In the spiritual world all relationships with Krsna are voluntary and equally blissful to each other, just like one may like a carnation flower while others may choose to like a rose flower.

Srila Prabhupada - “The individual jiva-soul's position in the spiritual world is voluntary, some devotees want to serve Krsna as a flower; so they become flower there. If I want to be a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna and become flower, voluntarily, and I he can change from flower to human body if I choose, 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, as a flagpole pole, as chair, as chariot or as father, as mother, as friend, as beloved, anything. It is inconceivable, yet a fact." (SB, Canto 6 Ch 1 text 1-4 , Melb, Australia May 20, 1975)

The marginal living entities (individual jiva-souls) can never lose their "free will" (the voluntary ability of self expression) that allows them to independently choose how serve in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana the way they want to serve Krsna or Visnu.

This means the individual jiva-souls in the spiritual world always can eternally express themselves in their own unique way with offerings of personal contributions they choose to offer to Krsna.

Srila Prabhupada - "Because you are Son of God you have independence, you have acquired the quality of your father, so God does not interfere with your independence. If you persist that “I must enjoy independently,” God says, “All right, you can go.” This is the position, if you persist, God sanctions. And you can come here and enjoy." (Melb, Australia June 25, 1974)

Srila Prabhupada – "So everyone can know that independence means one can use it properly, or one can misuse it. That is independence. If you make it one way only, that is not independence, that is being force which denies free will." (Los Angeles, June 23, 1975)

Srila Prabhupada - "Free will means that you can act wrongly. That is free will, unless there is chance of doing wrong or right, there is no question of free will. Where is free will then? If I can only act one sided, that means I have no free will. Because we act sometimes wrongly, that means we have free will."

Hayagriva dasa - "A man may know better but still act wrongly."

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes, but that is free will, he misuses his free will, just like a thief, he knows his stealing is wrong, but still he does it, that is free will. He cannot check his greediness, so in spite of his knowing that he is doing the wrong thing, he will be punished, he knows; he has seen another thief, he was punished, he was put into prison— everything he knows, but still he steals. Why? Misuse of free will. Unless there is the possibility of misuse of free will, then there is no question of free will. (Based on excerpt from - Discussions with Srila Prabhupada on Rene Descartes philosophy)

The individual jiva-souls are independent living entities known as the marginal living entities in the spiritual world, who each eternally have their own unique personality separate from Krsna and Viṣṇu. 

This means each individual jiva-soul perpetually has their own unique feelings of being independent from Krsna, yet paradoxically are simultaneously dependent on Krsna because everything is Krsna's creation and He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes.

The reason why Krsna gives the individual jiva-souls their independence and free will, is so they can choose for themselves in a two-way cooperative exchange how to serve Him in their own unique personal way, or even reject Him if they choose.

Free will also means the individual jiva-souls can always voluntarily contribute their own unique offerings to without any pressure or force from Krsna. Real love or service can only exist when free will allows the individual jiva-souls to voluntarily participate and cooperate in "two-way" loving devotional exchanges and contribute to the relationship with Krsna.

Srila Prabhupada - "Love means you take and you give also. Suppose if you love somebody and you simply take from him, but you don't give. Oh, do you think it is very good? No, it is not good, that is not love, that is exploitation. If I go on simply taking from you and do not offer you something in return, then that is simply exploitation." (Lecture BG, Ch 9 text 2-5, New York City, Nov 23, 1966)

Srila Prabhupada - "We have got the propensity to love. Love means somebody else. Love cannot be experienced by just one, no, there must be two. Love cannot be executed only by one, there must be another one. I love somebody; somebody loves me, there must be lover, there must be beloved, and the transaction, then love." (Lecture SB, Canto 1 Ch 2 text 6, Delhi, Nov. 12, 1973)

Srila Prabhupada -"The impersonalist philosophy is oneness, so how can there be love with just one? Is it possible? Have you got any such experience that Love means one? No. Love means two. There must be two, the lover and the beloved. Kṛṣṇa is already lover. He's so lover of you that He's trying to get you back. That is Kṛṣṇa's attempt. "Please, My dear boy, or My dear friend, My dear servant..." (Lecture SB, Canto 2 Ch 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974)

Surrender to Krsna in the spiritual world does not mean giving up your free will and allowing Krsna to control all your every actions, deeds, words and thoughts, no, the individual jiva-souls in the spiritual world are not programmed "mindless" drones who only obey and never contribute to the relationship with Krsna in their own unique way by thinking for themselves.

The individual jiva-souls can never lose their independent free will in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana, which is their God given ability of self expression that allows them offering their own personal contributions to Krsna that are "unique" to each individual jiva-soul.

Only by having free will can genuine loving exchanges and reciprocation in a two-way exchange take place. And without free will, the individual jiva-souls are no better than dead stone Prabhupada has told us.

Furthermore, Krsna never interferes with the free will of the individual jiva-souls, because if He did and never allowed them to have their free will to make their own choices and decisions in the spiritual world, then that also would mean loving exchanges and voluntarily reciprocation with Krsna would not be able to exist - love is only possible when there are two and never possible with just one.

If one is forced to worship Krsna or Visnu then that is NOT love, it is tyranny, bullying and impersonalism.

The "impersonal" version of Krsna's abode of Goloka-Vrindavana or the Vaikuntha Planets where jiva-souls are forced to surrender their "free will" and allow their bogus version of Krsna (God) to take over their individual existence by doing all their thinking for them, as many nonsense sangas (religious cults) propagate, is dangerous IMPERSONALISM.

Having genuine "free will" on the other hand, allows the jiva-souls to be themselves, which is an independent unique contributing PERSON who can ALWAYS voluntarily choose their own personal offerings to Krsna.

Voluntary service is the bases of REAL surrender in Goloka Vrindavana and the Vaikuntha Planets which are the permanent eternal home and origin of the marginal living entities (jiva-souls).

The jiva-souls in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana are forever voluntarily expanding the expression of their unique individuality with an increasing variety of personal devotional offerings based on free will, it is NEVER a nonsense one-sided master/slave mindless relationship with Krsna as Prabhupada explains.

Krsna does NOT control the "surrendered" jiva-souls by FORCE like a puppet master controls every movement of his puppets with the manipulations of strings, denying self expression, individual contributions and voluntary service.

However, Krsna DOES control His pure devotees with love because the the jiva-soul allows this out of their unconditional love for Krsna.  

Srila Prabhupada - "Krsna does not want to become a lover by force, from the point of revolver. ‘You love me, otherwise I shall kill you!’ That is not love; that is threatening. Love is reciprocal, voluntary, good exchange of feeling. Then there is love. Not by force; no, that is rape. Why one is called lover, another is called rape?” (July 8, 1976 in Washington, D.C.)

If the jiva-souls had no "free will" in the Spiritual World then they are no better than dead stone Prabhupada tells us.

Srila Prabhupada - "If you have no "free will", then you are a stone. The stone has no "free will". You want to be stone? Then you must have "free will!" But don't misuse your "free will". But don't try to become stone either. That is not life". (August 5, 1976, New Mayapur France)

Srila Prabhupada - "As living spiritual jiva-souls we are all originally Kṛṣṇa conscious entities, but due to our association with matter since time immemorial, our consciousness is now polluted by material atmosphere.

When the superior energy is in contact with inferior energy, it becomes an incompatible situation. But when the supreme marginal potency is in contact with the spiritual potency, Harā, it becomes the happy, normal condition of the living entity.

This transcendental vibration of chanting-

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

This is the sublime method for reviving our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As living spiritual souls we are all originally Kṛṣṇa conscious entities, but due to our association with matter since time immemorial, our consciousness is now polluted by material atmosphere.

In this polluted concept of live, we are all trying to exploit the resources of material nature, but actually we are becoming more and more entangled in her complexities.

This illusion is called māyā, or hard struggle for existence over the stringent laws of material nature. This illusory struggle against the material nature can at once be stopped by revival of our Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not an artificial imposition on the mind. This consciousness is the original energy of the living entity. When we hear the transcendental vibration, this consciousness is revived. And the process is recommended by authorities for this age. 

By practical experience also, we can perceive that by chanting this mahā-mantra, or the great chanting for deliverance, one can at once feel transcendental ecstasy from the spiritual stratum.

