Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 20.255-281
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
New York, December 17, 1966

Prabhupada:

kriya-sakti-pradhana sankarsana balarama prakrtaprakrta-srsti karena nirmana

So out of three transcendental propensities of the Supreme Lord, iccha-sakti, jnana-sakti and kriya-sakti, the kriya-sakti, that is represented by, or the controller of the kriya-sakti is, Sankarsana, Balarama. And with that potency, kriya-sakti potency, the creation, both material creation and spiritual creation, are effected.

ahankarera adhisthata krsnera icchaya goloka, vaikuntha srje cic-chakti-dvaraya

Cic-chakti-dvaraya. The spiritual potency is manifested in the spiritual world, Goloka Vrndavana and spiritual planets.

yadyapi asrjya nitya cic-chakti-vilasa tathapi sankarsana-icchaya tahara prakasa

Actually, there is no creation in the spiritual world. The creation means it begins at a certain time and ends at a certain time, but in the spiritual world there is no such beginning. But because we find the creation of this material world by the kriya-sakti potency of Lord, therefore it is understood that the spiritual world is also manifested by the same potency with the help of His spiritual energy.

sahasra-patram kamalam gokulakhyam mahat-padam tat-karnikaram tad-dhama tad anantamsa-sambhavam [Bs. 5.2]

That original planet, Goloka Vrndavana, is described here in the Brahma-samhita, “just like a lotus flower.”

maya-dvare srje tenho brahmandera gana jada-rupa prakrti nahe brahmanda-karana

Now, so far this material creation is concerned, it is said here that “By His material potency, He manifests this material world and unlimited universes within the material world.” So nobody should think that the material world has come out of nothing, out of void. No. This is confirmed in all Vedic literature and especially in the Brahma-samhita, and in the Bhagavad-gita also it is stated, mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram [Bg. 9.10] So material nature is not independent. It is a misunderstanding, a wrong conception, that matter is working out of its own accord. Matter has no power to work. It is a jada-rupa. Jada-rupa means it has no moving capacity or, what is called, initiative. Matter has no initiative. Therefore matter cannot manifest in such a way without the direction of the Supreme Lord. Maya-dvare srje tenho brahmandera gana. Actually, it is His direction, but material potency is help only. That’s all.

jada haite srsti nahe isvara-sakti vine tahatei sankarsana kare saktira adhane

Jada haite, from matter there is no possibility of any creation. The Sankarsana, He is manifestation of Sankarsana, Balarama. He is the director of this material creation.

isvarera saktye srsti karaye prakrti lauha yena agni-saktye paya daha-sakti

“Just like it is, in contact with the fire the iron becomes red hot and it become fire, similarly, in contact with Sankarsana, this material energy gets potency, and thereby the material manifestation is there.”

etau hi visvasya ca bija-yoni ramo mukundah purusah pradhanam anviya bhutesu vilaksanasya jnanasya cesata imau puranau

In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the Tenth Canto, it is stated that “This Rama and Krsna”—Rama means Balarama, and Krsna—“They are the root of this material creation. And both of Them enters into each and every universe and maintains that.” Andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham. This is mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam:

srsti-hetu yei murti prapance avatare sei isvara-murti ‘avatara’ nama dhare

“For material creation, the expansion of the Supreme Lord for the purpose of material creation is called incarnation. That is called avatara.”

mayatita paravyome sabara avasthana visve avatari’ dhare ‘avatara’ nama

“So all Visnu expansions, they are in the spiritual world, and they all of them reside there. But when they come into this material world, it is called incarnation.” Actually, avatara… This Sanskrit name is avatara. Avatara means who comes down from the spiritual world. Avatari. Avatari means descends. Descends. They are not born of this material energy. They descend from the spiritual world.

sei maya avalokite sri-sankarsana purusa-rupe avatirna ha-ila prathama

Now, purusa-rupe, the first incarnation for this material creation, the Maha-Visnu, sa aiksata. Simply by His glance, this material world begins its activity.

sei maya avalokite sri-sankarsana purusa-rupa avatirna ha-ila prathama

jagrhe paurusam rupam bhagavan mahad-adibhih sambhutam sodasa-kalam adau loka-sisrksaya

