Why Only ISKCON says Vishnu as Avatar and Krishna as Source?
A male devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Anna, I have only one problem with iskcon. Their lectures and books confuse me because I read in my school books saying vishnu has dasavatars and krishna is an avatar. But, iskcon and prabhupada says Krishna is top and Vishnu his avatar. Why this u turn from truth? I am fully confused after going to iskcon. Please help me. ys”
REPLY:
Not dasavatars, there are innumerable avatars of Krishna. These dasavatars are just the list of important avatars.
Yes, many ask why Only ISKCON says Vishnu as Avatar and Krishna as Source. There are reasons.
Though I have written about this with many details in the past, let me give more new quotes for this matter that again establishes the supremacy of Krishna.
(24 AVATARS OF KRISHNA/ VISHNU & DASAVATARS! READ HERE!)
Maha Vishnu and Krishna are like the same persons as a Judge in Court and as a playful father or child or friend in his house. Vishnu is seen in a revered bhawa. Krishna is seen in a playful bhawa.
SRI Vaishnavas consider Vishnu/ Narayana as Supreme and worship Krishna as Vishnu in a revered bhawa. In fact, in Vaikunta, they prefer to go with Vishnu instead of Krishna in Goloka. This all depends on the bhawa with which we perform our devotional practices. Whereas, the Gaudiya sampradhaya that dates back to Sri Caitanya Maha Prabhu considers Krishna as Supreme and Vishnu/ Narayana are His expansions and they Krishna as a Playful Supreme Person.
(TYPES OF AVATARS (INCARNATIONS) OF KRISHNA or VISHNU – COMPLETE DETAILS! READ HERE!)
However, Srila Prabhupada has explained that all Vishnu tatvas have same potency in this verse:
“In the category of Vishnu-tattva there is no loss of power from one expansion to the next, any more than there is a loss of illumination as one candle kindles another. Thousands may be kindled by an original candle, and all will have the same candle power. In this way it is to be understood that although all the Vishnu-tattvas, from Krishna and Lord Chaitanya to Rama, Narasimha, Varaha, and so on, appear with different features in different ages, all are equally invested with supreme potency.” – (Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi 3.71, Purport)
Brahma samhita also says this:
Brahma-samhita (5.46): “Objectively establishing Krishna as supreme among manifestations of the Lord: “The light of one candle being communicated to other candles, although it burns separately in them, is the same in its quality. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda [Krishna], who exhibits Himself equally in the same mobile manner in His various manifestations.”
(Is worshiping the Guna avatars of Krishna equal? READ HERE!)
SUPREMACY OF KRISHNA
Brahma says in Brahma Samhita (5.1):
“Krishna, who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin, and He is the prime cause of all causes.”
He again says in Brahma Samhita (5.39):
“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who by His various plenary portions appeared in the world in different forms and incarnations, such as Lord Rama, but who personally appears in His supreme original form as Lord Krishna.”
Brahma says in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.14) to Krishna:
“Are You not the original Narayana [Vishnu], O supreme controller, since You are the Soul of every embodied being and the eternal witness of all created realms? Indeed, Lord Narayana is Your expansion, and He is called Narayana because He is the generating source of the primeval water of the universe. He is real, not a product of Your illusory Maya.”
(Do Same avatars of Vishnu/ Krishna repeat in every Yuga ? READ HERE!)
KRISHNA IS THE SOURCE
Srimad Bhagavatam, (1.3.28) in fact, declares Krishna’s primary position:
ete chamsha-kalah pumsah
krishnas tu bhagavan svayam
“All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Sri Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead.”
Prabhupada’s Purport for this sloka:
“In this particular stanza Lord Sri Krishna, the Personality of Godhead, is distinguished from other incarnations.” And later in that purport: “According to Srila Jiva Goswami’s statement, in accordance with authoritative sources, Lord Krishna is the source of all other incarnations. It is not that Lord Krishna has any source of incarnation.”
(Krishna Vs Vishnu – Who is Supreme and Who is avatar? What are the three types of Vishnus? READ HERE!)
HOW MUCH SUPERIOR KRISHNA IS?
In the Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu, Rupa Goswami lists 64 characteristics or qualities exhibited by living beings. Fifty of these, he writes, can be found in an ordinary soul (jiva) in minute proportion, while Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva, and other demigods may possess as many as fifty-five. Vishnu, he continues, displays up to sixty of these qualities. But the remaining four are found only in Krishna, escaping all other manifestations of the Supreme. The four qualities unique to Krishna are as follows:
Lila-madhurya: He exhibits numerous wonderful pastimes for the pleasure of His devotees.
Bhakta-madhurya: He interacts with loving devotees in intimate ways.
Venu-madhurya: He plays on His divine flute, thus attracting all souls.
Rupa-madhurya: His beautiful form is incomparable, unrivaled in all of existence.
Thus, Krishna is the Adhi purusha and the source of everyone and everything. No doubt in this.
Simply speaking, All the avatars have differnce in the number of qualities, but, Krishna avatar is the direct descendance of Krishna as Krishna Himself from Goloka Vrindavana without changing His qualities.
Krishna avatar is the Complete Avatar (Poorna avatar) of Krishna Himself!
(KRISHNA, VISHNU, NARAYANA, SIVA – DIFFERENCES! READ HERE!)