Sri Caitanya-caritamrta: Adi-lila
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter 5

Adi5.97

TEXT 97

brahmanda-pramana pancasat-koti-yojana

ayama, vistara, dui haya eka sama

SYNONYMS

brahmanda-pramana—measurement of the universe; pancasat—fifty; koti—ten millions; yojana—lengths of eight miles; ayama—length; vistara—breadth; dui—both of them; haya—are; eka sama—one and the same.

TRANSLATION

The universe measures five hundred million yojanas. Its length and breadth are one and the same.

Adi5.98

TEXT 98

jale bhari’ ardha tanha kaila nija-vasa

ara ardhe kaila caudda-bhuvana prakasa

SYNONYMS

jale—with water; bhari’-filling; ardha—half; tanha—there; kaila—made; nija-vasa—own residence; ara—other; ardhe—in the half; kaila—did; caudda-bhuvana—fourteen worlds; prakasa—manifestation.

TRANSLATION

After filling half the universe with water, He made His own residence therein and manifested the fourteen worlds in the other half.

PURPORT

The fourteen worlds are enumerated in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Second Canto, Fifth Chapter. The upper planetary systems are (1) Bhu, (2) Bhuvar, (3) Svar, (4) Mahar, (5) Janas, (6) Tapas and (7) Satya. The seven lower planetary systems are (1) Tala, (2) Atala, (3) Vitala, (4) Nitala, (5) Talatala, (6) Mahatala and (7) Sutala. The lower planets, as a whole, are called Patala. Among the upper planetary systems, Bhu, Bhuvar and Svar constitute Svargaloka, and the rest are called Martya. The entire universe is thus known as Triloka.

Adi5.99

TEXT 99

tanhai prakata kaila vaikuntha nija-dhama

sesa-sayana-jale karila visrama

SYNONYMS

tanhai—there; prakata—manifestation; kaila—did; vaikuntha—the spiritual world; nija-dhama—His own abode; sesa—of Lord Sesa; sayana—on the bed; jale—on the water; karila—did; visrama—rest.

TRANSLATION

There He manifested Vaikuntha as His own abode and rested in the waters on the bed of Lord Sesa.

Adi5.100-101

TEXTS 100-101

ananta-sayyate tanha karila sayana

sahasra mastaka tanra sahasra vadana

sahasra-carana-hasta, sahasra-nayana

sarva-avatara-bija, jagat-karana

SYNONYMS

ananta-sayyate—on Lord Ananta as a bed; tanha—there; karila sayana—lay down; sahasra—thousands; mastaka—heads; tanra—His; sahasra vadana—thousands of faces; sahasra—thousands; carana—legs; hasta—hands; sahasra-nayana—thousands of eyes; sarva-avatara-bija—the seed of all incarnations; jagat-karana—the cause of the material world.

TRANSLATION

He lay there with Ananta as His bed. Lord Ananta is a divine serpent having thousands of heads, thousands of faces, thousands of eyes and thousands of hands and feet. He is the seed of all incarnations and is the cause of the material world.

PURPORT

In the reservoir of water first created by the perspiration of Garbhodakasayi Visnu, the Lord lies on the Sesa plenary expansion of Visnu, who is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam and in the four Vedas as follows:

sahasra-sirsa purusah sahasraksah sahasra-pat
sa bhumim visvato vrtvatyatisthad dasangulam

The Visnu form called Ananta-sayana has thousands of hands and legs and thousands of eyes, and He is the active generator of all the incarnations within the material world.

Adi5.102

TEXT 102

tanra nabhi-padma haite uthila eka padma

sei padme haila brahmara janma-sadma

SYNONYMS

tanra—His; nabhi-padma—lotus navel; haite—from; uthila—grew; eka—one; padma—lotus flower; sei padme—on that lotus; haila—there was; brahmara—of Lord Brahma; janma-sadma—the place of birth.

TRANSLATION

From His navel grew a lotus flower, which became the birthplace of Lord Brahma.