Adau loka-sisrksaya: “Just before the creation the Maha-Visnu, He takes His incarnation, and He puts His glance on the material energy, and the creation begins.”

adyo ’vatarah purusah parasya kalah svabhavah sad-asan-manas ca dravyam vikaro guna indriyani virat svarat sthasnu carisnu bhumnah

So adyo avatara, the first purusavatara, Maha-Visnu, is very vast. Just imagine how much great He is, His body is, that from His breathing all these universes are generating.

sei purusa virajate karena sayana ‘karanabdhisayi’ nama jagat-karana

“That purusavatara, the first incarnation of purusa, He lies down in the water of Causal Ocean, and His name is Karanabdhisayi Visnu.”

karanabdhi-pare mayara nitya avasthiti virajara pare paravyome nahi gati

Karanabdhi-pare. Just on the other side of the ocean, Causal Ocean, this material energy is situated. Virajara pare paravyome nahi gati. And this material energy has no entrance in the spiritual kingdom.

pravartate tatra rajas tamas tayoh sattvam ca misram na ca kala-vikramah na yatra maya kim utapare harer anuvrata yatra surasurarcitah

Now, the description of the spiritual world is that there is no rajas-tamah. These modes of passion and modes of ignorance is not there. Suddha-sattva. Suddha-sattva means simply goodness, pure goodness, without any tinge of passion and ignorance. So pravartate yatra rajas tamas tayoh sattvam ca misram na ca kala-vikramah. There is no mixed goodness; simply goodness. And na ca kala-vikramah: “And there is no influence of time.” This is the description of the spiritual world: “There is no modes of passion, and there is no modes of ignorance, and there is no influence of time.” That means there is simply pure goodness. And in pure goodness we can understand our constitutional position: we can understand what is God, what is creation, everything. These are… Goodness means prakasa. Prakasa means knowledge comes out. And so long we are in ignorance and passion, there is no knowledge. In ignorance there is no knowledge at all, in passion there is some glimpse of knowledge, and in goodness there is full knowledge. So the living entities there, they are full of knowledge. Therefore they do not come into this material world. And na yatra kala-vikramah: and because there is no influence of time, therefore there is no past, present and future. In this material world there is influence of time. Therefore we have got this past, present and future.

So these things, of course theoretically we have to understand. But these are authentic explanation from scriptures, Vedic literatures. At least we have to accept them theoretically. The spiritual world means that there is no ignorance, there is no passion and there is no influence of time. Na yatra maya kim utapare: “And this maya, this illusion, is also absent.” Kim utapare harer anuvrata yatra surasurarcitah: “And there, in the spiritual planets, all the living entities, they are all surrendered souls, or followers of the Supreme Lord.” There is no misconception that “I am Lord; I am God.” There is no such misconception. They are all clear of this nonsense ignorance. Anuvrata: they are always following. Therefore there is unity, oneness. There is oneness. God is one, and the living entities there, they are all followers, obedient of God. There is no influence of time, no influence of ignorance, no influence of passion. So that is perfect. That is spiritual kingdom, the description of spiritual world. This is from Bhagavatam. And there are other verses in this chapter where this verse appears that, I have read it, that there are aeroplanes also. And the devotees, and the woman, they are just like lightning. So it appears there are men, there are women, there are airplane. Everything is there. Simply difference is that there is no influence of time. Influence of time there is no—that means there is no past, future and present, and there is no death. Death is the influence of time. An old man like me is going to die. Death means the influence of time is being acted on this body. So after a few days or few years, this must vanquish. So there is no influence of time.

So there is no death, there is no birth, there is no ignorance, and everyone is obedient, everyone is happy. And their features of body is also exactly like God. In the spiritual planets, all of a sudden if you go, you cannot distinguish who is God and who is not. Yes. Just like here also, when Krsna comes, He appears just like one of us. So man is made after God. So so far features are concerned, there is no difference between God and man. But the difference is only that God has no material body; we have got this material body subjected to the influence of time. When Krsna comes, He does not become old. He remains just like a boy even when He is great grandfather because on His body there is no influence of time. Because His body is spiritual, therefore there is no influence of time.