When one is factually on the plane of spiritual understanding, surpassing the stages of sense, mind and intelligence, one is situated on the transcendental plane.

This chanting of-

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

is directly enacted from the spiritual platform, surpassing all lower states of consciousness namely sensual, mental and intellectual.

There is no need of understanding the language of the mantra, nor is there any need of mental speculation nor any intellectual adjustment for chanting this mahā-mantra.

It springs automatically from the spiritual platform, and as such, anyone can take part in this transcendental sound vibration, without any previous qualification, and dance in ecstasy. We have seen it practically. Even a child can take part in the chanting, or even a dog can take part in it.

The chanting should be heard, however, from the lips of a pure devotee of the Lord, so that immediate effect can be achieved.

As far as possible, chanting from the lips of a nondevotee should be avoided, as much as milk touched by the lips of a serpent causes poisonous effect.

The word Harā is a form of addressing the energy of the Lord. Both Kṛṣṇa and Rāma are forms of addressing directly the Lord, and they mean "the highest pleasure, eternal." Harā is the supreme pleasure potency of the Lord.

This potency, when addressed as Hare, helps us in reaching the Supreme Lord.

The material energy, called mayā, is also one of the multipotencies of the Lord, as much as we are also the marginal potency of the Lord.

The "marginal living entities" (jiva-souls) are described as a 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 is in contact with the spiritual potency, Harā, it becomes the happy, normal condition of the living entity.

The three words, namely Harā, Kṛṣṇa and Rāma, are transcendental seeds of the mahā-mantra, and the chanting is a spiritual call for the Lord and His internal energy, Harā, for giving protection to the conditioned soul.

The chanting is exactly like a genuine cry by the child for the mother. Mother Harā helps in achieving the grace of the supreme father, Hari, or Kṛṣṇa, and the Lord reveals Himself to such a sincere devotee. 

No other means, therefore, of spiritual realization is as effective in this age, as chanting the mahā-mantra. (Purport to Hare Krsna Mantra as explained on the cover of the "Happening Record Album" recorded December 1966 New York City, USA)

Devotee – “When we are in the spiritual sky and serving Krsna, we have a perfect relationship with Krsna, what causes us to fall down in the material world, because we’re already serving Krsna?”

Srila Prabhupada – “Because you desire to fall down. Here it is explained that “Don’t fall down.”

Devotee – “Srila Prabhupada, I can’t understand why we should have an impure desire when we are already serving…”

Srila Prabhupada – “Because you have got little freedom. Why one is not coming here and going to the liquor shop? It is his desire.

Devotee – “In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it says that Krsna did not want us to come to this material world. If Krsna did not want us to come, why are we here?”

Srila Prabhupada – “Yes. You forced Krsna to allow you to come. Just like sometimes a child forces his father. Father says, “My dear son, do not do this. Do not go there.” But he insists, “Oh, I must go. I must go.” “All right, you go at your risk and suffer. What can be done? So because you are son of God you have acquired the quality of your father so God does not interfere with your independence (free will). (Lecture Melbourne, Australia June 25, 1974)

Srila Prabhupada - "Unless there is chance of doing wrong or right, there is no question of "free will". Where is "free will" if I can act only one sided? That means I have no "free will". Because we CAN act wrongly (sometimes), that means we have free will." (Discussions with Srila Prabhupada – Rene Descartes).

The marginal living entities (jiva-souls) NEVER lose their "free will" because they are eternal as Bhagavad Gita explains,

Bhagavad Gita As It Is Chapter 2 Text 20.

"For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain".

"Free will" has NOTHING to do with the material body, "free will" is a symptom of the eternal jiva-soul.

"Free will" is the constitutional makeup of the pure jiva-souls in Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana where nothing material exists, including material bodily vessels.×××

Maha-Visnu, a direct expansion of Kṛṣṇa (God), creates the temporary material world with His dreaming. Maha-Visnu sees and knows everything there is, including all that exists within the boundaries of material time's past, present and future that are happening simultaneously (all at once) like the frames existing all together in a sequence on a film reel.

In this way, everything that exists in the temporary material world, are Maha-Visnu's endless variety of "dreams" that covers every combination, outcome and scenario there is in the material world that the individual jiva-souls desire. 

There are a boundless assortment of material bodily vessels made of matter within Maha-Visnu's dreams of the material world. 

Each material bodily vessel (matter) houses a fallen individual jiva-soul (anti-matter) who left their real home in the spiritual world where everyone voluntarily serves Krsna in various ways, and entered Maha-Visnu's temporary material world of non-living matter, where they become covered by that matter in the form of a temporary material bodily vessel. 

No life comes from the material world, all life found in the material world originates from the spiritual world, known as the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana. 

No individual jiva-souls originates from the material world, or from the Body of Maha-Visnu, or from the impersonal brahmajyoti. 

In the material world, each dream of Maha-Visnu exists as a permanent pathway (moving along the road of past, present and future) made of material bodily vessels (matter) so the individual jiva-souls (anti-matter) can travel "through/on/in/along" as a living individual passenger.

All individual material bodily vessels or containers (none living matter) within the material world, house the living individual jiva-souls (anti-matter) as a unique passenger also known as the individual life force.

The material bodily vessels occupied by the individual jiva-souls, originates from the dreams of Maha-Visnu, and are "hired" from Him so they can enter His temporary material world. 

All of Maha-Visnu's dreams in the material world (Maya) are very real but temporary. 

Within the eternal dreams of Maha-Visnu, past, present and future are happening simultaneously above the flow of "a one direction" time known as "linear time," where the individual jiva-souls experiencing the sequence of events known as past, present and future. 

However, Maha-Visnu's unique view is above that "linear time" explained above because He sees everything all at once, past, present and future, all happening "now."

As said above, in the material world created by the dreaming Maha-Visnu, there is an unlimited variety of temporary material bodily containers or vessels that "house" the fallen individual jiva-souls while in the material world.

All material bodily vessels are "hired" off Maha-Visnu are an instant alternative for those individual jiva-souls who have chosen to reject serving Krsna or Visnu in the spiritual world, known as the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana (The Kingdom of God), and enter Maha-Visnu's dreams of the material world. 

In other words, all material bodily vessels (matter) are provided (hired) by Maha-Visnu to those individual jiva-souls (anti-matter) who have chosen to no longer stay in the spiritual world (also anti-matter). 

The spiritual world of the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana takes up 75% of Krsna’s creation where all that there is (life) exists as individual personalities.

However, a small minority of these individual jiva-souls (less than 10%) choose to reject Krsna and Visnu in the spiritual world and foolishly attempt to live a separate existence in the temporary material world covered by a material bodily vessel, that takes up 25% of Krsna's creation. 

The rejection of Krsna/Visnu does not mean they can live a separate existence from Krsna's creation, that is not possible. The material world is always eternally under Krsna's management, administrated by His direct expansions Maha-Visnu, Garbhodakashayi-Visnu and Ksirodakaśāyī Visnu (Paramātmā or Supersoul). In this way, everything remains under the ultimate control of Krsna directly and indirectly, including the individual jiva-soul's free will. 

This is because Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes, meaning everything is part and parcel of His spiritual and material creations. He is always the Supreme Controller.  

Srila Prabhupada - "We are not the owner of this body, not the owner of the material 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, New York City)

The mysterious workings of Maha-Visnu's material creation of dreams works in a way that not even science fiction writers could ever imagine. Maha-Visnu (God) dreams His temporary material creation and knows all past, present and future simultaneously. 

Maha-Visnu's dreams of the material creation where all past, present and future exist simultaneously can also be known as His "Block material universe," a concept that merges modern scientific theoretical physics with Vedic cosmology. It describes the material world as a four-dimensional construct stretching across past, present, and future simultaneously, which eternally exists as Mahā-Viṣṇu's dream.

The entire temporary material world comprises of countless massive Brahmanda individual material universes described in Srimad Bhagavatam's 5th Canto as Cosmic eggs that manifests from the pores and breathing of Maha-Visnu as He sleeps in the causal ocean. 

The total expanse of His reality, including all time (past, present and future) and space, is contained within His dreaming state.

