Who is Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu? (Maha-Visnu)

Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu (Maha-Visnu) is the first of the Purushas (“controllers,” also known as Visnus), incarnations of Krsna for the creation of the material universe.

There are three main Visnu expansions in the material creation.

1 - Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu (Maha-Visnu) 

2 - Garbhodakashayi Visnu (Hiraņyagarbha)

3 - Kshirodakashayi Visnu (Paramatma or Super-Soul)

Maha-Visnu (Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu) creates innumerable universes known as Brahmandas. 

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) come the other two Visnus- 

1 - Garbhodakashayi Visnu (Hiraņyagarbha), 

2 - Kshirodakashayi Visnu (Paramatma/Supersoul)

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 our Brahmanda.

Garbhodakashayi Visnu enters into each "secondary universe" deep inside each Brahmanda universe and 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 universe," called Bhu-Mandala, very small compared with other Brahmas and their secondary universes inside their Brahmanda, at only 4 billion miles in diameter. 

In other words, other Lord Brahmas in other secondary material universes inside their surrounding Brahmanda, have 10, 100, 1000, 10,000, 1000,000, 10 million or more heads!

The "Brahmanda universe" that surrounds and encases its inner "secondary universe," is often called both Bhu-gola and Bhu-Mandala.

Ksirodakashayi Visnu (Paramatma) enters into each atom in every universe and sits with each jiva-soul in the region of the heart.

Wherever their is Ksirodakashayi Visnu (Supersoul or Paramatma), there is the individual jiva-soul within the material creation.

However, when the jiva-soul enters Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana that same Paramatma becomes Visnu in the Vaikuntha planets, and Krsna Himself in Goloka-Vrindavana.

Also "Sarva-gatah" means the individual life force who are everywhere.

The difference between anti-matter and matter, is anti-matter is actively alive individual units of spiritual energy who are unique independent personalities in their full potential as Krsna's servant.

And anti-matter is dead material energy that covers those jiva-souls who have chosen to enter the material world, but there is more. Also within the material atom (anti-matter), there also exists Visnu (Paramatma) and a dormant (consciously inactive) fallen jiva-soul who appears almost dead while in that dormant state. 

Within dead matter in the material creation, the individual consciousness of the jiva-souls within the material atom, is dormant (almost dead) like stone and completely inactive. 

Such a condition is another aspect of impersonalism explained by Srila Prabhupada.

The Brahma-saṁhitā says, aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham: (BS 5.35) 

“The Lord is within this material universe and also within every atom.”

In the material world, Krsna's expansion, Kshirodakashayi Visnu, also known as Paramatma and Super-Soul, is within EVERY material atom.

This further means there is an individual jiva-soul also present within every material atom (but in a "fallen" dormant (inactive) state)

This is because the marginal living entities (jiva-souls) are ALWAYS accompanied by Krsna (As Kshirodakashayi Visnu or Paramatma), and always remain together in the material world.

While in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, Kshirodakashayi Visnu (Paramatma) manifest as Lord Viṣṇu or Lord Krsna. 

Tamala Krsna - "It is said that within the atom the marginal living entity (jiva-soul) is present and life symptoms of birth, growth...?

Srila Prabhupada - "Their life symptoms has not yet come, they are dormant, but there is potential."

Tamala Krsna - "At the time of disintegration of this gross material body, the living entity (jiva-soul) leaves, so does the atomic body also disintegrate when the jiva-soul leaves it, and moves to another body?"

Srila Prabhupada - "The atom body means material body, unless you are free from this material bodily existence, the atomic body will go on with you. That means unless you are mukta (liberated), the atomic body will go on. Mind, intelligence, ego (subtle body) — they are also atomic, finer atomic body."

Tamala Krsna - "Within each atom the living entity is present?"

Srila Prabhupada - Yes, God is present; therefore living entity is present."

Tamala Krsna - "So the living entity is present within the atom just as I am present within this body. When I leave this body, my body breaks apart?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes, you leave this body, enter another body."

Tamala Krsna - "Right."

Srila Prabhupada - "By nature's law."

Tamala Krsna - "And when I leave this body, the body breaks apart?"

Srila Prabhupada - "The body is already atomic combination."

Tamala Krsna - "Yes."

Srila Prabhupada - "So it remains atomic combination, you leave the body but when you leave the house, that does not mean the house is finished."

Tamala Krsna - "Right, I can understand that."

Hamsaduta - "He's asking that if the jiva-soul leaves the atomic particle, then does the particle break apart. Isn't it?

Srila Prabhupada - "No, no, you have not left atomic particle."

Tamala Krsna - "No, but you were saying that within the atom there's also a living entity (jiva-soul). So when that living entity leaves the atomic particle does the particle break apart? Or doesn't it?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Just try to understand from the sastra, you understand that andantara-stham: "God lives within the atom."

Tamala Krsna - "Yes."

Srila Prabhupada - "And when the God is there, living entity's also there. This much you try to understand. Because God and living entity remain together, as two friends. God is trying to save His fallen friend. That is the information from Upanisad. So when God is there, the living entity is also there."

Rupanuga - "So Paramatma and jiva-soul are always together."

Srila  Prabhupada - "Yes."

Tamala Krsna - "Can we say that the living entity is present within the atom by consciousness?"

Srila Prabhupada - "No, consciousness will gradually develop according to the bodily situation."

Pancadravida - "How does the jiva-soul get out of the atom and take a gross body?"

