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Caitanya Mahaprabhu — Scriptural Proofs of His Avatarahood and Divinity. Part 8

The chapter containing the strophe 11.5.32 of the Bhāgavata-purāṇa is a conversation between the king Nimi and nine yogendra-s. In the strophe 11.5.19, Nimi asks questions in the following order:
1. When does God come to the world of people?
2. What is his color (varṇa)?
3. What does he look like?
4. What is he called?
5. How is he worshipped?
From the strophe 11.5.21 onwards, Karabhājana gives detailed answers to Nimi’s questions in the same order: the time, the color, the form, the name, the worship rules.
In the strophes 11.5.21–23, Karabhājana describes God in kṛta-yuga as four- armed and white. The way to worship him is religious austerity, controlling one’s mind and feelings. The strophes 11.5.24–26 deal with tretā-yuga. Again, the answer begins with color: Lord was red, four-armed, with the symbols of a ladle, spoon, etc. The strophes 11.5.27–28 describe God in dvāpara-yuga: the color of his complexion was śyāma. He is a great king among mortals.
In the strophe 11.5.32, Karabhājana describes God in kali-yuga. The strophe begins with the same words about color: [Lord] is black (kṛṣṇa-varṇaṃ tviṣākṛṣṇaṃ...). However, Jīva supposes that the words kṛṣṇa-varṇa mean “the syllable ‘Kṛṣṇa’” while tviṣākṛṣṇaṃ means “shining not black [color]”. Jīva opposes black color (kṛṣṇa) to golden (gaura). This is where name “the golden avatāra” (Gaurāṅga) comes from (Krama-sandarbha commentary on the Bhāgavata-purāṇa 11.5.32). It should be noted that “golden” color and the word avatāra are not mentioned in this chapter of the Bhāgavata-purāṇa. The name of Caitanya is not mentioned in the Bhāgavata-purāṇa either.
The color of Lord in the strophes 11.5.21, 11.5.24, 11.5.27, and 11.5.32 is denoted by the word varṇa; however, Jīva’s task is to show Caitanya as the golden avatāra of Kali age, who constantly chants the name of Kṛṣṇa, so he replaces the meaning of the word varṇa with “syllable/name” in the strophe 11.5.32.
Caitanya shows reverent attitude to Śrīdhara Svāmin, who wrote a commentary on the Bhāgavata-purāṇa; he is a highest authority for Caitanya. Caitanya was generous with harsh words towards those who disregard Śrīdhara’s opinion. Śrīdhara explains the words varṇa and tvit (11.5.32) in the following way: “Like a dark sapphire that, nevertheless, shines, Kṛṣṇa also has a shining color”.
Śrīdhara does not magically transform varṇa into “syllable”. He neither sees “non-blackish” in tviṣākṛṣṇa nor considers “golden” to be the opposite of “blackish”. Śrīdhara puts it in a simple and unambiguous way: it’s about Kṛṣṇa in shining black color.
Śrīdhara’s words clearly do not fit the color pattern and “syllable” interpretation that Jīva offered for the words kṛṣṇa-varṇa: “One whose complexion is not blackish sings the name of Kṛṣṇa, he is worshipped in the age of Kali. One who is not blackish (akṛṣṇa) is the opposite of dark color (kṛṣṇa); therefore, he is golden (gaura).” Jīva Gosvāmin clearly disregarded Śrīdhara’s opinion.
This Jīva-Gauḍīya “non-blackness” appeared due to the long vowel ā at the end of the word tviṣā in the phrase tviṣākṛṣṇaṃ, where tviṣā means “color” (of the complexion) and akṛṣṇa means “non-black”. It is the long ā that allows two possible interpretations:
1. tviṣā + akṛṣṇaṃ = color + non-black (Jīva’s interpretation) or “shining + non-black”.
2. tviṣā + kṛṣṇaṃ = shining + black (Śrīdhara’s interpretation).
Grammatically, both versions are almost correct. “Almost” is necessary in this statement as far as the word tviṣā is translated as “color”. Tviṣā has meanings: “shining”, “light”, “glare” (tviṣ means “to shine”). The feminine form of tviṣ has precisely the meaning of “color”. If we ignore the form tviṣā used in the strophe 11.5.32 and replace it with tviṣ, then we can interpret it as “color”. The only conclusion we can make regarding the color is that the color is light (one of the meanings of tviṣā is “light”), for instance, light brilliant. The word tviṣā, meaning “shining”, can refer to almost any color that can shine. The color can be lighter or darker, but all this is thinking out loud about possible meanings regardless of the context. In our case, the meaning of the word tviṣā is determined by the context as well as by the order of color enumeration in the previous strophes, so the phrase kṛṣṇa-varṇaṃ tviṣākṛṣṇaṃ means “blackish, shining blackish [Lord]”.
However, Śrīdhara also has some problems. Kṛṣṇa appears only in the interpretation of the strophe, while there is no the name “Kṛṣṇa” in the strophe itself (considering Śrīdhara’s translation): “blackish, shining blackish is worshipped with saṅkīrtana…” It is unclear who exactly is blackish, shining blackish and is worshipped.