In theoretical physics, the "Block material universe" posits that time is a static dimension where all past, present, and future events exist simultaneously. 

In the context of Maha-Visnu, as said above, this means that every single permutation of the material world and every sequence of events, every possible outcome and scenario "already" and eternally exists within His dreams.

The "Block material universe" and its unlimited collection of material bodily vessels that "house" the individual jiva-souls in matter, are eternally Maha-Visnu's dreams of the temporary material world. 

All material bodily vessels are a continuous flow-on-moving-containers on an established pathway of past, present and future for the embodied individual jiva-souls to move through, just like an already existing film on a movie reel. 

In other words, the material dreams of Maha-Visnu are a permanent fixture of material bodily vessels that move like the frames on a movie reel. In this way, the individual jiva-souls move through past, present and future in those material bodily vessels like a projector plays each frame on the movie reel.

Those individual jiva-souls (anti-matter) who travel this journey through the material world are always contained in a material bodily vessel (matter) as a passenger, it is that material bodily vessel carrying the individual jiva-soul that moves through past, present and future carrying the individual jiva-soul as its passenger. As said above, these pathways of material bodily containers are "hired" from Maha-Visnu dreams so the individual jiva-souls can enter His material world.  

The fact is, the individual jiva-souls are eternally a spiritual living personality (anti-material) in both the spiritual world and the material world. In the material world they are eternally separate from the temporary mundane material bodily covering and pathway they "hire" from Maha-Visnu explained above. 

The individual jiva-souls who choose to leave Krsna's (God's) spiritual world, which is their real home (as said above only less than 10% leave), must enter a temporary material bodily vessel in the material world "hired" from Maha-Visnu (also God) to experience their desires separate from Krsna or Visnu. Everything the individual jiva-soul's desires is included within the dreams of Maha-Visnu as explained above.  

Maha-Visnu is also God being Kṛṣṇa's expansion. His dreams of the material world covers everything, this means every combination, senerio and outcome already exists within Maha-Visnu's dreams.

Navigating the paradox of "free will" undergoing the laws of karma, are included in Maha-Visnu's already dreamed dreams of the material world.

Maha-Visnu (Karanadaksayi Visnu) exists beyond and above the simultaneous always existing pathway of material time's past, present and future, who is dreaming the entirety of the material multi-verse also called the "Block material universe."

Garbhodakashayi Visnu enters each individual Brahmanda material universe to maintain them and facilitate His secondary material universe managed by Lord Brahma and his demigods that exists deep inside each massive Brahmanda material universe as painting here reveals. 

Lord Brahma (also an individual jiva-soul known as jiva-tattva) is born from the navel of Garbhodakashayi Visnu to shape and populate the inner material secondary universe within each massive Brahmanda material universe where each have a number of planetary systems based on their size. 

For example, there are 14 planetary systems inside our Brahmanda material universe where Brahma has only 4 heads. Other inner secondary material universes inside their Brahmanda, Brahma can have 10, 40, 500, 1000, even a million heads. 

For the non-devotees and mundane material scientists, this is inconceivable to comprehend. For those who believe in God, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe in God, no explanation is possible.  

It should be also made clear that no individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) originate from Maha-Visnu, they only move into His dreams after leaving the spiritual world where they possess (hire) a suitable material bodily vessel according to their desires for their journey through Maha-Visnu's temporary material world. 

Furthermore, the individual jiva-souls do not originate from the inactive impersonal brahmajyoti either, or a border realm called taṭastha-sakti claimed by some to be the origin of the individual jiva-souls. This is because the individual jiva-souls have no origin due to being beginningless and endless like Krsna as Bhagavad Gita Chapter two text 12 to 30 explains.  

There are unlimited material bodily vessels available to those individual jiva-souls who have chosen to leave (reject) the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana that instantly places them within the dreams of Maha-Visnu inside His material creation (the Block material universe).

To make it clearer, the individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities), just like Krsna, were never created, each individual jiva-soul has no origin or end to their existence because they were never created, they have always existed.

The term "individual" is stressed here because spiritual energy (anti-matter) is an unlimited collection of "individual units of persons" headed by Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes.

Although Krsna Himself is "all-one with His own creation" (actually similtaneously one and different), all His individual jiva-souls expansions are eternally "individual persons" known as the "marginal living entites" 

The word marginal here means being on the border where they can choose to remain in the spiritual world (their natural eternal home due to always being anti-material by nature no matter where they are), or enter (fall) to the temporary material world, their unnatural home.  

Marginal further means they can always choose to stay in the spiritual world (their natural home and original position as said above, or attempt to live in the temporary material world within a variety of material bodily vessels.  

Krsna and the individual jiva-souls are like the Sun-disc and the sun-rays that cannot be separated from each other, therefore they always exist together in both the spiritual and material worlds. 

This also means that if an individual jiva-soul rejects Visnu or Krsna and leaves the spiritual world, they are still eternally dependent on Krsna through His expansions like Maha-Visnu because everything belongs to Krsna due to being His creation.

It is important to understand that Krsna and the individual jiva-souls have always existed meaning they were never created.

It is foolish to believe the individual jiva-souls originated from the impersonal brahmajyoti as nonsense mayavadis, impersonalist and some mislead Vaisnavas sadly consider.

The real home and original position of the individual jiva-souls is always in either the Vaikuntha planets of Lord Visnu, or Krsna's central Abode of Goloka-Vrindavana, and not foolishly living in the temporary mundane material world, or merged inactively (dormant) and artificially in the impersonal Brahmajyoti.

From Maha-Visnu's point of view, who sees and knows everything, the movement through material time's past, present and future (also called the block material universe), exist simultaneously and is always existing as a permanent pathway made of material bodily vessels for the individual jiva-souls (anti-matter) to travel "in/along/through" as a passenger, who by choice, have fallen from the perpetual spiritual world (anti-matter) and entered Maha-Visnu's dreams in the temporary material world (matter) by "hiring" a material bodily vessels from Him.

Srila Prabhupada - "We are not the owner of this body, not the owner of the material 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, New York City)

All the material bodily vessels in the material world (matter) the individual jiva-souls (anti-matter) receive from Maha-Visnu, can only be aquired through "hire" them from His unlimited library of dreams that make up the material world. 

The material world is simultaneously the dreams and desires of the individual jiva-souls, linked up and in sync with the dreams of Maha-Visnu (God), that includes "free will" as part of the equation.

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)

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.” (SB lecture Tokyo Japan 1972) 

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)

As explained above, the array of material bodily vessels that make up the roadway of past, present and future, is an eternal pathway of material bodily containers for the unlimited number of individual jiva-souls (anti-matter) who move along that pathway of material bodily vessels as a passenger moving through time's past, present and future while trapped in the temporary material world.

In other words, the material bodily vessel's start (birth), to its middle (youth and middle age, and to its end (death), is the pathway made of past, present and future also called the "Block material universe."  

All material bodily containers or vessels on the many long winding road's of past, present and future in the material world, are occupied through "hiring" them from Maha-Visnu's dreams.

The material bodily vessels are the creations of Maha-Visnu's dreams of His temporary material world.  

These pathways of material bodily vessels (matter) can be rewinded, they can be fast forwarded like a film in a camera, but they can never be changed because Maha-Visnu has already dreamed them. 

This means each material bodily vessel's pathway is already set in stone from its beginning to its end just like the film on a camera. 

In other words, each material bodily "pathway" that the visiting individual jiva-soul travels on/through/in, comes from the already "dreamed" dreams of Maha-Visnu as said above, and can only be lived through but never changed (hence, set in stone).

The visiting individual jiva-souls who enter the material world and obtain (hire) a material bodily "blue-print" from Maha-Visnu's dreams to live through and experience, are already a set reality in His dreams from its beginning to its end because He has already dreamed them. Such material bodily vessels (pathways) can only be "hired" from Maha-Visnu as is, meaning nothing in the already dreamed dream can be changed.  

This is why once the individual jiva-soul enters Maha-Visnu's dreams, nothing along that material bodily individual pathway (dream) can ever be changed because Maha-Visnu has already dreamed all pathways (material bodily containers) past, present and future. 

Such material vessels therefore, always belong to Maha-Visnu and can only be "hired" from Him and never owned by the individual jiva-souls. 

