The supreme personality of Godhead
Venue: Mayapur
When: February 4th, 2004
Verse: Srimad Bhagvatam 1.3.27-28
Reading from Srimad Bhagvatam Canto 1, chapter 3, text no. 27 and 28.
rasayo manavo deva
manu-putra mahaujasah
kalah sarve harer eva
saprajapatayah smritah
Translation and purport by Srila Prabhupad.
Srila Prabhupad ki jai!
All the rishis, Manus, demigods and descendants of Manu, who are especially powerful, are plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord. This also includes the Prajapatis.
Purport:
Those who are comparatively less powerful are called vibhuti, and those who are comparatively more powerful are called avesha, incarnations.
Text no 28, please repeat:
ete chamsa-kalah pumshah
krishnas tu bhagavan svayam
indrari-vyakulam lokam
mridayanti yuge yuge
Translation and purport by Srila Prabhupad.
All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Shri Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead. All of them appear on planets whenever there is a disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates to protect the theists.
Purport:
In this particular stanza, Lord Shri Krishna, the Personality of Godhead, is distinguished from other incarnations. He is counted amongst the avataras (incarnations) because out of His causeless mercy, the Lord descends from His transcendental abode. Avatara means “one who descends.” All the incarnations of the Lord, including the Lord Himself, descend on the different planets of the material world as also in different species of life to fulfill particular missions. Sometimes 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 functions. Originally the Lord is full of all opulences, all prowess, all fame, all beauty, all knowledge and all renunciation. When they are partly manifested through the plenary portions or parts of the plenary portions, it should be noted that certain manifestations of His different powers are required for those particular functions. When in the room small electric bulbs are displayed, it does not mean that the electric powerhouse is limited by the small bulbs. The same powerhouse can supply power to operate large-scale industrial dynamos with greater volts. Similarly, the incarnations of the Lord display limited powers because so much power is needed at that particular time.
For example, Lord Parasuram and Lord Narsimha displayed unusual opulence by killing the disobedient khatriyas twenty-one times and killing the greatly powerful atheist Hiranyakasipu. Hiranyakasipu was so powerful that even the demigods in other planets would tremble simply by the unfavorable raising of his eyebrow. The demigods in the higher level of material existence many, many times excel the most well-to-do human beings, in duration of life, beauty, wealth, paraphernalia, and in all other respects. Still they were afraid of Hiranyakasipu. Thus we can simply imagine how powerful Hiranyakasipu was in this material world. But even Hiranyakasipu was cut into small pieces by the nails of Lord Narsimha. Jai!
This means that anyone materially powerful cannot stand the strength of the Lord’s nails. Similarly, Jamadagnya displayed (as Parsuram), the Lord’s power to kill all the disobedient kings powerfully situated in their respective states. The Lord’s empowered incarnation Narada and plenary incarnation Varaha, as well as indirectly empowered Lord Buddha, created faith in the mass of people. The incarnations of Rama and Dhanvantari displayed His fame, and Balarama, Mohin? and Vamana exhibited His beauty. Dattatreya, Matsya, Kumara and Kapila exhibited His transcendental knowledge. Nara and Narayan? Rishis exhibited His renunciation. So all the different incarnations of the Lord indirectly or directly manifested different features, but Lord Krishna, the primeval Lord, exhibited the complete features of Godhead, and thus it is confirmed that He is the source of all other incarnations. And the most extraordinary feature exhibited by Lord Shri Krishna was His internal energetic manifestation of His pastimes with the cowherd girls. His pastimes with the gopis are all displays of transcendental existence, bliss and knowledge, although these are manifested apparently as sex love. The specific attraction of His pastimes with the gopis should never be misunderstood. The Bhagavatam relates these transcendental pastimes in the Tenth Canto. And in order to reach the position to understand the transcendental nature of Lord Krishna‘s pastimes with the gopis, the Bhagavatam promotes the student gradually in nine other cantos.