Adi5.103

TEXT 103

sei padma-nale haila caudda-bhuvana

tenho brahma hana srsti karila srjana

SYNONYMS

sei padma-nale—within the stem of that lotus flower; haila—were; caudda-bhuvana—the fourteen worlds; tenho—He Himself; brahma hana—appearing as Brahma; srsti—the creation; karila srjana—created.

TRANSLATION

Within the stem of that lotus were the fourteen worlds. Thus the Supreme Lord, as Brahma, created the entire creation.

Adi5.104

TEXT 104

visnu-rupa hana kare jagat palane

gunatita-visnu sparsa nahi maya-gune

SYNONYMS

visnu-rupa—the form of Lord Visnu; hana—becoming; kare—does; jagat palane—maintenance of the material world; guna-atita—beyond the material qualities; visnu—Lord Visnu; sparsa—touch; nahi—not; maya-gune—in the material qualities.

TRANSLATION

And as Lord Visnu He maintains the entire world. Lord Visnu, being beyond all material attributes, has no touch with the material qualities.

PURPORT

Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana says that although Visnu is the predominating Deity of the quality of goodness in the material world, He is never affected by the quality of goodness, for He directs that quality simply by His supreme will. It is said that all living entities can derive all good fortune from the Lord simply by His will. In the Vamana Purana it is said that the same Visnu expands Himself as Brahma and Siva to direct the different qualities.

Because Lord Visnu expands the quality of goodness, He has the name Sattvatanu. The multifarious incarnations of Ksirodakasayi Visnu are known as Sattvatanu. Therefore in all Vedic scriptures Visnu has been described as being free from all material qualities. In the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said:

harir hi nirgunah saksat
purusah prakrteh parah
sa sarva-drg upadrasta
tam bhajan nirguno bhavet

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, is always uncontaminated by the modes of material nature, for He is beyond the material manifestation. He is the source of the knowledge of all the demigods, headed by Lord Brahma, and He is the witness of everything. Therefore one who worships the Supreme Lord Visnu also attains freedom from the contamination of material nature.” (Bhag. 10.88.5) One can attain freedom from the contamination of material nature by worshiping Visnu, and therefore He is called Sattvatanu, as described above.

Adi5.105

TEXT 105

rudra-rupa dhari’ kare jagat samhara

srsti-sthiti-pralaya--icchaya yanhara

SYNONYMS

rudra-rupa—the form of Lord Siva; dhari’-accepting; kare—does; jagat samhara—annihilation of the material world; srsti-sthiti-pralaya—creation, maintenance and annihilation; icchaya—by the will; yanhara—of whom.

TRANSLATION

Assuming the form of Rudra, He destroys the creation. Thus creation, maintenance and dissolution are created by His will.

PURPORT

Mahesvara, or Lord Siva, is not an ordinary living being, nor is he equal to Lord Visnu. Effectively comparing Lord Visnu and Lord Siva, the Brahma-samhita says that Visnu is like milk, whereas Siva is like curd. Curd is nothing like milk, but nevertheless it is milk also.

Adi5.106

TEXT 106

hiranya-garbha, antaryami, jagat-karana

yanra amsa kari’ kare virata-kalpana

SYNONYMS

hiranya-garbha—of the name Hiranyagarbha; antah-yami—the Supersoul; jagat-karana—the cause of the material world; yanra amsa kari’-taking as His expansion; kare—does; virata-kalpana—conception of the universal form.

TRANSLATION

He is the Supersoul, Hiranyagarbha, the cause of the material world. The universal form is conceived as His expansion.

Adi5.107

TEXT 107

hena narayana,--yanra amsera amsa

sei prabhu nityananda--sarva-avatamsa

SYNONYMS

hena—such; narayana—Lord Narayana; yanra—of whom; amsera—of the plenary part; amsa—apart; sei—that; prabhu—the Lord; nityananda—of the name Nityananda; sarva-avatamsa—the source of all incarnations.