Paradoxically, because every possible senerio and combination of material realities (dreams) exist in Maha-Visnu's dreams, it is possible to even "hire" a material bodily vessel where you can seemingly change the past, present or future where it appears it is not set in stone however, this is never the case. 

This senerio ironically is possible due to Maha-Visnu granting of all desires the individual jiva-souls have, including a desire to change the pathway array of material bodily vessels through the journey of past, present and future that is included when "hired" from Maha-Visnu. 

In actually fact, the individual jiva-souls have not changed anything because the "dream" they seemingly believes changes, are already included in Maha-Visnu's "dreamed dreams." 

No matter what the individual jiva-souls come up with or desires, they are all already the dreamed dream of Maha-Visnu found in His unlimited "Vault Of Endless Dreams" that covers EVERY combination, scenario and outcome possible.

Therefore, even when the individual jiva-souls believe they have changed an outcome, that outcome is also part of Maha-Visnu's dreaming. The point is, eveything there is belongs to Maha-Visnu's dreams, and nothing can happen outside His dreams even if the individual jiva-souls think they can. 

Also, all material bodily pathways are permanently available and continuously occupied by a flow of other visiting individual jiva-souls who have chosen to leave the spiritual world and enter the temporary material world.

As said above, the material world is the dreams of Maha-Visnu known as His "Block material material universe," which means past, present and future always exist simultaneously as the beginning, middle and end seen as an unlimited pathway of material bodily vessels "hired" from Maha-Visnu, just like viewing the film from a movie reel.  

Continue reading after these photos- 

"Linear time" is the movement from past to present, and then to future, but is really a connecting array of material bodily vessels stretched along a pathway that is like "negatives on a movie reel" that represents the movement through past, present and future. 

Linear time is where time is seen sequentially, as a series of events that are leading along a pathway, from experiencing its beginning middle and end in a progressive way.

Seeing the entire journey of past, present and future simultaneously like seeing a long and winding road all at once, is seeing above the forward view of linear time. That view of seeing Mahā-Viṣṇu's dreaming of the material universe in its full, is seeing above the movement of linear time.

Maha-Visnu, rare yogis and devotees can see above the material world's linear time, they can see the past, the present and the future all "now" or all at once. This is because each stage on the pathway of past, present and future is experienced by the individual jiva-souls as being a passenger in those material bodily vessels that is the pathway. 

All material bodily vessels (matter) eternally remain the roadway where the individual jiva-souls (anti-matter) are the occupants in those material vessels on that roadway.  

Just like one sees an entire roadway from above in an aircraft, its beginning, middle and end - all at once, Maha-Visnu similarly sees past, present and future in His material creation also all at once.

All material bodily vessels are chosen (hired) from Maha-Visnu's dreams by the individual jiva-souls, this is the only way they can enter the temporary material world governed by material time's past, present and future.  

All material containers "hired" by the visiting individual jiva-souls to become a passenger in, originate from Maha-Visnu's collection of material bodily vessels existing within His dreams found in His "Vault of dreams" that are constantly for "hire" and lived in by an unlimited number of visiting individual jiva-souls who choose to leave the spiritual world and enter the temporary material world.

This means all material bodily vessels are like a costume that are "hired out" from the costume shop owner Maha-Visnu.

All of the individual jiva-soul's desires, choices and expressions of "free will," are factored in before the individual jiva-soul hires (is given) a particular material bodily vessel that match their circumstance (desires) to enter the material world.

Furthermore, free will also always exists in the spiritual world but only partially in the material world in the human species (400 thousand different human forms) and not in the other 8 million species of lower life forms in the material world who are all controlled by the material bodily instincts of eating, sleeping, mating and defending and not free will.

Maha-Visnu sees all, beginning, middle and end of all material bodily vessels because He is God and knows all past, present and future.

As said above, all material bodily vessels are pathways that are the dreams of Maha-Visnu.

Paradoxically there is always "free will" but only in the human species. Each material bodily vessels destiny that the visiting individual jiva-soul experience by hiring them off Maha-Visnu, is already mapped out within the permanent dreams of Maha-Visnu explained above.

Remember, "free will" is factored into the equation of Maha-Visnu's Block material universe in such a way that the "free will" of each individual jiva-soul is not affected and paradoxically always acted upon.

Therefore, we can understand that free will always exists in the spiritual world which allows the individual jiva-souls to except or reject Krsna as they choose. Free will means they can leave Krsna's association, or stay with Him. 

Fortunately, only less than 10% of individual jiva-souls (devotees) choose to leave the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka-Vrindavana (the spiritual world), most (over 90%) never leave.  

Such freedom of choice and expression must be eternally there in the spiritual world if voluntary loving exchanges and reciprocation truly exists on the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana which also allows one to accept or reject Krsna and Visnu.  

Srila Prabhupada – "So everyone can know that independence means one can use it properly, or one can misuse it. That is independence. If you make it one way only, that is not independence, that is being force which denies free will." (Los Angeles, June 23, 1975)

Srila Prabhupada - "Free will means that you can act wrongly. That is free will, unless there is chance of doing wrong or right, there is no question of free will. Where is free will then? If I can only act one sided, that means I have no free will. Because we act sometimes op, that means we have free will."

Hayagriva dasa - "A man may know better but still act wrongly."

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes, but that is free will, he misuses his free will, just like a thief, he knows his stealing is wrong, but still he does it, that is free will. He cannot check his greediness, so in spite of his knowing that he is doing the wrong thing, he will be punished, he knows; he has seen another thief, he was punished, he was put into prison, everything he knows, but still he steals. Why? Misuse of free will. Unless there is the possibility of misuse of free will, then there is no question of free will. (Based on discussions with Srila Prabhupada on Rene Descartes philosophy)

The individual jiva-souls are independent living entities known as the marginal living entities in the spiritual world. Marginal means they have the choice to remain in the spiritual world, or can enter the material world (through the dreams of Maha-Visnu).

The individual jiva-souls each eternally have their own unique personality separate from Krsna and Viṣṇu, yet always remain dependent on Krsna and His expansions like Maha-Visnu because Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes. 

This means each individual jiva-soul perpetually has their own unique feelings of being independent from Krsna, yet paradoxically are simultaneously dependent on Krsna because everything is Krsna's creation and He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes.

The reason why Krsna gives the individual jiva-souls their independence and free will, is so they can choose for themselves in a two-way cooperative exchange how to serve Him in their own unique personal way, or even reject Him if they choose.

Free will also means the individual jiva-souls can always voluntarily contribute their own unique offerings to without any pressure or force from Krsna. Real love or service can only exist when free will allows the individual jiva-souls to voluntarily participate and cooperate in "two-way" loving devotional exchanges and contribute to the relationship with Krsna.

So, from the mistaken desires (self centred choices allowed because of free will) of the individual jiva-souls, begins when they put their own selfish desires first instead of serving Krsna. 

To experience those separate desires without Kṛṣṇa, the individual jiva-souls then must choose a material bodily vessel from Maha-Visnu's "Library of dreams" that transfers them to a material universe (Brahmanda) in His temporary material world, contained in a temporary material bodily vessel.

This is the beginning of the individual jiva-souls fall down to the material world from the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka-Vrindavana. However, such fall downs are very rare, less than 10% of individual jiva-souls fall down from the spiritual planets.

Rejecting Krsna means the individual jiva-souls can no longer stay in the spiritual world and is instantaneously transferred out of the Vaikuṇṭha planets and Goloka-Vṛndāvana and relocated to the dreams of Maha-Visnu, these dreams are the material bodily pathways of a material bodily vessel within Maha-Visnu's material creation.

The individual jiva-soul already knows and agrees with the entire pathway or journey they have chosen because their "desires" are in sync with the bodily pathway (material bodily vessel) "hired" from Maha-Visnu's dreams.

Within Maha-Visnu's material world exists every possible dream, every possible outcome and combination of material elements to fulfil every desire the visiting individual jiva-souls have, every scenario they can come up with is eternally already existing within Maha-Visnu's dreams of the material world.  

As explained above, this means the individual jiva-soul's expression of "free will" is already factored into the equation of the material bodily vessel they have chosen to enter as explained above.

