CC Madhya 20.351 (1975)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Below is the 1996 edition text, ready to be substituted with the 1975 one using the compile form.
TEXT 351
- ‘ati kṣudra jīva muñi nīca, nīcācāra
- kemane jāniba kalite kon avatāra?’
SYNONYMS
ati—very; kṣudra—unimportant, insignificant; jīva—living entity; muñi—I; nīca—low; nīca-ācāra—having very abominable behavior; kemane—how; jāniba—shall I know; kalite—in this age; kon avatāra—who is the incarnation.
TRANSLATION
Sanātana Gosvāmī said, “I am a very insignificant living entity. I am low and poorly behaved. How can I understand who is the incarnation for this Age of Kali?”
PURPORT
This verse is very important in reference to the incarnations of God. At present there are especially many rascals prevalent in India who proclaim themselves incarnations of God or goddesses. Thus they are fooling and bluffing foolish people. On behalf of the general populace, Sanātana Gosvāmī presented himself as a foolish, lowborn, poorly behaved person, although he was a most exalted personality. Inferior people cannot accept the real God, yet they are very eager to accept an imitation God who can simply bluff foolish people. All this is going on in this Age of Kali. To guide these foolish people, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu answers the question as follows.