Srila Prabhupada - "(laughing) Material body is combination of atoms. How he gets out of the atom. Body is nothing but combination of many atoms. Everything material is combination of many atoms, that's all."

Pancadravida - "The jiva-souls inside the atom, are they like impersonalists who are in the Brahman (Brahmajyoti)?"

Srila Prabhupada - "That you consider, the jiva-soul has not developed his consciousness, in the atom he is practically like being dead." (From morning Walk, April 4, 1975, Mayapur)

In the Kingdom of God everything is based on personalism and an active personal unique relationship with Krsna, this is what spiritual energy is known as anti-matter. 

The spiritual planets are made up of unlimited individual fully spiritual active jiva-souls as eternal spiritual bodily form. 

However, in the material creation, the jiva-souls can progress to a dormant inactive condition and therefore enter an impersonal existence called the impersonal Brahmajyoti or Brahman.

This happens when one falls again, this time from being active in a material bodily vessel in the material creation to attempting to cease one's existence in the impersonal Brahmajyoti.

Such activity to a devotee of Kṛṣṇa (Vaisnava) is spiritual suicide because one is trying to extinguish and end their individual existence, which is NOT possible.

The jiva-souls are eternal spiritual living PERSONS and can never be destroyed, terminated or extinguished, the jiva-souls are indestructible.

The fallen jiva-souls can become temporarily dormant for many, many life times of Lord Brahma, but eventually the fallen jiva-souls are again forced to become active and takes birth in the material creation, this happens because the nature of the jiva-souls is activity, not inactivity. 

Therefore, falling to the impersonal Brahmajyoti, or to being dormant within the material atom, is unnatural condition and therefore temporary.

Sadly, one can be inactive or dormant for so long in the Brahmajyoti that when they again emerge from their dormant state they foolishly believe the impersonal Brahmajyoti or Brahman is their origin.

Even many big foolish gurus, sannyasis, devotees and scholars believe the impersonal nonsense that the jiva-souls originate from a dormant (inactive) state of consciousness originating from the impersonal Brahmajyoti (Brahman) 

This is not true because the jiva-souls are beginningless and endless and have no origin as Bhagavad Gita As It Is explains-

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "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 - “Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor yĵou, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.” (BG, Ch 2 Text 12)

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)

Being an "inactive" (dormant) so-called "spiritual spark" in the impersonal Brahmajyoti, is already a fallen unnatural condition of the jiva-soul, who in their full potential are a spiritual bodily form (PERSON) fully active serving in the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, which is the marginal living entities (jiva-soul's) natural eternal position and home.

Krsna's effulgence is also known as the dormant (inactive) impersonal Brahmajyoti that is made up of a collective of fallen "inactive" individual jiva-souls, appearing there as an individual unnatural "spark"after being frustrated with the material world's temporary bodily vessels (the painful cycle of repeated birth and death), to become a bodiless "spiritual individual sparks" in the impersonal Brahmajyoti, which a "fallen" unnatural condition of the jiva-soul.

As said above, appearing in that "fallen condition" as a spiritual spark in Krsna's effulgence is an unnatural condition of the jiva-soul, who in their full potential IS a PERSON as a spiritual bodily form in their eternal natural state and home serving Krsna the Supreme Lord.

Srila Prabhupada - "Existence in the impersonal Brahmajyoti is also within the category of non-Krsna consciousness and a fallen condition therefore, those who are in the brahman effulgence are also in a fallen condition, so there is no question of falling down from a fallen condition. 

We do not accept anyone elevated to the brahman effulgence as actually liberated, the living entities first falling down to this material world are NOT from the impersonal brahman. When fall takes place, it means falling down from the non-fallen condition and that non-fallen condition is Krsna cconsciousness. So long one can maintain pure Krsna consciousness he is NOT fallen down. As soon as he becomes out of Krsna consciousness immediately he is fallen down. 

Those who are thinking that they are liberated by being situated in brahman effulgence are described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam as impurely intelligent. So, we do not accept anyone elevated to the brahman effulgence as actually liberated. In other words, they are actually not liberated, and because they are not actually liberated they again come down to the material world." (Letter to  Revatinandana dasa, Los Angeles 13 June, 1970)

As said above, appearing in that "fallen condition" as a "spiritual spark" is the unnatural condition of the jiva-soul, who in their full potential IS a PERSON as a spiritual bodily form associating with Krsna in His eternal pastimes.

The full potential and original feature of all marginal living entities (jiva-souls), is a "two-arm form" like Krsna's Body.

There is no origin to Krsna's marginal energy (an unlimited number of individual jiva-souls), who have existed for as long as Krsna has existed which is eternity and shine on and on into infinity. 

So, the real meaning of "marginal living entities" is the jiva-souls can choose to be with the spiritual energy, or the material energy, based on their free will.

The jiva-souls (marginal living entities), naturally belong in the spiritual energy (Krsna's internal energy in Goloka-Vrindavana and the Vaikuntha planets) as individual spiritual PERSONS with Krsna, are eternal PERSONS and are called "marginal living entities" because they are influenced by either the spiritual energy or the material energy 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 - "Regarding your question about our relationship with Srimati Radharani, She is the internal energy, we are marginal energy. Marginal means ⁷ 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; 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 - "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)

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)

HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE but keep editing.

1/4 of the Spiritual Sky is like this known as matter that also covers those jiva-souls who choose to go there by covering them is gross and subtle material energy.

3/4 of the Spiritual Sky is anti-matter or always Spiritually active.

Technically matter is also spiritual because there are jiva-souls even within the material atom but inactive or dormant. 

