samhita 5.14 then describes the
second purusa-avatara:
"The same Maha-Vishnu entered
into each universe as His own separate subjective portions."**
14 That the Lord expands as Lord Pradyumna
and thus becomes the origin of Garbhodakasayi Vishnu is confirmed in the
Narayana-upakhyana of the Moksa-dharma:
"As Garbhodakasayi Vishnu, lotus-naveled
Lord Pradyumna is the father of Lord Aniruddha."
15 The third purusa-avatara is described in
Shrimad-Bhagavatam (2.2.8):
"Others conceive of the
Personality of Godhead residing within the body of the region of the heart and
measuring only eight inches, with four hands carrying a lotus, a wheel of a
chariot, a conchshell and a club respectively."*
16 From the purusa-avatara Vishnu, Brahma,
and Siva, who maintain, create, and destroy the material universe, are said to
have come.
17 They are described in Shrimad-Bhagavatam
(1.2.23):
"The transcendental Personality
of Godhead is indirectly associated with the three modes of material nature,
namely passion, goodness, and ignorance, and just for the material world's
creation, maintenance and destruction He accepts the three qualitative forms of
Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. Of these three,
all human beings can derive benefit from Vishnu, the form of the quality of
goodness."*
18 Explanation
As controllers of them they have a
relationship with the material modes of nature. Only the one (Lord Vishnu) that
is a svamsa-avatara has no relation with the modes.
19 Brahma
As the subtle Hiranyagarbha and the
gross Viraja, Brahma, who is born from the Lord's lotus navel, is manifest in
order to enjoy and create. Thus he has
two features.
20 Four-headed Vairaja Brahma appears in
order to create the material universe and perform other duties. Sometimes Lord Vishnu Himself becomes Brahma
and creates the universe.
21 Padma Purana explains:
"In some maha-kalpas a jiva soul
becomes Brahma by devotional service, and in other maha-kalpas Lord Maha-Vishnu
Himself becomes Brahma."
22 In a maha-kalpa where Lord Vishnu
personally becomes the creator Brahma, He enters the material universe as
Viraja Brahma and enjoys transcendental bliss.
Thus the kalpas are divided into those ruled by the Lord and those ruled
by a jiva.
23 When the scriptures say that the
Personality of Godhead becomes Brahma, some say that in general this means that
the Lord personally appears, and others say this means the Lord appears as an
avesa-avatara.
24 Brahma-samhita (5.49) explains:
"I adore the Primeval Lord
Govinda from whom the separated subjective portion Brahma receives his power
for the regulation of the mundane world, just as the Supreme manifests some
portion of his own light in all the effulgent gems that bear the names of
Suryakanta, etc."**
25 Brahma is generally born from
Garbhodakasayi Vishnu's lotus-navel, although the scriptures explain that
sometimes he is born from water, fire, wind, or another element.
26 Siva
Siva appears in eleven forms and eight
forms. Generally he has ten arms and
five heads, with three eyes on each head.
27 The scriptures explain that, as Brahma is,
so Siva is sometimes a jiva soul and sometimes an amsa-avatara like Lord Sesa.
28 Because He is an incarnation of the
Personality of Godhead, He is generally beyond the modes of material
nature. However, because he is touched
by the mode of ignorance, He is thought to be affected by it. This is described in Shrimad-Bhagavatam
(10.88.3):
"Lord Siva is always associated
with the three modes of nature."
29 He is described in Brahma-samhita (5.45):
"Just as milk is transformed into
curd by the actions of acids, but yet the effect curd is neither the same as,
nor different from, its cause, viz., milk, so I adore the primeval Lord Govinda
of whom the state of Sambu is a transformation for the performance of the work
of destruction."**
30 Sometimes He is born from Brahma's
forehead and other times from Vishnu's forehead. At the kalpa's end He is born from Lord
Sankarsana as the fire of time.
31 Siva's form named Sadasiva, who is a
direct expansion of the Personality of Godhead, is the cause of all causes, is
free from the slightest scent of the mode of ignorance, and resides in
Sivaloka, is described in the Vayu Purana and other scriptures.
