Canto 1 Chapter 3 Flashcards
Analyze the functions of the three puruña-avatäras (1-2)
The three purusa avatras are as under:
a) Karanodakasayi Vishnu – also known as Maha Vishnu , He firstly creates sixteen
aggregate material ingredients in the mahat-tattva (five gross material elements and eleven working senses and then he simply throws his glance to impregnate the material sky thus creating innumerable universes which are generated from the skin holes of this Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣhṇu.
b) Garbhodakasayi Vishnu – Once these universes are created, then Garbhodakasayi Vishnu enters into each and every universe, who lies down within half of the universe. Brahma, then takes birth from the navel of Garbhodakasayi Vishnu who is responsible for further creation of the material world.
c) Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣhṇu – Then he expands as Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣhṇu who is the Paramātmā of every material object, organic or inorganic.
Explain the relative positions of Brahmä, Vishnu, and Siva (5)
Brahmā became the engineer of the universe, and the Lord Himself took charge of the maintenance of the universe as Viṣṇu. Brahmā was generated from rajo-guṇa of prakṛti, or the mode of passion in nature, and Viṣṇu became the Lord of the mode of goodness. Viṣṇu, being transcendental to all the modes, is always aloof from materialistic affection. From Brahmā there is Rudra (Śiva), who is in charge of the mode of ignorance or darkness. He destroys the whole creation by the will of the Lord.
Lord Viṣṇu is nondifferent from the Personality of Godhead. Lord Śiva is in the marginal position between the Personality of Godhead and the living entities, or jīvas. Brahmā is always a jīva-tattva.
Lord Śiva is not an ordinary living being. He is the plenary portion of the Lord, but because Lord Śiva is in direct touch with material nature, he is not exactly in the same transcendental position as Lord Viṣṇu. The difference is like that between milk and curd.
All the incarnations within the universe are emanations from which purusa-avatära? (5)
Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu.
Explain the significance of Lord Krishna as bhagavän svayam (28)
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead. The Lord is full of all opulences, all prowess, all fame, all beauty, all knowledge and all renunciation. Lord Kṛṣṇa is the source of all other incarnations. It is not that Lord Kṛṣṇa has any source of incarnation. The word svayam is particularly mentioned to confirm that Lord Kṛṣṇa has
no other source than Himself. The word svayam signifies the supremacy as the summum bonum.
List some of the powers displayed by the various incarnations of the Lord (28)
Few examples are as under-
a) Lord Paraśurāma by killed the disobedient kṣatriyas twenty-one times and
b) Lord Nṛsiṁha killed the greatly powerful atheist Hiraṇyakaśipu.
c) Nārada, Varāha and Lord Buddha were empowered to create faith in the mass of
people.
d) Rāma and Dhanvantari displayed His fame.
e) Balarāma, Mohinī and Vāmana exhibited His beauty.
f) Dattātreya, Matsya, Kumāra and Kapila exhibited His transcendental knowledge.
g) Nara and Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣis exhibited His renunciation.
Explain the term amogha-lilah (36)
The term amogha-līlaḥ indicates the activities of the Lord as spotless, that there is nothing lamentable in Lord’s creation
