Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c9.s5.57

c9.s5.57

The verse has been explained by Śrīdhara, without any particular sectarian colouring, as applying generally to Kṛṣṇa; but both Rūpa and Jīva, as well as Sanātana in his *Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī* commentary on the *Śrīmad-bhāgavata*, appear to take the verse as predicting in particular the advent of Caitanya in the Kali Age. According to Śrīdhara's explanation, the verse emphasizes the pre-eminence of the Kṛṣṇa-Avatāra in the Kali Age.¹ The phrase *kṛṣṇa-varṇam*, in his opinion, apparently refers to his dark colour, and the phrase *tviṣākṛṣṇam* is interpreted in two ways by disjoining the word differently, namely, (i) in effulgence he is not dark (*tviṣā akṛṣṇam*), as he is dark in complexion, but shines like a bright sapphire (*indranīla-maṇivad ujjvalam*), or (ii) in his bright divine presence he is Kṛṣṇa (*tviṣā kṛṣṇam*), meaning that in the Kali Age he is pre-eminently the Kṛṣṇa-Avatāra. According to Śrīdhara, again, the word *aṅga* in the verse refers to Kṛṣṇa's beautiful limbs, *upāṅga* to his natural embellishments like Kaustubha, *astra* to such weapons as Sudarśana, and *pārṣada* to his retinue consisting of Sunanda and others. The word *yajña* need not, in his view, refer to anything more than general worship (*arcana*), and the word *saṃkīrtana* need not in the same way be taken in any narrow technical sense but should be interpreted generally as meaning the reciting of Kṛṣṇa's name (*nāmoccāraṇa*) and praise (*stuti*).²