The natural full potential of the jiva-souls is to be fully active in their original position in the service of Krsna.

Touch stones in Goloka-Vrindavan and Vaikuntha are actually individual living entities (persons) with special powers that all other living entities in the spiritual worlds can also access and possess.

Everything is alive with a personality in the spiritual world. So remember everything is living (fully active) in the spiritual worlds.

Anti-matter is all the living entities in their different categories of sakti.

1 - Krsna the Supreme Lord 64 qualities (100%)

2 - Visnu-tattva 60 qualities (93.75%)

3 - Visnu-"sakti"-tattva 60 qualities (93.75%)

4 - Siva-tattva 55 qualities 78.125 (85.938%) 

5 - Jiva-tattva (marginal living entities or jiva-souls) 78.125%.

Sakti is the "living and non-living energy" of Krsna (Anti-matter and Matter)  however, there are different categories of sakti (Krsna's energy). 

For example, the Visnu-"sakti"-tattva living entities are in the category of Visnu-tattva who are direct expansions of Krsna Himself playing multiple other roles in His own pastimes, like Radharani, the Gopis and Balarama and the cow herd boys in Goloka-Vrindavana. 

Like Visnu/Narayana etc in the Vaikuntha planets, and Maha-Visnu, Garbhodakashayi Visnu and Paramatma in the material creation to name a few.

Sakti also refers to the mahat-tattva or the material energy managed by Maha-Visnu.

Sakti also refers to the jiva-souls like us are independent expansions of Krsna endowed with free will in the spiritual worlds, who have their own individuality, sense of self and unique personality separate from Krsnas.

Srila Prabhupada - "Tattva is manifested in different ways- 

1 - Viṣṇu-tattva, 

2 - Viṣṇu-"śakti"-tattva,

3 - jīva-tattva, 

like that." (Lecture SB,Canto 6 Ch 2 Text 7 - Vrndavana, Sept 10, 1975)

As said above, sakti means the different categories of energies of Krsna, living and non-living as Srila Prabhupada explains. 

Srila Prabhupāda - "Sakti means energy. There are many types of energies of the Supreme Lord, and all of them are auspicious. Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara are called guṇa-avatāras, or incarnations of material qualities. In the material world we compare these different incarnations from different angles of vision, but since all of them are expansions of the supreme auspicious, all of them are auspicious, although sometimes we consider one quality of nature to be higher or lower than another. The mode of ignorance, or tamo-guṇa, is considered very much lower than the others, but in the higher sense it is also auspicious. The example may be given herein that the government has both an educational department and criminal department. An outsider may consider the criminal department inauspicious, but from the government’s point of view it is as important as the education department, and therefore the government finances both departments equally, without discrimination." (SB, Canto 4 Ch 6 text 43 Purport)

Everything is a living individual person from a chair, a flag, a cloud in the sky, the beads around your neck, the stones on the road, a gate, a door, the stars in the sky, the shoes you wear, the clothing you wear, a chariot.

There are 5 different basic relationships (rasas) one voluntarily has in Goloka-Vrindavan and Vaikuntha, and that can change from cow to blade of grass to tree, to human spiritual form.

Srila Prabhupada - "The jiva-soul's position in the spiritual world is voluntary, they can become a flower to a human spiritual body, all voluntary, there is no restriction. They can serve Krsna as cow, as calf, as plant, as water, as ground, field, or as father, as mother, as friend, as beloved, anything. It is inconceivable, yet a fact." (Lecture SB  Melbourne May 20 1975) 

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

Originally all marginal living entities (jiva-souls) are nitya-siddha (eternally liberated) because they came from Goloka Vrindavana and Vaikuntha. 

Krsna never interferes with the jiva-soul's free will, even when they choose to reject Him.

Srila Prabhupada - "There are two kinds of marginal living entities, nitya-siddha and nitya-baddha. However, the actual constitutional position of every marginal living entity (jiva-soul) is nitya-siddha. By following the rules and regulations and instructions of the spiritual master, he can become again nitya-siddha. So the Krsna consciousness movement is to make the nitya-baddhas AGAIN nitya-siddha." (New York Lecture CC, July 13, 1976)

Nitya-siddha is when the marginal living entity (jiva-soul) is in their natural pure bodily state, eternally liberated in Goloka Vrndavana or Vaikuntha with Krsna or Visnu.

The nitya-baddha condition is when the jiva-souls are in an unnatural impure state of reality eternally conditioned in the material creation selfishly serving one's own interests unaware of their permanently real original position of nitya-siddha.

Originally, all nitya-baddha's jiva-souls are nitya-siddha liberated jiva-souls regardless of the many quotes claiming there are two categories of jiva-souls known as nitya-siddha and nitya-baddha. 

No, there is only one original category of jiva-souls called nitya-siddha. Only when the jiva-souls fall down from Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana, do they then become nitya-baddha.

This means all the living entities in the category of jiva-souls are all originally nitya-siddha or Krsna consciousness.

Nitya-siddha means fully Krsna conscious in one's original position as Krsna's eternal servant.

The fact is the marginal living entity or jiva-souls, can choose to be either their nitya-siddha (eternally liberated, or nitya-baddha (eternally conditioned)  

The nitya-siddha spiritual bodily form in Goloka-Vrndavana, or on the Vaikuntha planets, is the full spiritual expression of the marginal living entities within the eternal presence of Goloka Vrindavana or Vaikuntha.

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 force." (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 act only one sided, that means I have no free will. Because we act sometimes wrongly, that means free will."

