page_title: Svayam Bhagavan
section_title: Theory of avataras
hierarchical_section_title: Svayam Bhagavan / Gaudiya Vaishnava perspective / Theory of avataras
caption_attribution_description: English: Krishna and Krishna's elder brother Balarama freeing their parents after killing his uncle Kamsa who had jailed their parents. മലയാളം: ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണനും ബലരാമനും കംസ‌വധത്തിനു ശേഷം മാതാപിതാക്കളെ കാണുന്നു.
context_page_description: Svayam Bhagavān is a Sanskrit theological term for the concept of absolute representation of God as Bhagavan - The Supreme Personality who possesses all riches, all strength, all fame, all beauty, all knowledge and all renunciation.
  According to the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna is termed Svayam Bhagavan. As stated in the Bhagavata MahaPurana, the Supreme God Parabrahman Adi Narayana appeared before Vasudeva and Devaki in his divine original four armed form before taking birth as Krishna. Vasudeva and Devaki, after praising Vishnu, requested him to hide his divine form which Vishnu agreed to do, transforming himself into a baby, Krishna. According to this account, Krishna never took birth from the womb of his mother like a common baby.
  Svayam Bhagavan is a term most often used in Gaudiya Vaishnava and other Krishna-centered theologies, and that title is used there exclusively to designate Krishna, there being conflicting semantics or other usages in the Bhagavata Purana. Traditions of Gaudiya Vaishnavas, the Nimbarka Sampradaya and followers of Vallabha consider Him to be the source of all avatars, and the source of Vishnu and Narayana.
context_section_description: Primary theology of Caitanyaite or Gaudiya traditions is based and presented in Bhagavata Purana and Caitanya Caritamrita.Svayam in Svayam rupa  does not imply one and only, and all conceptions by previous Vaishnava traditions, according to the Gaudiya Vaishnavas beliefs, fall under a second category, tad ekatma rupa (meaning: one that one and not different). 'Svayam' as a term means not depending on others  or being himself.
   In his instruction to Sanatana Goswami, at Kasi, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu explains the implications of the vadanti verse: "The word brahman refers to Svayam Bhagavan, who has one consciousness without a second, and without whom there is nothing else." (Gupta 2007, p 36).
  Rūpa Gosvāmī has described the svayaṁ-rūpa in his Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta: "The form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that does not depend on other forms is called svayaṁ-rūpa, the original form."
  The tad-ekātma-rūpa forms are also described in the Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta 
  "The tad-ekātma-rūpa forms simultaneous to svayaṁ-rūpa form and are non-different. At the same time by their bodily features and specific activities they appear to be different."
  Two best known Vedic descriptions of the creation are purusha sukta and nasadiya sukta. One hymn addresses to Vishvakarma, The one who makes all. To beliefs of Vaishnavas, the Visvakarma Sukta of Rig Veda (10.82) refers to Garbhodakasayi Viṣṇu indirectly as the Supreme God: The waters verily first retained the embryo in which all the gods were aggregated, single deposited on the navel of the unborn (ajah), in which all beings abide. and according to the Gaudiyas, falls under category of tad-ekātma-rūpa,
  According to the Gaudiya Vaishnava interpretation, it is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.7), which says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat: "There is no truth superior to Me."  Where Krishna is 'bhagavan' himself, whose partial manifestations are the other gods. This idea is reflected in the Bhagavata Purana. The Brahma Vaivarta Purana tells us Krishna is the ultimate source from which Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Prakriti originate. He is Svayam Bhagavan while other incarnation are his partial manifestations. The comments of Sridhara Svami (an early Sankara sect commentator), bring out uniqueness of Krishna. According to him Krishna is perfect as all potencies are observed to be full in him. In Atharvavedasamhita, Krishna is described as having slain the giant Kesi, Keshava. The Kaustiki Brahmana (30.9) alludes to Krishna Angirasa, who is an object of evening ceremony in connection with Brahmanaacchamsin priest. The Aitareya Aranyaka speaks of two Krishnas of Harita Gotra. However the south Indian Vaishnavism makes very little stress on Krishna and altogether ignored Radha in contrast with the other traditions.
  To the views of the Gaudiya Sampradaya, the Bhagavad-gita states that this bhakti-yoga is secretive: - "Just hear from Me again about the most confidential part of the instructions in Bhagavad-gītā." It is also described as such in Bhagavata Purana Vaishnavas of ISKCON often stress their view that in both cases Krishna is speaking about himself, aham and me in Sanskrit mean, I am and Me respectively. While some commentators derive secondary meanings, all major Sanskrit dictionary accept that the direct meaning of aham and me, refers to Krishna himself.
caption: Krishna and Balarama meet their father and mother - Vasudeva and Devaki. Thus a personal name of Krishna as Vaasudeva or son of Vasudeva, and Devakinandana, son of Devaki. Painting by Raja Ravi Varma
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