Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.8.13
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesKṛṣṇa Is the Source of All Incarnations
“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.]”
What the purport teaches
- Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is free to appear as He desires. Garga Muni indirectly revealed this while avoiding an open disclosure because of Kaṁsa’s atrocities.
- The same Supreme Person appears in different ages with different colors. Here He appeared personally in His original, blackish form as Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the all-attractive.
- Kṛṣṇa is the source of all avatāras, and all their features are present within Him. When Kṛṣṇa appears, all the avatāras appear with Him.
Try this today
Pause today to remember this teaching: Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of all avatāras.
Ask yourself
How does knowing that Kṛṣṇa is the source of all avatāras deepen my appreciation of Him?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.