tvaá¹ deha-tantraḥ praÅ›amÄya pÄpmanÄá¹
nideÅ›a-bhÄjÄá¹ ca vibho vibhÅ«taye
yathÄvatÄrÄs tava sÅ«karÄdayas
tathÄyam apy Ätma-pathopalabdhaye
tvam - You; deha - this body; tantraḥ - have assumed; praÅ›amÄya - for the diminution; pÄpmanÄm - of sinful activities; nideÅ›a-bhÄjÄm - of instructions in devotion; ca - and; vibho - O my Lord; vibhÅ«taye - for the expansion; yathÄ - as; avatÄrÄḥ - incarnations; tava - Your; sÅ«kara-Ädayaḥ - the boar and other forms; tathÄ - so; ayam - this incarnation of Kapila; api - surely; Ätma-patha - the path of self-realization; upalabdhaye - in order to reveal.
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-gÄ«tÄ 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.