32 He, is the original form of Lord Siva, is
described in Brahma-samhita (5.8):
"Rama-devi, the spiritual (cit)
potency, beloved consort of the Supreme Lord, is the regulatrix of all
entities. The divine plenary portion of
Krishna creates the mundane world. At
creation there appears a divine halo of the nature of His own subjective
portion (svamsa). This halo is divine
Sambhu (Sadasiva), the masculine symbol or manifested emblem of the Supreme
Lord. This halo is the dim twilight
reflection of the supreme eternal effulgence.
This masculine symbol is the subjective portion of divinity who
functions as progenitor of the mundane world, subject to the supreme regulatrix
(niyati). The conceiving potency in
regard to mundane creation makes her appearance out of the supreme regulatrix. She is Maya, the limited, non-absolute
(apara) potency, the symbol of mundane feminine productivity. The intercourse of these two brings forth the
faculty of perverted cognition, the reflection of the seed of the procreative
desire of the Supreme Lord."**
33 Lord Vishnu is described in Shrimad-Bhagavatam
(3.8.15):
"Into that universal lotus flower
Lord Vishnu personally entered as the Supersoul, and when it was thus
impregnated with all the modes of material nature, the personality of Vedic
wisdom, whom we call the self-born, was generated."*
34 The Vishnu described here is considered to
be Ksirodakasayi Vishnu. Because He is a
vilaasa-avatara of Garbhodakasayi Vishnu the great sages call Him
"Narayana", "the Universal Form", and "the
All-pervading Supersoul".
35 The residences of Lord Vishnu in this
material world, which are described in the Vishnu-dharmottara Purana and other
Vedic literatures, now will be described in brief. Vishnu-dharmottara Purana explains:
36-38 "Above Sivaloka is the place named
Vishnuloka, which is 50 000 yojanas in measurement and cannot be approached
from any other planet. Above it, to the
east of Mount Meru, and in the midst if an ocean, is the splendid golden realm
called Maha-visnuloka. There, resting on
the couch of Ananta Sesa, and accompanied by Shrimati Laksmi-devi, Lord Vishnu,
the master of all the demigods, takes a nap at the end of the summer season.
39-40 "East of Mount Meru, in the midst of a
milk-ocean is another splendid city of the Lord. There, resting on the couch of Ananta Sesa,
and accompanied by Shrimati Laksmi-devi, the Lord sleeps during the four months
of the monsoon season.
41 "In the southern part of that
milk-ocean is a very beautiful and splendid island 25,000 yojanas wide called
Svetadvipa.
42 "O Yadava, the people there are
splendid as the sun and handsome as the cooling moon. They are so splendid even the demigods cannot
gaze on them."
43-4 In the Brahmanda Purana it is said:
"Surrounded by the ocean of milk
is a beautiful golden island 100 000 yojanas wide named Svetadvipa, which is
washed on all sides by the playful jasmine and lotus waves of the splendid
milk-ocean."
45-6 Vishnu Purana, Moksa-dharma, and other
scriptures say, "Svetadvipa is on the northern shore of the
milk-ocean." Padma Purana says,
"Svetadvipa is north of the pure milk-ocean."
47-8 All Vedic literatures explain that Lord
Vishnu and His many incarnations are beyond the influence of the three modes of
material nature. When the word
"sattva-tanu" is used to describe Him, it should be interpreted to
mean either "He who expands the activities of the mode of goodness
(sattvam tanoti)" or "He who is the controller of the mode of
goodness."
49 This is confirmed in Shrimad-Bhagavatam
(10.88.5):
"Shri Hari, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, is situated beyond the range of material nature;
therefore He is the supreme transcendental person. He can see everything inside and outside;
therefore He is the supreme overseer of all living entities. If someone takes shelter at His lotus feet
and worships Him, he also attains a transcendental position."*
50-1 In this way it is understood that the word
"sattva-tanu" means "He who is the best." Thus the scriptures establish the eternality
of devotional service to the Lord.
52 Furthermore, in Padma Purana:
"Krishna is the origin of Lord
Vishnu. He should always be remembered
and never forgotten at any time. All the
rules and prohibitions mentioned in the sastras should be the servants of these
two principles."*
53 There it is also said:
"In order to bewilder the moving
and non-moving inhabitants of the material universe, the Puranas and other
Vedic scriptures may sometimes say that this or that demigod is the Supreme
Lord. The actual final conclusion of all
Vedic literatures, however, is that only Lord Vishnu and no one else, is the
Supreme Personality of Godhead."
