Kṛṣṇa's Expansions and Innumerable Brahmās

А. Ч. Бхактиведанта Свами Прабхупада · Нью-Йорк · 1966

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: Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.281–293 Type: Caitanya-caritamrta Dated: December 19th 1966 Location: New York Audio file: 661219CC-NEW-YORK.mp3

Expansions of Krishna and Maha Vishnu

BS 5.48यस्य एक निश्वशित् कालम् अथ अवलम्ब्यजीवन्ति लोम बिलजा जगन्दण्ड् नाथाः |विष्णुः महान् स इह यस्य कला विशेषोगोविन्दम् आदि पुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ ४८ ॥yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambyajīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥviṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣogovindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmiBrahmā and other lords of the mundane worlds, appearing from the pores of hair of Mahā-Viṣṇu, remain alive as long as the duration of one exhalation of the latter [Mahā-Viṣṇu]. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda of whose subjective personality Mahā-Viṣṇu is the portion of portion.

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa's first expansion, second expansion, the third expansion. The third expansion, Mahā-Viṣṇu.

So Mahā-Viṣṇu's potency is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā: yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya. Niśvasita-kāla means the breathing period.

Just abiding by the breathing period of that Mahā-Viṣṇu, jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ. Jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ means the supreme creature, created, supreme created creature, Brahmā.

Brahma and the scale of creation

Brahmā is the principal supreme creature in each, every universe. There are innumerable universes, and there are innumerable Brahmās also.

You will find in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, it is quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that one sometimes...

It is called līlā, pastime, that Brahmā, when Kṛṣṇa was here on this planet, so Brahmā was very much proud that "Kṛṣṇa is now in the earthly planet, and this earthly planet is one of the innumerable planets under my control." Brahmā is the controller, is the primal, principal living entity in this universe, so he was little proud that "Kṛṣṇa is within my control."

So therefore Kṛṣṇa, because He is Paramātmā, He knows everything, what one thinks, what one does. So Kṛṣṇa asked Brahmā to come and see Him. So Brahmā came. Brahmā came. His doorman informed Kṛṣṇa that...

Doorman asked Brahmā, "Who are you, please?" "Now, you say Kṛṣṇa that I am Brahmā.

I have come to see Him." So when the doorman informed Kṛṣṇa that—in Dvārakā, when Kṛṣṇa was there as king—so Kṛṣṇa asked, "Oh, which Brahmā?

Which Brahmā?" The doorman came back again and informed that "Which Brahmā you are?" So Brahmā became astonished: " 'Which Brahmā?' I am the Brahmā.

I am the supreme creature within this universe, and 'Which Brahmā?' " He was surprised, and he said, "Tell Kṛṣṇa that four-headed Brahmā." Brahmā has four head.

So Kṛṣṇa called him, "All right, come on." So he came, and he offered his obeisances, and Brahmā asked Him, "Kṛṣṇa, my Lord, may I ask You some question?" "What is that?" "Your doorman asked me, 'Which Brahmā?' So does it mean there are other Brahmās also?" Kṛṣṇa said, "Yes, there are innumerable Brahmās.

You are only four-headed. There are eight-headed, there are sixteen-headed, thirty-two–headed, sixty-four–headed, hundred-twenty-eight–headed, and millions of headed. So all right, I am calling them all."

So Kṛṣṇa called all the Brahmās, and by His māyā, Brahmā could see them, but they could not see this four-headed Brahmā, and each of them came and offered obeisances to Kṛṣṇa, and they asked, "My Lord, what can I do for You?

You have asked me?" "Yes. I have not seen you for so many times, so many days, so I have called you." So they came, thousands and millions of Brahmā came, and offered obeisances, and they went away.

And this Brahmā, four-headed Brahmā, remained in the corner, "Oh, what is I am?" So this is Kṛṣṇa's creation.

So here it is stated that yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya: "Only just abiding by the breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṇu, there are millions of Brahmās, they are living." And each Brahmā's period...

That you have read in the Bhagavad-gītā: sahasra-yuga-paryantam arhad yad brahmaṇo viduḥ [Bg 8.17]. The Brahmā's one day means 4,300,000's into 1000. That is Brahmā's twelve hours.

Similarly, twenty-four hours, one day. Now calculate one month, such one year, such hundred years.

So that hundred years of Brahmā is only a breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṇu, just like we are breathing, our inhalation and exhalation is going on.

So during the breathing period, when the breathing is out, all these brahmāṇḍas become created, and when it is inhaled, all, they are closed, account closed. So this is going on.

