Devanagari
त्वं देहतन्त्र: प्रशमाय पाप्मनां
निदेशभाजां च विभो विभूतये ।
यथावतारास्तव सूकरादयस्
तथायमप्यात्मपथोपलब्धये ॥ ५ ॥
Verse text
tvaṁ deha-tantraḥ praśamāya pāpmanāṁ
nideśa-bhājāṁ ca vibho vibhūtaye
yathāvatārās tava sūkarādayas
tathāyam apy ātma-pathopalabdhaye
Synonyms
tvam
—
You
;
deha
—
this body
;
tantraḥ
—
have assumed
;
praśamāya
—
for the diminution
;
pāpmanām
—
of sinful activities
;
nideśa
—
bhājām — of instructions in devotion
;
ca
—
and
;
vibho
—
O my Lord
;
vibhūtaye
—
for the expansion
;
yathā
—
as
;
avatārāḥ
—
incarnations
;
tava
—
Your
;
sūkara
—
ādayaḥ — the boar and other forms
;
tathā
—
so
;
ayam
—
this incarnation of Kapila
;
api
—
surely
;
ātma
—
patha — the path of self-realization
;
upalabdhaye
—
in order to reveal .
Translation
My dear Lord, You have assumed this body in order to diminish the sinful activities of the fallen and to enrich their knowledge in devotion and liberation. Since these sinful people are dependent on Your direction, by Your own will You assume incarnations as a boar and as other forms. Similarly, You have appeared in order to distribute transcendental knowledge to Your dependents.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
O Lord! You become dependent on my body as a baby. Just as you appear in this world in forms like the boar to destroy sin and to make those who follow your instructions prosperous, you have appeared to teach the path of jṣāna and bhakti directed to yourself.
Moreover, your nature is that, by mercy alone, you descend as avatāra. Just as other babies are in the womb of the mother and are dependent on the body of the mother, you also entered my womb and were dependent on my body (deha-tantraḥ), as your pastime. Deha-tantraḥ can also mean “he who is decorated with cloth and ornaments on his body.” For what purpose do avatāras descend? They appear for destroying sins and for making prosperous with bhakt, jṣāna and yoga those who follow your instruction (nideśa-bhājām). Kapila (ayam) appeared to teach the path of jṣāna and bhakti directed to himself.
Purport
In the previous verses, the general transcendental qualifications of the Supreme Personality of Godhead were described. Now the specific purpose of the Lord’s appearance is also described. By His different energies He bestows different kinds of bodies upon the living entities, who are conditioned by their propensity to lord it over material nature, but in course of time these living entities become so degraded that they need enlightenment. It is stated in
Bhagavad-gītā
that whenever there are discrepancies in the discharge of the real purpose of this material existence, the Lord appears as an incarnation. The Lord’s form as Kapila directs the fallen souls and enriches them with knowledge and devotion so that they may go back to Godhead. There are many incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, like those of the boar, the fish, the tortoise and the half-man half-lion. Lord Kapiladeva is also one of the incarnations of Godhead. It is accepted herein that Lord Kapiladeva appeared on the surface of the earth to give transcendental knowledge to the misguided conditioned souls.