There are different incarnations in different ages. In this age this is the incarnation. What is that? Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ. The Lord appears, Kṛṣṇa Himself appears in a form where His bodily complexion is no more blackish. Akṛṣṇa, akṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, Lord Kṛṣṇa, is black, but this avatāra incarnation is akṛṣṇa. Akṛṣṇa means non-black. So non-black, it maybe other color also—red, white, blue, so many other colors, non-black. So that is also mentioned in the śāstra. The Lord appears in four colors: śukla-raktas tathā pītam idānīṁ kṛṣṇataṁ gataḥ.
When Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared His horoscope was made, and Gargamuni said . . . formerly . . . still now in India there are many astrologers, they can speak of your past life. There is a system of astrology which is called Bhṛgu-saṁhitā. That Bhṛgu-saṁhitā will speak of your past life, your present life and your next life.
(someone laughs)
(aside) Why you are laughing? These are all serious talks, and you are laughing. There is nothing for laughing and joking. Don't laugh.
So this Gargamuni said to Nanda Mahārāja that "Your son, He formerly accepted whitish color, śukla; reddish color, rakta; śukla-raktas tathā pītam, and yellowish color and now He has accepted blackish color." So this was spoken because Kṛṣṇa is coming the rotation of four ages: Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, Kali-yuga is going on. So in different ages He comes in different colors. So this pīta, yellowish color, is for Lord Caitanya. Therefore akṛṣṇa, in the Kali-yuga the incarnation of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Although He is Kṛṣṇa, but tviṣā akṛṣṇa. Tviṣā means by bodily complexion, tviṣā. Tvaci, tvaci means skin, the skin complexion is non-black, kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ. And another meaning may be kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ ete. One way you can take, kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ means caste, or category. So if He comes to the category of viṣṇu-tattva, or Kṛṣṇa, but His color, complexion, is not Kṛṣṇa, not black. This is description. Or He’s Kṛṣṇa, but He Himself is always chanting Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ ete: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa Himself; He is teaching us actually that is the position. Kṛṣṇa Himself has come to teach how to love Kṛṣṇa. Because Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā says that you give up all nonsense, so-called dharma, religion.
- sarva-dharmān parityajya
- mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ
(BG 18.66)
"You just take shelter of Me." But foolish people misrepresent. The so-called Māyāvādī philosopher presented this version of Lord Kṛṣṇa, that, "You give up everything; simply surrender unto Me." They mis-present: "Why? There are other demigods. Why Kṛṣṇa should be accepted alone?" Still that propaganda is going on.