Devotee: Prabhupāda, what is the difference between an incarnation and an avatāra?
Prabhupāda: Avatāra is incarnation. Avatāra means . . . incarnation, in your dictionary, is "accepting some body"? Is that . . .? But avatāra . . . of course, there are different grades of avatāra. Avatāra means one who comes . . . the real word is avataraṇa descending.
Avatāra means who comes from a higher sphere, higher planet. They are not living entities of this world, this material world. They come from spiritual world. They are called avatāra. So these avatāra grades are different. There are śaktyāveśāvatāra, guṇāvatāra, līlāvatāra, yugāvatāra, so many.
So avatāra means one who comes directly from the spiritual world. And incarnation . . . of course, this avatāra is translated with the word incarnation, but I think real meaning of incarnation means "who accepts a body." Is it not? So that incarnation . . . everyone accepts a material body. But avatāra, there are avatāra of Viṣṇu and avatāra of devotees also. There are different grades of avatāra. You'll read it in the Teachings of Lord Caitanya, which is coming out. Yes.
Jaya-gopāla: In Chapter Four in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is it is said that Arjuna was present at the speaking of Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god so many years ago. What position did he have there?
Prabhupāda: He was also present, but he has forgotten.
Jaya-gopāla: Which position did he have, if it wasn't spoken at the Battle of Kurukṣetra? Which position?
Prabhupāda: Arjuna was put into that position by the supreme will of the Lord. Unless . . . just like in the theatrical stage, both the father and the son, they are playing some part. The father is playing a king, and the son is playing another king; both are inimical. But actually they are playing as such.
Similarly, Arjuna is eternal friend of Kṛṣṇa. He cannot be in delusion. How he can be delusioned if Kṛṣṇa is his constant friend? But he was supposed to be in delusion so that he played the part of a conditioned soul, and Kṛṣṇa explained the whole thing. He played that ordinary person; therefore all his questions were just like ordinary man.