136 THE SCIENCE OF SELF-REALIZATION
can give evidence from the Vedas, then it is understood that his position
is factual.

The avatdra for this age, Lord Caitanya, is described in Vedic lit-
erature. We cannot accept anyone as an avatdra unless he has the
symptoms described in the scriptures. We do not whimsically accept
Lord Caitanya as an avatdra on the basis of votes. Nowadays it has
become a fashion that any man can come and say that he is God or an in-
carnation of God, and some fools and rascals will accept it: ‘‘Oh, he is
God.’’ We do not accept an avatara like that. We take evidence from the
Vedas. An avatadra must conform to descriptions in the Vedas. Then we
accept him; otherwise no. For each avatdra there is a description in the
Vedas: He will appear at such and such a place, in such and such a form,
and He will act like this. That is the nature of Vedic evidence.

In the Srimad-Bhagavatam there is a list of the avataras, and there is
mention of Lord Buddha’s name. This Srimad-Bhdgavatam was written

: five thousand years ago, and it mentions different names for future
times. It says that in the future the Lord would appear as Lord Buddha,
his mother’s name would be Afijana, and he would appear in Gaya. So
Buddha appeared twenty-six hundred years ago, and the Srimad-
Bhagavatam, which was written five thousand years ago, mentioned that
in the future he would appear. Similarly, there is mention of Lord
Caitanya, and similarly the last avatdra of this Kali-yuga is also men-
tioned in the Bhagavatam. It is mentioned that the last incarnation in this
age is Kalki. He will appear as the son of a brdhmana whose name is
Visnu-yasa, in a place called Sambhala. There is a place in India with that
name, so perhaps it is there that the Lord will appear.

So an avatdra must conform to the descriptions in the Upanisads,
Srimad-Bhagavatam, Mahabharata, and other Vedic literatures. And on
the authority of Vedic literature and the commentary of great, stalwart
goswamis like Jiva Goswami, who was the greatest scholar and phi-
losopher in the world, we can accept Lord Caitanya as an incarnation of
Krsna.

Why did Lord Caitanya appear? In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krsna says, |
‘*“Give up all other engagements and simply engage in My service. I will
give you protection from all results of sinful actions.’’ In this material
world, in conditional life, we are simply creating sinful reactions. That’s
all. And because of sinful reactions, we have received this body. If our
sinful reactions stopped we would not have to take a material body; we
should get a spiritual body.

What is a spiritual body? A spiritual body is a body which is free from