TRANSLATION

That Lord Narayana is a part of a plenary part of Lord Nityananda Balarama, who is the source of all incarnations.

Adi5.108

TEXT 108

dasama slokera artha kaila vivarana

ekadasa slokera artha suna diya mana

SYNONYMS

dasama—tenth; slokera—of the verse; artha—meaning; kaila—have done; vivarana—description; ekadasa—eleventh; slokera—of the verse; artha—meaning; suna—please hear; diya mana—with the mind.

TRANSLATION

I have thus explained the tenth verse. Now please listen to the meaning of the eleventh verse with all your mind.

Adi5.109

TEXT 109

yasyamsamsamsah paratmakhilanam

posta visnur bhati dugdhabdhi-sayi

ksauni-bharta yat-kala so ’py anantas

tam sri-nityananda-ramam prapadye

SYNONYMS

yasya—whose; amsa-amsa-amsah—a portion of a portion of a plenary portion; para-atma—the Supersoul; akhilanam—of all living entities; posta—the maintainer; visnuh—Visnu; bhati—appears; dugdha-abdhi-sayi—Ksirodakasayi Visnu; ksauni-bharta—upholder of the earth; yat—whose; kala—portion of a portion; sah—He; api—certainly; anantah—Sesa Naga; tam—to Him; sri-nityananda-ramam—to Lord Balarama in the form of Lord Nityananda; prapadye—I surrender.

TRANSLATION

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the feet of Sri Nityananda Rama, whose secondary part is the Visnu lying in the ocean of milk. That Ksirodakasayi Visnu is the Supersoul of all living entities and the maintainer of all the universes. Sesa Naga is His further subpart.

Adi5.110

TEXT 110

narayanera nabhi-nala-madhyete dharani

dharanira madhye sapta samudra ye gani

SYNONYMS

narayanera—of Lord Narayana; nabhi-nala—the stem from the navel; madhyete—within; dharani—the material planets; dharanira madhye—among the material planets; sapta—seven; samudra—oceans; ye gani—they count.

TRANSLATION

The material planets rest within the stem that grew from the lotus navel of Lord Narayana. Among these planets are seven oceans.

Adi5.111

TEXT 111

tanha ksirodadhi-madhye ’svetadvipa’ nama

palayita visnu,--tanra sei nija dhama

SYNONYMS

tanha—within that; ksira-udadhi-madhye—in part of the ocean known as the ocean of milk; svetadvipa nama—the island named Svetadvipa; palayita visnu—the maintainer, Lord Visnu; tanra—of Him; sei—that; nija dhama—own residential quarters.

TRANSLATION

There, in part of the ocean of milk, lies Svetadvipa, the abode of the sustainer, Lord Visnu.

PURPORT

In the Siddhanta-siromani, an astrological text, the different oceans are described as follows: (1) the ocean of salt water, (2) the ocean of milk, (3) the ocean of yogurt, (4) the ocean of clarified butter, (5) the ocean of sugarcane juice, (6) the ocean of liquor and (7) the ocean of sweet water. On the southern side of the ocean of salt water is the ocean of milk, where Lord Ksirodakasayi Visnu resides. He is worshiped there by demigods like Brahma.

Adi5.112

TEXT 112

sakala jivera tinho haye antaryami

jagat-palaka tinho jagatera svami

SYNONYMS

sakala—all; jivera—of the living entities; tinho—He; haye—is; antah-yami—the Supersoul; jagat-palaka—the maintainer of the material world; tinho—He; jagatera svami—the Lord of the material world.

TRANSLATION

He is the Supersoul of all living entities. He maintains this material world, and He is its Lord.