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

Srila Prabhupada -"Yes, but that is free will, he can misuses it, just like a thief, he knows that his stealing, it is bad, but still he does it. That is free will. He cannot check his greediness, so in spite of his knowing that he is doing 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 misuse of free will, there is no question of free will." (Excerpt from: Philosophy Discussions with Srila Prabhupada – Rene Descartes)

Srila Prabhupada - ''As soon as we try, "Oh, this material world is very nice, yes, Kṛṣṇa says, yes, you can go." Otherwise what is the meaning of free will? Every living entity has got a little free will. And Kṛṣṇa is so kind, He gives him opportunity, "All right, you enjoy like this." It is free will." (Morning Walk Cheviot Hills May 13, 1973, Los Angeles)

Srila Prabhupada - "We have also come down from Vaikuntha some millions and millions of years ago." (Lecture on Bhagavad-gita on August 6, 1973)

Srila Prabhupada - ''These spirit souls and all spirit souls are coming from Vaikuntha." (Letter to Jagadisa das, 1970)

Srila Prabhupada - "Your question about one's relationship with Lord Krsna on Krsnaloka, does he ever fall down? The souls are endowed with minute independence as part of their nature and this minute independence may be utilized rightly or wrongly at anytime, so there is always a chance of falling down by misuse of one’s independence." (Letter to Jagadisa Prabhu, 4/25/1970.)

Srila Prabhupada - ''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 Happening Record Album, New York City USA December 1966)

Srila Prabhupada – "Where are the spirit souls coming from, these spirit souls and all spirit souls are coming from Vaikuntha, but in these material worlds they are taking various grades of bodies according to their material activities." (Letter to Jagadisa 7/9/1970)

Srila Prabhupada - "In the broader sense everyone comes from Krsnaloka. When one forgets Krsna he is conditioned (nitya-baddha), when one remembers Krsna he is liberated (nitya-siddha)." (Letter to Mukunda, June 10, 1969)

Srila Prabhupada - "So the Krsna consciousness movement is to make the nitya-baddhas again nitya-siddha, it is a difficult task." (London lecture on Bhagavad-Gita 13-14, July 14, 1973)

Srila Prabhupada - "There are three kinds of liberated persons. 

They are called- 

1) sadhan siddha, 

2) kripa siddha, 

3) nitya siddha. 

When one is actually on the siddha platform there is no such distinction as to who is sadhan, kripa or nitya-siddha. When one is siddha, there is no distinction what is what. Just like when the river water glides down to the Atlantic Ocean nobody can distinguish which portion was the Hudson River or some other river." (Letter to Mukunda, June 10, 1969)

Srila Prabhupada - "Nitya baddhas are within this material world beginning with Brahma down to a small ant, insignificant ant, they are all nitya-baddha. Anyone who is in this material world they are nitya-baddha." (Lecture on Bhagavad-Gita 13-14, July 14, 1973)

Srila Prabhupada - "However, the actual constitutional position of every marginal living entity is nitya-siddha. By following the rules and regulations and instructions of the spiritual master, he can become again nitya-siddha. So the Krsna consciousness movement is to make the nitya-baddhas AGAIN nitya-siddha." (New York Lecture on Caitanya-Caritamrta, July 13, 1976)

Srila Prabhupada - "Actually, every living entity is eternally uncontaminated, although he may be in the material touch. This is the version of the Vedas. Asanga ayam purusha-the living entity is uncontaminated. Just like when there is a drop of oil in water you can immediately distinguish the oil from the water, and the water never mixes with the oil. Similarly, a living entity, although in material contact, is always distinct from the matter." (Letter to Mukunda, June 10, 1969)

Srila Prabhupada - "Actually, we are not fallen. We cannot be fallen. But we have simply created a situation. We have not created a situation. Krsna has given us a situation. Because we wanted to imitate Krsna, so Krsna has given an opportunity: "All right. Imitate." So this situation, 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 can break this material connection at any moment as soon as we come to the point of Krsna conscious. We can simply give up that illusory condition at any moment. At any moment. This is the position. We are not fallen. We are thinking fallen. So we have to give up this nonsense thinking. Then we are liberated."(Bhagavatam lecture in Tokyo, April 20, 1972)

Srila Prabhupada - "Eternally conditioned means we do not know when we have been conditioned like this. It is not possible to trace out the history, many, many Brahma’s lives are happening, not only one." (Lecture in New York City, January 9, 1967)

Srila Prabhupada - "There is history, but that is not possible to trace out. Therefore, it is said anadi . . . Anadi means: adi means the creation. Creation before creation I contaminated this desire." (Bhagavatam lecture in Bombay, January 1, 1975) 

Srila Prabhupada - "It is impossible to trace out our history. Vaishnava poets say, therefore, anadi karma-phale, which means that these actions and reactions of one’s activity cannot be traced, for they may even continue from the last millennium of Brahma’s birth to the next millenium." (Bhagavatam lecture on verse 44 of Canto Three, Chapter thirty-one July 1974)

Devotee - "In the spiritual sky, when the living entity is in his pure state of consciousness, does something act upon him to make him illusioned at that point, also?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes. Just like Jaya-Vijaya. They committed offense, there is possibility even if you are in Vaikuntha, you will fall down, what to speak of this material world." (Bhagavad Gita lecture of July 4, 1974)

It is NOT Maya and her material energy causing the jiva-souls to leave or fall down from Vaikuntha because there is no material nature (Maya) in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana that forces the jiva-soul to leave Krsna, Maya's temptation and material energy do not exist in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana however, free will does exist there."

