Krishna as avatarin?

[Chris Beetle]

At 09:39 AM 6/15/00 +0200, Martin Gansten wrote:

>The Bhagavata does not support this particular Krishnaite claim (despite
>strained exegeses on 1.3.28); nor, to my knowledge, do any other Puranas.
>Bhagavata 1.3.3-5 describes the source of all avataras
>(naanaavataaraa.naa.m nidhaanam) -- including Krishna -- as a particular
>form (bhagavato ruupa.m vizuddha.m sattvam) endowed with thousands of
>limbs, etc (sahasrapaadorubhujaananaadbhutam). The 10th skandha dealing
>with Krishna's life also explicitly portrays him as an avatara of Vishnu
>(10.1.2: a.mzenaavatiir.nasya vi.s.no.h, etc).

I posted the above remark on a list for Gaudiya Vaishnava scholars to get
some feedback.  One of the responders, Swami B.V. Tripurari, invited Mr.
Gansten to read Krsna-sandarbha. He said, "Don't attack the Gaudiya
tradition without first reading its philosophical foundation articulated in
the Sandarbhas.  If he has read them, and KS in particular on this issue,
then where is his refutation?"

Another responder agreed, "Tripurari Maharaja is quite correct. Jiva Gosvami
has exhaustively established the Gaudiya understanding of Krsna as the
Original Personality of Godhead in the Krsna Sandarbha. The arguments are
found in Anuccheda
28-41. Jiva Gosvami compares the verse ete camsa...to a great king who can
defeat hundreds of enemies (opposing arguments). He then brings in 'the
multitude of arguments that forms the footsoldiers, calvary, chariot
warriors and elephant riding warriors of his army.' Whoever wants to dismiss
this brilliantly reasoned (and lengthy) response of Jiva Gosvami either
hasn't read it or is too intimidated to address it."

Best wishes,

Chris Beetle