Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 34
The Deliverance of Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva
Yamala-Arjuna Līlā Prelude and Culmination
यस्यावतारा ज्ञायन्ते शरीरेष्वशरीरिण: । तैस्तैरतुल्यातिशयैर्वीर्यैर्देहिष्वसङ्गतै: ॥ ३४ ॥ स भवान्सर्वलोकस्य भवाय विभवाय च । अवतीर्णोंऽशभागेन साम्प्रतं पतिराशिषाम् ॥ ३५ ॥
yasyāvatārā jñāyante śarīreṣv aśarīriṇaḥ tais tair atulyātiśayair vīryair dehiṣv asaṅgataiḥ
Appearing in bodies like those of an ordinary fish, tortoise and hog, You exhibit activities impossible for such creatures to perform — extraordinary, incomparable, transcendental activities of unlimited power and strength. These bodies of Yours, therefore, are not made of material elements, but are incarnations of Your Supreme Personality. You are the same Supreme Personality of Godhead, who have now appeared, with full potency, for the benefit of all living entities within this material world.
As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (4.7-8):
FAQs
This verse says the Lord’s descents are known by their incomparable, extraordinary divine powers, which remain unattached even while appearing in embodied forms.
They praise Him as the Supreme beyond material embodiment, who can still manifest within the world through avatāras without becoming materially bound.
It encourages discernment: judge spiritual authenticity by transformative, selfless, unattached qualities—not by external display or mere claims.