Srimad Bhagavatam. Canto 3: The Status Quo

Chapter 9: Brahma's Prayers for Creative Energy. Text 19

तिर्यङ्मनुष्यविबुधादिषु जीवयोनिष्व्
आत्मेच्छयात्मकृतसेतुपरीप्सया यः।
रेमे निरस्तविषयोऽप्यवरुद्धदेहस्
तस्मै नमो भगवते पुरुषोत्तमाय ॥१९॥

 

tiryaá¹…-manuá¹£ya-vibudhÄdiá¹£u jÄ«va-yoniá¹£v
ÄtmecchayÄtma-ká¹›ta-setu-parÄ«psayÄ yaḥ
reme nirasta-viá¹£ayo 'py avaruddha-dehas
tasmai namo bhagavate puruá¹£ottamÄya

 tiryak - animals lower than human beings; manuá¹£ya - human beings, etc.; vibudha-Ädiá¹£u - amongst the demigods; jÄ«va-yoniá¹£u - in different species of life; Ätma - self; icchayÄ - by the will; Ätma-ká¹›ta - self-created; setu - obligations; parÄ«psayÄ - desiring to preserve; yaḥ - who; reme - performing transcendental pastimes; nirasta - not being affected; viá¹£ayaḥ - material contamination; api - certainly; avaruddha - manifested; dehaḥ - transcendental body; tasmai - unto Him; namaḥ - my obeisances; bhagavate - unto the Personality of Godhead; puruá¹£ottamÄya - the primeval Lord.


Text

O my Lord, by Your own will You appear in the various species of living entities, among animals lower than human beings as well as among the demigods, to perform Your transcendental pastimes. You are not affected by material contamination. You come just to fulfill the obligations of Your own principles of religion, and therefore, O Supreme Personality, I offer my obeisances unto You for manifesting such different forms.

Purport

The Lord’s incarnations in different species of life are all transcendental. He appears as a human being in His incarnations of Kṛṣṇa, RÄma, etc., but He is not a human being. Anyone who mistakes Him for an ordinary human being is certainly not very intelligent, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (9.11): avajÄnanti mÄá¹ mÅ«á¸hÄ mÄnuṣīṠtanum ÄÅ›ritam. The same principle is applicable when He appears as the hog or fish incarnations. They are transcendental forms of the Lord and are manifested under certain necessities of His own pleasure and pastimes. Such manifestations of the transcendental forms of the Lord are accepted by Him mostly to enliven His devotees. All His incarnations are manifested whenever there is a need to deliver His devotees and maintain His own principles.