Hare Krsna,
In Bhagavad Gita 4.9, Lord Krsna states that “One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.”
Since we are asked to meditate on the appearance of Lord Kapiladeva, it is important to understand a few purpose and principles of the Lord’s appearance.
Purpose of Lord’s Appearance:
I want to jump a chapter ahead to quote a verse about the purpose of the Lord’s appearance, especially the appearance of Lord Kapiladeva. In SB 3.25.1, Saunaka Rsi says, “Although He is unborn, the Supreme Personality of Godhead took birth as Kapila Muni by His internal potency. He descended to disseminate transcendental knowledge for the benefit of the whole human race.”
There are also couple of verses in BG where Lord Krsna declares why He appears.
“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion – at that time I descend Myself. To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.” (BG 4.7-8)
Principles behind Lord’s Appearance:
Principle # 1: The Lord is not forced to accept a body.
When Krsna or His expansions and incarnations come, all His energies also come. It is not that He is forced to come. We have to accept a certain type of body because we are forced to do so, but this is not the case with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa or His incarnation come, they do not depend on karma for their bodies. The Supreme Lord is above karma and is fully independent. It is therefore said, ātma-māyayā. The Supreme Lord comes by His own energy, not by the external energy or by force. An example given is that when a governor visits a prison, he is not forced to do so and nor does he become a prisoner by visiting the prison. He goes there by his own good will to see how things are managed and run.
Principle # 2: The Lord always maintains His transcendental position.
Regardless of what form the Supreme Lord appears in, He always maintains His transcendental position. Whether the Lord appears as a baby from Vasudeva and Devaki or appears from a pillar like Lord Nrsimhadev, He always maintains His transcendental position. He always remains God and does not conform to Mayavada philosophy that the Lord loses His divinity when He appears in human form.
Principle # 3: The Lord can take birth from anywhere.
The Supreme Lord is all-pervading. He may appear from the semen of His devotee (Lord Kapiladeva), He may appear from the pillar of Hiraṇyakaśipu’s palace (Lord Nrsimhadeva), He may appear from the nostril of Brahma (Lord Varaha), or He may appear from the womb of a mother (Lord Krsna from Devaki and Lord Caitanya from Mother Saci). The Lord manifests His full independence to act in any way.
“Fire is already present in wood, but by a certain process, fire is kindled. Similarly, God is all-pervading. He is everywhere, and since He may come out from everything, He appeared in His devotee’s semen.” (SB 3.24.5-6)
Although the Lord may appear from various sources, it does not mean that that the nostril of Brahmā or the pillar of Hiraṇyakaśipu’s palace or the semen of Kardama Muni is the source of the appearance of the Lord. The scorpion lays its eggs in piles of rice, and sometimes it is said that the scorpion is born out of rice. But the rice is not the cause of the scorpion. Actually, the eggs were laid by the mother. Similarly, material nature is not the cause of the birth of the Supreme Lord. Being fully independent, He can appear from anywhere and through any agent.
The true reason for the Lord’s appearance is that He descends out of compassion because He is more anxious to have us return home, back to Godhead, than we are to go. Because we are in ignorance, we do not know anything about the kingdom of God. We know nothing about how to get there or how to become happy. We have forgotten all this. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa comes at intervals or sends His representative, the pure devotee. Sometimes He comes personally, and sometimes He sends His incarnation. He, therefore, descends into the material world in numerous forms to display pastimes, enlighten, and attract the conditioned souls to back home, back to Godhead.
Similarly, the Lord appeared as Kapiladeva for the propagation of transcendental knowledge and to give instructions in Sāṅkhya philosophy to His mother, Devahūti for her deliverance.
“The Personality of Godhead, being worshiped by you, will spread my name and fame. He will vanquish the knot of your heart by becoming your son and teaching knowledge of Brahman… After many, many years, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Madhusūdana, the killer of the demon Madhu, having entered the semen of Kardama, appeared in Devahūti just as fire comes from wood in a sacrifice.” (SB 3.24.4 & 6)
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Krsna Katha 