And such Mahā-Viṣṇu is the part, one of the fourth part of Kṛṣṇa's expansion. That is stated. Lord Caitanya is giving evidence from Brahma-saṁhitā:

CC Madhya 20.282সমস্ত ব্রহ্মাণ্ডগণের ইঁহো অন্তর্যামী ।কারণাব্ধিশায়ী — সব জগতের স্বামী ॥ ২৮২ ॥samasta brahmāṇḍa-gaṇera iṅho antaryāmīkāraṇābdhiśāyī — saba jagatera svāmī“Mahā-Viṣṇu is the Supersoul of all the universes. Lying on the Causal Ocean, He is the master of all material worlds.

"Now, this Mahā-Viṣṇu, the puruṣāvatāra, incarnation of puruṣa, of Kṛṣṇa, is the principal Supreme Personality of Godhead of all the brahmāṇḍas, all the many thousands of brahmāṇḍas."

CC Madhya 20.283এইত কহিলুঁ প্রথম পুরুষের তত্ত্ব ।দ্বিতীয় পুরুষের এবে শুনহ মহত্ত্ব ॥ ২৮৩ ॥eita kahiluṅ prathama puruṣera tattvadvitīya puruṣera ebe śunaha mahattva“I have thus explained the truth of the first Personality of Godhead, Mahā-Viṣṇu. I shall now explain the glories of the second Personality of Godhead.

Garbhodakashayi Vishnu and universal structure

Now, He said, "Now I have explained to you about the first incarnation, avatāra. Now just try to hear about the second, second Viṣṇu." First Viṣṇu is described. Now second Viṣṇu, what is that?

Sei puruṣa [Cc Madhya 20.284]:

"That Mahā-Viṣṇu," ananta-koṭi brahmāṇḍa sṛjiyā, ananta-koṭi, "innumerable universes came out of His breathing period by breathing." Sṛjiyā means "He created." Ekaika-mūrtye... Ekaika-mūrtye praveśilā bahu mūrti hañā: "Now, this Mahā-Viṣṇu again expanded Himself in millions and millions Viṣṇu form and entered in each brahmāṇḍa." The same Viṣṇu, Mahā-Viṣṇu, expanded Himself in millions other forms.

CC Madhya 20.285প্রবেশ করিয়া দেখে, সব — অন্ধকার ।রহিতে নাহিক স্থান, করিলা বিচার ॥ ২৮৫ ॥praveśa kariyā dekhe, saba — andhakārarahite nāhika sthāna, karilā vicāra“When Mahā-Viṣṇu entered each of the limitless universes, He saw that there was darkness all around and that there was no place to stay. He therefore began to consider the situation.

"When He entered in each universe, it was all dark. So He began to think." CC Madhya 20.286নিজাঙ্গ-স্বেদজলে ব্রহ্মাণ্ডার্ধ ভরিল ।সেই জলে শেষ-শয্যায় শয়ন করিল ॥ ২৮৬ ॥nijāṅga-sveda-jale brahmāṇḍārdha bharilasei jale śeṣa-śayyāya śayana karila“With the perspiration produced from His own body, the Lord filled half the universe with water. He then lay down on that water, on the bed of Lord Śeṣa.

Now, in each brahmāṇḍa... This universe what we are seeing, it is only half. The half is full with water. And where is that water, we cannot see. But there is water.

Just like a ball, and half the ball, inside, is filled with water. So... And wherefrom this water came? The Mahā-..., this Viṣṇu, the Viṣṇu which entered each universe, from His perspiration He created this water.

And He laid down on the water. This is called Śeṣaśāyī Viṣṇu or Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Tāṅra nābhi-padma haite uṭhila eka padma [Cc Madhya 20.287] :

"And then He created one lotus flower from His navel." You have seen that picture in the title page, title cover.

Nābhi-padma. Sei padme ha-ila brahmāra janma-sadma: "And from that lotus flower, on that lotus flower, the Brahmā, the first created being, was manifested."

CC Madhya 20.288সেই পদ্মনালে হইল চৌদ্দ ভুবন ।তেঁহো ‘ব্রহ্মা’ হঞা সৃষ্টি করিল সৃজন ॥ ২৮৮ ॥sei padma-nāle ha-ila caudda bhuvanateṅho 'brahmā' hañā sṛṣṭi karila sṛjana“In the stem of that lotus flower, the fourteen worlds were generated. Then He became Lord Brahmā and manifested the entire universe.

And this Brahmā is a living being, jīva-tattva. He is not viṣṇu-tattva. Just see how much a living being can be powerful.