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is - "O Arjuna, whatever you wish to see, behold at once in this body of Mine! This universal form can show you whatever you now desire to see and whatever you may want to see in the future. Everything moving and nonmoving is here completely, in one place." (BG, Ch 11 text 7)

Srila Prabhupada  - "No one can see the entire universe while sitting in one place, even the most advanced scientist cannot see what is going on in other parts of the universe. But a devotee like Arjuna can see everything that exists in any part of the universe. Kṛṣṇa gives him the power to see anything he wants to see, past, present and future. Thus by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna is able to see everything." (BG, Ch 11 text 7 Purport) 

The great sages and devotees in previous ages thousands of years ago were "tri-kāla-jñā," Tri-kāla-jñā means they could understand-

1 - What was in the past.

2 - What is at present.

3 - What is in the future.

Srila Prabhupada - "So the point is that five thousand years ago the things which were written for this age, how they are coming to be true in our experience. That is the point: how they could see past, present, and future so nicely. The sages were known as tri-kāla-jñā. Tri means three. There is almost similarity, tri and three. Tri is Sanskrit, and three is English or Latin, but there is similarity. Tri-kāla-jñā. 

Tri means three, and kāla means time. Time is experienced in three ways, past, present and future. Time is divided into past, present and future in the material world. Whenever you speak of time, it is past, present or future. 

So the sages in those days were tri-kāla-jñā. As said above, Tri-kāla-jñā means they could understand and know what was in the past, what shall be there in the future, and what is at present. 

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "My Dear Arjuna, you, Me, I, and all these kings and soldiers who have assembled in this battlefield, they were all individuals, and we are still individual. And in this past, in the future, we shall all remain individuals. That is past, present, and future, he explained. Another place (BG, Ch 7 text 26)  Kṛṣṇa says, vedā ahaṁ samatītāni vartamanani ca "I know past, present and future. So, that is yogic power, one can know past, present, and future." (Lecture, SB, Canto 12 Ch 2 text 1 March 18, 1968 San Francisco USA)

There is still a lot more to learn about the movement of the individual jiva-souls (anti-matter) as they move through material space/time's past, present and future as a passenger in a material bodily vessel (matter) in an established already created flow of material bodily vessels or containers existing on a roadway or pathway that the individual jiva-souls travel on/through/along.

As said above, this is also called "Maha-Visnu's Block material universe" which means past, present and future exists simultaneously, seen all at once as the roadway.  

This movement through time when seen from above, is just like one seeing an entire long winding road's beginning, middle and end from above all in an aircraft. The movement of space/time in the temporary material creation is eternally divided as past, present and future existing like a roadway where one can see the entire roadway all together, its beginning (birth), middle (youth and middle age) and end (old age and death) as the Block universe.

This only goes on while the individual jiva-souls (anti-matter), who left the spiritual world and have now become trapped in the temporary material world (matter), covered by a material bodily vessels provided by Maha-Visnu (hired from His dreams) that are under the control of material time's past, present and future and the laws of Karma.

Temporary in the material world means real but non-permanent, Maha-Visnu’s dreams are not an illusion, or like the mundane dreams we have while sleeping, Maha-Visnu's dreams (also known as Maya) are very real but temporary. 

The individual jiva-soul's (anti-matter) movement through the decaying progression of material bodily vessels (matter) through material time's past, present and future, is a progressive pathway where the individual jiva-souls move along the roadway of past, present and future made of material bodily vessels, just like viewing the progression of negetives, one after the other, (always remaining as film) on a movie reel.

The material bodily pathway's journey through past, present and future, known as the fabric of material nature, is dreamed and owned by Maha-Visnu, and "hired" out by Him to the fallen individual jiva-souls who have chosen to leave their real home on the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka-Vrindavana. The temporary material world (matter) takes up 1/4 of the Spiritual Sky (all that exists)

The other 3/4s of the Spiritual Sky (anti-matter) is a permanent perpetual youthful spiritual realm eternally existing in the "eternal presence of Krsna" beyond the decaying influence of material nature's past, present and future in the temporary material world.

The mundane temporary bodily containers (matter) in the material world temporarily house the individual jiva-souls (anti-matter), so they can exist in Maha-Visnu's dreams. This means the individual jiva-souls (anti-matter) are a temporary passenger in material nature's lifeless fabric seen as a bodily form (matter).

Each material bodily vessel, container or form is made of material energy (matter) that the individual jiva-souls (anti-matter) is obtained by "hiring" them from Maha-Visnu's dreaming of the material world.  

The marginal living entities (individual jiva-souls) are the passengers in a temporary material bodily vessels (matter) as explained above.  

Material energy (matter) is "all-one" lifeless energy however, when a material bodily vessel made of that matter is occupied by the individual jiva-soul (anti-matter), it becomes an individual because the passenger inside that material bodily covering or vessel is an eternal individual spiritual personality. 

1 - "Matter" is lifeless dead energy, no presents of an "active" individual jiva-soul originates in the material world because they all originate from the spiritual world. Although Srila Prabhupada tells us that Krsna as Paramatma (Supersoul), and a dormant [inactive] individual jiva-souls, are present together even within the material atom.

2 - "Anti-matter" is everything in the spiritual world being alive and active within Krsna's pastimes. All living entities including the individual jiva-souls, eternally appear as a spiritual bodily form in the spiritual world known as the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, which are the individual jiva-souls real perpetual home and origin.

Only Kṛṣṇa (God) and His direct Visnu-tattva expansions (also God) are simultaneously an individual person and all-pervasive (all-one) with His spiritual and material creation.

The individual jiva-souls (anti-matter) are individual units of eternal life, whereas the material energy that covers them in a material bodily vessel has no life, it is simply dead lifeless matter even when dormant (inactive) individual jiva-souls are also there in the material atom in the material world.

All temporary material bodily vessels are "hired" by the individual jiva-souls from Maha-Visnu's dreams of the material world, possessed by the individual jiva-souls according to their  desires to live without Krsna or Visnu.

And as the embodied individual jiva-soul continues their journey in the material creation life after life, the accumulation of reactions from acting out those original desires, creates pious and impious reactions, but only in a human material body.

There is no karma (being responsible for your actions) in the 8 billion lower species of life in the material world where the individual jiva-souls in those lower species act only on the instincts of eating, sleeping, mating and defending, and not Karma or free will.

From the viewpoint of Maha-Visnu and great sages, they see past, present and future in the material world existing simultaneously, just like from above in an aircraft one can see the beginning, middle and end of a long winding roadway all at once.

Even with mundane logic, the desires of the marginal living entity (individual jiva-soul) in the material world, would eventually repeat themselves again over the span of eternity if they stayed artificially trapped in an outer material bodily container or vessel within the temporary material world.

This is because every combination of material elements would be exhausted, and would eventually start repeating themselves over an eternity, if the individual jiva-soul chooses to remain in the material creation for an almost eternity.

This is possible because the individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) are eternal meaning they were never created or will cease to exist as explained in Bhagavad Gita As It Is Chapter two text 12 to 30.

But what is really going on?

Even though the material energy is temporary and always decays, the material energy itself is eternal but when destroyed will eventually again reappear due the movement of past, present and future.

Many have asked, could the past activities of a material bodily vessel one "hires" from Maha-Visnu's dreams, still be happening in the material universe's "same space" that is a permanent pathway of past, present and future with a constant flow of unlimited individual jiva-soul who move through that same pathway (block universe), that is like the negetives on a film reel that exists as a sequence moving along together on that film reel?

The answer is yes, infact that is exactly what's going on.

This is because past, present and future are happening "always" in Maha-Visnu's dreams of the material world which are a permanent fixture within the fabric of material energy.

This means all material bodily vessel are a permanent passage-way locked in with those material roadways under the direction and movement of past, present and future that the individual jiva-souls can choose to enter as a passenger.

Even Lord Brahma's material bodily vessel is known to be a POST that many other individual jiva-souls can also experience if qualified to attain that same material bodily vessel of Brahma in another time and place.

This further means the individual jiva-souls with the matching corresponding qualifactions, will experience the material bodily vessel they desire "hired" from Maha-Visnu's "Library Of Dreams" in the material world, based on what they deserve.