The text of the Bhāgavata-purāṇa with the version of the strophe 11.5.32 containing the words kṛṣṇa-varṇaṃ tviṣākṛṣṇaṃ is called “the northern version” or “the northern edition”, because it is spread in northern India and Bengal. This is the version of the Bhāgavata-purāṇa Śrīdhara Svāmin commented on. In the “southern” version of the Bhāgavata-purāṇa strophe 11.5.32 sounds differently:
kṛṣṇa-varṇa kalau kṛṣṇaṃ sāṅgopāṅgaṃ sapārṣadam yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtanaprāyairyajanti hi sumedhasaḥ
“In [the age of] Kali, the lucid minded venerate the black colored Kṛṣṇa by saṅkīrtana, with his weapons and entourage.”
Even if we do not focus on the variant readings of the strophe 11.5.32, the context of the chapter does not offer any reason for the “syllable” interpretation of the words kṛṣṇa-varṇaṃ. The strophes 11.5.21, 11.5.24, and 11.5.27 include not only color but also what it characterizes. We see that color is associated with the time of God’s appearance: kṛta-yuga — white color, tretā-yuga — red color, dvāpara-yuga — śyāma color, and only the strophe 11.5.32 in the “northern” version of the Bhāgavata-purāṇa does not include such an association since the strophe is “bereft” of a yuga. However, there is a yuga in the strophe 11.5.32 of the “southern” version; it’s kali (kalau, Locative case). We see that the “southern” text boasts not only a logically complete narration (questions followed by answers) but also the integrity of the chapter. Everything is in order: kṛta-yuga — white color, tretā-yuga — red color, dvāpara-yuga — śyāma color, kali-yuga — black color. Probably the northern version of the Bhāgavata-purāṇa is a distorted version of an earlier text.
Śukla, Rakta, Śyāma, Kṛṣṇa
The dogma of the “golden avatāra” was created out of two elements: “names” and “golden color”. In the Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta, Rūpa claims that śukla, rakta, śyāma, kṛṣṇa are not only the colors of yuga-avatāra-s but also their names. Rūpa does not provide any textual proofs to support his statement. The śāstra-s do not mention avatāra-s with such names.
According to Viśvanātha, the avatāra color is black in other kali-yuga-s, while it is also black in our kali-yuga but not entirely since it shines like a sapphire. The avatāra is black inside and golden outside. Viśvanātha explains that the words kṛṣṇa-varṇa have one more meaning: “Caitanya is a golden avatāra, he tells about Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes (līlā-s).”
Viśvanātha’s explanation is a mix of Śrīdhara’s (shining sapphire) and Jīva’s (not black = golden) commentaries, but there is a fundamental difference between Śrīdhara and Jīva: Śrīdhara speaks of Kṛṣṇa, while Jīva speaks of Caitanya. Śrīdhara does not deduce golden color (gaura) from “non-black” color (akṛṣṇa).
According to Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, Caitanya usually does not come in kali-yuga, therefore Kṛṣṇa usually (in another kali-yuga-s) plays the role of two yuga-avatāra-s: for kali-yuga and dvāpara-yuga. Therefore, he is black (kṛṣṇa-varṇa) and śyāma, but now Caitanya appeared, who is a yellow (golden — pīta) avatāra. Baladeva’s explanation contradicts Jīva’s words, who claims that usually the yuga-avatāra is green (śuka) in dvāpara-yuga and dark (śyāma) in the age of Kali. Jīva supports his words with a quotation from the Viṣṇudharmottara-upapurāṇa.
In contrast to Jīva, Baladeva believes that the color of the dvāpara-yuga-avatāra is dark (śyāma) and the color of the kali-yuga-avatāra is black (kṛṣṇa). According to Baladeva, both avatāra-s are dark, which runs counter to the words of Garga (10.8.13) and Karabhājana (11.5.27; 11.5.32).
Color vs. syllables
Caitanya’s image in the works of his first followers was formed over a hundred years, evolving from simple to sophisticated. Each biographer saw Caitanya in their own way. The theology of Bengal Vaiṣṇavism also demonstrates a trend towards sophistication, which, first of all, attests to the fact that Caitanya, or rather the cult ideologues Rūpa, Sanātana and Jīva, do not have a clearly articulated unified doctrine.
Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja, the author of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, presented the final image of Caitanya as an androgynous divine being, Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā embodied in one person.
Kavirāja’s androgynous God is Kṛṣṇa himself (svayam bhagavān), stunningly beautiful, with a golden body, in the mood of Rādhā — Gaurāṅga (one of the meanings of the word gaura is “golden”). Kṛṣṇadāsa says (CC 1.17.302):
In kṛṣṇa-līlā the Lord’s complexion is blackish. A flute in His mouth, He enjoys as a cowherd boy. Now the selfsame person has appeared with a fair complexion, sometimes acting as a brāhmaṇa and sometimes accepting the renounced order of life.
