526
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 3, Ch. 13]
TEXT 47
स इत्थं भगवानुर्वीं विष्वक्सेनः प्रजापतिः । रसाया लीलयोन्नीतामप्सु न्यस्य ययौ हरिः ॥४७॥
sa ittham bhagavān urvīm viṣvak-senaḥ prajā-patiḥ rasāyā līlayonnītām apsu nyasya yayau hariḥ
saḥ —He;  ittham —in this manner;  bhagavān —the Personality of Godhead;  urvīm —the earth;  viṣvak-senaḥ —another name of Viṣṇu;  prajā-patiḥ —the Lord of the living entities;  rasāyāḥ —from within the water;  līlayā —very easily;  unnītām —raised;  apsu —on the water;  nyasya —placing;  yayau —returned to His own abode;  hariḥ —the Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
In this manner the Personality of Godhead Lord Viṣṇu, the maintainer of all living entities, raised the earth from within the water, and, placing it afloat on the water, He returned to His own abode.
PURPORT
The Personality of Godhead Lord Viṣṇu descends by His will to the material planets in His innumerable incarnations for particular purposes, and again He goes back to His own abode. When He descends He is called an  avatāra  because  avatāra  means one who descends. Neither the Lord Himself nor His specific devotees who come to this earth are ordinary living entities like us.
TEXT 48
य एवमेतां हरिमेधसो हरेः कथां सुभद्रां कथनीयमायिनः । शृण्वीत भक्त्या श्रवयेत वोशतीं जनार्दनोऽस्याशु हृदि प्रसीदति ॥४८॥
ya evam etām hari-medhaso hareḥ kathām subhadrām kathanīya-māyinaḥ śṛṇvīta bhaktyā śravayeta vośatīm janārdano 'syāśu hṛdi prasīdati