To be qualified to become a passenger in a particular material bodily vessel, the individual jiva-souls may have to be trained up in the material cycle of birth and death in order to become qualifications to enter chosen material bodily vessel they desire. Maha-Visnu allows them to "hire" a particular material bodily vessel that is in-sync with their desires, mixed with what they deserve based on good and bad Karma (rewarded and punished for past deeds).

Once fallen to the material world from the spiritual world of the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, the individual jiva-souls possess a temporary material bodily container or vessel created by their own karma (past good and bad actions) and simultaneously provided (hired) from Maha-Visnu's dreams.

The "Block material world" created from Maha-Visnu's dreams, does not mean material bodily containers or vessels are repeating themselves. No, that is not going on. What it means is the eternal "now" always exists as a permanent roadway or pathway where past, present and future always exist as that pathway that the individual jiva-souls move through. This is also called the Block material universe of Maha-Visnu's dreams.  

Some philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche believe in "eternal reoccurrence" which is nonsense. 

This "eternal reoccurrence" is not what is going on in the material world, there is no such thing as "eternal reoccurrence," there is only the permanent roadway or pathway of material bodily vessel created by Maha-Visnu's dreams that the individual jiva-souls "hire" from Him then travel in/along/through - from its beginning (past), to its middle (present), to its end (future) as explained above.

The material bodily vessels are the material roadway/pathway (matter) of past, present and future, and the individual jiva-souls (anti-matter) are a passengers on that pathway of material bodily vessels. 

All material bodily containers hired from Maha-Visnu's dreams are real but temporary and made of decaying material elements (matter) that cover the real spiritual bodily form of the individual jiva-souls (anti-matter) as explained above....*////*....

Garbhodakaśāyī Visnu also known as Hiraņyagarbha, and Ksirodakaśāyī Visnu also known as Paramātmā and Supersoul, are both expansions of Mahā-Visnu also known as Kāraṇodakaśāyī Visnu.

All three are all ultimately expansions of Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes. All these Visnu expansions and all Visnu expansions actually appear from Krsna's first expansion Balarama, also known as Baladeva who is Kṛṣṇa's older brother in Krsna lila (pastimes) in Goloka-Vrindavana the Kingdom of God.

In Gaudīya Vaisnavism the Sātvata-tantra describes three different forms of Visnu as- 

1 - Mahā-Visnu who is also known as Kāraṇodakaśāyī Visnu 

2 - Garbhodakaśāyī Visnu also known as Hiraņyagarbha.

3 - Ksirodakaśāyī Visnu (Paramātmā or Supersoul). 

Lord Brahma sits on the top of a lotus stem on a flower that grows from the naval of Garbhodakaśāyī Visnu, who's material universe exists deep inside, and is surrounded by a greater massive material universe called a Brahmanda. 

Inside the inner secondary universe, Lord Brahma creates the 14 different material planetary systems and their administrating posts (for the demigods).

No individual jiva-souls originates from the material world, the impersonal brahmajyoti or the Body of Maha-Visnu Srila Prabhupada has explained, the individual jiva-souls are eternal, they were never created, nor will they ever die as Chapter 2 text 12 to text 30 of Bhagavad Gita As It Is explains.

Although, because of "free will," they can fall down from their natural eternal home in the spiritual world known as the Vaikuṇṭha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana and enter the temporary material world.  

However, less than 10% of individual jiva-souls (devotees) choose to fall down from the spiritual world, 90% never fall down because they choose not too. 

Each of the three Visnus have different roles in the maintenance of the material universe and providing for those inhabitants (individual jiva-souls) who have chosen to come to the material world from either the Vaikuntha planets or Krsna's central Abode Goloka Vrindavana in the spiritual world.

Srila Prabhupada - "For material creation, Lord Krsna's plenary expansion assumes three Visnus. 

1 - The first, Mahā-Viṣṇu or Kāraṇodakaśāyī Visnu, creates the total material energy, known as the mahat-tattva. 

2 - The second, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, enters into all the universes to create diversities.

3 - And the third, Kṣīrodakaśāyī Visnu, is diffused as the all-pervading super soul in all the universes; in the heart of every living being, is known as Paramātmā and Supersoul. 

Lord Visnu is present even within the atoms.

The real objective of meditation in yoga is attaining a state of Paramātmā. Anyone who realises them can be liberated from material entanglement." 

Sātvata-tantra - Books or literature of devotional service by Srila Prabhupada.

Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is an expansion or overload of Mahā-Viṣhu (expansion of Saṃkarṣaṇa of second caturvyūha, which expands from Nārāyaṇa in Vaikuṇṭhaloka). The latter is realized as the expansion of Pradyumna.

Srila Prabhupada - "The three puruṣa-avatāras are described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. They are also described in the Sātvata-tantra. Viṣṇos tu trīṇi rūpāṇi puruṣākhyāny atho viduḥ: the Supreme Personality of Godhead manifests three features—as

Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu (Maha Visnu), 

Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu 

Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu (Paramatma and Supersoul)

Mahā-Viṣṇu, or Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.47). Yaḥ kāraṇārṇava-jale bhajati sma yoga-nidrām: the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, the cause of all causes, lies down in the cosmic ocean as Mahā-Viṣṇu. 

Therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the beginning of this universe, the maintainer of the universal manifestations, and the end of all energy." (BG, Ch 10 text 20 purport).

Srila Prabhupada - "The Mahā-Viṣṇu, into whom all the innumerable universes enter and from whom they come forth again simply by His breathing process, is a plenary expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore I worship Govinda, Kṛṣṇa, the cause of all causes. Therefore one should conclusively worship the personal form of Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead who has eternal bliss and knowledge. He is the source of all forms of Viṣṇu, He is the source of all forms of incarnation, and He is the original Supreme Personality, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā." (BG, Ch 11 text 54 purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "This part of the spiritual sky, called the mahat-tattva (material universes), is only an insignificant portion of the whole spiritual sky, and within this mahat-tattva there are innumerable material universes. All these material universes are collectively produced by the Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, called also the Mahā-Viṣṇu, who simply throws His glance to impregnate the material sky." (SB, Canto 1 Ch 3 text 1 purport).

Srila Prabhupada - "They can see only the circular sky overhead, without any information that this material universe, as well as many other hundreds of thousands of material universes, are each covered by sevenfold material coverings of- 

1 - water, 

2 - fire, 

3 - air, 

4 - sky, 

5 - ego, 

6 - material nature (mahat-tattva), 

7 - noumenon.

This is a summary of phenomenal and noumenal philosophy. The phenomenal world depends on the noumenal existence; similarly, everything exists by virtue of the potency of the Supreme Lord, although due to our ignorance the Supreme Lord is not perceived in everything." (SB, Canto 5 Ch 12 text 8, Purport)

 Srila Prabhupada - "Just like a huge football, pumped and covered, floating on the water of the Causal Ocean, wherein the Lord is lying as Mahā-Viṣṇu. All the universes in seed are emanating from the breathing of the Mahā-Viṣṇu, who is but part of a partial expansion of the Lord, and all the universes presided over by the Brahmās vanish when the Mahā-Viṣṇu withdraws His great breath. In this way, the material worlds are being created and vanished by the supreme will of the Lord." (SB Canto 2 Ch 1 text 25 purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "He expands Himself by His different energies, as well as by His plenary portions. In a corner of the spiritual sky of brahmajyoti a spiritual cloud sometimes appears, and the covered portion is called the mahat-tattva. The Lord then, by His plenary portion as Mahā-Viṣṇu, lies down within the water of the mahat-tattva, and the water is called the Causal Ocean (Kāraṇa-jala). While Mahā-Viṣṇu sleeps within the Causal Ocean, innumerable universes are generated along with His breathing. These universes are floating, and they are scattered all over the Causal Ocean. They stay only during the breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṇu. In each and every universal globe, the same Mahā-Viṣṇu enters again as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and lies there on the serpentlike Śeṣa incarnation. From His navel sprouts a lotus stem, and on the lotus, Brahmā, the lord of the universe, is born. Brahmā creates all forms of living beings of different shapes in terms of different desires within the universe. He also creates the sun, moon and other demigods." (SB, Canto 2 Ch 5 text 33 purport).