54 In Shrimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.26):
"Those who are serious about
liberation are certainly non-envious, and they respect all. Yet they reject the horrible and ghastly
forms of the demigods and worship only the all-blissful forms of Lord Vishnu
and His plenary portions."*
55-6 The svamsa-avataras here are called
kalas. Brahma, Siva and all other
demigods are inferior to the svamsa-avataras of Lord Vishnu.
57 There it is also said (Shrimad-Bhagavatam
1.18.21):
"Who can be worthy of the name of
the Supreme Lord but the Personality of Godhead Shri Krishna? Brahmaji collected the water emanating from
the nails of His feet in order to award it to Lord Siva as a worshipful
welcome. This very water (the Ganges) is
purifying the whole universe, including Lord Siva."*
58-9 In Maha-varaha Purana also:
"Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, and other
incarnations are equal to Lord Vishnu, for they are not different from Lord
Vishnu Himself. Brahma and the other
material demigods are described as not equal to Lord Vishnu, although as His
potency they are also equal to Him."
Chapter Three
Lilavatara-nirupana
The
Lila-avataras
1. Now, primarily following
Shrimad-Bhagavatam, I will write whatever I know of the lila-avataras (pastime
incarnations).
2 The four Kumaras are described in
Shrimad-Bhagavatam (1.3.6):
"First of all, in the beginning
of creation, there were the four unmarried sons of Brahma (the Kumaras), who,
being situated in a vow of celibacy, underwent severe austerities for realisation
of the Absolute Truth."*
3-4 The devotees consider the four Kumaras a
single incarnation. In order to preach
devotional service and pure transcendental knowledge, they appear as the
perpetually five year old, fair complexioned sons of the demigod Brahma.
5 Narada Muni is described in
Shrimad-Bhagavatam (1.3.8):
"In the millennium of the rsis,
the Personality of Godhead accepted the third empowered incarnation in the form
of Devarsi Narada, who is a great sage among the demigods. He collected expositions of the Vedas which
deal with devotional service and which inspire non fruitive action."*
6-7 To preach everything about His own
devotional service, Lord Hari, who is splendid as the moon, appeared from the
demigod Brahma as Devarsi Narada. In the
first kalpa-the Brahma Kalpa, the four Kumaras appear, and then Narada follows
them. This happens in every kalpa.
8 Lord Varaha is described in Shrimad
Bhagavatam (1.3.7):
"The supreme enjoyer of all
sacrifices accepted the incarnation of a boar (the second incarnation), and for
the welfare of the earth He lifted the earth from the nether regions of the
universe."*
9 In Shrimad-Bhagavatam (2.7.1) also:
"Lord Brahma said: When the
unlimitedly powerful Lord assumed the form of a boar as a pastime, just to lift
the planet earth, which was drowned in the great ocean of the universe called
the Garbhodaka, the first demon (Hiranyaksa) appeared, and the Lord pierced him
with His tusk."*
10 In this, the first kalpa, He appeared
twice. To rescue the earth he appeared
during the Svayambhuva-manvantara from Brahma's nostril, and during the
Caksusa-manvantara He appeared from the water.
11-2 Lord Varaha, the best of tusked beasts,
appears to kill Hiranyaksa and rescue the earth. Sometimes Varaha is a wild animal of the
forest and sometimes He is a domestic animal.
Sometimes He is dark as a rain-cloud, and sometimes He is white as the
moon. In this way Smrti-sastra describes
two gigantic form of Lord Varaha, the form of Vedic sacrifices.
13 The scriptures explain that the Pracetas'
son, Daksa, beget children during the reign of Caksusa Manu. It was then that Hiranyaksa was born.
14 In Shrimad-Bhagavatam (4.30.49):
"His previous body had been
destroyed, but he, the same Daksa, inspired by the supreme will, created all
the desired living entities in the Caksusa-manvantara."*
15 In King Uttanapada's dynasty, Diti was the
daughter of the Pracetas' son, Daksa.
Diti's son was Hiranyaksa.
16 In the beginning of the kalpa no one had
been born yet, even from Manu. Where,
then, was the Pracetas' son Daksa? Where
was Diti? Where was Diti's son?
