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Question: svayam bhagavaan

From the Bhakti List Archives

Ram Gopalaswamy • July 29, 1998 


Dear shrii. vaishhNavas,

shriimad bhaagavta-puraaNam talks about various incarnations of bhagavaan 
(including kR^shhNaavataara) and says:

        " ete ca amsha kalaaH pumsaH kR^shhNaH tu bhagavaan svayam |
                                     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^******
          indra-ari vyaakulam lokam mR^Dayanti yuge yuge || "    [1.3.28] 

        "All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or
         portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord shrii KR^shhNa
         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."


It seems to be apparently inconsistent with paaN^caraatra.
Is not, according to paaN^caraatra, shriiman-naaraayaNa is the Original_ 
Personality of Godhead and shrii. kR^shhNa is a vibhava-avataara ?

I wonder what the word "svayam" means in the above context.

[ Also, dhyaana-shlokam for shriimad bhagavad giita itself says,
  "... paarthaaya pratibodhitaaM bhagavataa naaraayaNena svayaM.."
  Is the dhyaana-shlokam universally accepted as authentic  ?
]

Have raamaanujaacarya, or vedaanta-deshika commented on this point 
in their granta-s ?  
[also curious what shrii.yaamuna says in his work, "mahaa-purushha-nirnaya" ]


 - Ram