Understanding Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.8.13 properly

[Paramananda das]

dear devotees

Please accept my humble obaisences .All glories to Srila Prabhupada 

Yesterday Naveen Krsna Prabhu the head pujari of ISKCON Potomac asked me a question about SB 10.8.13

 

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.8.13

āsan varṇās trayo hy asya

gṛhṇato 'nuyugaḿ tanūḥ

śuklo raktas tathā pīta

idānīḿ kṛṣṇatāḿ gataḥ

SYNONYMS

āsan — were assumed; varṇāḥ trayaḥ — three colors; hi — indeed; asya — of your son Kṛṣṇa; gṛhṇataḥ — accepting; anuyugam tanūḥ — transcendental bodies according to the different yugas; śuklaḥ— sometimes white; raktaḥ — sometimes red; tathā — as well as; pītaḥ — sometimes yellow; idānīm kṛṣṇatām gataḥ — at the present moment He has assumed a blackish color.

TRANSLATION

Your son Kṛṣṇa appears as an incarnation in every millennium. In the past, He assumed three different colors — white, red and yellow — and now He has appeared in a blackish color. [In another Dvāpara-yuga, He appeared (as Lord Rāmacandra) in the color of śuka, a parrot. All such incarnations have now assembled in Kṛṣṇa.]

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada 

Partially explaining the position of Lord Kṛṣṇa and partially covering the facts, Gargamuni indicated, "Your son is a great personality, and He can change the color of His body in different ages." The word gṛhṇataḥ indicates that Kṛṣṇa is free to make His choice. In other words, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and may therefore do whatever He desires. In Vedic literature the different colors assumed by the Personality of Godhead in different millenniums are stated, and therefore when Gargamuni said, "Your son has assumed these colors," he indirectly said, "He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Because of Kaḿsa's atrocities, Gargamuni tried to avoid disclosing this fact, but he indirectly informed Nanda Mahārāja that Kṛṣṇa, his son, was the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

It may be noted that Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, in his book Krama-sandarbha, has enunciated the purport of this verse. In every millennium, Kṛṣṇa appears in a different form, either as white, red or yellow, but this time He personally appeared in His original, blackish form and, as predicted by Gargamuni, exhibited the power of Nārāyaṇa. Because in this form the Supreme Personality of Godhead exhibits Himself fully, His name is Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the all-attractive.

Factually, Kṛṣṇa is the source of all avatāras, and therefore all the different features of the different avatāras are present in Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa incarnates, all the features of other incarnations are already present within Him. Other incarnations are partial representations of Kṛṣṇa, who is the full-fledged incarnation of the Supreme Being. It is to be understood that the Supreme Being, whether appearing as śukla, rakta or pīta (white, red or yellow), is the same person. When He appears in different incarnations, He appears in different colors, just like the sunshine, which contains seven colors. Sometimes the colors of sunshine are represented separately; otherwise the sunshine is observed mainly as bright light. The different avatāras, such as the manvantara-avatāras, līlā-avatāras and daśa-avatāras, are all included in the kṛṣṇa-avatāra. When Kṛṣṇa appears, all the avatāras appear with Him. As described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.3.26):

avatārā hy asańkhyeyā

hareḥ sattva-nidher dvijāḥ

yathāvidāsinaḥ kulyāḥ

sarasaḥ syuḥ sahasraśaḥ

The avatāras incessantly appear, like incessantly flowing water. No one can count how many waves there are in flowing water, and similarly there is no limitation of the avatāras. And Kṛṣṇa is the full representation of all avatāras because He is the source of all avatāras. Kṛṣṇa is aḿśī, whereas others are aḿśa, part of Kṛṣṇa. All living entities, including us, are aḿśas (mamaivāḿśo jīva-lokejīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ [Bg. 15.7]). These aḿśas are of different magnitude. Human beings (who are minute aḿśas) and the demigods, viṣṇu-tattva and all other living beings are all part of the Supreme. Nityo nityānāḿ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). Kṛṣṇa is the full representation of all living entities, and when Kṛṣṇa is present, all avatāras are included in Him.

The Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes the incarnations for each yuga in chronological order. The Bhāgavatam says, kṛte śuklaś catur-bāhuḥ, tretāyāḿ rakta-varṇo'sau, dvāparebhagavān śyāmaḥ and kṛṣṇa-varṇaḿ tviṣākṛṣṇam [SB 11.5.32]. We actually see that in Kali-yuga, Bhagavān has appeared in pīta-varṇa, or a yellow color, as Gaurasundara, although the Bhāgavatamspeaks of kṛṣṇa-varṇam. To adjust all these statements, one should understand that although in some yugas some of the colors are prominent, in every yuga, whenever Kṛṣṇa appears, all the colors are present. Kṛṣṇa-varṇaḿ tviṣākṛṣṇam: although Caitanya Mahāprabhu appears without kṛṣṇa, or a blackish color, He is understood to be Kṛṣṇa Himself. Idānīḿ kṛṣṇatāḿ gataḥ. The same original Kṛṣṇawho appears in different varṇas has now appeared. The word āsan indicates that He is always present. Whenever the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears in His full feature, He is understood to bekṛṣṇa-varṇam, although He appears in different colors. Prahlāda Mahārāja states that Caitanya Mahāprabhu is channa; that is, although He is Kṛṣṇa, He is covered by a yellow color. Thus the GauḍīyaVaiṣṇavas accept the conclusion that although Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in pīta color, He is Kṛṣṇa.

kṛṣṇa-varṇaḿ tviṣākṛṣṇaḿ

sāńgopāńgāstra-pārṣadam

yajñaiḥ sańkīrtana-prāyair

yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ

(Bhāg. 11.5.32)

my comment: First thing to take note of is [In anotherDvāpara-yuga, He appeared (as Lord Rāmacandra) in the color of śuka, a parrot. All such incarnations have now assembled in Kṛṣṇa.]

 I recall having read many times in Srila Prabhupadas books that sometimes Dvarpara yuga comes before Treta .And that really dvapara yuga is the second age and Treta yuga is the Third.Those who doubt it can do a research in Srila Prabhupadas books ,this is factual.

So this is why Srila Prabhupada writes like this.For example yesterday while reading the Nectar of devotion .I found Srila Prabhupada  refering to Prahlada Maharaja that was stating Hanuman as a good example of Bhakti .Quoting  Hayasirsa Purana .

Prahlada Maharaja spoke this to Lord Narasimha, that appeared in Satya yuga as confirmed in Narasimha Purana.So Prahlada Maharaja is referring to other pastimes of Lord Ramachandra and Hanuman from previous yugas.

 Srila Prabhupada also  writes  in  the Teachings of Lord Caitanya That Lord Caitanya appeared in the color red in Treta yuga.But we have to carefully note "In the past, He assumed three different colors — white, red and yellow " this is obvisouly referring to a previous Divya yuga.

In this  Yuga Cycle Lord Narasimha appeared in Satya yuga, Lord Ramachandra in Treta ,Lord Krsna in Dvarpara yuga and Lord Caitanya in Kali yuga.

It does not mean that in every  Treta yuga there is a reddish incarnation of Lord Yajna Purusha, Garga Muni is talking about the past Divya yuga or another Divya yuga it is not specified nor by any other acaryas commenting on SB 10.8.13 that I have seen.

This is also based on the Narasimha Purana: satye daitya-kuladhi-nasa-samayesimhordhva-martyakrtis tretayam das-kandharam paribhavan rameti namakrtihgopalan paripalayan vraja-pure bharam haran dvapare gaurangah priya-kirtanah kali-yuge chaitanya-nama prabhuh

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead who in the Satya-Yuga appeared as a half-man, half-lion to cure a terrible disease that had ravaged the daityas, and who in the Treta-Yuga appeared as Rama [Lord Ramachandra], the person who defeated the ten-headed Demon Ravana, and who in the Dvapara-Yuga removed the earth's burden, and protected the Gopa [cowherd men] people of Vraja-pura, will appear again in the Kali-Yuga. His form will be golden, He will delight in chanting the Lord's holy names, and His name will be Chaitanya."

I hope this takes away any  misconceptiones about this sloka, 

Your servant

Paramananda das

 

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