Origin of Gods - Part III - Viswarupa & Creation

As described by Brahma in Brahma Samhita, Purusa, the master of the universe, Mahä-Visnu, possesses thousands upon thousands of heads, thousands upon thousands of eyes, thousands upon thousands of arms,and thousands upon thousands of incarnations and plenary expansions (Sahasra-sirsä). He is the Self of the cosmos, and He alone creates thousands upon thousands of living entities.

The intrinsic form and nature of Mahä-Visnu, as stated in srimad-Bhägavatam (2.6.42)is, the first avatära of Bhagavän, the Lord of the spiritual realm, is the purusa who lies down in the Causal Ocean and casts His glance upon material nature. The following are all substances related to Paramesvara: His activities, such as the creation of time and acquired nature; material nature, which is composed of cause and effect; the unmanifest stage of material nature (mahattattva); the gross elements; false ego; the aggregate of the modes of material nature beginning with the mode of goodness manifested as various forms of life; hellish planets such as Pätälaloka; the aggregate of living entities; Garbhodakasäyi Visnu; moving and non-moving entities; and individual bodies. The gigantic purusa, who instigates the activities of material nature and who has thousands of heads and so on, has been called the original avatära who assumes a pastime form. His activities include creation of the time factor, acquired nature and other elements of the material creation. Thus, the original puruña-avatära creates, maintains and destroys within Himself and by Himself, at the beginning of every lifetime of Brahmä. Although He is one, He is manifest in many forms through His illusory energy. This universe, consisting of factual existence and the non-factual or temporary existence of cause and effect, is situated within Him alone. Therefore, all these phenomena have been called substances related to Him.

This Mahä-Visnu is known within the world of mäyä by the name Näräyana. The water of the Causal Ocean has emanated from this eternal purusa. He is the supreme predominator, possessed of thousands of plenary portions, although He Himself is a plenary portion of the Sankarsana. The eternal purusa takes shelter of mystic slumber and lies down in the vast waters of Virajä, hence the name Narayana ( Nara=water; ayana=shelter). He is a partial expansion of Mahä-Sankarsana in Vaikuntha. The Sankarsana in the chamber of Goloka, who was described earlier, is Müla-Sankarsana, His plenary portion in the second quadruple expansion in Vaikuntha is called Mahä-Sankarsana, and käranodakasayi Mahä-Visnu is an expansion of this Mahä-Sankarsana. It is His pastime to create the Causal Ocean and lie down in it in mystic slumber, which is a state of trance induced by His own intrinsic, ecstatic nature. Bhagavän’s state of trance in the form of absorption in His own pleasure potency is called Yoga-nidrä. Ramä-devi, who was mentioned previously, presents herself as Yogamäyä. The transcendental seeds of Saìkarsana emerge in the form of countless golden eggs from the pores of the skin of Mahä-Visnu as He reclines in the Causal Ocean. All those eggs remain covered by the great material elements.

Innumerable universes, each assembled in the f0rm of 24 elements of creation are born from Mahä-Visnu as He lies in the Causal Ocean.The elemsnts are as follows: five gross elements (earth, water, fire, air and space); five sense objects (form, taste, fragrance, sound and touch); the five knowledge-acquiring senses (eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin); the five working senses (speech, hands, legs, rectum and genitals); and the three subtle senses (mind, intelligence and false ego). Along with the unmanifest material energy and the living entities, all these elements were contained within the illusory material nature in the form of the seeds of Mahä- Sankarsana, the presiding deity of the twenty-four elements of creation.

Each universe has an innermost portion extending 5,000,000,000 yojanas (40,000,000,000 miles), and its outer portion consists of the seven coverings beginning with earth, each extending ten times further than the previous one. There are millions upon billions of universes that extend even further than this universe. Nevertheless, millions and billions of such universes are situated like tiny atomic particles within each of the skin-pores of Mahä-Visnu. That Käranodakasayi Visnu is the cause of all the universes.

Then Mahä-Visnu entered into every individual universe as His individual plenary portions, each of which is complete with all His mystic opulences. In other words, within each universe Mahä-Visnu assumes the form of the universal soul (Garbhodakasayi Visnu) with thousands upon thousands of heads. Every one of those plenary portions is directly Visnu, and they are similar to Mahä-Visnu in every respect. Each Garbhodakasayi Visnu is the aggregate feature of all forms of the indwelling witness.

Then Mahä-Visnu created Visnu from His left side, Prajäpati (Hiranyagarbha the orginator of Brahma) from His right side, and Sambhu in the form of an effulgent linga from between His eyebrows, in each of the universe. Ksirodakasayi Visnu is the indwelling witness of the individual living entity, whereas Garbhodakasayi Visnu is the indwelling witness of the aggregate of living entities. The primal progenitor originating from the right side of Maha-Visnu is Hiranyagarbha, the expansion of the Lord, and he is different from the four-headed Brahmä. This Hiranyagarbha is the seed principle of each of the Brahmäs in all the unlimited universes.