Srila Prabhupada - ''The next question, about the living entities falling down in this material world are not from the impersonal brahman. Existence in the impersonal brahman is also within the category of non-Krsna consciousness. Those who are in the brahman effulgence they 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. The non-fallen condition is Krsna consciousness. So long one can maintain pure Krsna consciousness he is not fallen down. As soon as he becomes out of Krsna consciousness immediately he is fallen down." (Letter to: Revatinandana, Los Angeles 13 June, 1970)

Srila Prabhupada - "As living spiritual souls we are all originally Krsna conscious entities, but due to our association with matter from time immemorial, our consciousness has now become polluted by the material atmosphere." (Hare Krsna Happening record album, New York December 1966)

Srila Prabhupada - "So, even in the Vaikuntha, if I desire that "Why shall I serve Krsna? Why not become Krsna?" I immediately fall down." (July 8, 1976 in Washington, D.C.)

Srila Prabhupada – ''Regarding your questions about how and from where did the conditioned souls fall, your first question if someone has a relationship with Lord Krsna on Krsnaloka, does he ever fall down? The souls are endowed with minute independence as part of their nature and this minute independence may be utilized rightly or wrongly at anytime, so there is always a chance of falling down by misuse of one’s independence." (Letter to Jagadisa, 4/25/1970.)

Srila Prabhupada – "Where are the spirit souls coming from, these spirit souls and all spirit souls are coming from Vaikuntha, but in these material worlds they are taking various grades of bodies according to their material activities." (Letter to Jagadisa 7/9/1970)

Srila Prabhupada – "So everyone can know that independence means one can use it properly, one can misuse it. That is independence. If you make it one way only, that you cannot become fall down, that is not independence. That is force. Therefore Krsna says, yathecchasi tathä kuru. "Now you do whatever you like." (Bhagavad Gita As It Is lecture, Mayapur, June 20, 1973)

Srila Prabhupada - "In the broader sense everyone comes from Krsna Loka. When one forgets Krsna he is conditioned, when one remembers Krsna he is liberated." (Letter to Mukunda, June 10, 1969)

Srila Prabhupada - "We cannot say therefore that we are not with Krsna. As soon as we try to become Lord, immediately Maya covers us. Formerly we were with Krsna in His lila or sport. But this covering of Maya may be of very, very, very, very long duration; therefore many creations are coming and going." (Letter to Madhudvisa Swami June 1972 Australia)

Acyutananda - ''But in the Bhagavad Gita it says, "Once coming ftom there, he never returns to the material creation."

Srila Prabhupada - ''But if he likes, he can return."

Acyutananda - ''He can return?''

Srila Prabhupada - ''That independence has to be accepted, little independence. We can misuse that. Krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vancha kare. That misuse is the cause of our falldown."(Morning Walk, February 19, 1976, Mayapur)

Devotee - "Srila Prabhupada why did Krsna give us free will if He knew we could fall down in the material world?"

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).

Syamasundara - "Can we predict that returning back home back to Godhead will be permanent? Can we predict that? Just like many prisoners leave the prison, however, some do come back?''

Srila Prabhupada - "No, there is no permanent effect because we have got little independence. There is nothing permanent because you can misuse your independence at any time."

Syamasundara - "And some come back?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes. Otherwise there is no meaning of independence. Independence means you can do this, you can do that. "All right. Whatever you like."

Devotee - "Then he is so many times falling down, again and again, so will he eventually permanently come back?"

Srila Prabhupada - "He has got independence, therefore there is always the possibility he can misuse his independence, he can fall down. That's why when a man is released from the prison house, that does not mean permanently because he can come back again, the general law is not to come back, but if he likes, he can come back, otherwise what is the meaning of independence? Just like one becomes free from the prison house, naturally he should not go there again." (Discussions with Syamasundara > Henri Bergson)

In Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana personal voluntary expressions of loving exchanges are always encouraged by Krsna in His relationship with the jiva-souls. This adds flavour, variety and mystery to the association with the Lord.

This means the Kingdoms of Krsna and Visnu (Goloka-Vrindavana and Vaikuntha) are not a one-sided dominating impersonal domain devoid of free will or voluntary service.

Denying free will means not allowing or encourage voluntary personal contributions (offerings) expressed in a two-way exchange with Krsna, that will expand, enrich and flavour one's eternal relationship with Krsna.

Loving service to Krsna and exchanges with Him cannot exist if there is only a "one-sided" affiliate of total supremacy or preeminence. 

The fact is genuine loving relations and service are based on "free will" which includes loving exhanges between two, and is never a one-sided dominating affair!

"Free will" only has meaning when the jiva-souls can express themselves in a "two-sided" relationship with Krsna or even reject Him if they choose.

Unless the jiva-souls can make their own choice to do these things, then there is no question of having free will.

Srila Prabhupada - "Love is reciprocal, voluntary, good exchange of feeling. Then there is love. Not by force, no, Krsna does not want to become a lover like that, ‘You love me otherwise I shall kill you!" (Washington DC July 8, 1976)

The full potential and original feature of all marginal living entities is a two arm form like Krsna's Body.

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." (Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1.1-4 - Melbourne, May 20, 1975)..*..

Within Maha-Visnu's material creation exists every possible desire the visiting jiva-souls have, every scenario they can come up with, is covered within the dreams of Maha-Visnu.

Essay One.

The jiva-souls who have fallen to the material creation due to some offense, or who have chosen to enter the material creation, must "hire" their material bodily vessels from Maha-Visnu through His dreams.

