Who are Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu (Maha-Visnu), Garbhodakashayi Visnu (Hiraņyagarbha) and Kṣīrodakaśāyī (Paramatma or Supersoul).
Also, are the individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) an eternal bodily spiritual form (person) in their full potential like Krsna's Form?
Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu (Maha-Visnu) is the first of the Purushas (controllers, also known as Visnus and Narayanas) coming from Krsna's first expansion Balarama.
Srila Prabhupada - "Balarāma executes the orders of Lord Kṛṣṇa in the work of creation, and in the form of Lord Śeṣa He serves Kṛṣṇa in various ways. According to expert opinion, Balarāma, as the chief of the original quadruple forms, is also the original Saṅkarṣaṇa.
Krsna's first expansion Balarāma expands Himself in five forms:
(1) Mahā-saṅkarṣaṇa,
(2) Kāraṇodakaśāyī,
(3) Garbhodakaśāyī,
(4) Kṣīrodakaśāyī,
(5) Śeṣa.
These five plenary portions are responsible for both the spiritual and material cosmic manifestations. In these five forms Lord Balarāma assists Lord Kṛṣṇa in His activities. The first four of these forms are responsible for the cosmic manifestations, whereas Śeṣa is responsible for personal service to the Lord.
Śeṣa is called Ananta, or unlimited, because He assists the Personality of Godhead in His unlimited expansions by performing an unlimited variety of services. Śrī Balarāma is the servitor Godhead who serves Lord Kṛṣṇa in all affairs of existence and knowledge.
Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, who is the same servitor Godhead, Balarāma, performs the same service to Lord Gaurāṅga by constant association."is (CC Adi 5.10, Translation and Purport)
Srila Prabhupāda - "Lord Nityānanda is Balarāma, who is the origin of Mahā-Viṣṇu. Kṛṣṇa’s first expansion is Balarāma, a portion of whom is manifested as Saṅkarṣaṇa, who then expands as Pradyumna. In this way so many expansions take place." (CC Introduction)
Although Krsna expands into many forms identical to Himself, He remains the one individual original independent Supreme Personality who is simultaneously one and different with His spiritual worlds and material creation, meaning Krsna is all-pervasive and simultaneously an individual PERSON in perpetual Bodily Form.
Krsna eventually expands as Maha-Visnu (Karanodakshayi Visnu) and creates the material worlds which are actually the dreams of His expansion Maha-Visnu.
Srila Prabhupada – "This material creation is the spirit soul’s dream. Actually all existence in the material world is a dream of Maha-Visnu, as the Brahma-Samhita describes-
"This material world is created by the dreaming of Maha-Visnu. The real, factual platform is the spiritual world, but when the spirit soul wants to imitate the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is put into this dreamland of material creation." (SB Canto 4 Ch 29 text 83)
This material creation is the spirit soul’s dream, actually all existence in the material world is a dream of Maha-Visnu
Srila Prabhupada – "Everything happening within time, which consists of past, present and future, is merely a dream. This is the secret in understanding in all the Vedic literature." (SB Canto 4 Ch 29 text 2b)
Srila Prabhupada – "Our contact with matter is just like dream. Actually we are not fallen. Therefore, because we are not fallen, at any moment we can revive our Krsna consciousness, we break the dream." (Tokyo Japan 1972, SB Canto 2 Ch 9 text 1)
Srila Prabhupada – "Factually all of material existence is only a dream. Thus there is no question of past, present or future. Persons who are addicted to karma-kanda-vicara, which means ‘working for future happiness through fruitive activities’, are also dreaming. Similarly, past happiness and present happiness are merely dreams." (SB Canto 4 Ch 29 text 2b)
The material bodily vessels the jiva-souls possess when they choose to enter the temporary material creation, are "hired" from the dreaming Maha-Visnu.
The material creation takes up 1/4 of the Spiritual Sky, everything going on within the unlimited Brahmanda universes existing there, are the dreams of Maha-Visnu according to Srimad Bhagavatam.
Every bodily material vessel in the material creation must be first "hired" from Maha-Visnu.
Srila Prabhupada - "We are not the owner of this body, not the owner of the senses. The senses are "hired" from the Supreme Lord. This is very subtle understanding, one should know the proprietor of the senses is God." (March 1966 NY City USA)
Srila Prabhupada - "The immediate expansions of the Lord are called svāṁśa or "personal direct" expansions (Visnu-tattva). The "separated" expansions of the Lord are called vibhinnāṁśa - jiva-tattva or independent jiva-souls like us." (BG 10.37, Purport)
Each individual jiva-soul in the spiritual world can "choose" to "voluntarily" serve Krsna in an unlimited variety of ways as an unlimited varieties of bodily forms, or even reject Krsna if they choose to do so, and enter or return to the impermanent material world.