PURPORT

The Laghu-bhagavatamrta gives the following description of the Visnuloka within this universe, quoted from the Visnu-dharmottara: “Above Rudraloka, the planet of Lord Siva, is the planet called Visnuloka, 400,000 miles in circumference, which is inaccessible to any mortal living being. Above that Visnuloka and east of the Sumeru Hill is a golden island called Maha-Visnuloka, in the ocean of salt water. Lord Brahma and other demigods sometimes go there to meet Lord Visnu. Lord Visnu lies there with the goddess of fortune, and it is said that during the four months of the rainy season He enjoys sleeping on that Sesa Naga bed. East of Sumeru is the ocean of milk, in which there is a white city on a white island where the Lord can be seen sitting with His consort, Laksmiji, on a throne of Sesa. That feature of Visnu also enjoys sleeping during the four months of the rainy season. The Svetadvipa in the milk ocean is situated just south of the ocean of salt water. It is calculated that the area of Svetadvipa is 200,000 square miles. This transcendentally beautiful island is decorated with desire trees to please Lord Visnu and His consort.” There are references to Svetadvipa in the Brahmanda Purana, Visnu Purana, Mahabharata and Padma Purana, and there is the following reference in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.15.18).

svetadvipa-patau cittam
suddhe dharma-maye mayi
dharayan chvetatam yati
sad-urmi-rahito narah

“My dear Uddhava, you may know that My transcendental form of Visnu in Svetadvipa is identical with Me in divinity. Anyone who places this Lord of Svetadvipa within his heart can surpass the pangs of the six material tribulations: hunger, thirst, birth, death, lamentation and illusion. Thus one can attain his original, transcendental form.”

Adi5.113

TEXT 113

yuga-manvantare dhari’ nana avatara

dharma samsthapana kare, adharma samhara

SYNONYMS

yuga-manu-antare—in the ages and millenniums of Manu; dhari’-accepting; nana—various; avatara—incarnations; dharma samsthapana kare—establishes the principles of religion; adharma samhara—vanquishing irreligious principles.

TRANSLATION

In the ages and millenniums of Manu, He appears as different incarnations to establish the principles of real religion and vanquish the principles of irreligion.

PURPORT

Lord Visnu, who lies in the ocean of milk, incarnates Himself in various forms to maintain the laws of the cosmos and annihilate the causes of disturbance. Such incarnations are visible in every manv-antara (i.e., in the course of the reign of each Manu, who lives for 71 x 4,320,000 years). Fourteen such Manus take their birth and die, to yield a place for the next, during one day of Brahma.

Adi5.114

TEXT 114

deva-gane na paya yanhara darasana

ksirodaka-tire yai’ karena stavana

SYNONYMS

deva-gane—the demigods; na—not; paya—get; yanhara—whose; darasana—sight; ksira-udaka-tire—on the bank of the ocean of milk; yai’-go; karena stavana—offer prayers.

TRANSLATION

Unable to see Him, the demigods go to the bank of the ocean of milk and offer prayers to Him.

PURPORT

The denizens of heaven, who live in the planetary systems beginning from Svarloka, cannot even see Lord Visnu in Svetadvipa. Unable to reach the island, they can simply approach the beach of the milk ocean to offer transcendental prayers to the Lord, appealing to Him on special occasions to appear as an incarnation.

Adi5.115

TEXT 115

tabe avatari’ kare jagat palana

ananta vaibhava tanra nahika ganana

SYNONYMS

tabe—at that time; avatari’-descending; kare—does; jagat palana—maintenance of the material world; ananta—unlimited; vaibhava—the opulences; tanra—of Him; nahika—there is not; ganana—counting.

TRANSLATION

He then descends to maintain the material world. His unlimited opulences cannot be counted.

Adi5.116

TEXT 116

sei visnu haya yanra amsamsera amsa

sei prabhu nityananda--sarva-avatamsa

SYNONYMS

sei—that; visnu—Lord Visnu; haya—is; yanra—whose; amsa-amsera—of the part of the plenary part; amsa—part; sei—that; prabhu—Lord; nityananda—Nityananda; sarva-avatamsa—the source of all incarnations.

TRANSLATION

That Lord Visnu is but a part of a part of a plenary portion of Lord Nityananda, who is the source of all incarnations.

