Svayaṁ Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the Avatāras of the Puruṣa

This chapter contains forty-four verses, all of which are spoken by Sūta Gosvāmī. It provides the answer to the final two of the six questions raised by the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya. In Śrīmad Bhāgavata 1.1.18, Śaunaka Ṛṣi had requested Śrī Sūta to recount the auspicious stories of the avatāric descents of Śrī Hari. This is the fifth question posed by the sages, which is answered here in verses 1–28.

In the first verse, Śrī Sūta informs the sages that in the beginning, with the intent to evolve the cosmos, Bhagavān manifests as the first Puruṣa, Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, who is the Paramātmā for the metacosm, or prakṛti as a whole. He oversees the evolution of prakṛti, which is the primal material energy and the material or constituting cause out of which all the universes come into formation.

Once the universes have emerged, this first Puruṣa then manifests as the second Puruṣa (Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu), simultaneously present in each universe. As the Paramātmā of the macrocosm, He oversees the development of the specific universe in which He is situated as the conscious ground of being. Śrī Sūta discusses this second Puruṣa in verses 2–5. He is the repository and imperishable seed of the innumerable avatāras that appear in any particular universe.

In the next twenty verses (SB 1.3.6–25), Śrī Sūta enumerates twenty-two avatāras of the Puruṣa, giving a brief description of each. It is to be noted, however, that in SB 1.3.23, he says that Bhagavān Himself — and not the Puruṣa — appeared as Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. This statement presages what is explicitly disclosed in SB 1.3.28, that Kṛṣṇa is Svayaṁ Bhagavān and that all the avatāras are His aṁśas, or “integrated portions.” Although Sūta mentions only twenty-two avatāras, he adds that the avatāras are unlimited in number, flowing from their inexhaustible source. Besides the avatāras, the ṛṣis, manus, devas, sons of Manu, and prajāpatis also manifest from the second Puruṣa. They are known as kalās, or vibhūtis, meaning, “manifestations of lesser power.”

In the next five verses (SB 1.3.30–34), Sūta then describes the universe as a form of Bhagavān. In its visible or gross outward display, it is known as Virāṭ, and in its subtle intangible form, as Hiraṇyagarbha. Both of these, however, are said to be “imagined forms” (kalpita), and hence distinguished from Bhagavān’s transcendental forms discussed earlier in the chapter. Śrīdhara Svāmī brings out an alternative interpretation of these verses, saying that they relate to the gross and subtle bodies of the jīva (known as sthūla-śarīra and liṅga-śarīra, respectively). In either case, the import of this group of five verses is to make evident how the living being can become disidentified with the gross and subtle coverings that are projected either onto Paramātmā, in macrocosmic terms (samaṣṭi-rūpeṇa), or upon the individual self, in microcosmic terms (vyaṣṭi-rūpeṇa). When a jīva is released from this conditioning of māyā through the dawning of wisdom, he then realizes Bhagavān directly.

Following this series of five verses, Sūta describes in SB 1.3.36 how Bhagavān is transcendentally distinguished from the jīvas. Then, in two further verses, he points out that such being the case, Bhagavān is unknowable through logic but is self-disclosed through devotion. Consequently, the sages’ inquiry about Him, rooted in the existentiality of being, is itself the state of freedom from cyclic existence.

This now leads into a synopsis of the status of Śrīmad Bhāgavata in the final five verses of the chapter (SB 1.3.40–44), in which the answer to Śaunaka’s sixth question is found. In SB 1.1.23, Śaunaka asked where dharma had sought refuge after Kṛṣṇa’s departure from the earth. This question is answered specifically in SB 1.3.43; by Sūta’s comparing the Bhāgavata Purāṇa to the rising sun, it is clear that dharma is now sheltered in the Bhāgavata’s self-effulgent light. It was brought forth into being by Vyāsa for the highest benefit of humanity. It is equal to all the Vedas and identical to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself. Just as Vyāsa taught it to his son Śukadeva, who in turn delivered it to King Parīkṣit, Sūta now transmits the same illuminating message to Śaunaka and the sages.

