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CC Madhya 20.165

Bengali

স্বয়ংরূপ, তদেকাত্মরূপ, আবেশ — নাম ।
প্রথমেই তিনরূপে রহেন ভগবান্‌ ॥ ১৬৫ ॥

Text

svayaṁ-rūpa, tad-ekātma-rūpa, āveśa — nāma
prathamei tina-rūpe rahena bhagavān

Synonyms

svayam-rūpa — the original form; tat-ekātma-rūpa — the same form, nondifferent from svayaṁ-rūpa; āveśa — especially empowered; nāma — named; prathamei — in the beginning; tina-rūpe — in three forms; rahena — remains; bhagavān — the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Translation

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead exists in three principal forms — svayaṁ-rūpa, tad-ekātma-rūpa and āveśa-rūpa.

Purport

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has described the svayaṁ-rūpa in his Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta, Pūrva-khaṇḍa, verse 12: ananyāpekṣi yad rūpaṁ svayaṁ-rūpaḥ sa ucyate. “The form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that does not depend on other forms is called the svayaṁ-rūpa, the original form.” This form is also described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (1.3.28). “Kṛṣṇa is the original form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” That Kṛṣṇa’s form as a cowherd boy in Vṛndāvana is the original form of the Personality of Godhead (svayaṁ-rūpa) is confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.1):

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥsac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam

There is nothing superior to Govinda. He is the ultimate source and the cause of all causes. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.7), where the Lord says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat: “There is no truth superior to Me.”

The tad-ekātma-rūpa forms are also described in the Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta (Pūrva-khaṇḍa, verse 14):

yad rūpaṁ tad-abhedenasvarūpeṇa virājate
ākṛtyādibhir anyādṛk
sa tad-ekātma-rūpakaḥ

“The tad-ekātma-rūpa forms exist simultaneously with the svayaṁ-rūpa form and are nondifferent. At the same time, their bodily features and specific activities appear to be different.” The tad-ekātma-rūpa forms are divided into two categories — svāṁśa and vilāsa.

Lord Kṛṣṇa’s āveśa forms are also explained in the Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta (Pūrva 18):

jñāna-śakty-ādi-kalayāyatrāviṣṭo janārdanaḥ
ta āveśā nigadyante
jīvā eva mahattamāḥ

“A living entity who is specifically empowered by the Lord with knowledge or strength is technically called āveśa-rūpa.” As stated in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Antya 7.11), kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nahe tāra pravartana: Unless a devotee is specifically empowered by the Lord, he cannot preach the holy name of the Lord all over the world. This is an explanation of the word āveśa-rūpa.