PURPORT

The Lord of Svetadvipa has immense potency for creation and destruction. Sri Nityananda Prabhu, being Baladeva Himself, the original form of Sankarsana, is the original form of the Lord of Svetadvipa.

Adi5.117

TEXT 117

sei visnu ’sesa’-rupe dharena dharani

kanha ache mahi, sire, hena nahi jani

SYNONYMS

sei—that; visnu—Lord Visnu; sesa-rupe—in form of Lord Sesa; dharena—carries; dharani—the planets; kanha—where; ache—are; mahi—the planets; sire—on the head; hena nahi jani—I cannot understand.

TRANSLATION

That same Lord Visnu, in the form of Lord Sesa, holds the planets upon His heads, although He does not know where they are, for He cannot feel their existence upon His heads.

Adi5.118

TEXT 118

sahasra vistirna yanra phanara mandala

surya jini’ mani-gana kare jhala-mala

SYNONYMS

sahasra-thousands; vistirna-spread; yanra-whose; phanara-of the hoods; mandala-group; surya-the sun; jini’-conquering; mani-gana-jewels; kare-do; jhala-mala-glittering.

TRANSLATION

His thousands of extended hoods are adorned with dazzling jewels surpassing the sun.

Adi5.119

TEXT 119

pancasat-koti-yojana prthivi-vistara

yanra eka-phane rahe sarsapa-akara

SYNONYMS

pancasat—fifty; koti—ten millions; yojana—eight miles; prthivi—of the universe; vistara—breadth; yanra—whose; eka-phane—on one of the hoods; rahe—stays; sarsapa-akara—like a mustard seed.

TRANSLATION

The universe, which measures five hundred million yojanas in diameter, rests on one of His hoods like a mustard seed.

PURPORT

The Lord of Svetadvipa expands Himself as Sesa Naga, who sustains all the planets upon His innumerable hoods. These huge global spheres are compared to grains of mustard resting on the spiritual hoods of Sesa Naga. The scientists’ law of gravity is a partial explanation of Lord Sankarsana’s energy. The name “Sankarsana” has an etymological relationship to the idea of gravity. There is a reference to Sesa Naga in Srimad-Bhagavatam (5.17.21), where it is said:

yam ahur asya sthiti janma-samyamam
tribhir vihinam yam anantam rsayah
na veda siddartham iva kvacit sthitam
bhu-mandalam murdha-sahasra-dhamasu

“O my Lord, the hymns of the Vedas proclaim that You are the effective cause for the creation, maintenance and destruction. But in fact You are transcendental to all limitations and are therefore known as unlimited. On Your thousands of hoods rest the innumerable global spheres, like grains of mustard so insignificant that You have no perception of their weight.” The Bhagavatam further says (5.25.2):

yasyedam ksiti-mandalam bhagavato ’nanta-murteh sahasra-sirasa ekasminn eva sirsani dhriyamanam siddhartha iva laksyate.

“Lord Anantadeva has thousands of hoods. Each sustains a global sphere that appears like a grain of mustard.”

Adi5.120

TEXT 120

sei ta’ ’ananta’ ’sesa’--bhakta-avatara

isvarera seva vina nahi jane ara

SYNONYMS

sei ta’-that; ananta—Lord Ananta; sesa—the incarnation Sesa; bhakta-avatara—incarnation of a devotee; isvarera seva—the service of the Lord; vina—without; nahi—not; jane—knows; ara—anything else.

TRANSLATION

That Ananta Sesa is the devotee incarnation of Godhead. He knows nothing but service to Lord Krsna.

