Lilavataras--No End To Them

Lilavataras--No End To Them

Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 20.294-298
New York, December 19, 1966

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Prabhupada:

trtiya-purusa visnu-'guna-avatara'
dui avatara-bhitara ganana tanhara
virat vyasti-jivera tenho antaryami
ksirodakasayi tenho-palana-karta, svami

So Garbhodakasayi Visnu; then next Visnu, the third incarnation, is Ksirodakasayi Visnu. Within this universe there is a planet near the polestar which is called Ksirodakasayi planet, and there Lord Visnu in His incarnation of antaryami, Supersoul... He is acting as the Supersoul. And He is the universal form. When you think of universal form of the Lord, that is the manifestation of this Ksirodakasayi Visnu. And that Ksirodakasayi Visnu as Paramatma, Supersoul, is situated in everyone's heart, even within the atom also. Andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham [Bs. 5.35]. Paramanu means atom. Within the atom also. We think of God as very great, universal form, but God can take also form less than the atom. That is God's power. He is not only great, greatest, but He is the smallest. Anor aniyan mahato mahiyan. Mahato mahiyan means greatest of the great, and anor aniyan, the smallest of the small. We cannot think how small He can become. That is His inconceivable potency. So within this material world, He is within the atom, and He is within everyone's heart, in everywhere, all-pervading, and at the same time universal form, the biggest form.

virat vyasti-jivera tenho antaryami
ksirodakasayi tenho-palana-karta, svami

Now, He is the maintainer of... Whatever we are enjoying, it is due to His mercy. In the Kathopanisad, er, Mandukyopanisad, it is stated, nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam, eko bahunam vidadhati kaman (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13). Now, He is the supplier whatever we want. So as palana-karta, as the maintainer, as the Supersoul, He is supplying. He is supplying whatever you want: "All right." So we should not approach God as supplying agent. That is the lowest stage. He is supplying even to the cats and dogs. Then what is the difference between human being and the cats and dogs? Just like a small child, he is supplied all necessities by the father, but when the child is grown, he wants to serve the father, similarly, to make God as order-supplier, "O God, give us this. Give us that..." God is giving. You ask or not ask, He will give you because, after all, you are all children. So He takes care of His children. But you may say that "Why the childrens are differently treated? Somebody is supplied sumptuously, and somebody is not. Why this difference of treatment?" That difference of treatment is also for good. How? Just like a mother has got five children. One of them is suffering from fever, is ill. Now, very nice foodstuff is prepared. All the children come, and mother is supplying. And when the feverish child comes, "Oh, you don't sit here. You cannot take." "Why?" "Oh, you are diseased. You cannot take." Do you think that mother is partial to this child and that child? No. Anyone who is not supplied as he wants, that is due to his own disease, chronic. So if God does not supply him sufficiently, it is good for him. Therefore, in spiritual advancement a poor man is in more advantage because he can think of God. Provided he is virtuous, he will think of God. Catur-vidha bhajante mam sukrtino 'rjuna.

So this supplying, God is supplying. Eko bahunam vidadhati kaman. That one... There are two living entities, one Supreme and others; one singular number, other plural number. We are amongst the plural number, nityo nityanam. Nityanam, this is plural number, "Amongst many eternals." So we are amongst the many eternals. We are also eternal. We have got that qualitative, I mean to say, thing. Eternity is the same quality as of God, as of ours. We are eternal; God is eternal. That's all. But we are amongst the plural number. Nityo nityanam. And He is the singular number. And it is particularly stated that eko, that singular number, eternal purusa, He is supplying everyone's necessities. So God is supplying everyone's necessities. Either you are cat or dog or demigod or President Johnson or anyone, everyone is dependent on God's supply. We cannot be independent. If God stops supplying, you cannot manufacture. If there is food grains, there is no food grain, you cannot chew your dollar notes. What you will do (with) your hundred dollar notes? So He is the supplier. Eko bahunam vidadhati kaman.

So we should be... This is knowledge of God. We should be in love of God, means "Oh, God has supplied us so many things." Why not? Therefore pure devotees, they like to supply God. They want to become order-supplier of God, not to make God as order-supplier. What God wants? God wants that make everyone God conscious, Krsna conscious. He sends His son. He sends His books. He comes Himself. That is His mission. He wants that all these suffering living entities, they should become Krsna conscious and be happy. God wants it. In the Bhagavad-gita it is clearly stated. So if you wants to supply the want of God, God wants it. If you become yourself Krsna conscious and try to serve God by spreading this mission all over the world, that is the best service. That is the best service to Lord, to become yourself a field worker, field worker. God is very much anxious to get back His, these mad sons. In this material world everyone is mad, crazy. It is a difference of degrees only. I may be more crazy than yourself, but we are all crazies. And as soon as we are fixed up in Krsna consciousness, our craziness is vanished. Yes. That is our constitutional position. The part is to serve the whole. We are part and parcel. So this is a chance. This manifestation of this material world is a chance to have that opportunity. And especially this human form of life is a, the boon for understanding this Krsna consciousness. If we miss this opportunity, then we are unfortunate. Unfortunate.