Srila Prabhupada - "In the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (1.4.1) there is the hymn ātmaivedam agra āsīt puruṣa-vidhaḥ. This mantra indicates the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Kṛṣṇa) even before the appearance of the puruṣa incarnation. In the Bhagavad-gītā (15.18) it is said that Lord Kṛṣṇa is Puruṣottama because He is the supreme puruṣa, transcendental even to the puruṣa-akṣara and the puruṣa-kṣara. The akṣara-puruṣa, or the Mahā-Viṣṇu, throws His glance over prakṛti, or material nature, but the Puruṣottama existed even before that. The Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad therefore confirms the statement of the Bhagavad-gītā that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Person (Puruṣottama)." (SB, Canto Ch 2 Ch 9 text 33 purport).

Srila Prabhupada - "There are three different types of creation, called mahā-kalpa, vikalpa and kalpa. In the mahā-kalpa the Lord assumes the first puruṣa incarnation as Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu with all the potencies of the mahat-tattva and the sixteen principles of creative matter and instruments. The creative instruments are eleven, the ingredients are five, and all of them are products of mahat, or materialistic ego. These creations by the Lord in His feature of Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu are called mahā-kalpa. The creation of Brahmā and dispersion of the material ingredients are called vikalpa, and the creation by Brahmā in each day of his life is called kalpa. Therefore each day of Brahmā is called a kalpa, and there are thirty kalpas in terms of Brahmā's days." (SB, Canto 2 Ch 10 text 46 purport).

Srila Prabhupada - "Every living being is controlled by the supreme living being, Paramātmā, who resides within everyone's heart. He is the puruṣa, the puruṣa-avatāra, who creates this material world. The first puruṣa-avatāra is Mahā-Viṣṇu, and that Mahā-Viṣṇu is the plenary portion of the plenary portion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's first expansion is Baladeva (Balarama), and His next expansions are Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha and Pradyumna." (SB, Canto 5 Ch 11 text 13-14 purport).

Srila Prabhupada - "Kṛṣṇa is the origin of all viṣṇu-tattvas, including Mahā-Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. He is the ultimate goal of Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Everything emanates from Him. His body is completely spiritual and is the source of all spiritual being." (CC, 2:20:153 purport).

Srimad Bhagavatam - "The first covering of our secondary material universe deep inside the outer massive Brahmanda universe that surrounds and encases our single universe, is the "earth" element." (SB, Canto 6 C 16 text 37)

In most references in Srimad Bhagavatam, it says the ''earth" element is the first layer of our small single inner material universe's outer surrounding massive Brahmanda greater universe. There are billions of these Brahmanda greater egg shaped universal shells, each with a smaller single material universe of planetary systems deep inside them. All the massive Brahmanda material universes originates from the Body of Maha-Visnu as seen in photo below.

Although elsewhere in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 3 Chapter 26 text 52, says water is the first layer, most references say the seven layers of the Brahmanda our single secondary universe is in, begins with the earth element.

Srimad Bhagavatam - "Every universe is covered by seven layers—earth, water, fire, air, sky, the total energy and false ego—each ten times greater than the previous one. There are innumerable universes besides this one, and although they are unlimitedly large, they move about like atoms in You. Therefore You are called unlimited [ananta]." (SB, Canto 6 Ch 16 text 37)

Srila Prabhupāda - "This verse describes the coverings of the universe (saptabhir daśa-guṇottarair aṇḍa-kośaḥ). The coverings of our secondary material universe that is inside the surrounding Brahmanda larger material universe are-

1 - Earth,

2 - Water,

3 - Fire,

4 - Air,

5 - Sky,

6 - Total material energy (mahat-tattva),

7 - False ego.

Beginning with the covering of earth, each covering is ten times greater than the previous one. Thus we can only imagine how great each the Brahmanda material universe is, and there are many millions of these material universes." (SB, Canto 6 Ch 16 text 37 Purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "The mahat-tattva, the total material energy, is called avyakta. Then, when it is agitated by the glance of the Supreme Lord, the three modes of material nature acts. And by interaction of these three modes of material nature, the whole cosmic manifestation comes into being." (Lecture SB, Canto 1 Ch 2 text 33 Vrndavana, Nov 12, 1972)

Srila Prabhupada - "So actually, there are twenty-six different elements which is conducting this material world. Etat kṣetraṁ samāsena sa-vikāram udāhṛtam. Kṣetra means this body. Either you take this body or this material world, they are interaction of these twenty-four elements. Either you take the gigantic body of this universe or you take the body of this planet or you take this your body, my body, or a cat's body, dog's body, all these bodies, they are formed of these twenty-four elements, sa-vikāram, by action and reaction. 

Just like chemically, if you mix one chemical with another chemical, a third element is produced, similarly, originally the reservation of all these elements is called mahat-tattva. It is called pradhāna, upadhāna. So gradually they manifest, they divide by three guṇas. Three guṇas means in the mahat-tattva, in the total material reservoir, three guṇas, three modes of nature, first of all appear and they act with one another, and then gradually, one after another, the twenty-four elements become manifested. Etat kṣetraṁ samāsena sa-vikāram udāhṛtam." (Lecture BG, Ch 13 text 6-7 Montreal, Oct 25, 1968)

Srila Prabhupada - "So mahat-tattva, the total material energy, what are those? The five elements, namely, earth, water, fire, air, and sense objects and senses and the spirit soul. In this way, sixteen. And from sixteen, it expands to twenty-four. That is the explanation of our Vedic creation. Ṣoḍaśa-kalam." (Lecture SB, Canto 1 Ch 3 text 1 Vrndavana, Nov 14, 1972)

Srila Prabhupada - "The total energy of material creation is called mahat-tattva or pradhāna. Then, when the mahat-tattva is agitated by the three guṇas, then they become divided into twenty-four elements." (Lecture SB, Canto 3 Ch 26 text 11-14 Bombay, Dec 23, 1974)

Srila Prabhupada - "That mahat-tattva is above this universe, above the sky. Above the sky there are seven layers. Each layer is ten times more than the other layer. In this way, that is called mahat-tattva. Total material elements, they are stocked there. And then these varieties take place. And above that mahat-tattva, there is spiritual world." (Lecture SB, Canto 3 Ch 26 text 10 Bombay, Dec 22, 1974)

Srila Prabhupada - "As confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (BG 10.42)-

athavā bahunaitena

kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna

viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam

ekāṁśena sthito jagat.

"But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe." The entire material world manifests is only one fourth of the Supreme Lord's energy. Therefore He is called ananta." (SB, Canto 2 Ch 2 text 28 Purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "The extent of the cosmic phenomenon or our individual universe is calculated to be diametrically four billion miles in size. Then the outer covering known as the Brahmanda universal shell begins. The first covering of earth element is calculated to extend forty billion miles, (10 times the size of the inner universe) and the subsequent coverings of the universe are respectively of water, fire, air, sky, total material energy, false ego one after another, each extending ten times further than the previous. The fearless devotee of the Lord penetrates each one of them and ultimately reaches the absolute atmosphere where everything is of one and the same spiritual identity. Then the devotee enters one of the Vaikuṇṭha planets, where he assumes exactly the same form as the Lord and engages in the loving transcendental service of the Lord. That is the highest perfection of devotional life. Beyond this there is nothing to be desired or achieved by the perfect yogī." (SB, Canto 2 Ch 2 text 28 Purport)

Srimad Bhagavatam - "The material coverings of the massive Brahmanda universe that encases and surrounds our inner secondary smaller material universe are-

1 - The first layer is of earth and is ten times greater in size than the space within the universe. 

2 - The second layer is water, and that is ten times greater than the earthly layer.

3 - The third covering is fire, which is ten times greater than the water covering. 

In this way each of the seven layers are ten times greater than the previous one." (SB Canto 3 Ch 29 text 43)

Srimad Bhagavatam explains there are millions of individual massive Brahmanda material universes coming from Maha-Visnu making up the material creation (1/4 of the Spiritual Sky), each Brahmanda housing their own secondary universe universe inside them as painting below reveals. The other 75% of the Spiritual Sky are the Vaikuntha planets governed by Visnu and Luxmi, and Goloka-Vrindavana, the perpetual Abode of Krsna and His eternal consort Radharani, friends and family. 

