Bhagavad-Gita As It Is Chapter 4 Text 4-8 Mystry of Lord’s birth and activities

Text 4 arjuna uväca aparaà bhavato janma paraà janma vivasvataù katham etad vijänéyäà tvam ädau proktavän iti Arjuna said: The sun-god Vivasvän is senior by birth to You. How am I to understand that in the beginning You instructed this science to him? Krsna and Arjuna were friends of equal age and 125 years old while on the battlefield of Kuruksetra. Sun god Vivasvan is very senior by birth. Arjuna’s question for people in general. Krsna’s statements most authoritative.

Text 5 çré-bhagavän uväca bahüni me vyatétäni janmäni tava cärjuna täny ahaà veda sarväëi na tvaà vettha parantapa The Personality of Godhead said: Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy!

God is one without a second advaitam acyutam anädim ananta-rüpam ädyaà puräëa-puruñaà nava-yauvanaà ca vedeñu durlabham adurlabham ätma-bhaktau govindam ädi-puruñaà tam ahaà bhajämi "I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda [Kåñëa], who is the original person—absolute, infallible, without beginning. Although expanded into unlimited forms, He is still the same original, the oldest, and the person always appearing as a fresh youth. Such eternal, blissful, all-knowing forms of the Lord are usually not understood by even the best Vedic scholars, but they are always manifest to pure, unalloyed devotees."

Innumerable incarnations of Krsna rämädi-mürtiñu kalä-niyamena tiñöhan nänävatäram akarod bhuvaneñu kintu kåñëaù svayaà samabhavat paramaù pumän yo govindam ädi-puruñaà tam ahaà bhajämi "I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda [Kåñëa], who is always situated in various incarnations such as Räma, Nåsiàha and many subincarnations as well, but who is the original Personality of Godhead known as Kåñëa, and who incarnates personally also."

Difference between Lord and living being Lord incarnates with His devotees. Lord remembers everything but devotees not, however great they may be. Achyuta – never forgets Himself. Lord never changes His body and thus never forgets, but living entity changes body. Thus Lord’s position different from living being.

Text 6 ajo 'pi sann avyayätmä bhütänäm éçvaro 'pi san prakåtià sväm adhiñöhäya sambhavämy ätma-mäyayä Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all living entities, I still appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form.

Lord’s transcendental form Remembering capacity. Krsna’s appearance in His own form never changes the form. But still Lord of universe. Never grows old in body or intelligence. His appearance like Sun’s appearance. His appearance is His causeless mercy on living beings, so that they can meditate on transcendental form of Lord.

Text 7-8 yadä yadä hi dharmasya glänir bhavati bhärata abhyutthänam adharmasya tadätmänaà såjämy aham pariträëäya sädhünäà vinäçäya ca duñkåtäm dharma-saàsthäpanärthäya sambhavämi yuge yuge Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I descend Myself. To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.

Purpose of Lord’s incarnation såjämi means that the Lord manifests Himself as He is. Only the Lord can manufacture a system of religion. dharmaà tu säkñäd bhagavat-praëétam each and every avatära, or incarnation of the Lord, has a particular mission, Mission - to lead people to God consciousness and obedience to the principles of religion. It is not a fact that the Lord appears only on Indian soil. He can manifest Himself anywhere and everywhere, and whenever He desires to appear. Different religion principles - higher and lower mathematics.

Purpose & definition of Incarnation. Incarnation to destroy miscreants – 4 kinds. But mainly to protect devotees, like Prahlad or Devaki & Vasudev. "The avatära, or incarnation of Godhead, descends from the kingdom of God for material manifestation. And the particular form of the Personality of Godhead who so descends is called an incarnation, or avatära. Such incarnations are situated in the spiritual world, the kingdom of God. When they descend to the material creation, they assume the name avatära."

Different type of incarnations & incarnation in Kali Yuga. There are various kinds of avatäras, such as puruñävatäras, guëävatäras, lélävatäras, çakty-äveça avatäras, manvantara-avatäras and yugävatäras—all appearing on schedule. Incarnation in Kali-Yuga as well – Lord Chaitanya. Lord Chaitanya annihilates the evil tendencies through sankirtan movement, rather than killing miscreants.