"Now, Brahmā was created by this Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and Brahmā in his turn, he created all these planetary system." There are fourteen status of planetary system, caudda bhuvana: Bhūrloka, Bhuvarloka, Janaloka, Maharloka, Tapoloka and Brahmaloka, and down, Tala, Atala, Vitala, Talātala, Pātāla, and similarly, there are fourteen planetary systems all over this universe.

CC Madhya 20.289‘বিষ্ণু’-রূপ হঞা করে জগৎ পালনে ।গুণাতীত বিষ্ণু — স্পর্শ নাহি মায়া-সনে ॥ ২৮৯ ॥'viṣṇu'-rūpa hañā kare jagat pālaneguṇātīta viṣṇu — sparśa nāhi māyā-sane“In this way, the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His form of Viṣṇu maintains the entire material world. Since He is always beyond the material qualities, the material nature cannot touch Him.

"Now, this Viṣṇu has nothing to do. He is not affected by this material contamination." That is the power of Viṣṇu. Just like we are living entities.

When we come into this material world, we become contaminated, we become affected by the influence of this material nature.

But Viṣṇu, although He is looking after the management of creation of this brahmāṇḍa, He is not affected. He is not affected. CC Madhya 20.289‘বিষ্ণু’-রূপ হঞা করে জগৎ পালনে ।গুণাতীত বিষ্ণু — স্পর্শ নাহি মায়া-সনে ॥ ২৮৯ ॥'viṣṇu'-rūpa hañā kare jagat pālaneguṇātīta viṣṇu — sparśa nāhi māyā-sane“In this way, the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His form of Viṣṇu maintains the entire material world. Since He is always beyond the material qualities, the material nature cannot touch Him.

Functions of the three qualitative incarnations

'rudra'-rūpa dhari kare jagat saṁhāra And when these material worlds or universes are to be annihilated, the same Viṣṇu in His form of Lord Śiva, rudra-rūpa, He annihilates.

So Viṣṇu, Viṣṇu creates, and Lord Śiva annihilates, and Brahmā is in charge of this universe. CC Madhya 20.291ব্রহ্মা, বিষ্ণু, শিব — তাঁর গুণ-অবতার ।সৃষ্টি-স্থিতি-প্রলয়ের তিনের অধিকার ॥ ২৯১ ॥brahmā, viṣṇu, śiva — tāṅra guṇa-avatārasṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralayera tinera adhikāra“Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva are His three incarnations of the material qualities. Creation, maintenance and destruction respectively are under the charge of these three personalities.

Now, this material world is created, it is..., it stays for some time, and it is again annihilated. Just we have seen in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate. [Bg 8.19] This is the nature. This material nature is like that.

Just like you have seen one lamp. It is..., once it is extinguished, once it is light. Similarly, there is creation, there is maintenance and there is annihilation of this material world.

Now, these three functions are controlled by three guṇāvatāra, qualitative incarnation of the Supreme Lord. What are they? Now, Viṣṇu...

Viṣṇu is the incarnation of the modes of goodness, and Śiva is the incarnation of the modes of annihilation, and Brahmā is the in-charge. Brahmā is secondary. Brahmā is the secondary creator.

First of all, the everything is, the principal, the material principal ingredients, and the guṇas and the everything is created by Viṣṇu.

Then, the secondary creation, with those ingredients, all these planetary system, everything, is created by Brahmā. So Brahmā is also a secondary creator. And then Viṣṇu maintains.

Just like to a carpenter you give wood and planks and materials and screw and other things, and the carpenter makes a very good cabinet, and you maintain that, similarly, this brahmāṇḍa, the secondary creation, is Brahmā, and Viṣṇu is the maintainer, and when it is to be destroyed, it is destroyed by Lord Śiva.

These three guṇāvatāra. Brahmā, viṣṇu, siva-tāṅra guṇa-avatāra. They are incarnations of Kṛṣṇa's guṇa. So in other words, it is to be understood that these three guṇas, they are also coming from Kṛṣṇa, three guṇas. So therefore, for Kṛṣṇa, there is no such distinction.

Several times just I have explained this thing, but this material, spiritual, or the qualitative differences, that is for us, not for Kṛṣṇa. How it is? Just like government has got different departments.

There is criminal department, civil department, and this department, that department, so many departments.

Now, for us the criminal department may not be so pleasing or civil department may be very much pleasing, but for the government both the departments are equal, because they have to maintain equally, either criminal department or the civil department.

The government has no distinction that "This is criminal department; therefore this department should be neglected," or "It is inferior." No.

Rather, in criminal department the government may spend more than civil department.

Similarly, these distinction, these qualitative distinction, matter, spirit, and the different kinds of modes, they are distinction for us, not for Kṛṣṇa. He is Absolute. He is Absolute.