PURPORT

Srila Jiva Gosvami, in his Krsna-sandarbha, has described Sesa Naga as follows: “Sri Anantadeva has thousands of faces and is fully independent. Always ready to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He waits upon Him constantly. Sankarsana is the first expansion of Vasudeva, and because He appears by His own will, He is called svarat, fully independent. He is therefore infinite and transcendental to all limits of time and space. He Himself appears as the thousand-headed Sesa.” In the Skanda Purana, in the Ayodhya-mahatmya chapter, the demigod Indra requested Lord Sesa, who was standing before him as Laksmana, “Please go to Your eternal abode, Visnuloka, where Your expansion Sesa, with His serpentine hoods, is also present.” After thus dispatching Laksmana to the regions of Patala, Lord Indra returned to his abode. This quotation indicates that the Sankarsana of the quadruple form descends with Lord Rama as Laksmana. When Lord Rama disappears, Sesa again separates Himself from the personality of Laksmana. Sesa then returns to His own abode in the Patala regions, and Laksmana returns to His abode in Vaikuntha.

The Laghu-bhagavatamrta gives the following description: “The Sankarsana of the second group of quadruple forms appears as Rama, taking with Him Sesa, who bears the global spheres. There are two features of Sesa. One is the bearer of the globes, and the other is the bedstead servitor. The Sesa who bears the globes is a potent incarnation of Sankarsana, and therefore He is sometimes also called Sankarsana. The bedstead feature of Sesa always presents himself as an eternal servitor of the Lord.”

Adi5.121

TEXT 121

sahasra-vadane kare krsna-guna gana

niravadhi guna ga’na, anta nahi pa’na

SYNONYMS

sahasra-vadane—in thousands of mouths; kare—does; krsna-guna gana—chanting of the holy attributes of Krsna; niravadhi—continuously; guna ga’na—chanting of the transcendental qualities; anta nahi pa’na—does not reach the end.

TRANSLATION

With His thousands of mouths He sings the glories of Lord Krsna, but although He always sings in that way, He does not find an end to the qualities of the Lord.

Adi5.122

TEXT 122

sanakadi bhagavata sune yanra mukhe

bhagavanera guna kahe, bhase prema-sukhe

SYNONYMS

sanaka-adi—the great sages headed by Sanaka, Sananda, etc.; bhagavataSrimad-Bhagavatam; sune—hear; yanra mukhe—from whose mouth; bhagavanera—of the Personality of Godhead; guna—attributes; kahe—say; bhase—float; prema-sukhe—in the transcendental bliss of love of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

The four Kumaras hear Srimad-Bhagavatam from His lips, and they in turn repeat it in the transcendental bliss of love of Godhead.

Adi5.123

TEXT 123

chatra, paduka, sayya, upadhana, vasana

arama, avasa, yajna-sutra, simhasana

SYNONYMS

chatra—umbrella; paduka—slippers; sayya—bed; upadhana—pillow; vasana—garments; arama—resting chair; avasa—residence; yajna-sutra—sacred thread; simha-asana—throne.

TRANSLATION

He serves Lord Krsna, assuming all the following forms: umbrella, slippers, bedding, pillow, garments, resting chair, residence, sacred thread and throne.

Adi5.124

TEXT 124

eta murti-bheda kari’ krsna-seva kare

krsnera sesata pana ’sesa’ nama dhare

SYNONYMS

eta—so many; murti-bheda—different forms; kari’-taking; krsna-seva kare—serves Lord Krsna; krsnera—of Lord Krsna; sesata—ultimate end; pana—having reached; sesa nama dhare—assumes the name Sesa Naga.

TRANSLATION

He is thus called Lord Sesa, for He has attained the ultimate end of servitude to Krsna. He takes many forms for the service of Krsna, and thus He serves the Lord.

Adi5.125

TEXT 125

sei ta’ ananta, yanra kahi eka kala

hena prabhu nityananda, ke jane tanra khela

SYNONYMS

sei ta’-that; ananta—Lord Ananta; yanra—of whom; kahi—I say; eka kala—one part of the part; hena—such; prabhu nityananda—Lord Nityananda Prabhu; ke—who; jane—knows; tanra—His; khela—pastimes.

TRANSLATION

That person of whom Lord Ananta is a kala, or part of a plenary part, is Lord Nityananda Prabhu. Who, therefore, can know the pastimes of Lord Nityananda?

