Unveiling the Divine: Krishna, Shiva, Vishnu, and Rama — Beyond Comparison

Unveiling the Divine: Krishna, Shiva, Vishnu, and Rama — Beyond Comparison

In the rich tapestry of Santana Dharma, the names Krishna, Shiva, Vishnu, and Rama resonate with immense power. But are they separate deities locked in a competition for supremacy? Looking through the lens of Achintya Bhedabheda Vedanta, as preached by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, here is a refreshing perspective, revealing a harmonious symphony of the divine.

Who is the Supreme Personality?

śvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam

Translation: Kṛṣṇa, who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Personality. 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.

Source: Śrī brahma-saṁhitā 5.1

rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan nānāvatāram akarod bhuvaneṣu kintu kṛṣṇaḥ svayaṁ samabhavat paramaḥ pumān yo govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

Translation: I worship Govinda, the Supreme Personality, who manifested Himself personally as Kṛṣṇa and the different avatāras in the world in the forms of Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Vāmana, etc., as His subjective portions.

Source: Śrī brahma-saṁhitā 5.39

एते चांशकला: पुंस: कृष्णस्तु भगवान् स्वयम् ।

Translation : All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Supreme Personality, but Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality.

Source: Srimad Bhagwatam ( 1.3.28)

These three verses highlight the central theological concept that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality:

Supreme Position: Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate, eternal, and blissful divine being, the origin of all existence, and the cause of all causes.

Manifestations: Kṛṣṇa manifests Himself in various divine incarnations like Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, and Vāmana.

Original Personality: While other incarnations are plenary portions or portions of plenary portions of the divine, Kṛṣṇa is the original and supreme deity.

These verses underscore the doctrine that Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate, original, and supreme deity, from whom all other incarnations and divine forms emanate. Kṛṣṇa is the highest and most complete manifestation of the divine.

ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

Translation : I worship Govinda, the Supreme Personality, residing in His own realm, Goloka, with Rādhā, resembling His own spiritual figure, the embodiment of the ecstatic potency possessed of the sixty-four artistic activities, in the company of Her confidantes [sakhīs], embodiments of the extensions of Her bodily form, permeated and vitalized by His ever-blissful spiritual rasa. Source: Śrī brahma-saṁhitā 5.37

From this verse, we can understand that Govinda, the Supreme Personality, resides in His spiritual realm called Goloka. This realm is transcendental and beyond the material world. He is accompanied by Rādhā who is His energy i.e. His pleasure-giving potency. Our Acharyas have described that although the Supreme Absolute and His potency are one and the self-same existence, they still exist eternally as separate entities, as Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

This verse also highlights the intimate and personal aspects of the divine, where Kṛṣṇa is not just a distant deity but one who enjoys loving exchanges in an ethereal, artistic, and blissful environment.

The First Expansion: Balarāma

The first expansion of the Supreme Personality, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is Śrī Balarāma.

সর্ব–অবতারী কৃষ্ণ স্বয়ং ভগবান্‌ ।তাঁহার দ্বিতীয় দেহ শ্রীবলরাম ॥

Translation: The Supreme Personality, Kṛṣṇa, is the fountainhead of all incarnations. Balarāma is His second body.

Source: CC Ādi 5.4

Balarāma then expands himself into four forms known as the Caturvyūha (चतुर्व्यूह) , comprising Vāsudeva , Saṅkarṣaṇa , Pradyumna , and Aniruddha .

The Caturvyūha Expansions

नवस्वपि वर्षेषु भगवान्नारायणो महापुरुष: पुरुषाणां तदनुग्रहायात्मतत्त्वव्यूहेनात्मनाद्यापि सन्निधीयते Translation: To show mercy to His devotees in each of these nine tracts of land, the Supreme Personality known as Nārāyaṇa expands Himself in His quadruple principles of Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha. In this way He remains near His devotees to accept their service.