From Balarama, Krsna's first expansion, all the other Visnu/Narayana forms originate, including the three main Visnu expansions in the material creation.
1 - Maha-Visnu (Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu)
2 - Garbhodakashayi Visnu (Hiraņyagarbha)
3 - Kshirodakashayi Visnu (Paramatma or Supersoul)
Maha-Visnu (Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu) creates innumerable universes known as Brahmandas that come from the pores of His skin and breathing as He sleeps and dreams the material creation.
He lies down in the Causal Ocean on the bed of Ananta Shesha (a snake looking expansion of Lord Balarama) and initiates the creation by glancing at His personified material energy, Maya.
From Maha-Visnu (Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu) comes the other two Visnus-
Garbhodakashayi Visnu creates the "secondary universe" that is deep inside the massive surrounding Brahmanda universe.
And Kshirodakashayi Visnu known also as Paramatma accompanies all the jiva-souls who enter the material creation and possess a material bodily vessel that number 8 million 400 thousand species of life (bodies).
Maha-Visnu creates the innumerable Brahmanda universes of various sizes.
Our Brahmanda universe is small compared to others and is said to be 44 quadrillion 444 trillion 444 billion miles in diameter, or double that size if measured from the outer edge of the inner secondary material universe inside it, where Garbhodakashayi Visnu, Brahma, and the 14 planetary systems exist.
Garbhodakashayi Visnu enters into each,"secondary universe" that is deep inside of each Brahmanda universe.
From His naval a lotus stem grows and a lotus flower appears at its end where Lord Brahma resides.
Our Lord Brahma has 4 heads making our inner "secondary material universe" inside the Brahmanda, called Bhu-Mandala among other names, very small at only 4 billion miles in diameter.
Other Lord Brahmas in other "secondary universes" inside their surrounding Brahmanda, have 10 or 100 or 1000, 10,000, 1000,000 or more heads!
This means the Brahmanda universe encasing our inner "secondary universe," is very small compared to other Brahmanda universes.
Ksirodakashayi Visnu enters into each atom in every universe and sits with us souls in our hearts as Supersoul.
Wherever their is Ksirodakashayi Vishnu, also known as Paramatma or Super-Soul, there is the jiva-tattva or individual jiva-soul and that is everywhere in the material creation (sarva-gatah - life is everywhere)
The difference between anti-matter (living energy) and matter (dead energy)?
One is simply "active" live spiritual energy (meaning Krsna and His Visnu-tattva and jiva-tattva (individual jiva-souls) expansions
And the other (matter) is "inactive" spiritual energy that is dormant jiva-souls even in the material atom being almost dead energy (as a collective of inactive individual jiva-souls)
The full explanation of both matter and spirit are they are part and parcel of the Spiritual Sky or Brahmajyoti, or all that there is.
1/4 of the Spiritual Sky is dormant almost dead "lifeless" matter (mahat-tattva) where the jiva-souls, who are individual anti-matter living beings from the spirit world, can enter and become covered by while in the material world.
3/4 is anti-matter that is life or living active individual units of spiritual energy (personal beings) that includes the Krsna, His Visnu-tattva and jiva-jiva-tattva (jiva-souls) expansions.
There are different aspects of the Brahmajyoti or Brahman,
1 - Active or Personalism.
2 - Inactive, dormant or Impersonalism
With dead matter like stone in the material creation, the consciousness of the jiva-souls there are completely dormant, which means almost dead (totally inactive) hence dead matter.
As said above, just another aspect of impersonalism.
The only difference between matter, where the jiva-souls are restricted or dormant, and anti-matter, is the jiva-souls are fully active and awake in Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana, but not necessarily so in the mundane material creation, and certainly never in the impersonal (inactive) Brahmajyoti.
Everything is originally based on personalism or spiritual energy known as "anti-matter" that is unlimited individual jiva-souls Prabhupada explains in "Easy Journey to other planets."
However, in the material creation the jiva-souls (anti-matter) are covered, or almost dormant, and therefore exist in an impersonal lonely existence.
There jiva-souls are eternal, infinite (goes on for infinity) therefore immortal but the material bodily vessels they posses are temporary and are always in a state of decay, decline and eventually die.
This forces the "immortal" jiva-soul within those material bodies that all eventually break down and cease to work, to take another material body.
This could go on for "infinity" or endless life times (trapped in the cycle of birth and death) if one does not find a way out of this material creation and return back home back to Godhead.
