Advaita Acarya as an incarnation

Expressions researched:
"advaita acarya" |"advaitacarya" |"advaitacarya's and incarnation"

Notes from the compiler: Vedabase query: "advaita acarya" or advaitacarya or advaitacarya's and incarnation

CC Preface and Introduction

Although Advaitācārya is the Lord, He appeared just to distribute the knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Thus He is also the Lord incarnated as a devotee.

CC Introduction:

In the first eleven verses of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī thus discusses Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Lord Nityānanda as Balarāma, the first expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Then in the twelfth and thirteenth verses he describes Advaitācārya, who is another principal associate of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's and an incarnation of Mahā-Viṣṇu. Thus Advaitācārya is also the Lord, or, more precisely, an expansion of the Lord. The word advaita means "nondual," and His name is such because He is nondifferent from the Supreme Lord. He is also called ācārya, teacher, because He disseminated Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In this way He is just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Although Lord Caitanya is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, He appeared as a devotee to teach people in general how to love Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, although Advaitācārya is the Lord, He appeared just to distribute the knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Thus He is also the Lord incarnated as a devotee.

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 1.12, Translation:

Lord Advaita Ācārya is the incarnation of Mahā-Viṣṇu, whose main function is to create the cosmic world through the actions of māyā.

CC Adi 1.39, Translation:

Advaita Ācārya is the Lord's partial incarnation, and therefore I offer my obeisances millions of times at His lotus feet.

CC Adi 3.92, Translation:

Advaita Ācārya Gosvāmī is an incarnation of the Lord as a devotee. His loud calling was the cause for Kṛṣṇa's incarnation.

CC Adi 6.4, Translation:

Lord Advaita Ācārya is the incarnation of Mahā-Viṣṇu, whose main function is to create the cosmic world through the actions of māyā.

CC Adi 6.7, Translation:

Mahā-Viṣṇu performs all the functions for the creation of the universes. Śrī Advaita Ācārya is His direct incarnation.

CC Adi 7.13, Translation:

Śrī Advaita Ācārya is Lord Caitanya's incarnation as a devotee. Therefore these three tattvas (Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu and Advaita Gosāñi) are the predominators, or masters.

CC Adi 12.31, Translation:

That note established Advaita Ācārya as an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

CC Adi 12.34, Translation:

“He has established Advaita Ācārya as an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is nothing wrong in this, for He is indeed the Lord Himself.

Kamalākānta Viśvāsa, out of his ignorance, asked the King of Jagannātha Purī, Mahārāja Pratāparudra, to liquidate the three-hundred-rupee debt of Advaita Ācārya, but at the same time he established Advaita Ācārya as an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

CC Adi 12.49, Purport:

Kamalākānta Viśvāsa, out of his ignorance, asked the King of Jagannātha Purī, Mahārāja Pratāparudra, to liquidate the three-hundred-rupee debt of Advaita Ācārya, but at the same time he established Advaita Ācārya as an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is contradictory. An incarnation of the Supreme Godhead cannot be indebted to anyone in this material world. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is never satisfied by such a contradiction, which is technically called rasābhāsa, or overlapping of one humor (rasa) with another. This is the same type of idea as the contradiction that Nārāyaṇa is poverty-stricken (daridra-nārāyaṇa).

CC Adi 17.298, Translation:

Śrīla Advaita Ācārya Prabhu appeared as an incarnation of a devotee. He is in the category of Kṛṣṇa, but He descended to this earth to propagate devotional service.

Advaita Ācārya is the incarnation of Sadāśiva from the spiritual world.

CC Adi 17.301, Purport:

In verses 296 through 301 the emotional devoted service of Śrī Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita Prabhu and others has been fully described. Describing such individual service, the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (11–16) declares that although Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared as a devotee, He is none other than the son of Nanda Mahārāja. Similarly, although Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu appeared as Lord Caitanya's assistant, He is none other than Baladeva, the carrier of the plow. Advaita Ācārya is the incarnation of Sadāśiva from the spiritual world. All the devotees headed by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura are His marginal energy, whereas the devotees headed by Gadādhara Paṇḍita are manifestations of His internal potency.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Advaita Prabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu all belong to the viṣṇu-tattva category. Because Lord Caitanya is an ocean of mercy, He is addressed as mahāprabhu, whereas Nityānanda and Advaita, being two great personalities who assist Lord Caitanya, are addressed as prabhu. Thus there are two prabhus and one mahāprabhu. Gadādhara Gosvāmī is a representative of a perfect brāhmaṇa spiritual master. Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura represents a perfect brāhmaṇa devotee. These five are known as the Pañca-tattva.