All secondary material universes inside their Brahmandas in the material world are of different sizes, some, like ours, are only 4 billion miles in diameter.

Our 4 billion miles (500,000,000 yojanas) diameter material universe with its 14 planetary systems that are deep inside our Brahmanda, is one of the smallest material universes, it would also fit in the description of Bhu-Mandala (4 billion miles, which is 500,000,000 yojanas in diameter)

The late Sadaputa dasa ACBSP (Richard L. Thompson) earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from Cornell University. He is the author of several books on Vedic Cosmology explain what Bhu-Mandala is-

''In the Bhagavatam, Bhu-Mandala—the “earth mandala” (not to be confused with our small earth globe), is a disk 500 million yojanas in diameter (4 billion miles).

One yojana is a unit of distance that equals about 8 miles long, therefore 8×500 million yojanas = 4 billion miles. So, the diameter of Bhu-Mandala is about 4 billion miles which is also the size of our secondary material universe deep inside or Brahmanda material universe according to Srimad Bhagavatam.

Bhu-Mandala is marked by circular features designated as islands (Dvipas that can also mean planets) and oceans.

L

Srila Prabhupada - "The planets are called "dvīpas." Outer space is like an ocean of air. Just as there are islands in the watery ocean, these planets in the ocean of space are called dvīpas, or islands in outer space." (CC, Madhya 20.218, Purport)

So clearly, Bhu-Mandala is far too big to be our small earth global sphere we live on.

Sadaputa dasa - "Of course, Bhu-Mandala is earth centered, its innermost island, Jambudvipa, contains Bharata-varsha, which Srila Prabhupada has repeatedly identified as the planet earth." (Vedic Cosmology by Sadaputa dasa)

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 therefore see from one material universe to another, this is because our individual secondary material universe is surrounded and encased by 7 massive material layers that is the Brahmanda material universe we are in. 

So, it is impossible to see the millions of other Brahmandas outside our inner secondary material universe (inside the massive Brahmanda) because of those 7 material layers.

However, there are rare mystic yogis and advanced devotees like Arjuna who can see and pass through those 7 material layers. So of course Krsna and Arjuna did not encounter such limitations that we experience with the combination of these elements earth, water, fire, air, sky, false ego, mahat-tattva - 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 universal shell that surrounds and encases our secondary material universe we are in.

Srila Prabhupada is clear on this point.

Srila Prabhupada - "Lord Krsna 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)

Srila Prabhupada - "Each universe is covered by various layers of material elements (The 7 material layers of the outer Brahmanda covering), and therefore although the material universes are clustered together, we cannot see from one universe to another. In other words, whatever we see is within this one universe. In each material universe there is one Lord Brahmā, and there are other demigods on other planets, but there is only one sun in each material universe within the Brahmanda." (SB, Canto 5 Ch 21 text 11, Purport)

Srila Prabhupāda - "Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī confirms that a part of the material nature, after being initiated by the Lord, is known as the mahat-tattva.

1 - A fractional portion of the mahat-tattva is called the false ego. 

2 - A portion of the ego is the vibration of sound.

3 - A portion of sound is atmospheric air.

4 - A portion of the airy atmosphere is turned into forms. 

5 - Forms constitute the power of electricity or heat.

6 - Heat produces the smell of the aroma of the earth.

7 - The gross earth is produced by such aroma. 

8 - And all these combined together constitute the cosmic phenomenon.

The extent of the cosmic phenomenon or our individual universe is calculated to be diametrically four billion miles in size. Then the outer covering, known as the Brahmanda shell begins. The first covering of earth is calculated to extend forty billion miles, (10 times the size of the inner material universe inside Brahmanda) And the subsequent coverings of the universe are respectively of water, fire, air, sky, total material energy, false ego one after another, each extending ten times further than the previous.

The fearless devotee of the Lord penetrates each one of them and ultimately reaches the absolute atmosphere where everything is of one and the same spiritual identity. Then the devotee enters one of the Vaikuṇṭha planets, where he assumes exactly the same form as the Lord and engages in the loving transcendental service of the Lord. That is the highest perfection of devotional life. Beyond this there is nothing to be desired or achieved by the perfect yogī." (SB, Canto 2 Ch 2 text 28)

Srimad Bhagavatam - "Every universe is covered by seven layers- 

earth, 

water, 

fire, 

air, 

sky, 

the total energy,

false ego.

Each ten times greater than the previous one. There are innumerable universes besides this one, and although they are unlimitedly large, they move about like atoms in You. Therefore You are called unlimited [ananta]." (SB, Canto 6 Ch 16 text 37)

Srila Prabhupada - "The Brahma-saṁhitā (5.48) says-

yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya

jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ

viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

The origin of the material creation is Mahā-Viṣṇu, who lies in the Causal Ocean. While He sleeps in that ocean, millions of universes are generated as He exhales, and they are all annihilated when He inhales. This Mahā-Viṣṇu is a plenary portion of a portion of Viṣṇu, Govinda (yasya kalā-viśeṣaḥ). The word kalā refers to a plenary portion of a plenary portion. From Kṛṣṇa, or Govinda, comes Balarāma; from Balarāma comes Saṅkarṣaṇa; from Saṅkarṣaṇa, Nārāyaṇa; from Nārāyaṇa, the second Saṅkarṣaṇa; from the second Saṅkarṣaṇa, Mahā-Viṣṇu; from Mahā-Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu; and from Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu controls every material universe. 

This gives an idea of the meaning of ananta, unlimited. What is to be said of the unlimited potency and existence of the Lord? This verse describes the coverings of the universe (saptabhir daśa-guṇottarair aṇḍa-kośaḥ). The first covering is earth, the second is water, the third is fire, the fourth is air, the fifth is sky, the sixth is the total material energy, and the seventh is the false ego. Beginning with the covering of earth, each covering is ten times greater than the previous one. Thus we can only imagine how great each universe is, and there are many millions of universes. As confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (10.42)-

athavā bahunaitena

kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna

viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam

ekāṁśena sthito jagat

"But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe." The entire material world manifests only one fourth of the Supreme Lord’s energy. Therefore He is called ananta." (SB, Canto 6 Ch 16 text 37 Purport)

Is the first layer of our outer Brahmanda shell Earth or water?

There is some passages in Bhagavatam that says the first layer is earth and other places it says the first layer is water.

As said above, Srimad Bhagavatam says there are 7 layers that make up our outer Brahmanda shell that surrounds our single inner material universe inside it. The circumference of our small secondary material universe inside our Brahmanda is a mere 12.6 billion miles. And within that area are the 14 planetary systems.

Srila Prabhupada - "The extent of the cosmic phenomenon or our individual universe is calculated to be diametrically four billion miles in size. Then the outer covering known as the Brahmanda shell begins. The first covering of earth is calculated to extend forty billion miles, (10 times the size of the inner universe) and the subsequent coverings of the universe are respectively of water, fire, air, sky, total material energy, false ego one after another, each extending ten times further than the previous." (SB, Canto 2 Ch 2 text 28 Purport)

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura refers to the circumference of our Brahmanda universal shell our single universe is within in following text-

Caitanya Caritamrita - "Kṛṣṇa said, ‘Your particular universe has a diameter of four billion miles; therefore it is the smallest of all the universes. Consequently you have only four heads." (CC Madhya 21.84)

Srila Prabhupada - "Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, one of the greatest astrologers of his time, gives information from the Siddhānta-śiromaṇi that this universe measures 18,712,069,200,000,000 x 8 miles.

[That's 18 quadrillion, 712 trillion, 69 billion, 200 million yojanas. So, multiply that figure by 8 to get miles which is 149 quadrillion 696 trillion 553 Billion 600 million miles in circumference!]

This is the circumference of this Brahmanda universe according to some, this is only half the circumference to others." (CC Madhya 21.84 Purport)

It seems this is circumference of our ''Brahmanda universal shell'' that includes our 4 billion mile diameter universe that is deep within it. The diameter of the massive Brahmanda with its 7 material layers is 44 quadrilllion, 444 trillion, 444 billion miles. However, if measured from the outer edge of the inner 4 billion mile diameter "secondary material universe" inside it, then it is twice that figure.##.