All Verses

  1. Verse 1Śrī Sūta said: In the beginning, at the onset of creation, Bhagavān, intending to evolve the cosmos, manifested the form of the Puruṣa, which was invested with the evolutes (tattvas) beginning with cosmic intellect (mahat) and replete with the sixteen evolutionary principles necessary for creation.
  2. Verse 2While He [the Puruṣa, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu] was reposing on the water of the Garbhodaka Ocean, displaying His “yogic sleep” of supraconscious absorption (yoga-nidrā), Brahmā, the chief of the progenitors of the world, appeared from the lotus growing in the lake of His navel.
  3. Verse 3That celebrated form of Śrī Bhagavān as the Puruṣa who lies on the Garbhodaka Ocean is of the nature of unalloyed being (viśuddha-sattva) and hence divinely potent, [being the condensed essence of radically transcendent existence, consciousness, and bliss]. It is by the configuration of His limbs that the extension of the universe is conceived as the gross universal form (virāṭ).
  4. Verse 4With enlightened vision, [the devotional transcendentalists] behold that form of the Puruṣa, which is wonderful, having thousands of feet, thighs, arms, and faces, with thousands of heads, ears, eyes, and noses, and effulgent with thousands of crowns, garments, and earrings.
  5. Verse 5This form of the Puruṣa [Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu] is the repository and the imperishable seed of the innumerable avatāras. It is from the portions of His portion [Brahmā] that the devas, other evolved beings, human beings, and animals are brought forth into being.
  6. Verse 6That very Supreme Deity [the Puruṣa] accepted the first advent as the four Kumāras, and, in the form of a brāhmaṇa, He observed the formidable vow of unbroken celibacy.
  7. Verse 7Thereafter, for the prosperity of this world, the Lord of Sacrifice (Yajñeśa) assumed the second avatāra in the form of the divine boar [Varāhadeva] with the intent to uplift the earth, which had fallen into the depths of Rasātala.
  8. Verse 8That very [Puruṣa], accepting the third advent as a seer in the form of the celestial sage, Śrī Nārada, transmitted the Sātvata-tantra, by which, actions themselves become the cause of the state of freedom from bondage to action.
  9. Verse 9In the fourth advent, taking birth from [Mūrti], the devoted wife of Dharmarāja, the Puruṣa assumed the form of the twin sages, Nara and Nārāyaṇa, and undertook severe austerity endowed with perfect mastery of the self.
  10. Verse 10The fifth avatāra of the Puruṣa, named Kapila, who is the master of all perfected beings, imparted teachings to the brāhmaṇa Āsuri regarding the Sāṅkhya philosophy, which precisely determines the nature of the evolutionary principles (tattvas) as a whole — a doctrine that had been lost due to the influence of time.
  11. Verse 11In the sixth avatāra, the Puruṣa, being petitioned by Anasūyā, appeared as [Dattātreya], the son of the sage Atri, and taught the metaphysics of the Self (ānvīkṣikī) to Alarka, Prahlāda, and others.
  12. Verse 12Thereafter, in the seventh avātara, the Puruṣa appeared as Yajña in the womb of Ākūti from Ruci. Assisted by the hosts of devas headed by Yāma and others, who were His sons, He [personally accepted the post of Indra and] presided over the period of Svāyambhuva manvantara.
  13. Verse 13Then, in the eighth avatāra, the Puruṣa appeared as Urukrama [Ṛṣabhadeva] in the womb of Merudevī from King Nābhi. He revealed the path of those of highly refined discernment (dhīrāṇām), which is revered by people belonging to all stages [as life’s ultimate station, the path of the highly self-realized].
  14. Verse 14Being petitioned by the sages, the Puruṣa accepted the ninth avatāra in the form of King Pṛthu. He milked the earth for its food, herbs, and medicinal plants, and by such action, O brāhmaṇas, this avatāra became exceedingly dear.
  15. Verse 15[In the tenth advent,] He [the Puruṣa] assumed the form of a divine fish, Matsyadeva, and protected Vaivasvata Manu by placing him on a boat in the form of the earth during the oceanic deluge in the Cākṣuṣa manvantara.