purusavatarera ei kailun nirupana
lilavatara ebe suna, sanatana

Now I described about the three purusa incarnations. What is that? Maha-Visnu... Yes. Karanarnavasayi Visnu, or Maha-Visnu; then Garbhodakasayi, or Hiranyagarbha; Ksirodakasayi or the Supersoul, antaryami. The three Visnu incarnation description is finished. Now He is trying to explain lilavatara, pastimes. God has got all propensities. So if He wants to fulfill some propensity, then He comes here to exhibit, to manifest that. Just like God comes here, just Ramacandra, Lord Ramacandra. And what was the main function of Lord Ramacandra? He fought with Ravana, His enemy. So this is called lila. What is that lila, lila pastime? When God wants to have some desire to fulfill, that "I should fight..." Sometimes you sometimes feel mock fighting with friends or with your children. Similarly, wherefrom this desire comes unless the desire is in God? Because He is the origin of all, everything. So don't you feel sometimes, mock fighting? That is enjoyment, fighting with friends, boxing. That is not fighting. That is enjoyment. Similarly, God wants to enjoy by fighting. So Vaikuntha, there is no fighting because nobody can be found there enemy. Everyone is obedient servant. Therefore He comes here to find out some enemy. The two functions are served. Paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam [Bg. 4.8]. He satisfies His fighting spirit; at the same time, He protects the devotees and protects that enemy also by killing him. Because when a demon is killed by the Supreme Lord, he is at once liberated. The liberation which he had to achieve after many, many births, he at once achieves. That is the advantage. So He saves the enemy and saves the devotee, and at the same time, He satisfies His fighting desire. So God is good. So any fight, that is also good. It is not that Krsna is inducing, inciting Arjuna, fight. There is a plan, big plan. So foolish people who criticize, "Oh, Krsna is inciting war. We are very good men, nonviolence." So this "good man" has no value. That fighting has much value. But there is a plan, good plan. So this is called pastime, lila, lilavatara.

So what are the lilavatara? Lord Caitanya says, lilavatara krsnera na yaya ganana: "How many number of lilavataras are there, nobody can count." God is unlimited, so anything manifested by Him is unlimited. That cannot be calculated by us. So there are so many lilavatara. Pradhana kariya kahi dig-darasana: "Some of them I am just mentioning." Nobody can fully calculate or understand how many lilavataras are there and where it is going and how it is going on. But it is going on. The same example, that the sun is always in the sky. Now, where it is, that you have to find out. But sun is always in the sky. Similarly, the lilavatara is always there. Just like Krsna. In this planet Krsna is not present, but in some of the universe He is present. His avatara is going on, is going on. In every minute, every second, He is taking His birth and He is fighting in the Kuruksetra. That is called nitya-lila, eternal. His everything eternal. He is eternal; whatever He does, that is also eternal. And because we are conditioned, we cannot understand His eternity, His unlimitedness. But He's unlimited; His everything is unlimited.

So Lord Caitanya confirms that how many lilavataras, incarnations, are there. We want to everything make limited because we are all limited sense, limited understanding, limited... Everything is limited, and God is unlimited. That we do not understand. We try to understand God with our limited means. That is our folly. Therefore we don't believe. "Oh, God is doing like that? Oh, God is lifting hill? How it is possible? This is story." How? Why it is story? God is omnipotent, and God cannot lift a hill? He is floating so many planets in the air, weightlessness, and He cannot lift a hill? Because I do not believe He is God. Avajananti mam mudha: [Bg. 9.11] "Foolish rascals, they consider Me as ordinary man: 'Not Krsna, but me. You offer your respect to me. I am God. I am competitor Krsna.' " So these are foolishness. He is unlimited; His everything, He is unlimited.

Now Lord Caitanya (is) mentioning some of these main features of these lilavatara.

matsya, kurma, raghunatha, nrsimha, vamana,
varahadi-lekha yanra na yaya ganana

Some of the principal avataras, they are mentioned. Matsyavatara. During Vaivasvata Manu there was devastation, and in that devastation, Lord took Matsyavatara, incarnation of fish, and He protected the Vedas.

pralaya-payodhi-jale dhrtavan asi vedam
vihita-vahitra-caritram akhedam
kesava dhrta-mina-sarira jaya jagadisa hare

The poet Jayadeva, a great devotee poet, is singing that "In the devastation, my Lord Kesava, You have assumed the form of fish." A great muni was sitting. He was meditating. And after taking his bath in the ocean, in the sea, he brought one pot of kamandalu. Kamandalu, that pot, you have seen. He found a little fish there. Then, within few seconds, that fish covered all the pot, and the muni thought, "Oh, He is growing so rapidly. All right, let Him have some big pot." So he gave Him big pot. Then again He became full. Then in this way he had to put it in the ocean, and He became oceanlike. Then he understood that He is God. So this is Godly power. He can take the shape... As the ocean is big, so He'll take and take this bigger-than-the-ocean form. But He is the maker of all forms. He has made ocean. But is it very difficult to understand how God becomes fish? That does not mean that every fish is God. No. So there is Matsyavatara.

