Lord Kapiladeva Is Also One Of The Incarnations Of Godhead

Lord Kapiladeva Is Also One Of The Incarnations Of Godhead

In the center square,  Kṛṣṇa is shown in His original two-handed form, holding a flute. Surrounding Him are ten of His eternal incarnations, pictured in the order in which they appear in the material world, beginning clockwise from the lower left-hand corner.

1. Matsya, the fish incarnation, is saving the Vedas.
2. Kurma, the tortoise incarnation, is holding the hill on His back.
3. Varaha, the boar incarnation, is fighting with the demon Hiranyaksa.
4. Nrsimhadeva, the lion incarnation, is killing the demon Hiranyakasipu.
5. Vamanadeva, the dwarf incarnation, is begging some land from King Bali.
6. Parasurama is killing the demoniac ksatriyas.
7. Lord Ramacandra is going off into exile with His wife, Sita, and brother, Laksmana.
8. Krsna is lifting Govardhana Hill, and beside Him is His brother Balarama.
9. Lord Buddha, teaching Ahimsa, nonviolence, non-killing of animals.
10. Lord Kalki is riding on His horse, killing all the demons and thus liberating them.

The avatāra, or incarnation of Godhead, descends from the kingdom of God for material manifestation. And the particular form of the Personality of Godhead who so descends is called an incarnation, or avatāra. Such incarnations are situated in the spiritual world, the kingdom of God. When they descend to the material creation, they assume the name avatāra.” There are various kinds of avatāras, such as puruṣāvatāras, guṇāvatāras, līlāvatāras, śaktyāveśa avatāras, manvantara-avatāras and yugāvatāras—all appearing on schedule all over the universe. But Lord Kṛṣṇa is the primeval Lord, the fountainhead of all avatāras. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa descends for the specific purposes of mitigating the anxieties of the pure devotees, who are very anxious to see Him in His original Vṛndāvana pastimes. Therefore, the prime purpose of the Kṛṣṇa avatāra is to satisfy His unalloyed devotees.

devahūtiḥ uvāca—Devahūti said:

My dear Lord, You have assumed this body in order to diminish the sinful activities of the fallen and to enrich their knowledge in devotion and liberation. Since these sinful people are dependent on Your direction, by Your own will You assume incarnations as a boar and as other forms. Similarly, You have appeared in order to distribute transcendental knowledge to Your dependents.

In the previous verses, the general transcendental qualifications of the Supreme Personality of Godhead were described. Now the specific purpose of the Lord’s appearance is also described. By His different energies He bestows different kinds of bodies upon the living entities, who are conditioned by their propensity to lord it over material nature, but in course of time these living entities become so degraded that they need enlightenment. It is stated in Bhagavad-gītā that whenever there are discrepancies in the discharge of the real purpose of this material existence, the Lord appears as an incarnation. The Lord’s form as Kapila directs the fallen souls and enriches them with knowledge and devotion so that they may go back to Godhead. There are many incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, like those of the boar, the fish, the tortoise and the half-man half-lion. Lord Kapiladeva is also one of the incarnations of Godhead. It is accepted herein that Lord Kapiladeva appeared on the surface of the earth to give transcendental knowledge to the misguided conditioned souls. (S.B.3.33.5)