Source: ŚB 5.17.14

These four forms — Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha — represent consciousness, false ego, intelligence, and mind respectively. They occupy different places in the four directions of Goloka Vaikuntha, the abode of Śrī Krishna. From them, the qualities of piety, wealth, passion, and liberation respectively emanate.

Further Expansions: The Twenty-Four Forms

From the original quadruple expansions, twenty-four forms are manifested. They differ according to the placement of the weapons in Their four hands and are called Vaibhav-vilāsa.

এই চারি হৈতে চব্বিশ মূর্তি পরকাশ । অস্ত্রভেদে নাম-ভেদ — বৈভববিলাস ॥

Translation : From the original quadruple expansions, twenty-four forms are manifested. They differ according to the placement of the weapons in Their four hands. They are called vaibhava-vilāsa.

Source: CC Madhya 20.191

These 24 forms include Puruṣottama, Acyuta, Nṛsiṁha, Janārdana, Hari, Adhokṣaja, Upendra, Trivikrama, Vāmana, and others. Though non-different from the original form of the Supreme Personality, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, they differ in mood. For example, Nṛsiṁha is always described as a fierce manifestation. The Siddhārtha-saṁhitā provides a detailed description of these twenty-four forms of Viṣṇu. All these forms are eternally served by individual souls, known as Jiva Atmas, which refers to the living consciousness.

Who is a Jiva?

iśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam

Translation: Kṛṣṇa, who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Personality. 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.

Source: Śrī brahma-saṁhitā 5.1

The above verse highlights that Krishna is eternal, and so is His energy. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Tattva Viveka explains that Jiva Atmas present in this material universe are a part of the tatastha-sakti of Krishna. As individual souls, we are minute fragments of this energy. Since Krishna is eternal, all His energies are eternal as well as there is no difference between Krishna and His energies. Hence, the Jiva Atma is also eternal.

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचि- न्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः । अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ॥

Translation: For the soul, there is neither birth nor death at any time. It has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.

Source: Srimad Bhagavad Gita 2.20

Understanding these divine truths can help us appreciate the vastness and intricacies of the spiritual cosmos, and the supreme position of Krishna and His numerous expansions.

Formation of the Material World

Till now, all the points mentioned are of the different forms of Krsna in his abode i.e. Goloka Vaikuntha (the Spiritual Realm) and the Jiva Atmas (souls). Now, we will discuss the realm that we perceive through our senses.

Krsna is Lila Purushottam i.e. He likes to perform pastimes. Hence, He facilitates situations by which He can perform pastimes with these jivas.

It is here that Kṛṣṇa expands himself into Puruṣā-avatāras to manifest the material cosmos.

The First Purusa

जगृहे पौरुषं रूपं भगवान्महदादिभि: । सम्भूतं षोडशकलमादौ लोकसिसृक्षया ॥

Translation: In the beginning of the creation, the Supreme Personality first expanded Himself in the universal form of the puruṣa incarnation and manifested all the ingredients for the material creation. And thus at first there was the creation of the sixteen principles of material action. This was for the purpose of creating the material universes.

Source: Srimad Bhagwatam 1.3.1

Our Acharyas have described this first Purusa incarnation as the all-powerful Maha-Vishnu and he is non-different from Krsna in terms of qualities. The subtle difference between the two has been described in the form of mood. It's like the difference between a person who is at home and when he/she is at the office. Maha-Vishnu is the Krsna at the office.

The Second Purusa

From the pores of Maha-Vishnu, millions of material universes come into existence. Each universe consists of countless jivas.

praty-aṇḍam evam ekāṁśād ekāṁśād viśati svayam sahasra-mūrdhā viśvātmā mahā-viṣṇuḥ sanātanaḥ

Translation : The same Mahā-Viṣṇu entered into each universe as His own separate subjective portions. The divine portions, that entered into each universe are possessed of His majestic extension, i.e., they are the eternal universal soul Mahā-Viṣṇu, possessing thousands of thousands of heads.

