O learned one, in this iron Age of Kali, men almost always have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed.
– Srimad Bhagavatam Verse 1.1.10

Living beings who are entangled in the complicated meshes of birth and death can be freed by even unconsciously chanting the Holy Name of Krishna, which is feared by fear personified.
– Srimad Bhagavatam Verse 1.1.14

All occupational engagements are certainly meant for the ultimate liberation. They should never be performed for material gain. Furthermore, according to sages, one who is engaged in the ultimate occupational service should never use material gain to cultivate satisfaction of the self.
– Srimad Bhagavatam Verse 1.2.9

With the sword of devotion in hand, intelligent men cut through the binding knots of Karma by remembering the Personality of Godhead. Therefore, who will not pay attention to His message?
– Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.15

Thus established in the mode of pure goodness, the man whose mind has been uplifted by contact with devotional service to the Lord gains positive scientific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead in the stage of liberation from all material association.
– Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.20

In the beginning of the material creation, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, in His transcendental position, created the energies of cause and effect by His own internal energy.
– Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.30

The Lord, as Supersoul, pervades all things, just as fire permeates wood, and so He appears to be of many varieties, though He is the absolute one without a second.

The Supersoul enters into the bodies of the created beings who are influenced by the modes of material nature and causes them to enjoy the effects of these modes by the subtle mind.

– Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.32 – 1.2.33

In the beginning of the creation, the Lord first expanded Himself in the universal form of the Purusha (Supersoul) Incarnation and manifested all the ingredients for the material creation. And thus at first there was the creation of the sixteen principles of material action. This was for the purpose of creating the material universes.

A part of the Purusha (Supersoul) Form of The Lord lies down within the Water of the Universe, from the navel lake of His body sprouts a lotus stem, and from the lotus flower atop this stem, Brahmā, the master of all engineers in the universe, becomes manifest.

It is believed that all the universal planetary systems are situated on the extensive body of the Purusha (Supersoul), but He has nothing to do with the created material ingredients. His body is eternally in spiritual existence par excellence.

The devotees, with their perfect eyes, see the transcendental form of the Lord who has endless legs, thighs, arms and faces — all extraordinary! In that body heads, ears, noses, all are endless. They are decorated with thousands of helmets and glowing earrings and are adorned with garlands.

Lord Vishnu Laying Upon The Cosmic Oceans of Creation

This form of the Lord is the source and indestructible seed of multifarious incarnations within the universe. From the particles and portions of this form, different living entities, like demigods, men, women and others, are created.

First of all, during the beginning of creation, there were the four unmarried sons of Lord Brahma, the Kumaras, who, being situated in a vow of celibacy, sustained severe austerities for realization of the Absolute Truth.

Purusha, the supreme enjoyer of all sacrifices, accepted the incarnation of Varaha, and for the welfare of the Earth, He rescued the Earth from the nether regions of the universe.

In the millennium of the Rishis, the Purusa accepted the third empowered incarnation in the form of Devarsi Narada, who is a great sage among the demigods. He collected expositions of the Vedas which deal with devotional service and which inspire non-fruitive action.

In the fourth incarnation, the Purusha became Nara and Narayana, the twin sons of the wife of King Dharma. Thus He undertook severe and exemplary penances to control the senses.

The fifth incarnation, named Lord Kapila, is foremost among perfected beings. He gave an exposition of the creative elements and metaphysics to Asuri Brahmana, for in course of time this knowledge had been lost.

The sixth incarnation of the Purusa was the son of the sage Atri (Dattatreya). He was born from the womb of Anasuya, who prayed for an incarnation. He spoke on the subject of transcendence to Alarka, Prahlada and others [Yadu, Haihaya, etc.].

The seventh incarnation was Yajña (Sacrifice), the son of Prajāpati Ruci and his wife Ākūti. He controlled the period during the change of the Svāyambhuva Manu and was assisted by demigods such as His son Yāma.

The eighth incarnation was King Rishabha, son of King Nābhi and his wife Merudevī. In this incarnation the Lord showed the path of perfection, which is followed by those who have fully controlled their senses and who are honored by all orders of life.

O Sages, in the ninth incarnation, the Lord, prayed for by the sages, accepted the body of a King Prithu, who cultivated the land to yield various productions, and for that reason the earth was beautiful and attractive under his regime.

When there was the Great Flood after the Period of the Caksusa, and the whole world was deep within water, the Lord accepted the form of a Matsya (Fish) and protected Vaivasvata Manu, keeping him safe.