17 In answer to Vidura's question, Maitreya
Muni described Lord Varaha's pastimes at two different times as if they had
happened at the same time.
18 Because of a sage's curse to Manu a cosmic
devastation occurred in the middle of Manu's reign. This is described in a Purana.
Note: The scripture here is Matsya
Purana.
19 In another scripture it is said that,
caused by the lotus-navelled Lord's pastimes, this cosmic devastation
unexpectedly occurred in Caksusa Manu's reign.
Note: The scripture here is
Vishnu-dharmottara Purana.
20 A cosmic devastation occurs at the end of
each Manu's reign. This is described by
Markandeya Muni in the following verses of Vishnu-dharmottara Purana:
21 "When Manu's reign is ended the
faultless demigods that controlled the world during the manvantara travel to
the planet Maharloka and remain there.
22 "O Yadava, at that time Manu, Indra,
and the demigods take shelter of Brahmaloka, which is very difficult to attain.
23 "O Vraja, then the Supreme Lord
becomes a powerful, wave-garlanded ocean and completely covers the Bhutala and
Satala planets.
24 "O Yadava, then everything in
Bhurloka is destroyed. O king of kings,
only the famous great mountains are not destroyed.
25 "O best of the Yadu dynasty, then the
earth-goddess becomes a boat and protects all seeds without discrimination.
26-7 "O tiger among kings, the future Manu
and future seven sages famous in the world will take shelter in a boat. Lord Vishnu, the master of the universe, will
assume the form of a horned fish and will playfully pull that boat from place
to place.
28 "After tying the boat to the peaks of
the Himalayas, that fish, the Lord of the universes, will become
invisible. Then Manu and the sages will
stay where they are.
29 "O king, then the time will become
like Satya-yuga. The waters will recede
to their normal level, and Manu and the sages will recreate everything.
30 Saying "A cosmic devastation does not
occur at the end of Manu's region. That
devastation is an illusion Lord Vishnu shows to Manu", Shridhara Svami
does not think there is such a devastation.
31 The fish incarnation, Lord Matsya, is
described in Shrimad-Bhagavatam (1.3.15):
"When there was a complete
inundation after the period of the Caksusa Manu and the whole world was deep
within water, the Lord accepted the form of a fish and protected Vaivasvata
Manu, keeping him up on a boat."*
32 Also in Shrimad-Bhagavatam (2.7.12):
"At the end of the millennium,
the would be Vaisvata Manu, of the name Satyavrata, would see that the Lord in
the fish incarnation is the shelter of all kinds of living entities, up to
those in the earthly planet. Because of
my fear of the vast water at the end of the millennium, the Vedas come out of
my (Brahma's) mouth, and the Lord enjoys those vast waters and protects the
Vedas."*
33 Also in Padma Purana
"When Brahma said this, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of the senses, assumed the form of a
fish and entered the waters of the ocean."
34 Lord Matsya appeared in two kalpas, as
Lord Varaha had done. In the first
appearance, during Svayambhuva Manu's reign, He killed a demon and rescued the
Vedas. In the second appearance, during Caksusa Manu's reign, He was merciful
to Satyavrata.
35 The first appearance of Lord Matsya is
described in the quotations in Text 33 and the second half of Text 32. The second appearance is described in the
quotations in Text 31 and the first half of Text 32. Thus Lord Matsya appeared as Lord Varaha had.
36 In this way there is a hint of Lord
Matsya's appearance during the reigns of the other Manus. In this way from Vishnu-dharmottara Purana it
is understood that Lord Matsya appears fourteen times.
37 Lord Yajna is described in
Shrimad-Bhagavatam (1.3.12):
"The seventh incarnation was
Yajna, the son of Prajapati Ruci and his wife Akuti. He controlled the period during the change of
the Svayambhuva Manu and was assisted by demigods such as His son Yama."*
38 Because Lord Yajna delivered (hari) the
three planetary systems from great sufferings, He was given the name
"hari" by His maternal grandfather Manu.
39 Nara Narayana Rsis are described in
Shrimad-Bhagavatam (1.3.9):
"In the fourth incarnation, the
Lord became Nara and Narayana, the twin sons of the wife of King Dharma. Thus He undertook severe and exemplary
penances to control the senses."*
40 In another scripture these two brothers,
are called Hari and Krishna. They are
considered a single incarnation, as are the four Kumaras.