Source: Śrī brahma-saṁhitā 5.14

Here, happens the second Purusa expansion. Maha-Vishnu projects himself into each of these lifeless universes which are just created. This form is called Garbhodhakaśāyī Vishnu. Garbha means womb. He is the womb of the entire material creation inside that particular universe. He is the Vishnu who we often see in art as the Vishnu lying on an ocean on a serpent bed.

Note: When Krsna expanded as the Vishnu manifestations, Balarama who is the first expansion and is non-different from Krsna expands as Adi-Sesha (the serpent bed of Vishnu).

From the navel of Garbhodhakaśāyī Vishnu, a lotus stem sprouts on the top of which is the lotus flower which is the Brahmaloka and upon which Brahmadeva manifests.

sisṛkṣāyāṁ tato nābhes tasya padmaṁ viniryayau tan-nālaṁ hema-nalinaṁ brahmaṇo lokam adbhutam

Translation : When Viṣṇu lying in the ocean of milk wills to create this universe, a golden lotus springs from His navel-pit. The golden lotus with its stem is the abode of Brahmā representing Brahmaloka or Satyaloka.

Source: Śrī brahma-saṁhitā 5.18

The Third Purusa

বিষ্ণোস্তু ত্রীণি রূপাণি পুরুষাখ্যান্যথো বিদুঃ । একন্তু মহতঃ স্রষ্টৃ দ্বিতীয়ং ত্বণ্ডসংস্থিতম্ । তৃতীয়ং সর্বভূতস্থং তানি জ্ঞাত্বা বিমুচ্যতে ॥

Translation: Viṣṇu has three forms called puruṣas. The first, Mahā-Viṣṇu, is the creator of the total material energy [mahat], the second is Garbhodaśāyī, who is situated within each universe, and the third is Kṣīrodaśāyī, who lives in the heart of every living being. He who knows these three becomes liberated from the clutches of māyā.

Source: Caitanya-caritāmṛta 20.251

When Brahma, creates various bodies for the Jivas, Garbhodhakaśāyī Vishnu expands himself into each of these Jiva Atmas as Kṣīrodaśāyī Vishnu.

Guna Avatars

vāmāṅgād asṛjad viṣṇuṁ dakṣiṇāṅgāt prajāpatim jyotir-liṅga-mayaṁ śambhuṁ kūrca-deśād avāsṛjat

Translation : The same Mahā-Viṣṇu created Viṣṇu from His left limb, Brahmā, the first progenitor of beings, from His right limb and, from the space between His two eyebrows, Śambhu, the divine masculine manifested halo.

Source: Śrī brahma-saṁhitā 5.15

In the above verse, the Visnu mentioned is the Kṣīrodaśāyī Visnu. Here the Guna Avatar (manifestation of material qualities) is manifested. Brahma, Visnu, and Sambhu (Shiva) are the three Guna avatars.

Brahma is in charge of Raja Guna (quality of creation)

Visnu is in charge of Sattva Guna (quality of maintenance)

Shiva is in charge of Tama Guna (quality of destruction)

তৃতীয়-পুরুষ বিষ্ণু — ‘গুণ-অবতার’ । দুই অবতার-ভিতর গণনা তাঁহার ॥

Translation : The third expansion of Viṣṇu is Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, who is the incarnation of the quality of goodness. He is to be counted within both types of incarnations [puruṣa-avatāras and guṇa-avatāras ].

Source : Caitanya-caritāmṛta 20.294

Kṣīrodakaśāyī Visnu is hence both Purusa and Guna Avatara.

अन्त: पुरुषरूपेण कालरूपेण यो बहि: । समन्वेत्येष सत्त्वानां भगवानात्ममायया ॥

Translation : By exhibiting His potencies, the Supreme Personality adjusts all these different elements, keeping Himself within as the Supersoul and without as time.

Source: Srimad Bhagwatam 3.26.18

ईश्वर: सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति । भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्‍त्रारूढानि मायया ॥

Translation: The Supreme Personality is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.

