The symptoms are analyzed in two divisions. Svarūpa-lakṣaṇa means the symptom which (is) always present. That is called svarūpa-lakṣaṇa. And taṭastha-lakṣaṇa, the symptoms which are sometimes present and sometimes not present. They are called . . . in this way, the experienced sages, they analyze the characteristics of the avatāra, or God—two symptoms. One symptoms is always there. As soon as there is God, that constant symptom is there. And there are other symptoms which may appear sometimes or may not appear.
- ākṛti, prakṛti, svarūpa—svarūpa-lakṣaṇa
- kārya-dvārā jñāna—ei taṭastha-lakṣaṇa
- (CC Madhya 20.357)
Ākṛti, prakṛti. The form and the activities, all uncommon. Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, He married sixteen thousand wives and He divided Himself into sixteen thousand Kṛṣṇa. This is called ākṛti. This is uncommon. God can expand Himself in any number of forms. We cannot do that. That is the symptom of God. Ākṛti, prakṛti. Prakṛti is His nature, supreme nature. As soon as He likes anything to do, He'll do it. There is no impediment. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyat . . . and He does in such nice way that we cannot conceive how it is being done, nature's way. Ākṛti prakṛti, these are taṭastha lakṣaṇa, uh, svarūpa lakṣaṇa, personal symptoms of God.
And kārya-dvārā jñāna—ei taṭastha-lakṣaṇa. And the activities . . . just like Kṛṣṇa, when comes as incarnation, His activities and activities of Rāma, or activities of Nṛsiṁha, activities of Vāmana, these activities may differ according to time, according to place, according to the mission. The activities may be different. But Their, Their ākṛti, Their feature and Their power—extraordinary. We should understand very nicely that incarnation means Their feature and Their nature, uncommon.
There may be difference. Just like Buddha's. Buddha's activities and Kṛṣṇa's activities, there is difference. Buddha's activity was different because, according to the place, according to the time, according to the audience, the activities are . . . avatāra, incarnation, comes when there is necessity. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7).
When there is discrepancies in the discharge of dharma . . . dharma means the prescribed rules by which one can elevate himself to the transcendental life. That is dharma, religion.
Why in human society there is religion? The purpose is to elevate himself to the transcendental position. That is religion. Where there is no such aim to raise one from the fallen condition to the liberated state, that is not religion; that is sentiment. Religion means that one should be raised from the fallen condition to the highest elevated condition. Therefore there are so many rules and regulation. In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says, yad icchantam, yad icchantam brahmacaryaṁ caranti. Yad icchantam.