To the Absolute, there is no such distinction. Therefore when Kṛṣṇa comes, when Kṛṣṇa comes in this material, He is not affected by this.

Suppose the minister, the secretary of the president, goes to the criminal department to see the prison house. He is not affected by the prison rules. It is simple to understand.

If the prisoner thinks, "Oh, he is also one of the prisoner, because he has come here," this is nonsense. He is not prisoner.

Similarly, when Kṛṣṇa comes in this material world, if a foolish man thinks that He is also one of us, he is foolish number one.

Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritā [Bg 9.11]: "Foolish persons, they think that I am one of them." These examples are very nice. We can understand.

So here it is stated that Viṣṇu..., CC Madhya 20.291ব্রহ্মা, বিষ্ণু, শিব — তাঁর গুণ-অবতার ।সৃষ্টি-স্থিতি-প্রলয়ের তিনের অধিকার ॥ ২৯১ ॥brahmā, viṣṇu, śiva — tāṅra guṇa-avatārasṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralayera tinera adhikāra“Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva are His three incarnations of the material qualities. Creation, maintenance and destruction respectively are under the charge of these three personalities.CC Madhya 20.292হিরণ্যগর্ভ-অন্তর্যামী — গর্ভোদকশায়ী ।‘সহস্রশীর্ষাদি’ করি’ বেদে যাঁরে গাই ॥ ২৯২ ॥hiraṇyagarbha-antaryāmī — garbhodakaśāyī'sahasra-śīrṣādi' kari' vede yāṅre gāi“Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, known within the universe as Hiraṇyagarbha and the antaryāmī, or Supersoul, is glorified in the Vedic hymns, beginning with the hymn that starts with the word ‘sahasra-śīrṣā.’

In the Vedas there is a prayer, Sahasra-śīrṣā. That is very famous prayer. That prayer is offered to this Viṣṇu. Which Viṣṇu? The Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, the Viṣṇu who has entered in every universe.

That Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. CC Madhya 20.293এই ত’ দ্বিতীয়-পুরুষ — ব্রহ্মাণ্ডের ঈশ্বর ।মায়ার ‘আশ্রয়’ হয়, তবু মায়া-পার ॥ ২৯৩ ॥ei ta' dvitīya-puruṣa — brahmāṇḍera īśvaramāyāra 'āśraya' haya, tabu māyā-pāra“This second Personality of Godhead, known as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, is the master of each and every universe and the shelter of the external energy. Nonetheless, He remains beyond the touch of the external energy.

Although this Viṣṇu is the shelter, shelter of the material energy, still, He has nothing to do with this material energy. He is free from the contamination of material energy.

Material energy and the conditioned soul

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there is a verse: apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ māyāṁ ca yad apāśrayam SB 1.7.4*.*

When Vyāsadeva, he was just attempting to write Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by bhakti-yoga, he saw two things: apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇam. He saw the Supreme Personality and the material energy, apāśrayam, just far away from Him.

Because this māyā's task is very thankless task. Māyā's task is very thankless task because she is in charge of these conditioned souls, and her business is to give all the conditioned souls always miseries.

Trisura. You have seen in the hand... You might not have seen, but there is a picture of Durgā, she has got three, trisura. Trisura means three kinds of miseries.

So the māyā, this material nature, is inflicting upon the conditioned soul always three kinds of miseries so that they can come to their conscious, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

But the conditioned souls are so foolish and so dull, they have accepted, "Oh, these miseries are very palatable." Yes.

They have no sense that they are always in three kinds of miseries: adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. This is constantly going on.

Just like in the prison house, when the prisoners are there, it is not meant that they should be comfortably situated there.

The prison house [is] meant for giving them always some trouble so that they can come to their consciousness, that "We have broken... We are lawbreakers.

Therefore we are punished here." But if the prisoner becomes so fool that "All right. Don't care for this prison. Let me finish this term and again commit nuisance and again come to the..." That is going on.

So gatāgataṁ kāma-kāmā labhante So the conditioned souls, they are not coming to the sense that what is their position.

This position, by the grace of some special representative of the Supreme Lord or by the Supreme Lord, is offered to these conditioned souls, that "This is not your place. You are part and parcel of God.

Your place is in the kingdom of God. Your place is there. You are..." Manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati [Bg 15.7]: "You are struggling very hard within this material nature.

Just try to understand your position." So these things are described in scriptures, in the Vedas, so that these foolish conditioned souls may come to their senses and try to become Kṛṣṇa conscious and make their life successful so that they can go back to home, back to Godhead.

Thank you very much. Any question? [end]