4
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 8, Ch. 1]
manvantare harer janma karmāṇi ca mahīyasaḥ gṛṇanti kavayo brahmaṁs tāni no vada śṛṇvatām
manvantare —during the change of  manvantaras  (one Manu following another);  hareḥ —of the Supreme Personality of Godhead;  janma —appearance;  karmāṇi —and activities;  ca —also;  mahīyasaḥ —of the supremely glorified;  gṛṇanti —describe;  kavayaḥ —the great learned persons who have perfect intelligence;  brahman —O learned  brāhmaṇa  (Śukadeva Gosvāmī);  tāni —all of them;  naḥ —to us;  vada —please describe;  śṛṇvatām —who are very eager to hear.
TRANSLATION
O learned  brāhmaṇa , Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the great learned persons who are completely intelligent describe the activities and appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead during the various  manvantaras . We are very eager to hear about these narrations. Kindly describe them.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead has different varieties of incarnations, including the  guṇa-avatāras ,  manvantara-avatāras ,  lilā-avatāras  and  yuga-avatāras , all of which are described in the  śāstras . Without reference to the  śāstras  there can be no question of accepting anyone as an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, as especially mentioned here,  gṛṇanti kavayaḥ : the descriptions of various incarnations are accepted by great learned scholars with perfect intelligence. At the present time, especially in India, so many rascals are claiming to be incarnations, and people are being misled. Therefore, the identity of an incarnation should be confirmed by the descriptions of the  śāstras  and by wonderful activities. As described in this verse by the word  mahīyasaḥ , the activities of an incarnation are not ordinary magic or jugglery, but are wonderful activities. Thus any incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead must be supported by the statements of the  śāstra  and must actually perform wonderful activities. Parikṣit Mahārāja was eager to hear about the Manus of different ages.