12.35

isvarera dainya kari’ kariyache bhiksa

ataeva danda kari’ karaiba siksa

SYNONYMS

isvarera—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; dainya—poverty; kari’-establishing; kariyache—has done; bhiksa—begging; ataeva—therefore; danda—punishment; kari’-giving him; karaiba—shall cause; siksa—instruction “But he has made the incarnation of Godhead a poverty-stricken beggar.

Therefore I shall punish him for his correction.”

PURPORT

To describe a man as an incarnation of God, or Narayana, and at the same time present him as poverty-stricken is contradictory, and it is the greatest offense.

The Mayavadi philosophers, engaged in the missionary work of spoiling the Vedic culture by preaching that everyone is God, describe a poverty-stricken man as daridra-narayana, or “poor Narayana.” Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu never accepted such foolish and unauthorized ideas.

He strictly warned, mayavadi-bhasya sunile haya sarva-nasa: “Anyone who follows the principles of Mayavada philosophy is certainly doomed.” Such a fool needs to be reformed by punishment.

Although it is contradictory to say that the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His incarnation is poverty-stricken, we find in the revealed scriptures that when the Lord incarnated as Vamana, He begged some land from Maharaja Bali.

Everyone knows, however, that Vamanadeva was not at all poverty-stricken.

His begging from Maharaja Bali was a device to favor him.

When Maharaja Bali actually gave the land, Vamanadeva exhibited His all-powerful position by covering the three worlds with three steps.

One should not accept the so-called daridra-narayanas as incarnations because they are completely unable to show the opulence of the genuine incarnations of God.