Those same "dreams" of Maha-Visnu include the billions of material universes called Brahmandas that come from Maha-Visnu's breathing and from the pores on His skin.

All the material bodily vessels in the material creation belong to Maha-Visnu and must be purchased or "hired" from Him.

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)

The rebellious jiva-souls enter the impermanent material creation, known as the "mahat-tattva" via the dreams of Maha-Visnu.

They do this because they have chosen to reject Visnu on the Vaikuntha planets (in an all reverence relationship), or Krsna in Goloka-Vrndavana (in a intimite personal relationship of lover, friend, etc).

It is important to understand the jiva-souls left the Kingdom of God not because of any material cause, (that cannot exist in Vaikuntha anyway) but because of "free will," or wanting to be a god instead of serving God, and therefore gave up their association with Visnu or Krsna.

One cannot stay in the Lord's eternal abode if they have chosen not to serve Him, therefore they enter the material creation, also run by Krsna via His Maha-Visnu expansion and His demigod servants, who builds the material worlds.

This is how we entered the material creation in an attempt to seek out our own dreams within the "dreams of Maha-Visnu.

The temporary decaying material creation takes up 1/4 of the Spiritual Sky.

The Spiritual Sky is all that there is, without beginning or end, and that also includes the smaller temporary material creation as well that is 1/4 of the Spiritual Sky as said above that is always in a state of decay and constant maintenance.

The other 3/4s of the Spiritual Sky is the permanent spiritual worlds of Vaikuṇṭha and Goloka Vrindavana that never decays and is forever fresh (The Kingdom of God)

This temporary material creation we are in, is created from the dreams of Maha-Visnu, we have entered His material creation by choosing to enjoy separately from Krsna.

We are then given material bodily vessels hired out from Maha-Visnu's stockpile of dreams that always belong to Him and are always available for hire.

Some start as a Brahma and many do not, this is based on their desires to live without Krsna.

All facilities in the material creation are provided by Krsna (God) through His Maha-Visnu expansion.

However, there is an easy way out of this temporary material creation in this present age called Kali-yuga,  and that is by becoming a devotee in Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's great Sankirtan Movement and always chanting Hare Krsna.

By properly using one's free will when possible in the human species, one can find a bonafide Spiritual Master who can lead one out of this mundane material dream creation and return to the only permanent reality of Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrndavana outside this decaying material creation.

Choosing to come to the material creation of mundane selfish dreams was a mistake.

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." (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)

Essay Two.

The temporary decaying material creation of Maha-Visnu takes up 1/4 of the Spiritual Sky (all that there is)

The other 3/4s of the Spiritual Sky are the perpetual "forever youthful and fresh" Vaikuntha planets where Viṣṇu/Narayana eternally reside, and coming from the Body of Maha-Visnu via the pores of His skin and His breathing.

These massive material universes (Brahmandas) make up a vast multi-universe known as the material creation or mahat-tattva. 

Furthermore, each massive Brahmanda universe encases a smaller secondary universe where Garbhodakashayi Visnu and Brahma resides. 

Brahma goes on to create or build His many planetary systems within his particular universe.

So deep inside all the billions of Brahmanda universes, a secondary material universe exists where Garbhodakashayi Visnu and Lord Brahma with His various demigods (administrators) reside. 

Our Lord Brahma has 4 heads making our inner material universe very small at only 4 billion miles in diameter. 

Other Lord Brahmas in other  universes inside their Brahmanda have 10 or 100 or 1000, 10,000, 1000,000 or 1000,000 heads or more!

This is inconceivable to our small brains.

This means the Brahmanda universe encasing our inner universe is very small compared to other Brahmanda universes.

There are billions of Garbhodakashayi Visnus and Brahmas and demigods but only one Maha-Visnu.

For some scholars and devotees, our "secondary material universe" inside our surrounding Brahmanda, is called Bhu-Mandala, which is described as being "almost" 4 billion miles in diameter in the 5th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam.

For example, our material universe takes up the area Bhu-Mandala covers which Bhagavatam says is almost 4 billion miles in diameter. 

It is also explained in Srimad Bhagavatam that universe (inside our Brahmanda) is one of the smallest, being only 4 billion miles (500,000,000 Yojanas) in diameter. 

There are 14 planetary systems in our 4 billion mile diameter universe, but the amount of planetary systems are different in other universes because they are much larger.

Within the stem of the lotus flower coming from the naval of Garbhodakashayi Visnu, there are fourteen divisions of planetary systems created by Lord Brahma, and our earth spherical global planet is situated in the middle of the stem.

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 

1 - Earth, 

2 - Water, 

3 - Fire, 

4 - Air,

5 - Sky, 

6 - Total material energy, 

7 - False ego.

All are not only part of the material universe but also encase our material universe with seven material layers of material qualities.

Each layer is ten times bigger than the previous one. 

In this way, each and every material universe is very securely packed, and there are numberless Brahmanda universes and their inner secondary universes. 

All the Brahmanda 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." (Adapted from Krsna Book 87)

We also cannot see from one universe to another, this is because our individual universe is surrounded and encased by 7 thick material layers that makes up our outer Brahmanda universe.

And yes, it is impossible to see the millions of other Brahmandas outside our inner universe (we are inside a massive Brahmanda) because of being surrounded by 7 thick material layers.

However there are rare mystic yogis and advanced devotees like Arjuna who can see though these seven massive layers and pass through. 

