लोकान् विभावयसि हंसि जगत्प्रतीपान् ।
धर्मं महापुरुष पासि युगानुवृत्तं
छन्नः कलौ यदभवस्त्रियुगोऽथ स त्वम् ॥३८॥
itthaá¹ ná¹›-tiryag-ṛṣi-deva-jhaá¹£ÄvatÄrair
lokÄn vibhÄvayasi haá¹si jagat pratÄ«pÄn
dharmaá¹ mahÄ-puruá¹£a pÄsi yugÄnuvá¹›ttaá¹
channaḥ kalau yad abhavas tri-yugo 'tha sa tvam
2 times this text was mentioned in purports to other texts: CC(1) , SB(1)
ittham - in this way; ná¹› - like a human being (such as Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord RÄmacandra); tiryak - like animals (such as the boar); ṛṣi - as a great saint (ParaÅ›urÄma); deva - as demigods; jhaá¹£a - as an aquatic (such as the fish and tortoise); avatÄraiḥ - by such different incarnations; lokÄn - all the different planetary systems; vibhÄvayasi - You protect; haá¹si - You (sometimes) kill; jagat pratÄ«pÄn - persons who have simply created trouble in this world; dharmam - the principles of religion; mahÄ-puruá¹£a - O great personality; pÄsi - You protect; yuga-anuvá¹›ttam - according to the different millenniums; channaḥ - covered; kalau - in the age of Kali; yat - since; abhavaḥ - have been (and will be in the future); tri-yugaḥ - named Triyuga; atha - therefore; saḥ - the same personality; tvam - You.
In this way, my Lord, You appear in various incarnations as a human being, an animal, a great saint, a demigod, a fish or a tortoise, thus maintaining the entire creation in different planetary systems and killing the demoniac principles. According to the age, O my Lord, You protect the principles of religion. In the Age of Kali, however, You do not assert Yourself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore You are known as Triyuga, or the Lord who appears in three yugas.
As the Lord appeared just to maintain Lord BrahmÄ from the attack of Madhu and Kaiá¹abha, He also appeared to protect the great devotee PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja. Similarly, Lord Caitanya appeared in order to protect the fallen souls of Kali-yuga. There are four yugas, or millenniums — Satya, TretÄ, DvÄpara and Kali. In all the yugas but Kali-yuga, the Lord appears in various incarnations and asserts Himself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but although Lord ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, who appears in Kali-yuga, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He never asserted Himself as such. On the contrary, whenever ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu was addressed as being as good as Kṛṣṇa, He blocked His ears with His hands, denying His identity with Kṛṣṇa, because He was playing the part of a devotee. Lord Caitanya knew that in Kali-yuga there would be many bogus incarnations pretending to be God, and therefore He avoided asserting Himself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, in many Vedic literatures, especially in ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam (11.5.32):
kṛṣṇa-varṇaá¹ tviá¹£Äkṛṣṇaá¹
sÄá¹…gopÄá¹…gÄstra-pÄrá¹£adam
yajñaiḥ saá¹…kÄ«rtana-prÄyair
yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ
In Kali-yuga, intelligent men worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, who is always accompanied by His associates such as NityÄnanda, Advaita, GadÄdhara and ÅšrÄ«vÄsa. The entire Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is based on the principles of the saá¹…kÄ«rtana movement inaugurated by ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu. Therefore one who tries to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the medium of the saá¹…kÄ«rtana movement knows everything perfectly. He is sumedhas, a person with substantial intelligence.
