Question: What is the difference between guru tattva (the spiritual master), demigods empowered by Krishna, and different saktyavesa avataras? In SB Canto 1 Chapter 2, why Srila Prabhupada specifically mention guru tattva to be under the category of saktyavesa avatara?
Answer by Romapada Swami:
Guru-tattva is a very esoteric topic. Tattva implies the absolute truth. One cannot understand this tattva by dint of one’s merit, scholarship, or intelligence. It can be understood only by one who is always eagerly looking for Krsna. Krsna then sees the eagerness of the soul and sends His bonafide representative, who is the external manifestation of Paramatma. That is guru-tattva.
Paramatma only manifests Himself as guru before a person who is crying for Krishna in one’s heart. “How can I get Krishna? How can I approach Krishna? How can I serve Krishna? Without Krishna’s dear devotee, His representative the guru, I cannot do so. I don’t know who guru is. I am a conditioned soul having four defects. I cannot recognize such a person with my defective senses. But Krishna, You know who is Your dear devotee. Unless You help me, how can I come to You?” This is the prayer to be offered to Krishna. By Krishna’s mercy one will meet such a guru who is Krishna’s dear devotee and bona fide representative. Take shelter of him and completely surrender. As Gita says, serve him, please him, satisfy him, and then humbly ask questions relating to tattva. By his causeless mercy he will impart tattva-jnana. This is the process. Take shelter of him and do bhajana under his guidance.
An incarnation who represents a particular opulence of the Supreme Lord, he is called saktyavesa avatara. Some examples of saktyavesa-avataras are the four Kumaras, Narada, Maharaja Prthu and Parasurama.
There are two kinds of Saktyavesa avataras. One is directly empowered for a particular service or mission, who comes from the transcendental spiritual sky; another is those who are in this material world, and have been invested with some specific uncommon power, or vibhuti, not found in ordinary men.
Demigods are living entities, like any of us, who have achieved an administrative post within a universe by virtue of their exalted pious activities. They are within the covering of this material world, and are subject to birth, death and transmigration to other bodies.
Demigods are empowered to carry out material affairs of this world. They offer material benedictions when they are pleased by their worshippers. They are mostly sakama devotees.
Srila Prabhupada is said to be Saktyavesa avatar. In Sri Caitanya Mangala, a biography of Sri Caitanya, the most recent incarnation of Lord Krishna, written in 1537 by Srila Locana Dasa Thakura (who was born in 1520 A.D.), Lord Caitanya foretold the coming of an empowered devotee who would take the sankirtana process everywhere: “I want to flood the whole world with the chanting of the holy names. I will personally preach and flood India with harinama sankirtana, chanting of the holy names. And My senapati bhakta (great devotee commander) will come, preach in different countries and flood the world with the chanting of Hare Krishna.” This means that, though Sri Caitanya came to establish and spread the process of congregational chanting of Krishna’s names in India, there would be one great devotee who would appear and spread it throughout the world.