Adi5.126

TEXT 126

e-saba pramane jani nityananda-tattva-sima

tanhake ’ananta’ kahi, ki tanra mahima

SYNONYMS

e-saba—all these; pramane—by the evidences; jani—I know; nityananda-tattva-sima—the limit of the truth of Lord Nityananda; tanhake—to Him (Lord Nityananda, Balarama); ananta—Lord Ananta; kahi—if I say; ki tanre mahima—what glory do I speak about Him.

TRANSLATION

From these conclusions we can know the limit of the truth of Lord Nityananda. But what glory is there in calling Him Ananta?

Adi5.127

TEXT 127

athava bhaktera vakya mani satya kari’

sakala sambhave tante, yate avatari

SYNONYMS

athava—otherwise; bhaktera vakya—anything spoken by a pure devotee; mani—I accept; satya kari’-as truth; sakala—everything; sambhave—possible; tante—in Him; yate—since; avatari—the original source of all incarnations.

TRANSLATION

But I accept it as the truth because it has been said by devotees. Since He is the source of all incarnations, everything is possible in Him.

Adi5.128

TEXT 128

avatara-avatari--abheda, ye jane

purve yaiche krsnake keho kaho kari’ mane

SYNONYMS

avatara-avatari—an incarnation and the source of all incarnations; abheda—identical; ye jane—anyone who knows; purve—formerly; yaiche—just as; krsnake—unto Lord Krsna; keho—somebody; kaho—somewhere; kari’-making; mane—accepts.

TRANSLATION

They know that there is no difference between the incarnation and the source of all incarnations. Previously Lord Krsna was regarded in the light of different principles by different people.

Adi5.129

TEXT 129

keho kahe, krsna saksat nara-narayana

keho kahe, krsna haya saksat vamana

SYNONYMS

keho kahe—someone says; krsna—Lord Krsna; saksat—directly; nara-narayana—Lord Nara-Narayana; keho kahe—someone says; krsna haya—Krsna is; saksat vamana—Lord Vamanadeva.

TRANSLATION

Some said that Krsna was directly Lord Nara-Narayana, and some called Him Lord Vamanadeva incarnate.

Adi5.130

TEXT 130

keho kahe, krsna ksiroda-sayi avatara

asambhava nahe, satya vacana sabara

SYNONYMS

keho kahe—someone says; krsna—Lord Krsna; ksiroda-sayi avatara—an incarnation of Lord Visnu lying in the ocean of milk; asambhava nahe—there is not impossibility; satya—true; vacana sabara—everyone’s statement.

TRANSLATION

Some called Lord Krsna an incarnation of Lord Ksirodakasayi. All these names are true; nothing is impossible.

Adi5.131

TEXT 131

krsna yabe avatare sarvamsa-asraya

sarvamsa asi’ tabe krsnete milaya

SYNONYMS

krsna—Lord Krsna; yabe—when; avatare—descends; sarva-amsa-asraya—the shelter of all other visnu-tattvas; sarva-amsa—all plenary portions; asi’-coming; tabe—at that time; krsnete—in Krsna; milaya—join.

TRANSLATION

When the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna appears, He is the shelter of all plenary parts. Thus at that time all His plenary portions join in Him.

Adi5.132

TEXT 132

yei yei rupe jane, sei taha kahe

sakala sambhave krsne, kichu mithya nahe

SYNONYMS

yei yei—whatever; rupe—in the form; jane—one knows; sei—he; taha—that; kahe—says; sakala sambhave krsne—everything is possible in Krsna; kichu mithya nahe—there is no falsity.

TRANSLATION

In whatever form one knows the Lord, one speaks of Him in that way. In this there is no falsity, since everything is possible in Krsna.

