Swami Brahm Bodhi

Shri Vishnu and Shri Krishna: Who is the Source, and Who is the Incarnation?

Question:
Revered Brahmabodhi Siddharth Guruji,
I seek your guidance to resolve a doubt.
In our scriptures and Puranas, Lord Vishnu is described as having ten major incarnations (Dashavatara), one of whom is Lord Krishna, who is said to be a Purnavatara—a complete incarnation of Vishnu.

However, when I was studying under the Bhakti Vriksha program of ISKCON, I was taught that Krishna is not an incarnation of Vishnu; rather, Vishnu is an incarnation of Krishna. This creates confusion in my mind. Kindly explain, Gurudev—what is the truth?

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Answer (Brahmabodhi):
This topic needs to be understood with a calm and serious mind.
In spirituality, faith (shraddha) holds supreme importance. When a devotee firmly believes that their chosen deity (Ishta Devata) is the highest and the ultimate truth, their devotion and surrender deepen greatly. This is why we often find that saints and teachers try to establish the supremacy of their own deity.

The Ramcharitmanas is a beautiful example of this. In this scripture, two viewpoints appear regarding Shri Rama—on one hand, Tulsidas describes him as an incarnation of Vishnu; on the other, at several places, he declares that Shri Rama himself is the eternal Supreme Being from whom Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh (Shiva) all originate.

At first glance, these two perspectives within the same text may seem contradictory, and they can indeed cause confusion among seekers.

Similarly, traditions that worship Shri Krishna, such as ISKCON and other Vaishnava schools, regard Shri Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Parama Purushottama Bhagavan) and consider Vishnu, Brahma, and Mahesh as emanations from Him.

However, it is important to understand that such interpretations arise from faith and devotion, not from logic or philosophical reasoning—and therefore, faith should not be entangled in argument or debate.

From the standpoint of the majority of scriptures, Shri Vishnu (or Narayana) is regarded as the Supreme Lord, and Shri Rama and Shri Krishna are His incarnations.
Even in the Bhagavata Purana, Krishna is frequently described as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. There is a well-known episode in the Bhagavatam where Krishna and Arjuna travel across the worlds to retrieve a Brahmin’s dead sons. Eventually, they reach the abode of Vishnu, where both offer Him their salutations. This clearly indicates who is the source (Avatari) and who is the incarnation (Avatara).

Likewise, in the Bhagavad Gita, when Shri Krishna reveals His universal form (Vishvarupa) to Arjuna, that form is the four-armed divine form of Vishnu, not Krishna’s human form. In that divine vision, Arjuna beholds the entire cosmos contained within the Vishnu-form. This too points to Vishnu as the Supreme Source. If the entire creation were meant to be seen in Krishna’s own personal form, the Vishvarupa would have manifested in that same form.

Therefore, from a scriptural perspective, the truth is that Shri Vishnu is the source—the Avatari—while Shri Rama and Shri Krishna are His complete incarnations (Purna Avatara). They too are the full manifestation of the Supreme—Saguna Brahman, the Divine with attributes.

Just as when the complete whole gives rise to another complete whole, nothing is diminished—similarly, even though Shri Rama and Shri Krishna are incarnations of Vishnu, they are in no way lesser or different from Him. They are identical to Vishnu in essence, divinity, and power. It is the same Vishnu who manifests in different forms for different divine purposes and leelas (divine plays).

Hence, the conclusion is this:
Shri Vishnu is the Avatari—the source of incarnations—
and Shri Rama and Shri Krishna are His Purna Avatars—complete manifestations of that same Supreme Being.

From the viewpoint of faith, one may consider any form to be supreme,
but from the scriptural standpoint, there is no real distinction among the three—
only differences in their divine play and expressions of emotion.