Avatāra and Humanity: Kṛṣṇa, Christ, and the Problem of Identification: Journal of Vaishnava Studies

Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to answer these three questions: (1) In Rāmānuja’s viśiṣṭādvāita (qualified non-dualism or identity in difference) does Kṛṣṇa identify with humanity? (2) In Śrī Caitanya’s acintya-bhedābheda (“inconceivable oneness in identity,” as represented by Svāmī Prabhupāda2) does Kṛṣṇa identify with humanity? and (3) Does Christ identify with humanity in classical
Christian orthodoxy’s theistic worldview?
For the purpose of this brief study, identification concerns itself with the question of whether or not Kṛṣṇa and Christ share the same essence(s) with humanity. The question will be explored and conclusions drawn mainly intra each tradition.