The distance from the outer edge of our inner material universe to the external of the surrounding Brahmanda is 44 quadrillion, 444 trillion, 444 billion miles in diameter, or twice that size if the entire diameter of the Brahmanda is measured.

So of course Krsna and Arjuna did not encounter such limitations we experience by the combination of these elements like earth, water, fire, air all gross elements as Bhagavad Gita As It Is 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)

As said above, we cannot see through our Brahmanda's 7 layers of material energy that surrounds and encases our small secondary material universe within it with our telescopes and radio telescopes.

Srila Prabhupada explains further- 

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 layers of the outer Brahmanda covering), and therefore although the 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 universe there is one Lord Brahmā, and there are other demigods on other planets, but there is only one sun." (SB Canto 5 Ch 21 Text 11, Purport)

Srila Prabhupāda - "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]. This verse describes the coverings of the universe (saptabhir daśa-guṇottarair aṇḍa-kośaḥ)." (SB Canto 6, Ch 16, Text 37) 

As said above there are 7 material layers of the greater Brahmanda universe that encase our 4 billion diameter inner secondary material universe.

Each layer is 10 times thicker than the previous beginning with multiplying the 4 billion miles diameter of our inner universe by 10 to get the diameter of the first layer which is earth- 

1 - Earth - 40 billion miles in diameter, 

2 - Water - 400 billion miles in diameter, 

3 - Fire - 4000 billion (4 trillion) miles in diameter, 

4 - Air - 40,000 billion (40 trillion) miles in diameter,

5 - Sky - 400,000 billion (400 trillion) miles in diameter,

6 - Total material energy - 4000,000 billion, (4 quadrillion) miles in diameter.

7 - False ego - 40,000,000 billion (40 quadrillion) miles in diameter. 

The total size of our Brahmanda that our small 4 billion mile diameter secondary universe is in, is 44 quadrillion 444 trillion 444 billion miles in diameter according to calculations from Canto 5 of Srimad Bhagavatam.

Beginning with the covering of earth, each covering is ten times greater than the previous one. Thus we can only imagine how great and massive each Brahmanda outer universe is, and there are many billions of universes. 

Lord Krsna in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is says (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 only one fourth of the Supreme Lord's energy. Therefore He is called ananta." 

Srila Prabhupada  - "The first puruṣa is the Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. From His skin holes innumerable universes have sprung up. In each and every universe, the puruṣa enters as the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu.

He is lying within the half of the universe which is full with the water of His body. And from the navel of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu has sprung the stem of the lotus flower, the birthplace of Brahmā, who is the father of all living beings and the master of all the demigod engineers engaged in the perfect design and working of the universal order.

Within the stem of the lotus there are fourteen divisions of planetary systems, and the earthly planets are situated in the middle.

Upwards there are other, better planetary systems, and the topmost system is called Brahmaloka or Satyaloka. Downwards from the earthly planetary system there are seven lower planetary systems inhabited by the asuras and similar other materialistic living being." (SB Canto 1 Ch 3 text 2, Purport)

As said above our secondary material universe deep inside our Brahmanda is divided into fourteen planetary systems. 

Seven upper planetary systems- 

Bhūr,

Bhuvar, 

Svar, 

Mahar, 

Janas, 

Tapas, 

Satya, 

These are all upward planetary systems, one above the other. There are also seven planetary systems downward, known as-

Atala,

Vitala,

Sutala,

Talātala,

Mahātala,

Rasātala,

Pātāla.

HERE HERE HERE HERE

Essay Three.

Who is Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu?

Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu also known as Maha-Visnu is the first of the Purushas (controllers)

All the Visnu/Narayana expansions of Krsna including Maha-Visnu, Garbhodakashayi Visnu and Kshirodakashayi Visnu (Paramatma) are expansions of Balarama, the first of Krsna's expansions or incarnations. 

For the creation of the material creation there are three Visnu expansions.

1 - Maha-Visnu (Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu)

2 - Garbhodakashayi Visnu (Hiraņyagarbha) 

3 - Kshirodakashayi Visnu (Paramatma) 

Maha-Visnu (Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu) creates innumerable massive universes known as Brahmandas. 

He lies down in the Causal Ocean on the bed of Ananta Sesha (a snake looking expansion of also 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 (Hiraņyagarbha) and Kshirodakashayi Visnu (Paramatma)

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.

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 universe very small at only 4 billion miles in diameter. 

Other Lord Brahmas in other  universes inside their Brahmanda have 10 or 100 or 1000, 10,000, 1000,000 or more heads!

This means the Brahmanda universe encasing our inner material universe is very small compared to other Brahmanda universes.

Ksirodakashayi Visnu (Paramatma) accompanies all jiva-souls who enter the material creation and sits with each jiva-soul in the heart area of the material bodily vessel as Supersoul and also enters into every atom in the material creation.  

Wherever their is Ksirodakashayi Visnu, who is also known as Paramatma or Super Soul, there is the jiva-tattva or individual jiva-soul. 

The difference between anti-matter (active spiritual living entities) and the dead matter in the material creation-

1 - Anti-matter is active living entities.

2 - Matter is dormant or inactive "living entities" because Visnu is in the atom and a jiva-soul is always in the company of Visnu who is the Supersoul behind all things.

Anti-matter is simply active spiritual energy and matter is inactive spiritual energy.

With dead matter like stone, the consciousness of the jiva-souls as that stone are completely dormant, which means almost dead (totally inactive) hence dead matter.  