  16. Verse 16In the eleventh avatāra, the omnipresent and omnipotent Puruṣa, assuming the form of a divine tortoise [Kūrmadeva], supported Mount Mandara on His back for the benefit of the suras and asuras, who were engaged in churning the Ocean of Milk [to obtain immortal nectar].
  17. Verse 17In the twelfth avatāra, the Puruṣa assumed the form of Dhanvantari [bearing a pot of immortal nectar]. Then at once, in the thirteenth avatāra, having assumed the form of an enchantingly beautiful woman, as Mohinī, He contrived to enable the suras to drink the immortal nectar, while bewildering the others [the asuras].
  18. Verse 18In the fourteenth avatāra, the Puruṣa assumed the form of a man-lion [Narasiṁhadeva] and ripped apart with His claws the chest of the formidable king of the daityas [Hiraṇyakaśipu], just as a straw mat weaver splits straw.
  19. Verse 19In the fifteenth avatāra, the Puruṣa, having assumed the form of a dwarf [Vāmanadeva], proceeded to the sacrificial arena of King Bali and requested three steps of land with the covert intention of recovering from him the kingdom of heaven.
  20. Verse 20In the sixteenth avatāra [as Paraśurāma], the Puruṣa became enraged on seeing that the kings had become inimical to the brāhmaṇas, and so He rid the earth of the warrior clans twenty-one times.
  21. Verse 21Thereafter, in the seventeenth avatāra, the Puruṣa appeared [as Vyāsa] in the womb of Satyavatī from the sage Parāśara. Recognizing that people in general were diminished in their powers of understanding, He divided the tree of the Veda into many branches.
  22. Verse 22Thereafter, in the eighteenth avatāra, the Puruṣa assumed the form of a king [as Śrī Rāma]. With the intention of accomplishing the work of the suras [in the form of slaying Rāvaṇa], He performed heroic feats, such as surmounting the ocean [by erecting a bridge over it].
  23. Verse 23In the nineteenth and twentieth avatāras, Śrī Bhagavān Himself, assuming two appearances within the Vṛṣṇi dynasty as Śrī Balarāma and Śrī Kṛṣṇa, removed the burden of the earth.
  24. Verse 24Thereafter [in the twenty-first avatāra], when Kaliyuga is already underway, the Puruṣa will appear as the son of Añjana, named Buddha, in Kīkaṭa [in the district of Gayā], for the purpose of bewildering those who are averse to the Divinity of God.
  25. Verse 25Then, at the conjunction of the yugas, when the rulers will mostly have become plunderers, the guardian of the universe will appear as the avatāra named Kalki from the brāhmaṇa known as Viṣṇuyaśā.
  26. Verse 26O twice-born brāhmaṇas, just as thousands of streams spring from an inexhaustible lake, so too indeed, countless divine manifestations of God (avatāras) proceed from Bhagavān Hari, who is the repository [or the direct embodiment] of unalloyed being [śuddha-sattva].
  27. Verse 27The powerful ṛṣis, the manus, the devas, the sons of Manu, together with the progenitors of the various species (prajāpatis), are all indeed recognized as minute portions (kalās) of Bhagavān Hari.
  28. Verse 28All these avatāras are either portions (aṁśas) or minute portions (kalās) of the first Puruṣa. Śrī Kṛṣṇa, however, is Bhagavān Himself in His ownmost original existential being. Appearing in every yuga, all these avatāras delight the world when it is oppressed by the enemies of Indra.
  29. Verse 29The person of pure illuminated consciousness who extols these mysterious divine descents of Bhagavān every morning and evening with devotion is liberated from all suffering.
  30. Verse 30This material universe is indeed the gross body of Bhagavān, who is devoid of material form and whose intrinsic form is of the nature of consciousness. Being evolved from the [modifications of the] guṇas of primordial nature, beginning with cosmic intellect (mahat), [this universal form (virāṭ-jagat)] rests upon the Self.
  31. Verse 31Just as a mass of clouds is superimposed onto the sky, or as dust, which is a product of the earth, is superimposed onto the air, so too, the visible world is superimposed onto the Seer by the unawakened.
  32. Verse 32Apart from this gross universal form, there is another subtle form of Bhagavān, which is imperceptible because it is generated out of those guṇas that are as yet undifferentiated [or untransformed (apariṇatāḥ)]. Because it is an object (vastu) that is neither seen nor heard, this form is conceived as the jīva’s limiting adjunct [(jīvopādhi), in the form of the subtle body (liṅga-deha)], on account of which, repeated births occur to the living being.