According to Srila Jiva Gosvami‘s statement, in accordance with authoritative sources, Lord Krishna is the source of all other incarnations. It is not that Lord Krishna has any source of incarnation. All the symptoms of the Supreme Truth in full are present in the person of Lord Shri Krishna, and in the Bhagavad Gita, Lord emphatically declares that there is no truth greater than or equal to Himself. In this stanza, the word svayam is particularly mentioned to confirm that Lord Krishna has no other source than Himself. Although in other places, the incarnations are described as bhagavan because of their specific functions, nowhere are they declared to be the Supreme Personality.
In this stanza, the word svayam signifies the supremacy as the summum bonum and the purport goes on. The summum bonum Krishna is one without a second. He Himself has expanded Himself in various parts, portions and particles as svayam-rupa, svayam-prakash, tad-ekatma, prabhava, vaibhava, vilasa, avatara, avesha, and jivas, all provided with innumerable energies just suitable to the respective persons and personalities. Learned scholars in transcendental subjects have carefully analyzed the summum bonum Krishna to have sixty-four principal attributes. All the expansions or categories of the Lord possess only some percentages of these attributes. But Shri Krishna is the possessor of the attributes cent percent. And His personal expansions such as svayam-prakash, tad-ekatma up to the categories of the avataras who are all vishnu-tattva, possess up to ninety-three percent of these transcendental attributes.
Lord Shiva, who is neither avatara nor avesha nor in between them, possesses almost eighty-four percent of the attributes. But the jivas, or the individual living beings in different statuses of life, possess up to the limit of seventy-eight percent of the attributes. In the conditioned state of material existence, the living being possesses these attributes in very small quantity, varying in terms of the pious life of the living being. The most perfect of living beings is Brahma, the supreme administrator of one universe. He possesses seventy-eight percent of the attributes in full. All other demigods have the same attributes in less quantity, whereas human beings possess the attributes in very minute quantity.
The standard of perfection for a human being is to develop the attributes up to seventy-eight percent in full. The living being can never possess attributes like Shiva, Vishnu or Lord Krishna. A living being can become godly by developing the seventy-eight-percent 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 beings who are all residents of the planets in the spiritual sky are eternal associates of God in different spiritual planets called Hari-dhama and Mahesha-dhama. The abode of Lord Krishna above all spiritual planets is called Krishnaloka or Goloka Vrindavan, and the perfected living being, by developing seventy-eight percent of the above attributes in fullness, can enter the planet of Krishnaloka after leaving the present material body.
Haribol! Haribol!
Finally it’s a good news for us (laughs) so
ete chamsa-kalah pumshah
krishnas tu bhagavan svayam
indrari-vyakulam lokam
mridayanti yuge yuge
All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Shri Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead. All of them appear on planets whenever there is a disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates to protect the theists. This is most frequently quoted verse by Srila Prabhuapad. One of the missions of Prabhupad was to establish Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he never mentions Krishna in the purport, not only Krishna. No! Krishna, and Supreme Personality of Godhead, Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is never tired, 100s and 1000s of times and amongst other sources to backup that statement that Krishna is Supreme Personality of Godhead, this one is that authoritative statement.
“Krishnas tu bhagavan svayam”
What kind of Krishna? Bhagvan svayam others may be Bhagvan, that’s fine.
“Ete chamsa-kalah,” ete, all these 22 mentioned, so far 2 are not mentioned, there are some 24, only 22 are mentioned and they are referred to here as “ete” “all these,” “ca,” what is this “chamsa-kalah,” amsa and kalah, the ca should be in between but it is not. They are “amsa,” the portions or kalah, the portions of plenary portions and ca pumsah, whose portions are portions of plenary portion, they are “pumash,” Krishna parmesh…, Krishna bhagvata…, these are the words used “sa” means “Krishna sa” of Krishna and what of Krishna, “Krsnas tu bhagvan svayam.” Krishna is svayam bhagvan, fine, you could say Narada Bhagvan, that’s fine, Varaha Bhagvan, Narsimha Bhagvan but there is only one Svayam Bhagvan that is in person, Prabhupad translates in person, svayam means in person, means no one else is Svayam Bhagvan, others are Bhagvan amsa kalah, yes, but Krishna tu but, tu means but stop, ok!
“Ete chamsa-kalah pumshah krishnas tu” but Krishna is Svayam Bhagvan.