(transl. Prabhupāda)
The “golden avatāra” concept expressed by Jīva in his commentary on the Bhāgavata-purāṇa 11.5.32 plays a key role in the idea of Caitanya’s androgyny:
kṛṣṇa-varṇaṃ tviṣākṛṣṇaṃ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ
“In the Age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the name of Kṛṣṇa. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.” (transl. Prabhupāda of CC 1.3.52)
Śyāma color
According to the Gauḍīya avatarology, both colors śyāma and kṛṣṇa are the colors of Kṛṣṇa. Prabhupāda believes that Kṛṣṇa is the dvāpara-yuga-avatāra, which should be pīta in color, in accordance with Garga’s words. Prabhupāda and his followers believe that śyāma means dark blue (see the translation of and commentary on the Bhāgavata-purāṇa 11.5.27 and Caitanya-caritāmṛta 2.20.337), while kṛṣṇa means:
a) black (see the translation of and commentary on BhP 11.5.32)
b) dark (see the translation of and commentary on BhP 10.26.16)
As a result, a reasonable question arises: why is Caitanya the kali-yuga-avatāra of golden/yellow color (implying the pīta color that Garga mentions in the strophe 10.8.13), when Garga says that Lord has already been pīta in dvāpara-yuga, and now he is dark (kṛṣṇa color)? The strophe 11.5.32 (about kali-yuga and its avatāra) does not mention yellow-and-golden color; however, the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas consider the golden avatāra Caitanya to be the kali- yuga-avatāra. Garga says in the strophe 10.8.13 that Lord’s color in dvāpara-yuga is yellow-and-golden (pīta). Therefore, considering his color, Caitanya is the dvāpara-yuga-avatāra that finds himself in the dark age of Kali. The author of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta understands that Jīva’s color idea would not withstand the slightest criticism on closer examination, so he “saves” the golden avatāra:
śukla-rakta-kṛṣṇa-pīta — krame cāri varṇa dhari ’kṛṣṇa karena yuga-dharma
“In the four yugas — Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali — the Lord incarnates in four colors: white, red, black and yellow respectively. These are the colors of the incarnations in different millenniums.” (CC 2.20.330, transl. Prabhupāda)
Holy simplicity! Having rearranged the colors, Kṛṣṇadāsa sort of “solved” the problem: he found a place for the golden avatāra, which Vyāsa and Sūta did not “mention” in the strophe 11.5.32, and aligned the colors listed by Garga in a “wrong” order. Now the avatāra is in place and the color corresponds. The author of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta does not explain this rearrangement because it is impossible to justify this order with textual proofs. They simply do not exist.
Usually there are only three possible meanings for śyāma color: black, dark, dark blue. The Śabdakalpadruma gives two meanings: kṛṣṇa and harit. One of the meanings of harit color can be translated as dark green, another one — as yellow. Karabhājana describes Lord in dvāpara-yuga with śyāma color in the strophe 11.5.27. We can choose only one of the two meanings of śyāma color, namely harit (dark green, pale yellow), because śyāma color cannot be dark in the context of the strophes 11.5.20–11.5.32 since dark color (kṛṣṇa) goes right after śyāma color: śukla, rakta, śyāma, kṛṣṇa.
Dark blue and yellow belong to the same color scale, which also includes green. Śyāma is Rāmacandra’s color. Rāmacandra is described as navadūrvādalaśyāma — he is of śyāma color like fresh dūrvā grass (Cynodon dactylon). We would call this color green, dark green, or yellow-and-green, while it is called śyāma in Sanskrit.
In the Bhāgavata-purāṇa, the word śyāma is used not only to refer to dark color as one of the meanings of the Śabdakalpadruma but also to refer to emerald (marakata-śyāma, 8.6.3). Śyāma is also one of the names for turmeric (harit).
The extensive use of synonyms in the Bhāgavata-purāṇa is not just a stylistic device but also a way to clarify word meanings. Nimi asked the question to hear the answer he had known before he met the yogendra-s; however, now it was deeper and supplied with new details.
The word śyāma is used as a synonym of pīta color in the strophe 11.5.27, which brings Garga’s (10.8.13) and Karabhājana’s (11.5.27) words in accordance with each other: it is one color, namely the yellow-and-green color of Lord in dvāpara-yuga, and it is not Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is mentioned in the strophe 11.5.32: “During the age of Kali, those who have light minds use saṅkīrtana to worship the black Kṛṣṇa with his weapons and surroundings…”
Thus, the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.5.32 could be talking about Kṛṣṇa, but not predicting the appearance of Caitanya, the golden-coloured divine avatāra, as the preachers of the Caitanya school present it. But on stanza 11.5.32, or rather on what it supposedly says about Caitanya, the whole theology of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas and the divinity of Caitanya himself rests. A detailed careful analysis of stanza 11.5.32 destroys an entire theological trend, not to mention another god, of a particular North Indian school of Vaiṣṇavism.
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