pralaya-payodhi-jale dhrtavan asi vedam
vihita-vahitra-caritram akhedam **

Similarly, He took the incarnation of tortoise, Kurma. There was a churning of the ocean, and the churning rod must be rested on something solid. So He became the churning rod, resting. And the hill, Mandara Hill, was placed, and He was feeling some itching sensation. So it was nicely itched by churning rod. So this is... He is Kurmavatara. Then Raghunatha. Raghunatha. Raghunatha, this Rama, Lord Rama, He came to kill that dasanana, who had ten faces. Vitarasi diksu rane dik-pati-kamaniyam. So in this way there are innumerable incarnation of pastime. Nrsimha. Nrsimha.

tava kara-kamala-vare nakham adbhuta-srngam
dalita-hiranyakasipu-tanu-bhrngam
kesava dhrta-narahari-rupa jaya jagadisa hare

Nrsimha. Nrsimha means half-lion and half-man, and this shape was assumed by the Lord to kill Hiranyakasipu, the father of Prahlada. Prahlada was a great devotee of Lord, and his only fault was that he was a great devotee. His father wanted to kill him. So it is very dangerous also to become devotee. Even the father will be prepared to kill you. You see? The mother will be prepared to kill you. And what to speak of others, complaining, "O Swamiji, you are disturbing our sleep."

So although we have made our friendship with Krsna and He will always protect us, but at the same time this devotional line is risky also, that we create so many enemies. There are many examples in the history of this devotional service that unnecessarily people become enemy to these innocent devotees. Even a innocent boy like Prahlada Maharaja, five years old. But a devotee cannot give up his profession. You see? He was being chastised so many times by his atheistic father, but what Prahlada Maharaja was doing? Oh, because he was king, he ordered the teachers that "This boy is coming home and chanting Hare Krsna. What is this nonsense?" Teachers were asked. Teachers said, "My dear sir, we do not teach Hare Krsna. According to your regulation, we are secular. (laughter) There is no possibility of teaching God or God's name. This boy, I do not know wherefrom he has got this Hare Krsna." (laughter) Oh, he became very angry: "Where you have got your Hare Krsna?" "Father, from where you have got your anger, I have got that Hare Krsna. (laughter) He is the supplier. You want to be angry; He supplies anger. And I want to chant." Oh, he becomes more angry. So, but that boy, what he was doing? That teacher was forbidden, secular, and the father was enemy. Still, he was taking some opportunity as soon as the teacher is out: "O my dear friends, come on. I shall speak to you Hare Krsna and the science." So this should be our, your policy. Whenever there is some chance, just preach this, whenever there is chance. But you should always know that you will find enemies, but you don't be afraid. Go on with your work.

So Prahlada Maharaja, he was such a nice devotee. And to protect him when he was just going to be killed by his father... And his father was very good politician. He took benediction from Brahma that he will not be killed by anyone. Means by policy he took benediction from Brahma that "I shall not be killed by man." "Oh, yes." "I shall not be killed by demigods." "That's all right." "I shall not be killed by any animal." "That's all right." "I shall not be killed in day." "That's all right." "I shall not be killed at night." "That's all right." "I shall not be killed by any weapon." "That's all right." And he said, "Now it is finished. Everything is now secure. I cannot be killed in day. I cannot be killed at night. No man can kill him (me). No demigod can kill me. No animal can kill me. Then where is the killing? Everything finished." But God is so cunning that He assumed neither man nor animal, and no weapons. He killed him with the nails. He never expected that "I will be killed by the nails." This is the definition by negation, defective definition. In argument, if you define negatively, "This is not this. This is not this. This is not this," then something will come that will nullify all your arguments. So he protected himself in all negative ways: "This will not. This will not. This will not. This will not." Something came which was not in his power. So this Nrsimhavatara.

Then Vamanavatara. Vamanavatara, I have already mentioned, that He became a dwarf brahmana boy and took all the possession that Maharaja Bali. This Maharaja Bali was grandson of this Maharaja Prahlada. So these are lilavatara pastimes. Pastimes means exchange of dealing between the devotees and the Lord, between the living entities and the Lord, exchange. Either there are twelve kinds of humor, rasas... Sometimes He deals as enemy; sometimes He deals as friend; sometimes He deals as so many things. There are twelve. So we are all related with God in some humor out of these twelve, either as enemy or as friend or servitor or lover or as son or father, as the master and servant. In so many ways we are related. And when these relationship is exchanged between God and the living entity, that is called lila, lila, pastimes. So lilavatara. We shall explain again to...

Thank you very much. Any question? (end)

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 20.294-298 -- New York, December 19, 1966

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