50
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 9, Ch. 10]
expansion and expansions of the expansion. Their holy names were Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata and Śatrughna. These celebrated incarnations thus appeared in four forms as the sons of Mahārāja Daśaratha.
PURPORT
Lord Rāmacandra and His brothers, Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata and Śatrughna, are all  viṣṇu-tattva , not  jīva-tattva . The Supreme Personality of Godhead expands into many, many forms.  Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam . Although they are one and the same,  viṣṇu-tattva  has many forms and incarnations. As confirmed in the  Brahma-saṁhitā  (5.39),  rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan . The Lord is situated in many forms, such as Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata and Śatrughna, and these forms may exist in any part of His creation. All these forms exist permanently, eternally, as individual Personalities of Godhead, and they resemble many candles, all equally powerful. Lord Rāmacandra, Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata and Śatrughna, who, being  viṣṇu-tattva , are all equally powerful, became the sons of Mahārāja Daśaratha in response to prayers by the demigods.
TEXT 3
तस्यानुचरितं राजन्नृषिभिस्तच्चदर्शिभिः । 
    श्रुतं हि वर्णितं भूरि त्वया सीतापतेर्ग्रहुः ॥ ३ ॥
tasyānucaritam rājann 
    ṛṣibhis tattva-darśibhiḥ 
    śrutam hi varṇitam bhūri 
    tvayā sītā-pater muhuḥ
tasya —of Him, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Rāmacandra and His brothers;  anucaritam —transcendental activities;  rājan —O King (Mahārāja Parīkṣit);  ṛṣibhiḥ —by great sages or saintly persons;  tattva-darśibhiḥ —by persons who know the Absolute Truth;  śrutam —have all been heard;  hi —indeed;  varṇitam —as they have been so nicely described;  bhūri —many;  tvayā —by you;  sītā-pateḥ —of Lord Rāmacandra, the husband of mother Sītā;  muhuḥ —more than often.