mayara ye dui vrtti—‘maya’ ara ‘pradhana’ ‘maya’ nimitta-hetu, visvera upadana ‘pradhana’

This material energy is divided into two: pradhana and upadana. Pradhana and upadana. The whole, total material energy is called pradhana, and the material elements are called ingredients, upadana.

sei purusa maya-pane kare avadhana prakrti ksobhita kari’ kare viryera adhana

Now, in the Bhagavad-gita you have read that mahad-yonir mahad-brahma tasam… It is stated there that aham bija-pradah pita: “I implement the seeds of living entities into the matter.” So in the matter the living, the seeds of living entities, as we are, they are impregnated. As the father impregnates the mother, similarly, this material nature is just like mother, and therefore material nature is worshiped as mother, goddess, mother goddess, Durga, Kali. Yes. And this worship of the country, nationalism, that is also the same matter-worship. Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13]. So, so long we are not enlightened, we are worshiper of this matter, energy. And when we are advanced in knowledge, then we are worshiper of the Supreme. So Krsna consciousness means advanced stage of knowledge. It is not in the material platform. Therefore anyone who is in Krsna consciousness appropriately and thoroughly, he is liberated from material consciousness.

svanga-visesabhasa-rupe prakrti-sparsana jiva-rupa ‘bija’ tate kaila samarpana

In the Srimad-Bhagavatam there is this evidence:

daivat ksubhita-dharminyam svasyam yonau parah puman adhatta viryam sa ’suta mahat-tattvam hiranmayam

So from this version of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, that the living entities as seeds they are coming from the spiritual world… They are not product of the matter. Therefore it is not possible to produce living entity with material chemicals and material elements. It is not possible. As some of the modern scientists, they claim that “We shall now give life,” or they advertise in that way, so from this verse we can understand that it is not possible, because these living entities, they are just like seeds, and they are coming from the spiritual world, from the body of the Supreme. Those spiritual living entities are desirous of enjoying sense gratification, they are allowed to this material world, and others, they are in the spiritual world.

kala-vrttya tu mayayam gunamayyam adhoksajah purusenatma-bhutena viryam adhatta viryavan

So there is another verse, that how the seeds are given within this material world:

tabe mahat-tattva haite trividha ahankara yaha haite devatendriya-bhutera pracara

Now, here is a short description of the creation. First, material energy; then the seeds of the living entities are impregnated into that material energy; and then mahat-tattva, from the material energy, the ego, false ego, comes out. First manifestation of this material world is this false ego, mahat-tattva. Trividha ahankara. Yaha haite devatendriya-bhutera pracara: “And from this ego, all these human beings or demigods or other living entities, they are coming out.”

sarva tattva mili’ srjila brahmandera gana ananta brahmanda, tara nahika ganana

“In this way the Lord created unlimited number of universes.” This one universe which you have seen, that is one only; but there are innumerable universes. That is created.

inho mahat-srasta purusa—‘maha-visnu’ nama ananta brahmanda tanra loma-kupe dhama

“Now, the expansion of Krsna who is doing all this material expansion, He is known as Maha-Visnu, Maha-Visnu.”

gavakse udiya yaiche renu ase yaya purusa-nisvasa-saha brahmanda bahiraya

Now here is a nice example. You have seen the sunshine entering your room through a hole of your window, and you will find so many atomic demonstration. So these brahmandas, the so many universes, they are emanating from the breathing of Maha-Visnu in that way.

punarapi nisvasa-saha yaya abhyantara ananta aisvarya tanra, saba—maya-para

In this way all the universes, they enter into the body of Maha-Visnu after the creation is over and again comes out. In this way it is coming and going, coming… Bhutva bhutva praliyate. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that they are coming and going within. This is the way of material nature. And here is another evidence from Brahma-samhita:

yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya jivanti loma-vilaja jagad-anda-nathah visnur mahan sa iha yasya kala-viseso govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami [Bs. 5.48]

Now, such a vast, gigantic Maha-Visnu, of whose breathing producing these universes and whose inhaling, annihilating all the universes—such vast Maha-Visnu is only part and part of the expansion of Krsna, or Govinda. So Brahma says, govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami **. So just we have to imagine how much potential is the Lord Krsna.

Thank you very much. (end)