41 Lord Kapila is described in
Shrimad-Bhagavatam (1.3.10):
"The fifth incarnation, named
Lord Kapila, is foremost among perfected beings. He gave an exposition of the creative
elements and metaphysics to Asuri Brahmana, for in course of time this
knowledge had been lost."*
42 Kapila Muni appeared as the son of Kardama
and Devahuti. Because of His ruddy
complexion, Brahma gave Him the name Kapila.
43-4 In Padma Purana:
"Lord Kapila, who is an
amsa-avatara of Lord Vasudeva, spoke the Sankhya philosophy, which properly
explains the meaning of the Vedas, to Asuri Brahmana, the demigods headed by
Brahma, and the great sages headed by Bhrgu Muni. Then a different Kapila spoke a different Sankhya
philosophy, full of faulty logic and in opposition to all the Vedas, to a
different Asuri Brahmana."
45 Lord Dattatreya is described in
Shrimad-Bhagavatam (2.7.4):
"The great sage Atri prayed for
offspring, and the Lord, being satisfied with him, promised to incarnate as
Atri's son, Dattatreya (Datta, the son of Atri). And by the grace of the lotus feet of the
Lord, many Yadus, Haihayas, etc., became so purified that they obtained both
material and spiritual blessings."*
46 In Shrimad-Bhagavatam (1.3.11):
"The sixth incarnation of the purusa
was the son of the sage Atri. He was
born from the womb of Anasuya, who prayed for an incarnation. He spoke on the subject of transcendence to
Alarka, Prahlada and others (Yadu, Haihaya, etc.)."*
47 In Brahmanda Purana it is said that when
Atri Muni's wife, Anasuya, requested Him, the Lord became her son.
48 Lord Hamsa is described in
Shrimad-Bhagavatam (2.7.19):
"O Narada, you were taught about
the science of God and His transcendental loving service by the Personality of
Godhead in His incarnation of Hamsavatara.
He was very much pleased with you, due to your intense proportion of
devotional service. He also explained
unto you, lucidly, the full science of devotional service, which is especially
understandable by person who are souls surrendered unto Lord Vasudeva, the
Personality of Godhead."*
52 A regal swan come from the water, the Lord
said: "As a swan can divide milk and water, So I can understand the nature
of everything."
53 Lord Dhruvapriya is described in
Shrimad-Bhagavatam (2.7.8):
"Being insulted by sharp words
spoken by the co-wife of the king, even in his presence, Prince Dhruva, though
only a boy took to severe penances in the forest. And the Lord, being satisfied by his prayer,
awarded him the Dhruva planet, which is worshipped by great sages, both upward
and downward."*
54 Because this incarnation is described as
having appeared in the reign of Svayambhuva Manu, because His name is not
specifically given here, and because Lord Yajna and many other incarnations
have already been described, by the process of elimination it should be said
that this incarnation is Lord Prsnigarbha.
This is like Govardhana Hill in Shrimad-Bhagavatam (10.21.18).
Note: It is clear that the unnamed
hill in that verse is Govardhana Hill.
55 In the Shrimad-Bhagavatam (10.3.32 and
41):
"My dear mother, best of the
chaste, in your previous birth, in the Svayambhuva millennium, you were known
as Prsni, and Vasudeva, who was the most pious Prajapati, was named
Sutapa. Since I found no one else as
highly elevated as you in simplicity and other qualities of good character, I
appeared in this world as Prsnigarbha, or one who is celebrated as having taken
birth from Prsni."*
56 Because His name and pastimes are
otherwise not mentioned here (in Shrimad Bhagavatam's list of incarnations), it
is likely that this incarnation is Lord Prsnigarbha.
57 If only to approach (Dhruva) the Lord had
descended in that form, then the Lord would also appear before others in a
different form each time.
58 Lord Rsabhadeva is described in
Shrimad-Bhagavatam (1.3.13):
"The eight incarnation was King
Rsabha, son of King Nabhi and his wife Merudevi. In this incarnation the Lord showed the path
of perfection, which is followed by those who have fully controlled their
senses and who are honoured by all orders of life."*
59 The fair-complexioned Lord appeared to
teach the duties of the renounced order.
Because He was supremely virtuous, He was famous as Rsabha (the best).