Chapter 3 Kṛṣṇa Is the Source of All Incarnations ( ) Śrīmad Bhāgavatam

SB nārāyaṇaḿ namaskṛtya naraḿ caiva narottamam devīḿ sarasvatīḿ vyāsaḿ tato jayam udīrayet Before reciting this Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is the very means of conquest, one should offer respectful obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, Narayana, unto Nara-Narayana Rsi, the supermost human being, unto mother Sarasvati, the goddess of learning, and unto Srila Vyasadeva, the author.

SB naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaḿ bhāgavata-sevayā bhagavaty uttama-śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī By regular attendance in classes on the Bhagavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.

1)What is the ultimate good for people? 4) Which adventures does Lord perform in His incarnations (esp. related to creation)? 2) What is the essence of all scriptures? 5) What are the activities of His incarnations? 3) For what purpose did Lord Krishna appear? 6) To whom have religious principles gone for shelter after His departure Six Questions

Section Themes : Describes in further detail the three Purusa-avataras : Five incarnations

Sūta said: In the beginning of the creation, the Lord first expanded Himself in the universal form of the puruṣa incarnation and manifested all the ingredients for the material creation. And thus at first there was the creation of the sixteen principles of material action. This was for the purpose of creating the material universe. sūta uvāca jagṛhe pauruṣaḿ rūpaḿ bhagavān mahad-ādibhiḥ sambhūtaḿ ṣoḍaśa-kalam ādau loka-sisṛkṣayā SB 1.3.1

Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu Mahā- Sańkarṣaṇa Nārāyaṇa Balarāma Sańkarṣaṇa Mahā-Viṣṇu From Kṛṣṇa, or Govinda, comes Balarāma; from Balarāma comes Sańkarṣaṇa; from Sańkarṣaṇa, Nārāyaṇa; from Nārāyaṇa, the second Sańkarṣaṇa; from the second Sańkarṣaṇa, Mahā-Viṣṇu; from Mahā-Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu; and from Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. SB Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu

Three purusa features Paurusam rupam - creation Purpose of creation – nitya-baddha souls – strong aspirations Correctional institution Mahat-tattva – 16 elements - 5 gross + 5 knowledge acquiring senses + 5 working senses + mind Srila Prabhupāda Nectar

Golden seeds comes out of skin holes Seeds enter into pradhan Mahā-Viṣṇu glances over pradhan Śambhu impregnates pradhan with jivas Process of creation Lord enters as time factor into each universe Secondary creation by Brahma

A part of the puruṣa lies down within the water of the universe, from the navel lake of His body sprouts a lotus stem, and from the lotus flower atop this stem, Brahmā, the master of all engineers in the universe, becomes manifest. yasyāmbhasi śayānasya yoga-nidrāḿ vitanvataḥ nābhi-hradāmbujād āsīd brahmā viśva-sṛjāḿ patiḥ SB 1.3.2

Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu Birth of Brahma Expands as Kṣīrodakaśāyī Visnu Prakriti has no power to create Srila Prabhupāda Nectar One who knows these plenary features of the Personality of Godhead knows Godhead properly, and thus the knower becomes freed from the material conditions of birth, death, old age and disease - Sambandha jnana (Bg 4.9)

It is believed that all the universal planetary systems are situated on the extensive body of the puruṣa, but He has nothing to do with the created material ingredients. His body is eternally in spiritual existence par excellence. yasyāvayava-saḿsthānaiḥ kalpito loka-vistaraḥ tad vai bhagavato rūpaḿ viśuddhaḿ sattvam ūrjitam SB 1.3.3

Lord existed before the creation so God’s body cannot be material Lord and His multifarious incarnations are always of the same transcendental quality Srila Prabhupāda Nectar The Lord extends His potency in the form of the mahat-tattva, which includes all material ingredients. The extension of power by the Lord and the Lord Himself personally are one in one sense, but at the same time the mahat-tattva is different from the Lord. Therefore the potency of the Lord and the Lord are simultaneously different and nondifferent.

The devotees, with their perfect eyes, see the transcendental form of the puruṣa who has thousands of legs, thighs, arms and faces — all extraordinary. In that body there are thousands of heads, ears, eyes and noses. They are decorated with thousands of helmets and glowing earrings and are adorned with garlands. paśyanty ado rūpam adabhra-cakṣuṣā sahasra-pādoru-bhujānanādbhutam sahasra-mūrdha-śravaṇākṣi-nāsikaḿ sahasra-mauly-ambara-kuṇḍalollasat SB 1.3.4

Lord reveals Himself to His pure devotees Hearing through disciplic succession Own eyes Vs through experience of others Patience and Perseverance Srila Prabhupāda Nectar In the material world also we do not always see things with our own eyes; we sometimes see through the experience of those who have actually seen or done things. If that is the process for experiencing a mundane object, it is more perfectly applicable in matters transcendental.