Matsya Avatar of Lord Vishnu – To Rescue Earth from Flood!

In an incarnation of the Lord took the form of a Kurma (Tortoise) whose shell served as a pivot for the Mandaracala Hill, which was being used as a churning rod by the Devas and Asuras of the universe.

In another incarnation, the Lord appeared as Dhanvantari, and in the thirteenth He allured Asuras by the charming beauty of a woman and gave the Amrit to the Devas.

In another incarnation, the Lord appeared as Narsimha and destroyed the demonic atheist king Hiranyakashyapu with his nails, just as a carpenter pierces cane.
In another incarnation, the Lord assumed the form of a Dwarf Brahmin, Vamana, and visited the ritual arranged by Maharaja Bali.
Although at heart He was willing to regain the kingdom of the three planetary systems, He simply asked for a donation of three steps of land.

In another incarnation of the Godhead, the Lord appeared as Parashurama, and annihilated the Ksatriyas (Warrior Caste) twenty-one times, being angry with them because of their revolt against the Brahmins (Priestly Caste).

Thereafter, in another incarnation of Godhead, Sri Vyasadeva appeared in the womb of Satyavatī through Parāśara Muni, and he divided the one Veda into several branches and subbranches, seeing that the people in general were less intelligent.

In another incarnation, the Lord appeared as King Rama. In order to perform some pleasing work for the Devas, He exhibited superhuman powers by controlling the Indian Ocean and then killing the Demon King Ravana, who was on the other side of the sea. In another incarnations, the Lord arrived Himself as Lord Balarama and Lord Krishna in a family of the Yadu dynasty, and by so doing He removed the burden of the world.

Then, in the beginning of Kali Yuga, Lord Vishnu will appear on Earth as Lord Buddha, in the province of Gaya, just for the purpose of deluding those atheists who are envious of the faithful theist.

Thereafter, at the conjunction of two yugas, the Lord of the creation will take His birth as the Kalki Incarnation and become the son of Visnu Yasa. At this time almost all the rulers of the earth will have degenerated into fraudulent plunderers.

Kalki Avatar of Lord Vishnu – The Future Avatar That Will Rescue Devotees from The Kali Yuga

O Sages, the forms of the Lord are innumerable, like a river flowing from inexhaustible sources of water.

All of the incarnation of Vishnu are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Personality of Godhead, but Lord Shri Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead. All of them appear on planets whenever there is a disturbance created by the Asuras. The Lord incarnates to protect the Devotees.

– Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.1 – 28

Whoever carefully recites about the mysterious appearances of the Lord, with devotion in the morning and in the evening, gets relief from all miseries of life.

The conception of the True Form of the Lord, as appearing in the material world, is imaginary. It is the less intelligent who adjust to the idea of the Lord’s having form. But factually the True Form of The Lord has no material form.

– Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.29 – 30

Beyond this gross conception of form is another, subtle conception of form which is without formal shape and is unseen, unheard and unmanifest. The living being has his form beyond this subtlety, otherwise he could not have repeated births.

If the illusory energy subsides and the living entity becomes fully enriched with knowledge by the grace of the Lord, then he becomes at once enlightened with self-realization and thus becomes situated in his own spiritual glory.

Whenever a person experiences, by self-realization, that both the gross and subtle bodies have nothing to do with the pure self, at that time he sees himself as well as the Lord. Thus learned men describe the births and activities of the unborn and inactive, which is undiscoverable even in the Vedic Literatures. He is the Lord of the Heart.

– Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.32 – 1.3.35

The Lord, whose activities are always spotless, is the master of the six senses and is fully omnipotent with six splendors. He creates the manifested universes, maintains them and annihilates them when needed without being in the least affected.

He is within every living being and is always independent.

– Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.36

The foolish, with their little knowledge, cannot know the transcendental nature of the forms, names and activities of the Lord, who is playing like an actor in a Divine Drama. Nor can they express such things, neither in their speculations nor in their words.

Only those who render unreserved, uninterrupted, favorable service unto Lord Krishna, who carries the wheel of the chariot in His hand, can know the creator of the universe in His full glory, power and transcendence.

– Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.37 – 1.3.38

Only by making such divine spiritual investigations of The Lord can one be successful and perfectly aware of truth, since such inquiries invoke transcendental ecstatic love unto Vasudev (Lord Vishnu), the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the owner of all the universes, only then one can guarantee cent-percent immunity from the dreadful repetition of birth and death (and attain Liberation / Moksha).

– Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.39

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