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The Lord Instructs Sanātana Gosvāmī
93
TRANSLATION
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead exists in three principal forms—svayaṁ-rūpa, tad-ekātma-rūpa, and āveśa-rūpa.
PURPORT
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has described  svayaṁ-rūpa  in his  Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta ,  Pūrva-khaṇḍa , verse 12,  ananyāpekṣi yad rūpaṁ svayaṁ-rūpaḥ sa ucyate : the original form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not depend on other forms. The original form is called  svayaṁ-rūpa , and it is described in  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam :  kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam  (1.3.28). Kṛṣṇa’s original form as a cowherd boy in Vṛndāvana is called  svayaṁ-rūpa . It is confirmed in  Brahma-saṁhitā  (5.1):
īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
There is nothing superior to Govinda. He is the ultimate source and the cause of all causes. In  Bhagavad-gītā  (7.7) the Lord says,  mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat : “There is no truth superior to Me.”
The  tad-ekātma-rūpa  is also described in the  Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta ,  Pūrva-khaṇḍa , verse 14:
yad rüpaṁ tad-abhedena svarüpeņa virājate ākṛtyādibhir anyādṛk sa tad-ekātma-rüpakaḥ
The  tad-ekātma-rūpa  forms exist simultaneously with the  svayaṁ-rūpa  form and are nondifferent. At the same time, the bodily features and specific activities appear to be different. This  tad-ekātma-rūpa  is also divided into two categories— svāṁśa  and  vilāsa .
Hiis āveśa form is also explained in the  Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta , verse 18:1.
jñāna-śaktyādi-kalayā yatrāviṣṭo janārdanaḥ ta āveśā nigadyante jīvā eva mahattamāh
A living entity who is specifically empowered by the Lord with knowledge or strength is technically called  āveśa-rūpa . As stated in the  Caitanya-caritāmṛta  (An-