  33. Verse 33The immediate perception of Brahman is that vision in which these two gross and subtle forms, which are superimposed on the ātmā out of ignorance, are negated in the manner just delineated, through authentic knowledge of the self’s essential nature.
  34. Verse 34If this illuminating knowledge [vidyā], which is a functional capacity of the sāttvika aspect of māyā accorded by the Supreme Immanent Self, is withdrawn, then one certainly attains complete fulfillment [the wealth of Brahman-realization (brahma-sampatti)], as attested to by self-realized sages. Thereupon, one also becomes preeminently established in the glory of one’s own essential being [svarūpa-sampatti].
  35. Verse 35Enlightened sages describe the essential mystery of the Vedas — the births and actions of the Lord of the heart, who is indeed unborn and inactive — in precisely the same manner [as the wealth realized by sādhakas only upon the transcendence of māyā’s vidyā function and even the wealth of the realization of Brahman].
  36. Verse 36This very Bhagavān, whose divine acts never go in vain, evolves, sustains, and dissolves this visible universe without becoming attached to it. Abiding immanently in all living beings and yet fully independent, the Supreme Master of the six divine opulences witnesses the objects of the six senses [as if smelling a fragrance from a distance without direct contact].
  37. Verse 37An ordinary person of misguided intelligence cannot at all fathom by logical ingenuity the divine acts (līlās) of Bhagavān, the ground and root cause of all creation, who [while situated in His own immutable intrinsic form] perfectly displays innumerable forms by His mere intent and names by His words [in the form of the Vedas], just as a person unacquainted with drama cannot comprehend the theatrics of a skilled stage actor.
  38. Verse 38He alone who constantly worships the fragrance of Bhagavān’s lotus feet without duplicity by way of congenial service can know to some extent the method of play of Bhagavān, the wielder of the disc weapon, who is the agent behind the creation, the supreme transcendence, and He whose power is limitless.
  39. Verse 39Therefore, you all-knowing sages are truly blessed in this world, because through your inquiries, you are focusing the essence of your mental attention — steeped in the exclusive totality of being — on Bhagavān Vāsudeva [Śrī Kṛṣṇa], the supreme refuge of the cosmic whole, in which state of awareness the terrifying cycle of birth and death never reoccurs.
  40. Verse 40For the highest benefit of humanity, the divine seer [Vyāsadeva] brought forth into being this Purāṇa called Śrīmad Bhāgavata, which is equal to all the Vedas, which is filled with the narrations of Uttamaśloka, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which bestows all aspired for aims, which is productive of the highest well-being, and is supremely preeminent.
  41. Verse 41Thereafter, Vyāsa imparted this Mahāpurāṇa, Śrīmad Bhāgavata, which is the condensed essence extracted from all of the Vedas and Itihāsas, to his son [Śrī Śukadeva], the foremost of all those established in immediate realization of the Self.
  42. Verse 42Śuka, in turn, disclosed this Purāṇa to the great king, Parīkṣit, who sat with a vow to fast until death on the bank of the Gaṅgā, surrounded by the best of sages.
  43. Verse 43Upon Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s departure to His own abode, accompanied by bhagavad-dharma, bhagavat-jñāna, and other related majesties [including His six intrinsic divine opulences], this self-effulgent Sun in the form of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa has now arisen for those who are bereft of sight in the age of Kali.
  44. Verse 44O brāhmaṇas, I too was present there in the assembly of sages, and I studied this Purāṇa from that greatly powerful, self-realized seer, Śukadeva, by his grace, when he disclosed it in their midst. I, the same person [who was thus blessed to study the Bhāgavata], shall now impart it to you exactly as I learned it, in accordance with my realization.