PURPORT

To describe a man as an incarnation of God, or Narayana, and at the same time present him as poverty-stricken is contradictory, and it is the greatest offense. The Mayavadi philosophers, engaged in the missionary work of spoiling the Vedic culture by preaching that everyone is God, describe a poverty-stricken man as daridra-narayana, or "poor Narayana." Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu never accepted such foolish and unauthorized ideas. He strictly warned, mayavadi-bhasya sunile haya sarva-nasa: "Anyone who follows the principles of Mayavada philosophy is certainly doomed." Such a fool needs to be reformed by punishment.

Although it is contradictory to say that the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His incarnation is poverty-stricken, we find in the revealed scriptures that when the Lord incarnated as Vamana, He begged some land from Maharaja Bali. Everyone knows, however, that Vamanadeva was not at all poverty-stricken. His begging from Maharaja Bali was a device to favor him. When Maharaja Bali actually gave the land, Vamanadeva exhibited His all-powerful position by covering the three worlds with three steps. One should not accept the so-called daridra-narayanas as incarnations because they are completely unable to show the opulence of the genuine incarnations of God.