As said above and further emphasised here-
1/4 of the Spiritual Sky is known as matter, an almost dead place of inactivity. This place is called the "material creation."
3/4 of the Spiritual Sky is known as anti-matter or Spiritually active and alive. This place is called the spiritual worlds of Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana.
The dormant jiva-souls are even within the material atom but are inactive and almost dead Prabhupada explains.
Srila Prabhupada - "The natural full potential of the jiva-soul is to be fully active in the service of Krsna, such a reality is anti-matter." (Easy Journey to Other Planets)
Revatīnandana - "Srila Prabhupāda you very clearly explained to me once in a letter that if the jiva-soul then goes into the brahmajyoti, he is considered still fallen. Still fallen. Does that means the whole brahmajyoti is composed of fallen souls? You see my question? If I go there, I'm a jīva-soul, and I go to the brahmajyoti I'm still fallen."
Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes."
Revatīnandana - "That means all jīva-souls there are also fallen souls?"
Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, existence in the impersonal brahman is also within the category of non-Krsna consciousness. Those who are in the brahman effulgence are also in the fallen condition, so there is no question of falling down from a fallen condition. When fall takes place, it means falling down from the non-fallen condition (Goloka-Vrindavana and Vaikuntha). The non-fallen condition is Krsna consciousness." (Letter to Revatinandana, LA 13 June, 1970 and 1971 London)
The jiva-soul's original eternal position is in Goloka-Vrindavana, from where they have the same spiritual bodily features as Krsna-
sat,
cit,
ananda,
vigraha.
Which means-
Eternity,
Knowledge,
Bliss,
Form.
They all come together as a perpetual bodily form like Krsna's body.
The jiva-souls have eternally existed without any beginning point or ending point, this means no jiva-souls have originated from anywhere, including-
1 - The impersonal Brahmajyoti.
2 - The Body of Maha-Visnu.
3 - A dormant (inactive) region called tatastha-sakti.
All the above are “conditioned states” outside of the spiritual world, where the jiva-souls fall down to.
The jiva-souls are part and parcel of Krsna's eternal “marginal energy” however, the marginal energy or potency is NOT a place where the jiva-souls have originated from, it simply means the jiva-souls can be under the influence of the spiritual realm or under the influence of the material realm.
There is no origin to Krsna's marginal energy (unlimited individual eternal jiva-souls), who have always existed like Krsna has always existed.
The marginal platform means the eternal jiva-souls belong to that category of marginal living entities (meaning they are influenced by either the spiritual energy, or material energy eternally), explained as follows by Prabhupada.
Srila Prabhupada – “The jiva-souls are Krsna’s marginal energy. Marginal energy means the jiva-souls may be under the control of the spiritual energy, or they may be under the control of material energy. But when the jiva-souls are under the control of the material energy, that is their precarious condition, struggle for existence. And when they are under spiritual energy, that is their original position and life of freedom.” (Los Angeles, Nov 23, 1968)
Srila Prabhupada - "We (the jiva-souls) are marginal energy (jiva-souls) Marginal means sometimes internal, sometimes external. When we are under the internal energy, that is our normal life, and when we are under the external energy, that is our abnormal life. Therefore, we are called marginal energy (jiva-souls); we can be either this way or that way. But being qualitatively one with the purusa, our tendency is to remain in the internal energy. Being in the external energy is our artificial attempt." (Letter to Lilavati, Allston, Mass 25 April, 1969)
Srila Prabhupada - "The material energy, called as Maya, is also one of the multipotencies of the Lord, as much as we (the jiva-souls) are also marginal potency of the Lord. The living entities (jiva-souls) are described as superior energy than matter, when the superior energy is in contact with inferior energy, it becomes an incompatible situation. But when the supreme marginal potency (jiva-souls) are in contact with the spiritual potency, Hara, it becomes the happy, normal condition of the living entity." (The Happening Album, New York City, Dec 1966)
Srila Prabhupada - "You are also energy; you are marginal energy (jiva-soul) Marginal energy means you (the jiva-souls) may be under the control of the spiritual energy or you may be under the control of material energy—your marginal position. But when you are under the control of the material energy, that is your precarious condition, struggle for existence. And when you are under spiritual energy, that is your life of freedom." (Intro BG As It Is, Los Angeles, Nov 23, 1968)
Therefore, being “generated” from the marginal plane does not mean “originating” from the marginal plain because there is no origin of the jiva-souls, they are eternally part and parcel of the marginal plain that has always existed and has no origin.