“saksad-dharitvena samasta – satrair”
Fine kintu kintu, soon break is applied. Stop! Stop! There is something else you have to know
“kintu prabhor yah priya evatasya”
Then two together goes, goes together Sri Krsnadasa Kvairaj Goswami Maharaj, his desire is of establishing the fact that Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabu is Supreme Personality of Godhead before he would like to talk right about His Lilas, Madhya lilas, Adi, Madhya, Antya, he wants to establish the fact that Caitanya Mahaprabu is Supreme Personality of Godhead and he undertakes that task in the very beginning only 2nd Chapter of Adi lila and how does he accomplish this task? First he establishes that Krishna is Supreme Personality of Godhead then he says that Krishna appeared as Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So Krishna, Supreme Personality of Godhead, then Krishna who appeared as Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Supreme Personality of Godhead, whole chapter, he only gives so many from this puran, that puran, this chapter of Upanishad, here there, Brahma Samhita, so many quotations there and of course he has quoted this verse which is today’s subject matter “ete chamsa-kalah pumshah.”
He starts like that, he quoted the verse nicely, explained I liked it and I am sure you will like it. He says Suta Goswami speaker of this verse and who are the listener? The sages, 88,000 of them, 88,000 sages headed by Shaunaka Muni are sitting in Naimisharanya and are listening this statement “ete chamsa-kalah pumshah.” oh! We want to hear, understand the avatar, katha, shobha. Oh! Please tell us, Suta Goswami that was the 5th question asked by Shaunaka Muni and this answer 3rd chapter of 3rd canto is answer to the 5th question asked by Shaunaka Muni and of course towards the end of 3rd Chapter is the answer to 6th question of Shaunaka Muni.
So he has described shobha, katha, the pastimes, the activities which are auspicious of all the incarnations, of course, he has mentioned these are only few, we read that yesterday, these are just few, Prabhupad pointed out, oh, this is just the limited list, so whatever 22 mentioned and then “ete,” this so Suta Goswami has quoted, that verse and then Krsnadasa Kaviraj writes, “avatar kari samanya lakshan tarmadhye Krishna chandrer karila ganam”. He listed these different avatars and just in the middle he mentioned “krsna chandrer ganam,” he counted Krishna as amongst that list, he put that on the list, Oh! What did I do? “tabe,” at that time, Suta Goswami, “mane paiya bada bhaya.”
Prabhupad translates that as this made Suta Goswami greatly apprehensive, Oh! What did I do? He had some bhaya abhaya, bhaya-abhaya, you know? He had little bhaya, he was apprehensive. Oh! Did I say something or make some correction, make some statement here, I have just included Krishna in that big list of incarnations, “vidheya vastu agyat anuvadan hai gyat.” Oh! I have mentioned the subject but where is the predicant, “anuvadan vidheya”. Predicant of a sentence is what is unknown to the reader where as the subject is what is known to him. When Suta Goswami uttered the list with little little attributes of this incarnations. He has talked of the subject matter but predicant has not been stated, then Krsnadasa Kaviraj says, “aei vipra param pandit,” “aei vipra param pandit,” for example, we may say this vipra is great learned, in this sentence vipra is the subject and the predicant is his erudition, do you get my pronunciation, his panditya, pandit he is that is mentioned but panditya, his scholarship not in this, there are both of course.
So vipra is subject and his panditaya, his erudition is predicant. Man being a vipra is known but his erudition is unknown therefore person is identified first and his erudition later. First make a mention, then talk more his qualificatins, his special position, attributes, “avatar sab hoila gyat,” “kar avatar aei vastu agayat”. He mentioned all the avatars, “ete amsa kalah” but “kar avatar,” whose avatar, they are whose incarnations, they are? This is agyat, this is unknown. Thus far, till yesterday, we did not know or the listener, they also did not know. In Naimasharanya, they heard the avatar but whose avatar they are? This was not known.
