PURPORT

Due to envy, many asuras describe Krsna to be like a black crow or an incarnation of a hair. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu told Sanatana Gosvami how to counteract all these asuric explanations of Krsna. The word kaka means crow, and kesa means hair. The asuras describe Krsna as an incarnation of a crow, an incarnation of a sudra (a blackish tribe) and an incarnation of a hair, not knowing that the word kesa means ka-isa and that ka means Lord Brahma and isa means Lord. Thus Krsna is the Lord of Lord Brahma.

Some of Lord Krsna's pastimes are mentioned in the Mahabharata as mausala-lila. These include the stories of the destruction of the Yadu dynasty, Krsna's disappearance, His being pierced by a hunter's arrow, the story of Krsna's being an incarnation of a piece of hair (kesa-avatara) as well as mahisi-harana, the kidnapping of Krsna's queens. Actually these are not factual but are related for the bewilderment of the asuras who want to prove that Krsna is an ordinary human being. They are false in the sense that these pastimes are not eternal, nor are they transcendental or spiritual. There are many people who are by nature averse to the supremacy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu. Such people are called asuras. They have mistaken ideas about Krsna. As stated in Bhagavad-gita, the asuras are given a chance to forget Krsna more and more, birth after birth. Thus they make their appearance in a family of asuras and continue this process, being kept in bewilderment about Krsna. Asuras in the dress of sannyasis even explain Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam in different ways according to their own imaginations. Thus they continue to remain asuras birth after birth.

As far as the kesa-avatara (incarnation of hair) is concerned, it is mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.7.26). The Visnu Purana also states: ujjaharatmanah kesau sita-krsnau maha-bala.

Similarly, in the Mahabharata:

sa capi kesau harir uccakarta
ekam suklam aparam capi krsnam
tau capi kesavav isatam yadunam
kule striyau rohinim devakim ca

tayor eko balabhadro babhuva
yo 'sau svetas tasya devasya kesah
krsno dvitiyah kesavah sambabhuva
kesah yo 'sau varnatah krsna uktah

Thus in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Visnu Purana and Mahabharata there are references to Krsna and Balarama being incarnations of a black hair and a white hair. It is stated that Lord Visnu snatched two hairs-one white and one black-from His head. These two hairs entered the wombs of Rohini and Devaki, members of the Yadu dynasty. Balarama was born from Rohini, and Krsna was born of Devaki. Thus Balarama appeared from the first hair, and Krsna appeared from the second hair. It was also foretold that all the asuras, who are enemies of the demigods, would be cut down by Lord Visnu by His white and black plenary expansions and that the Supreme Personality of Godhead would appear and perform wonderful activities. In this connection, one should see Laghu-bhagavatamrta, the chapter called Krsnamrta, verses 156-164. Srila Rupa Gosvami has refuted this argument about the hair incarnation, and his refutation is supported by Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana's commentaries. This matter is further discussed in the Krsna-sandarbha (29) and in the commentary known as Sarva-samvadini, by Srila Jiva Gosvami.