Source: Srimad Bhagavad Gita 18.61

सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निविष्टो मत्त: स्मृतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनं च । वेदैश्च सर्वैरहमेव वेद्यो वेदान्तकृद्वेदविदेव चाहम् ॥

Translation : I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.

Source: Srimad Bhagavad Gita 15.15

Within the heart of our material body is the manifestation of the Supreme Personality in the form of Kṣīrodaśāyī Vishnu. This manifestation is also called Paramatma by many spiritual scholars. He constantly guides the Jiva in its pursuit to enjoy spiritual bliss in the company of Krsna or His different expansions.

What kind of incarnation are Sri Rāma or Nṛsiṁha?

A līlā-avatāra is an incarnation of the Supreme Personality who performs a variety of activities without making any special endeavour. He always has one pastime after another, all full of transcendental pleasure, and these pastimes are fully controlled by the Supreme Person. The Supreme Person is independent of all others in these pastimes.

There are infinite numbers of Lila Avataras. One might have heard a very popular verse which goes by -

Hari Anant Hari Katha Ananta

“Hari is infinite. His pastimes are infinite.”

লীলাবতার কৃষ্ণের না যায় গণন । প্রধান করিয়া কহি দিগ্‌দরশন ॥

Translation : “No one can count the innumerable pastime incarnations of Kṛṣṇa, but I shall describe the principal ones.”

Source: Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 20.297

মৎস্য, কূর্ম, রঘুনাথ, নৃসিংহ, বামন । বরাহাদি — লেখা যাঁর না যায় গণন ॥

Translation : Some of the pastime incarnations are the fish incarnation, the tortoise incarnation, Raghunātha ( Rāma), Nṛsiṁha, Vāmana and Varāha. There is no end to them. Source: Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 20.298

Krsna being the Supreme Personality also assumes the form of a Lila Avatara of his own self when He descends to the Earthly dimensions to perform His divine pastimes.

Shaktavesha Avatara

শক্ত্যাবেশ দুইরূপ — ‘মুখ্য’, ‘গৌণ’ দেখি । সাক্ষাৎশক্ত্যে ‘অবতার’, আভাসে ‘বিভূতি’ লিখি ॥

Translation : “Empowered incarnations are of two types — primary and secondary. The primary ones are directly empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead and are called incarnations. The secondary ones are indirectly empowered by the Supreme Personality and are called vibhūti.”

Source: Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 20.368

There are times when some Jivas in the material world, who are devoted to the Supreme Personality, are empowered with divine powers to establish dharma. Such incarnations are called Shaktavesha incarnations.

Such incarnations include Parasurama, Buddha, Narada, VedaVyasa, Four Kumaras and many others.

This has to be noted that there is an overlap between Shaktavesha and Lila avatars. Parasurama, in many scriptures, has also been regarded as Lila Avatara.

Shaktavesha Avatara, by definition, have some power which has been empowered unto them by the Supreme Personality for some specific tasks like Parasurama destroyed the evil Kshatriyas, VedVyasa compiled the Vedas and Puranas in the written form for the betterment of devotees in Kali Yuga.

Purna Avatara

ऐश्वर्यस्य समग्रस्य धर्मस्य यशसरिश्रयः। ज्ञानवैराग्ययोश्चैव षण्णां भग इतीरणा ।। Translation : Complete splendor, virtue, glory, opulence, knowledge, dispassion — these six are known as the divine qualities of the Supreme Personality Source: Vishnu Puran 6.5.74

ityaṃtaryyāmyavasthāyāmaṃtaryyāmitvamātmanaḥ | matsyaḥ kūrmmo varāhaśca narasiṃho’tha vāmanaḥ || rāmo rāmaśca kṛṣṇaśca buddhaḥ kalkī ca te daśa | ete tu vibhavāvasthā brahmaṇaḥ paramātmanaḥ || nṛsiṃharāmakṛṣṇeṣu ṣāḍguṇyaṃ parikīrtitam | parāvasthā tu devasya dīpādutpanna dīpavat ||

Translation : Matsya, Kurma,Varaha, Nrisimha, Vamana, Rama, Parasurama, Krishna, Buddha and Kalki are the ten incarnations of Brahman, the highest soul. The group of six qualities is said to exist in Nrisimha, Rama and Krishna.