In the same way Lord Krishna was first counted amongst incarnations, specific knowledge about him was still unknown, this establishes Lord Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead, the original Personality of Godhead, therefore is necessarily Krishna and he has few more things, this is 2nd chapter of Chaitanya Caritamrita, only Personality of Godhead the source of all other divinities, he is eligible to be designated “svayam bhagvan” or the primeval Lord, he concludes and one more statement is there, when one candle, when from one candle many others are lit, I consider that one original, one that was used to light other candles. Thus original, that is the source of all divinities and thet is “svayam bhagavn” Sri Krishna and that Sri Krishna appeared as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu so Krishna is Supreme Personality of Godhead, then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Supreme Personality of Godhead. Who appeared here in this dham and not far from here, only one mile away from here, Lord gave a purport to this verse, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu sat on the altar and Srivas Pandit one day said, “call everyone, call everyone,” and his associates go running, gathering people and Lord displayed his opulence. He was trying to hide, conceal the fact of His Bhagvata or Godhood but that was becoming difficult, knowledge was leaking out, they were getting some indications.
He would say, No! No! He would plug his ears, shut up! Don’t say that! All his attempts were failing, ok, ok, got everyone and one day, one day, all the devotees were there and one by one, or simultaneously, infact they were all seeing, realizing that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Chaitanya Bhagvat He says, “Advaitacharya, ask for a boon? Advaitacharya ask for a boon?” No! no! My desire has already been fulfilled, ok. Who is next? “Murari Gupta, Murari Gupta come come. Look at me and as he was looking at Lord he wasnt Guaranga, he was Shri Ram, there with greenish complexion and he was in his veer ashan holding bow and arrow and as he kept looking, there was Laxman, there was Sita and there were chiefs of different monkey groups offering prayers to Shri Rama and soon he looked at himself, Murari Gupta, and he was a monkey himself. Oh! What is going on here? He fainted and Chaitnaya Mahaprabhu, who was Ram now, “aae…….….rise! rise!” And then as he rose, I am Shri Ram and you are Hanuman, look Laxman is here and Sita and wonderful description is there.
This was no more Navadvipa or Mayapur, this was Ayodhya and then another one and then another one, then another one, according to each devotee, personal relationship with the Lord, someone devotee of Ram, someone devotee of Varaha, someone devotee of Narsimha, someone of whoever, that is what Chaitanaya Mahaprabhu exhibited and as that particular devotee witnessing that particular display and the pastime, not only he was seeing the Lord but the whole world was different, world all together different, different times all together and this went on as you know, this is Mahaprakash Lila of Chaitanaya Mahaprabhu, how many hours? 21 good hours, just went on and on and on and Lord was dealing with each one of them, there was not only dharshan but there was bhashan, there was a dialogue within that devotee and the Lord and as they were both talking, Lord Ram and Murari Gupta and another incarnation and another devotee, they were not even bothered that others were there, they were not even thinking, each one was simultaneously talking with Sri Krishna Caitnaya Mahaprabhu, so that particular lila of Sri Guaranga Mahaprabhu explains it all “ete chamsa-kalah pumshah”
Also before the Lord Krishna was about to appear there were some developments in the Goloka, in the whole spritual sky, this is Jiva Goswami, I have to stop now. (laughs) I am trembling! One minute, two minutes, so what was happening, Jiva Gosawmi explains these different incarnations were rushing to Goloka, they were all merging with Krishna, Ram coming, Varaha coming, Narsimha coming, all coming and entering the Supreme Personality of Sri Krishna and finally Krishna appeared on the planet. But those devotees of respective inacarnations, Varaha, Narsimha, etc, they were thinking, Oh! that our Lord, that one you see, that’s our Lord, they were all feeling like that,thinking like this thats Varaha, thats Narsimha. So that another little connection how svayam bhagvan and within him are all amsa and kalah are included. So let us understand Krishna is Supreme Personality of Godhead, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Supreme Personality of Godhead and tell the whole world, as we have come to this festival, lets sit down, understand, study, talk, argue Krsnadasa Kaviraj‘s some arguments, logic should be used to tell the whole world that Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Supreme Personality of Godhead and he is appearing Pancha Bhagavan, Pancha Tattva in few days, so we welcome all the devotees, so sit back, relax, understand, realize that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Nitai Guar Premanande, Hari Haribol! Haribol!
Followed by applause.
HARI HARI………..
jai