Srila Prabhupada – “The jiva-souls are Krsna's marginal energy. Marginal energy means we can live either in this external energy or in the internal energy, in between. So at the present moment we are living in the external energy. But this external energy is also Kṛṣṇa's energies, God's energy. It is not different from Him. But the external energy means we are captivated by the external energy. But the external energy is not permanent. The internal energy is permanent. The spiritual world is permanent, and the jiva-souls are also permanent as Bhagavad Gita As It Is Chapter 2 text 20 (1983 edition) reveals.” (Lecture on BG 9.4 -Melb, Australia April 23, 1976)
Bhagavad Gita As It Is Chapter 2 text 20 explains the jiva-souls have existed for “infinity.” This means, just like Krsna, they are beginning less and endless, and were NEVER created-
Bhagavad Gita - “For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.” (BG Ch 2 text 20 “corrected” 1983 edition)
Bhagavad Gita As It Is Chapter 2 text 12 also confirms the jiva-souls were NEVER created.
This is because they have no origin and have existed for infinity like Krsna has, as Krsna explains-
Bhagavad Gita - “Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.” (BG 2.12)
The jiva-souls and Kṛṣṇa have always existed.
Srila Prabhupada – “There are no new souls, new and old are due to this material body, but the jiva-soul is never born and never dies, so if there is no birth, how can there be new souls?” (Letter to Jagadisa dasa, 7/9/1970)
The full potential and original feature of all marginal living entities, is a "two-arm form" like Krsna's Body.
Srila Prabhupada - "The spirit soul is NOT formless; it has got form, the spirit soul always has form and is expressed as hands, legs, heads, everything. But with our material eyes at the present, our gross eyes, we cannot see these facts; therefore we foolishly believe the jiva-souls have no form." (Lecture on BG 2.14 - Mexico, Feb 14, 1975)
Devotee - "What is the form of the spiritual body. If the spirit soul is non-material, what is the form?"
Srila Prabhupāda - "There is form, just like this material body is compared with the dress. Now, just like in your present material form you have got hand; therefore your coat has got hand. You have got legs; therefore your pant has got legs. Therefore it is to be assumed that the spirit soul always has got form, and is expressed as hands, legs, heads, everything. The spirit soul is not formless; it has got form. But with our material eyes at the present, gross eyes, we cannot find it; therefore we say and foolishly believe it has no form." (Lecture BG 2.14, Mexico, Feb 14, 1975)
Devotee – "Is the original body of the spirit soul a human form?"
Srila Prabhupada – "Yes, human form. God is also human form. "Man is made after the shape of God." I think there is in the Bible. Is it not? So God is also like human form. Here you see Krsna, two hands, two legs."
Hari-sauri – "How do we understand, then, that there are peacocks and flowers and trees in the spiritual world? Are these not eternal forms?"
Srila Prabhupada – "[describing material form first]: Yes, they are more covered. Just like if you cover your body with blanket, the hands and legs are invisible. But you are not the blanket. So the trees and plants, they are more covered. They are not in full manifestation. The human form is the full manifestation of the soul."
Hari-sauri - "They are covered in the spiritual world?"
Srila Prabhupada - "Not in the spiritual world. There that is voluntary. Some devotee wants to serve Krsna as flower; they become flower there. If I want to be a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna, he becomes flower, voluntarily, and he can change his, from flower to human body. That is spiritual life. There is no restriction. If some devotee wants to serve Krsna as cow, he serves Krsna as cow, as calf, as flower, as plant, as water, as ground, field, or as father, as mother, as friend, as beloved, anything. It is inconceivable, yet a fact." (SB Canto 6. Ch 1.1-4 - Melb, May 20, 1975)
Once while Krsna was ruling Dvaraka, Lord Brahma from our material universe came to see Him.
Our small material universe, created by Garbhodakashayi Visnu, is maintained by our Lord Brahma who builds the planetary systems inside it.
Furthermore, our material universe is deep inside a larger surrounding universe called a Brahmanda that comes from the Body of Maha-Visnu and his breathing.
There are billions of these massive Brahmanda universes each with a secondary smaller material universe inside of them.
The doorman of Dvaraka immediately informed Krsna of Brahma’s arrival.
When Krsna was informed, He immediately asked the doorman-
Krsna - "Which Brahma is it? What is his name, what universe is he from?"
The doorman returned and questioned Lord Brahma of which Brahma he was.
The doorman asked - "Which Brahma are you, which universe are you from?"
Lord Brahma was very surprised as he believed he was the only Brahma.
Lord Brahma said - "Please inform Krsna that I am the four-headed Brahma who is the father of the four Kumaras."
The doorman then went and told Krsna what Brahma had said, and Krsna then gave Brahma permission to enter.