This form [the second manifestation of the puruṣa] is the source and indestructible seed of multifarious incarnations within the universe. From the particles and portions of this form, different living entities, like demigods, men and others, are created. etan nānāvatārāṇāḿ nidhānaḿ bījam avyayam yasyāḿśāḿśena sṛjyante deva-tiryań-narādayaḥ SB 1.3.5

Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu - incharge of goodness - maintainer, Supersoul - all incarnations emanate from Him Brahmā - master engineer - incharge of passion - secondary creator Śiva - incharge of ignorance - destruction of the universe Dakṣa Marīci Manu etc.

līlāvatāra Matsya Kūrma Varāha Rāma Nṛsiḿha Vāmana gunāvatāra Brahmā Viṣṇu Śiva (or Rudra) saktyavesāvatāra Kumāras Nārada Pṛthu Śeṣa Ananta Yugāvatāra Lord Kṛṣṇa Lord Caitanya manvantara Svāyambhuva Manu Svārociṣa Manu Vaivasvata Manu (the present age) Types of Incarnations

Section Themes : Describes in further detail the three Purusa-avataras : Five incarnations

First of all, in the beginning of creation, there were the four unmarried sons of Brahmā [the Kumāras], who, being situated in a vow of celibacy, underwent severe austerities for realization of the Absolute Truth. sa eva prathamaḿ devaḥ kaumāraḿ sargam āśritaḥ cacāra duścaraḿ brahmā brahmacaryam akhaṇḍitam SB 1.3.6

Kaumaram – name of the creation Empowered incarnation Process of Brahman realization Qualification for Brahman realization Srila Prabhupāda Nectar This example suggests that one must first acquire the qualifications of a brāhmaṇa, not simply by birth but also by quality, and then one can undergo the process of Brahman realization.

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. dvitīyaḿ tu bhavāyāsya rasātala-gatāḿ mahīm uddhariṣyann upādatta yajñeśaḥ saukaraḿ vapuḥ SB 1.3.7

Extraordinary.. not possible for any living being Power of demons.. saukaram – like a hog not He is hog yajnesah – all powerful – can take any form but real form is Krsna. rasatala - lowest region – part of lower planetary system Srila Prabhupāda Nectar

In the millennium of the ṛṣis, the Personality of Godhead accepted the third empowered incarnation in the form of Devarṣi Nārada, who is a great sage among the demigods. He collected expositions of the Vedas which deal with devotional service and which inspire nonfruitive action. tṛtīyam ṛṣi-sargaḿ vai devarṣitvam upetya saḥ tantraḿ sātvatam ācaṣṭa naiṣkarmyaḿ karmaṇāḿ yataḥ SB 1.3.8

Empowered incarnation Author of Nārada-pañcarātra - trains karmīs to achieve liberation Economic development plans - ultimately for distress only How to obtain eternal happiness in the unconditional state? Expert physician like Nārada – gives direction to use one’s labor in the service of the Lord Srila Prabhupāda Nectar

In the fourth incarnation, the Lord became Nara and Nārāyaṇa, the twin sons of the wife of King Dharma. Thus He undertook severe and exemplary penances to control the senses. turye dharma-kalā-sarge nara-nārāyaṇāv ṛṣī bhūtvātmopaśamopetam akarod duścaraḿ tapaḥ SB 1.3.9

Only duty of the human being - tapasya, acceptance of penance for realization of the Transcendence Lord is very kind to the forgetful souls Any recent example? Incarnation of Nārāyaṇa is worshiped still at Badarī- nārāyaṇa Srila Prabhupāda Nectar

The fifth incarnation, named Lord Kapila, is foremost among perfected beings. He gave an exposition of the creative elements and metaphysics to Āsuri Brāhmaṇa, for in course of time this knowledge had been lost. pañcamaḥ kapilo nāma siddheśaḥ kāla-viplutam provācāsuraye sāńkhyaḿ tattva-grāma-vinirṇayam SB

Sāńkhya philosophy – complete description of creation/analysis of the material elements. (vibration – sky – sound – air – fire – water etc.) kāla-viplutam – lost in due course of time – existing always so-called scientists are wasting time by their research work Srila Prabhupāda Nectar

The sixth incarnation of the puruṣa was the son of the sage Atri. He was born from the womb of Anasūyā, who prayed for an incarnation. He spoke on the subject of transcendence to Alarka, Prahlāda and others [Yadu, Haihaya, etc.]. ṣaṣṭham atrer apatyatvaḿ vṛtaḥ prāpto 'nasūyayā ānvīkṣikīm alarkāya prahlādādibhya ūcivān SB

Dattatreya Accepting God as son.. better philosophy than to accept God as father Real constitutional position is to serve God Defeats voidists and impersonalists Srila Prabhupāda Nectar

Understanding the Purusa avataras – liberation Creation is from a person Prakriti cannot create on her own Types of incarnations Lord incarnates for a purpose Patience and Perseverance Summary

1. Prabhupadavani.org SB lectures – , 1.3.7, , Romapadaswami.com – SB Unveiling the Lotus Feet (Chap 3) - HG Bhurijan Prabhu References