PURPORT

In this connection we may mention an incident that took place between two of our sannyasis while we were preaching the Hare Krsna maha-mantra in Hyderabad. One of them stated that “Hare Rama” refers to Sri Balarama, and the other protested that “Hare Rama” means Lord Rama. Ultimately the controversy came to me, and I gave the decision that if someone says that “Rama” in “Hare Rama” is Lord Ramacandra and someone else says that the “Rama” in “Hare Rama” is Sri Balarama, both are correct because there is no difference between Sri Balarama and Lord Rama. Here in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta we find that Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami has stated the same conclusion:

yei yei rupe jane, sei taha kahe
sakala sambhave krsne, kichu mithya nahe

If someone calls Lord Ramacandra by the vibration Hare Rama, or if he understands “Ramacandra,” he is quite right. Similarly, if one says that Hare Rama means Sri Balarama, he is also right. Those who are aware of the visnu-tattva do not fight over all these details.

In the Laghu-bhagavatamrta Srila Rupa Gosvami has explained Krsna’s being both Ksirodakasayi Visnu and Narayana in the spiritual sky and expanding in quadruple forms like Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. He has refuted the idea that Krsna is an incarnation of Narayana. Some devotees think that Narayana is the original Personality of Godhead and that Krsna is an incarnation. Even Sankaracarya, in his commentary on the Bhagavad-gita, has accepted Narayana as the transcendental Personality of Godhead who appeared as Krsna, the son of Devaki and Vasudeva. Therefore this matter may be difficult to understand. But the Gaudiya Vaisnava-sampradaya, headed by Rupa Gosvami, has established the principle of the Bhagavad-gita that everything emanates from Krsna, who says in the Bhagavad-gita, aham sarvasya prabhavah: “I am the original source of everything.” “Everything” includes Narayana. Therefore Rupa Gosvami, in his Laghu-bhagavatamrta, has established that Krsna, not Narayana, is the original Personality of Godhead.

In this connection he has quoted a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.2.15) that states:

sva-santa-rupesv itaraih svarupair
abhyardyamanesv anukampitatma
paravareso mahad-amsa-yukto
hy ajo ’pi jato bhagavan yathagnih

“When pure devotees of the Lord like Vasudeva are greatly disturbed by dangerous demons like Kamsa, Lord Krsna joins with all His pastime expansions, such as the Lord of Vaikuntha, and, although unborn, becomes manifest, just as fire becomes manifest by the friction of arani wood.” Arani wood is used to ignite a sacrificial fire without matches or any other flame. Just as fire appears from arani wood, the Supreme Lord appears when there is friction between devotees and nondevotees. When Krsna appears, He appears in full, including within Himself all His expansions like Narayana, Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Aniruddha and Pradyumna. Krsna is always integrated with His other incarnations, like Nrsimhadeva, Varaha, Vamana, Nara-Narayana, Hayagriva and Ajita. In Vrndavana sometimes Lord Krsna exhibits the functions of such incarnations.

In the Brahmanda Purana it is said: “The same Personality of Godhead who is known in Vaikuntha as the four-handed Narayana, the friend of all living entities, and in the milk ocean as the Lord of Svetadvipa, and who is the best of all purusas, appeared as the son of Nanda. In a fire there are many sparks of different dimensions; some of them are very big, and some are small. The small sparks are compared to the living entities, and the large sparks are compared to the Visnu expansions of Lord Krsna. All the incarnations emanate from Krsna, and after the end of their pastimes they again merge with Krsna.”

Therefore in the various Puranas Krsna is described sometimes as Narayana, sometimes as Ksirodakasayi Visnu, sometimes as Garbhodakasayi Visnu and sometimes as Vaikunthanatha, the Lord of Vaikuntha. Because Krsna is always full, Mula-sankarsana is in Krsna, and since all incarnations are manifested from Mula-sankarsana, it should be understood that He can manifest different incarnations by His supreme will, even in the presence of Krsna. Great sages have therefore glorified the Lord by different names. Thus when the original person, the source of all incarnations, is sometimes described as an incarnation, there is no discrepancy.

Next verse (Adi5.133)