The doorman escorted Lord Brahma in, and as soon as Brahma saw Krsna he offered obeisances at the Supreme Lord's Lotus feet.
After being worshiped by Brahma, Krsna also honored Lord Brahma with suitable words.
Krsna asked - "Why have you come to visit me?"
Brahma replied - "I will later tell You why I have come but first I have some doubts in my mind which I wish You too kindly answer why did you inquire which Brahma had come to see You? What is the purpose of such an inquiry? Is there any other Brahma besides me within the universe?"
Upon hearing this, Krsna smiled and closed His eyes in meditation.
Then immediately an unlimited number of Brahmas appeared instantly to the great suprise of our Brahma.
Furthermore all these Brahmas had a different numbers of heads than our Brahma's four heads.
Some had ten heads, some twenty, some a hundred, some a thousand, some had ten thousand, some had a hundred thousand, some had ten million and some had hundreds of millions.
No one can count the number of faces they had and Lord Brahma was totally amazed at what he was seeing.
To Brahma's surprise, there also arrived many Lord Sivas with various heads numbering one hundred thousand and also some with ten million!
Many Indras also arrived, and they had hundreds of thousands of eyes all over their bodies.
When our four-headed Brahma from our single material universe situated deep inside our surrounding Brahmanda, saw all these opulences of Krsna, he became very bewildered and considered himself to be very small and insignificant in a great material universal creation that was much bigger than he could ever imagined existed!
As these Brahmas that arrived to see Krsna, offered their respects at Krsna’s lotus feet, and when they did this, their helmets touched His lotus feet.
No one can estimate the inconceivable potency of Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes.
All the Brahmas who were there, were resting in the one body of Krsna.
When all their helmets struck together at Krsna’s ’s lotus feet, there was a tumultuous sound.
It appeared that the helmets themselves were offering prayers unto Krsna’s lotus feet.
With folded hands, all the Brahmas and Sivas began to offer prayers unto Krsna, saying, "O Lord, You have shown me a great favour. I have been able to see Your lotus feet."
All the Brahmas then said - "It is my great fortune, Lord Krsna, that You have called me, thinking of me as Your servant. Now let me know what Your order is so that I may carry it on all my heads."
Krsna replied - "Since I wanted to see all of you together, I have called all of you here, all of you should be happy. Is there any fear from the demons?"
The Brahms replied - "By Your mercy, we are victorious everywhere, whatever burden was upon us You have taken away by descending on my planet in my universe."
All the Brahmas then believed that Krsna was always staying in their jurisdiction.
None of the Brahmas could see the other Brahmas except for our Brahma who Krsna allowed to be seen so he could understand he is not the only Lord Brahma.
Thus the opulence of Krsna's abode Dvaraka was perceived by each and every one of the Lord Brahmas.
As already explained, although they were all assembled together, none of the Lord Brahma could see any other Brahma.
Krsna then bade farewell to all the Brahmas, and after offering their obeisances, they all returned to their respective material universes that exists deep inside their respected larger Brahmanda universes.
As said above, after observing all these opulences, our four-headed Brahma from our universe was astonished. He again came before the lotus feet of Krsna and offered Him obeisances.
Brahma said - "Whatever I formerly decided about my knowledge, I have just now had personally verified-
jananta eva janantu
kim bahuktya na me prabho
manaso vapuso vaco
vaibhavam tava gocarah
There are people who say, I know everything about Krsna. Let them think in that way. As far as I am concerned, I do not wish to speak very much about this matter. O my Lord, let me say this much. As far as your opulence’s are concerned, they are all beyond the reach of my mind, body and words." (SB Canto 10 Ch 14 text 38)
Krsna says - "Your particular universe extends four billion miles in diameter; therefore it is the smallest of all the material universes. Consequently you have only four heads."
Some of the secondary universes (inside the Brahmanda) are 4 billion miles in diameter, some are 8 billion, some 80 billion miles etc etc. Thus they are almost unlimited in area.
And the size of the outer Brahmanda universes are different too, some are billion of times bigger than our Brahmanda.
And as already explained, the size of each secondary material universe inside their larger 0th Brahmanda, is determined by the number of heads each Brahma has.
Maha-Visnu maintains innumerable material universes (Brahmandas) originating from His bodily pores and breathing.
Krsna explains - "No one can measure the length and breadth of one fourth of My energy. And who can measure the three fourths that is eternally manifest in the spiritual world?
Beyond the River Viraja is a spiritual nature, which is indestructible, eternal, inexhaustible and unlimited.
The Supreme Abode consists of three fourths of the Lord’s opulences and is known as paravyoma, the Spiritual Sky." (Adapted from CC Madhya-lila ch 21).*××*
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