It somehow must be understood how the 14 Planetary Systems are in the stem coming from the Body of Garbhodakashayi Vishnu explained in Srimad Bhagavatam canto 1 Chapter 3 Text 2 -
"Within the stem of the lotus there are fourteen divisions of planetary systems, and the earthly planets are situated in the middle".
Srila Prabhupada - "All these planetary systems are scattered over the complete universe, which occupies an area of "two billion times two billion square miles". SB 2.5.40-41, Purport
Question - "I have heard that all of the planets are in the stem of the lotus from which Brahma took birth. How are we to understand this?
Answer by the late Sadaputa dasa PhD - "This is stated in SB 1.3.2p. Since the planetary systems are distributed throughout the universal globe, it must be that the stem encompasses everything within this globe.
We should note that the standard pictures we see of Brahma sitting on the lotus flower are three-dimensional representations of a scene that cannot be seen using our ordinary senses.
Although the pictures show the lotus stem emerging from the navel of Garbhodakashayi Vishnu, Brahma himself was unable to locate the origin of the stem. Thus, part of the scene was beyond the senses of Brahma, and so it is certainly beyond the reach of our senses.
We also note that the planetary systems were created by Brahma from the lotus (SB 3.10.7-8). This suggests that these systems were produced by transforming the substance of the lotus". End of Quote.
Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1 Chapter 3 Text 2 Purport explains -
Srila Prabhupada - "From Karanodakasayi Visnu (Maha Vishnu) skin holes innumerable universes have sprung up. In each and every universe, the purusa enters as the Garbhodakasayi Visnu.
He is lying within the half of the universe which is full with the water of His body. And from the navel of Garbhodakasayi Visnu has sprung the stem of the lotus flower, the birthplace of Brahma, who is the father of all living beings and the master of all the demigod engineers engaged in the perfect design and working of the universal order.
Within the stem of the lotus there are fourteen divisions of planetary systems, and the earthly planets are situated in the middle.
Upwards there are other, better planetary systems, and the topmost system is called Brahmaloka or Satyaloka.
Downwards from the earthly planetary system there are seven lower planetary systems inhabited by the asuras and similar other materialistic living beings.
From Garbhodakasayi Visnu there is expansion of the Ksirodakasayi Visnu, who is the collective Paramatma of all living beings. He is called Hari, and from Him all incarnations within the universe are expanded.
Therefore, the conclusion is that the purusa-avatara is manifested in three features —
First the Karanodakasayi (Maha Vishnu) who creates aggregate material ingredients in the mahat-tattva,
Second the Garbhodakasayi who enters in each and every univere,
Thirdly the Ksirodakasayi Visnu who is the Paramatma of every material object, organic or inorganic.
One who knows these plenary features of the Personality of Godhead knows Godhead properly, and thus the knower becomes freed from the material conditions of birth, death, old age and disease, as it is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, In this sloka the subject matter of Maha-Visnu is summarized.
The Maha-Visnu lies down in some part of the spiritual sky by His own free will. Thus He lies on the ocean of karana, from where He glances over His material nature, and the mahat-tattva is at once created.
Thus electrified by the power of the Lord, the material nature at once creates innumerable universes, just as in due course a tree decorates itself with innumerable grown fruits.
The seed of the tree is sown by the cultivator, and the tree or creeper in due course becomes manifested with so many fruits. Nothing can take place without a cause.
The Karana Ocean is therefore called the Causal Ocean. Karana means "causal." We should not foolishly accept the atheistic theory of creation. The description of the atheists is given in the Bhagavad-gita.
The atheist does not believe in the creator, but he cannot give a good theory to explain the creation. Material nature has no power to create without the power of the purusa, just as a prakrti, or woman, cannot produce a child without the connection of a purusa, or man.
The purusa impregnates, and the prakrti delivers. We should not expect milk from the fleshy bags on the neck of a goat, although they look like breastly nipples.
Similarly, we should not expect any creative power from the material ingredients; we must believe in the power of the purusa, who impregnates prakrti, or nature.
Because the Lord wished to lie down in meditation, the material energy created innumerable universes at once, in each of them the Lord lay down, and thus all the planets and the different paraphernalia were created at once by the will of the Lord.
The Lord has unlimited potencies, and thus He can act as He likes by perfect planning, although personally He has nothing to do. No one is greater than or equal to Him. That is the verdict of the Vedas". SB 1.3.2p
The Brahmanda outer shell or covering is made up of 7 material layers that is 44 quadrillion, 444 trillion, 444 billion miles in diameter.
The 7 layers are - (From S B Canto 6 Chapter 16 Text 37)
1 - EARTH,
2 - WATER,
3 - FIRE,
4 - AIR,
5 - SKY,
6 - TOTAL MATERIAL ENERGY,
7 - FALSE EGO.
Srimad Bhagavatam says there are millions of individual Brahmanda universes coming from Maha Vishnu making up the entire material creation (1/4 of the Spiritual Sky) that also house their own inner universe.
All smaller universes inside their Brahmanda are of different sizes, some, like ours, are only 4 billion miles in diameter.
The "4 billion miles (500,000,000 Yojanas)" diameter of our universe with its 14 planetary systems is one of the smallest.
In Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 3 Chapter 26 text 52 in Purport Srila Prabhupada states -
"The space within the hollow of the universe cannot be measured by any human scientist or anyone else."
This also suggests that something unexpected must happen to space (as well as time) as one approaches the outer universal Brahmanda shell, for it hardly seems impossible to measure a distance of 2 billion miles in ordinary space.
Srila Prabhupada - ''We have to imagine that these universes (Brahmandas), which according to our limited knowledge are expanded unlimitedly, are so great that the gross and subtle ingredients—the five elements of the cosmic manifestation, namely earth, water, fire, air and sky, along with the total material energy and false ego—are not only within the universe but cover the universe in seven layers, each layer ten times bigger than the previous one.
In this way, each and every universe is very securely packed, and there are numberless universes. All these universes float within the innumerable pores of the transcendental body of Mahā-Viṣṇu.
It is stated that just as the atoms and particles of dust are floating within the air along with the birds and their number cannot be calculated, so innumerable universes are floating within the pores of the transcendental body of the Lord. For this reason, the Vedas say that God is beyond the grasp of our knowledge. '' Krsna Book 87
We CANNOT see from one universe to another, this is because our individual universe is surrounded and encased by 7 thick material layers that is our outer egg shaped universe called a Brahmanda.
So it is impossible to see the millions of other Brahmandas outside our inner universe (inside a massive Brahmanda) because of those 7 thick material layers that only rare mystic yogis and advanced devotees like Arjuna can see and pass through.
So of course Krishna and Arjuna did not encounter such limitations that we experience with the combination of these elements like earth, water, fire all gross elements as Bhagavad Gita explains.
Srila Prabhupada - ''The Lord is not visible to the eyes of ordinary men, those who are beyond the covering layers because of their transcendental devotional service can still see Him''. Krsna Book 87
We cannot see through our Brahmanda that surrounds and encases our small universe, Srila Prabhupada is clear on this
Srila Prabhupada - ''Lord Krishna and Arjuna crossed over the great region of darkness covering the material universes. Arjuna then saw the effulgence of light known as the brahmajyoti. The brahmajyoti is situated ''outside the covering of the material universes'', and because it cannot be seen with our present eyes, this brahmajyoti is sometimes called avyakta''. Krsna Book, 89
Hare Krishna !!!
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