CC Adi 17.319, Translation:

The Sixth Chapter considers the truth of Advaita Ācārya. He is an incarnation of Mahā-Viṣṇu.

CC Antya-lila

CC Antya 8.4, Translation:

All glories to Advaita Prabhu, the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead! He induced Kṛṣṇa to descend and thus delivered the entire world.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Advaita Ācārya is īśvara principle. He belongs to the īśvara group.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.12 -- Mayapur, April 5, 1975:

Nitāi: "Lord Advaita Ācārya is the incarnation of Mahā-Viṣṇu, whose main function is to create the cosmic world through the actions of māyā."

Prabhupāda:

mahā-viṣṇur jagat-kartā

māyayā yaḥ sṛjaty adaḥ

tasyāvatāra evāyam

advaitācārya īśvaraḥ

(CC Adi 1.12)

So there are three principles—the īśvara principle and the māyā principle and the jīva principle—these three principles. So Advaita Ācārya is īśvara principle. He belongs to the īśvara group. Even in communistic country, they call "classless society," but they are also creating a managerial class. They cannot do without that. They could not avoid it, managers. Why manager? Make classless society, all worker. That is not possible. There must be īśvara. Īśvara means controller. That is the beginning, from the creation, īśvara. So īśvara, there are innumerable īśvara forms, as it is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Many, many, many millions and trillions of īśvara forms... It is stated in the Bhāgavatam that many... How many, how you can calculate? That is compared—just like in the river or in the ocean there are waves, but you cannot count how many waves are there. That is not possible. Can you count the waves of the ocean, going on, day and night, waves? Similarly, in big, big rivers... So God's incarnation, they are coming out, innumerable, just like the waves, but we can understand by the action that He is incarnation of God.

Advaita Ācārya is īśvara, He's incarnation of Mahā-Viṣṇu. Sometimes Advaita Ācārya is called Sadāśiva avatāra.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.12 -- Mayapur, April 5, 1975:

So we have to go through like that. As Caitanya-caritāmṛta Kar is explaining, we have to follow this principle. Then if you are really inquisitive to learn the Absolute Truth, they will explain, as here it is explained that here Advaita Ācārya is īśvara, He's incarnation of Mahā-Viṣṇu. Sometimes Advaita Ācārya is called Sadāśiva avatāra. The Sadāśiva is also expansion of Mahā-Viṣṇu. So either way you say, incarnation of Sadāśiva or Mahā-Viṣṇu, it doesn't matter. But Advaita Ācārya is īśvara-tattva. He's not śakti-tattva. He's īśvara-tattva. And we are all śakti-tattva; therefore there is difference. Śakti-śaktimān. Although there is no difference abhinna, but still, śakti-tattva is superior, er, śaktimān tattva is superior than śakti-tattva. So in this way try to understand Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, and Gadādhara and Śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. And... But they are so kind because they have come to deliver the fallen souls. If you sincerely chant their name, śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda...

1975 Correspondence

Since Advaitacarya is an incarnation of Sada-Siva who is non-different from Maha-Visnu, we can say that Advaitacarya is an incarnation of Maha-Visnu.

Letter to Mr. Vincent Karl -- Mayapur 6 April, 1975:

Regarding your question, you may refer to Ādi-lila, Chapter 6, Text 79 along with the purport, (Caitanya-caritamrta). The answer is there. The basic understanding is that Sada-Siva is an expansion of Maha-Visnu and that same Sada-Siva incarnates as Advaitacarya. Therefore, since Advaitacarya is an incarnation of Sada-Siva who is non-different from Maha-Visnu, we can say that Advaitacarya is an incarnation of Maha-Visnu. It can be said both ways, that He is an incarnation of Sada-Siva or Maha-Visnu.