FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.8.17

యుగాని యుగమానం చ ధర్మో యశ్చ యుగే యుగే । అవతారానుచరితం యదాశ్చర్యతమం హరే: ॥ ౧౭ ॥
yugāni yuga-mānaṁ ca
[yugaani yuga-maanam cha]
dharmo yaś ca yuge yuge
[dharmo yash cha yuge yuge]
avatārānucaritaṁ
[avataaraanucharitam]
yad āścaryatamaṁ hareḥ
[yad aashcharyatamam hareh]
yugāni — the different ages yuga-mānam — the duration of each age ca — as well as dharmaḥ — the particular occupational duty yaḥ ca — and which yuge yuge — in each and every yuga, or particular age avatāra — the incarnation anucaritam — and the activities of the incarnation yat — which āścaryatamam — the most wonderful activities hareḥ — of the Supreme Lord.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yugāni yuga-mānaṁ ca
yugāni
the different ages
yuga-mānam
the duration of each age
ca
as well as
dharmo yaś ca yuge yuge
dharmaḥ
the particular occupational duty
yaḥ ca
and which
yuge yuge
in each and every yuga, or particular age
avatārānucaritaṁ
avatāra
the incarnation
anucaritam
and the activities of the incarnation
yad āścaryatamaṁ hareḥ
yat
which
āścaryatamam
the most wonderful activities
hareḥ
of the Supreme Lord.
Please explain all the different ages in the duration of the creation, and also the duration of such ages. Also tell me about the different activities of the different incarnations of the Lord in different ages.

Lord Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead, and all the incarnations of the Supreme Lord, although nondifferent from Him, are emanations from the Supreme. Mahārāja Parīkṣit inquired from the great and learned sage Śukadeva Gosvāmī about the different activities of such incarnations so that the incarnation of the Lord might be confirmed by His activities in the authoritative scriptures. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was not to be carried away by the sentiments of the common man to accept an incarnation of the Lord very cheaply. Instead he wished to accept the incarnation of the Lord by symptoms mentioned in the Vedic literatures and confirmed by an ācārya like Śukadeva Gosvāmī. The Lord descends by His internal energy without any obligation to the laws of material nature, and thus His activities are also uncommon. The specific activities of the Lord are mentioned, and one should know that the activities of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical due to being on the absolute plane. Thus to hear the activities of the Lord means to associate with the Lord directly, and association with the Lord directly means purification from material contamination. We have already discussed this point in the previous volume.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Please describe the various yugas, their durations, their dharmas, and the astonishing activities of the yugāvatāras of the Lord.
Commentary

This question includes not only the yugāvatāras but also the type of bhakti that they institute.

📝 My note

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