Source: Padma Purana Uttarkhanda Chapter 229 40–42

In the above verse from the Padma Puran, it can be understood that among the ten primary Lila Avatars of the Supreme Personality; Nrisimha, Rama and Krishna are the only ones to have the set of six divine qualities.

Regarding the difference of powers between different incarnations, Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada states:

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 Chaitanya to Rama, Narasimha, Varaha, and so on, appear with different features in different ages, all are equally invested with supreme potency.

And the same philosophy can be found in the following verse-

dīpārcir eva hi daśāntaram abhyupetya dīpāyate vivṛta-hetu-samāna-dharmā yas tādṛg eva hi ca viṣṇutayā vibhāti govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi Translation : 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 Supreme Govinda who exhibits Himself equally in the same mobile manner in His various manifestations. Source: Śrī brahma-saṁhitā 5.46

A devotee should never try to compare Varaha with Narsimha or Rama with Krsna. We must always be ready to serve any manifestation of the Supreme Personality.

Who is Shiva? What is His Position?

There has always been a fight between Vaishnavas and Shaivities regarding who is superior — Vishnu or Shiva. While in my opinion, such a conversation is purely based on personal false ego, I will share a few opinions and verses in this light.

Srila Sanatana Goswami said that-

The abode of Shiva lies outside the material universe and all its seven coverings.

Source: Brhad Bh. I.2.96

Srila Rupa Goswami said that-

Shiva’s abode is manifest in the northeast part of Vaikunthaloka. Source: Laghu Bh. I.5.298

Sri Baladeva Vidya Bhusana stated that-

“Sadashiva is without a trace of tamo-guna. He is the cause of all causes, and He is the Narayana vilasa form (anga-bhuta) of svayam-rupa Krishna (svayam-prabhoh)” Source: Laghu Bh. I.2.31

The Sadashiva mentioned in the Brahma-samhita is a vilasa expansion of Krishna, a form of Narayana. Source: Laghu Bh. I.5.298

When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu visited Lingaraja temple in Bhubaneswar, he danced ecstatically in front of the Shivalinga for the pleasure of His dear devotee and spoke eight beautiful prayers known as Shivastakam glorifying Shiva. These prayers are recorded in Sri Chaitanya Charita Mahakavya, the diary of Srila Murari Gupta. Therein Chaitanya addresses Shiva as the Guru of the whole world.

श्री नारद आद्य सततम सुगोप्य जिज्ञासतयाशु वरप्रदाय तेभ्यो हरेर भक्ति सुख प्रदाय शिवाय सर्व गुरवे नमो नमः

Translation: I offer my respectful obeisances again and again unto you, who is forever enquired of confidentially by Shri Narada and other sages; unto you, who also grants favor to them very quickly; unto you, who bestows the happiness of hari-bhakti; unto you, who creates auspiciousness and unto you, who is the Guru of everyone. Source: Shivastakam

The relationship between Shiva and Govinda can be established from the verse mentioned below-

kṣīraṁ yathā dadhi vikāra-viśeṣa-yogātsañjāyate na hi tataḥ pṛthag asti hetoḥyaḥ śambhutām api tathā samupaiti kāryādgovindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

Translation : Just as milk is transformed into curd by the action of acids, but yet the effect curd is neither same as, nor different from, its cause i.e. milk, I adore Govinda of whom the state of Śambhu is a transformation for the performance of the work of destruction. Source: Śrī brahma-saṁhitā 5.45

Hence, from the scriptural evidence, Shiva holds almost all the powers of Vishnu, but he is not exactly like Vishnu, just as yoghurt, although transformed milk, is not exactly like milk. This is the philosophy of Achintya Bhedabhed (inconceivable oneness and difference).

|| हरे ॐ तत् सत् ||