The Avataras
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try to understand the characteristics of an incarnation with reference to the Scripture, not whimsically. An incarnation of the Supreme Lord never declares Himself to be an incarnation. But His followers, with reference to the context of the authoritative Scriptures, must ascertain who is an incarnation and who is a pretender.
The real incarnation is described with reference to two features: the principal feature is called Personality, and the other is called the marginal feature. Any intelligent person can understand the characteristics of an Avatara, or incarnation, by these two features. There is a description of the characteristics of the body and of the activities. The description of the body is the principal feature for identifying an incarnation, and the activities are the marginal feature. This is confirmed in the beginning of  Srimad Bhagwatam , where the features are very nicely described in the 1st verse of the First Canto. In that verse there are two terms,  Param  and  Satyam . Lord Chaitanya indicated that the words  Param  and  Satyam  show Krishna in His principal feature. The other, marginal features are that He taught Vedic knowledge to Brahma, and that He incarnates as the Purusha Avatar to create the cosmic manifestation. These are occasional features for some special purposes.
One should try to understand and distinguish the principal feature and the marginal feature of an Avatar. Nobody can declare himself an incarnation without these two features, and therefore, any intelligent man will study the principal features and marginal features before accepting a pretender. Sanatan Goswami tried to confirm Lord Chaitanya's Personal characteristics as those of the incarnation of this age, and Lord Chaitanya confirmed it—though not directly. He simply said: “Leave aside all this discussion, let us go on about the description of the  Saktavesh Avatar .”
The Lord then said that there is no limit or counting of  Saktavesh Avatars , but some of them can be mentioned as examples. The  Saktavesh  incarnation are of two kinds: one direct, and the other indirect. When the Lord Himself comes, He is called  Shakshat , or direct Saktavesh Avatar, and when He empowers some living entity to represent Him, that one is called indirect, or  Avesa , incarnation.
Examples of indirect Avatars are the four Kumaras, Narada, Prithu, and Parsuram. They are actually living entities, but there is specific power given to them by the Supreme Personality of God. Examples of direct, or Shakshat, Avatar are the Shesha incarnation or Ananta incarnation.
When a specific opulence of the Supreme Lord is invested in some specific entities, they are called Avesa Avatars. The four Kumaras represent the