The only difference between matter, where the jiva-souls are dormant and inactive like the impersonal Brahmajyoti, and anti-matter, is the jiva-souls are fully active and aware of their full spiritual potential in their natural environment as anti-matter.

Everything spiritual is based on personalism known as anti-matter that is made up of an variety of living entities (from different Visnu-tattva expansions to Lord Siva) including an unlimited number of individual jiva-souls. 

The impersonal Brahmajyoti is also where anti-matter (jiva-souls) are hovering in an dormant inactive state and therefore in an lifeless existence.

1/4 of the Spiritual Sky is like this known as matter.

3/4 of the Spiritual Sky is anti-matter or Spiritually active.

Dead matter (the material atom) is dormant spiritual energy (life) or a jiva-souls present which means Visnu is also in the material atom. 

HERE

The jiva-soul in the material atom is inactive and almost dead Prabhupada explains. 

The natural full potential of the jiva-soul is to be fully active in the service of Krsna, such a reality is anti-matter Prabhupada explains in his Book "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 position is in Goloka-Vrindavana from where they originated from and have the sa bodily features as Krsna- 

sat,

cit, 

ananda, 

vigraha.

Which means-

Eternity, 

Knowledge, 

Bliss,

Form.

The jiva-souls have a perpetual spiritual bodily form just like Krsna's spiritual body.

The full potential and original feature of all marginal living entities (jiva-souls) is a two-arm form like Krsna's Body.

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 text 1-4, Melb, May 20, 1975)

Essay Four.

The temporary decaying material creation that we live in, is created by Maha-Visnu.

The material creation is a 1/4  of the Spiritual Sky (Brahmajyoti) seen in bottom painting below.

And the vast majority of the Spiritual Sky (3/4) seen in painting, is made up of the perpetual Vaikuntha planets that are the abodes of the 4 armed form of God known as Lord Visnu or Narayana among billions of other names. 

However, above the Vaikuntha planets is the central Spiritual planet known as Goloka-Vrindavana, the abode of the two armed Krsna who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes. 

The painting below shows the perpetual Vaikuntha planets and the central Spiritual world of Goloka-Vrindavana.

And in the bottom right hand cornor we see the small material temporary creation of Maha-Visnu.

The material creation is always in a state decay and decline and in need of constant maintenance.

It is created by Krsna's Visnu-tattva expansion, Maha-Visnu who manifests billions of individual Brahmanda universes from His breathing and from the pores of His skin.

There is also a secondary smaller material universe found deep inside each of the billions of massive Brahmanda universes, also seen in painting below where Maha-Visnu expands as Garbhodakashayi Visnu and enters each secondary universe inside the Brahmanda greater universe.

From Garbhodakashayi Visnu, Lord Brahma is born from His navel and then builds or creates the different material planetary systems.

There are 14 planetary systems in our 4 billion mile diameter universe inside our Brahmanda however, each secondary universe within their Brahmanda has a different number of Systems in them.

In this way Garbhodakashayi Visnu has His own secondary universe deep inside each Brahmanda universe.

As explained, Garbhodakashayi Visnu, seen in painting below, is an expansion of Maha-Visnu. 

There are billions of Brahmanda universes with a secondary universes deep within them.

This means there are billions of Garbhodakashayi Visnus, Brahmas and demigods, but there is only one Maha-Visnu in the material creation (1/4 of the Spiritual Sky)

Karanodakshayi Visnu is another name for Maha-Visnu. As explained, all the billions of Brahmanda universes originate from the pores of Maha-Visnu's skin and His breathing.

Deep inside each Brahmanda, Maha-Visnu expands further as Garbhodakashayi Visnu who resides in His own universe surrounded and encased by the larger Brahmanda universe. 

From Garbhodakashayi Visnu Lord Brahma appears and creates the Planetary Systems in each universe within their Brahmanda.

All the billions of Brahmanda universes originate from Maha-Visnu that are all in different sizes based on the number of heads the Lord Brahma has who resides within each inner secondary universe.

The size of our Brahmanda with its inner secondary universe within it, is 44 quadrillion 444 trillion 444 billion miles in diameter or twice that figure if measured from the outer edge of the material universe inside the Brahmanda.

All Brahmandas are in different sizes.

So to be clear, deep inside each Brahmanda universe there is a secondary universe where Maha-Visnu expands as Garbhodakashayi Visnu. 

And from Garbhodakashayi Visnu Lord Brahma appears from a lotus flower growing from His navel who then creates the many planetary systems.

Maha-Visnu expands again to a third Visnu known as the Supersoul or Paramatma, who accompanies each marginal living entities (jiva-souls) who chooses to enter the material dreams of Maha-Visnu in His material creation.

He is known as Ksirodakashayi Visnu.

Therefore no jiva-soul originates or are created by Maha-Visnu or Garbhodakashayi Visnu.

We must remember that the jiva-soul's (jiva-tattva) were never created nor will they ever will cease to be as Bhagavad Gita teaches.

So it is nonsense to believe, as some claim, that the jiva-soul's originate from some clear sheet of consciousness, a dormant impersonal state called the impersonal Brahmajyoti or Brahman.

All fallen jiva-souls originate from Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana. Only after choosing to leave the Spiritual world, they then go the the dreams of Maha Visnu through Maha-Visnu (who creates the material worlds) on their way to entering the material creation via "hiring" one of Maha-Visnu's dreams to identify with.

By taking shelter within His dreams, the visiting jiva-souls are given assistance by Maha-Visnu for try a satisfy their desires.

By Maha-Visnu's glance as He dreams, the fallen jiva-souls enter the material creation in one of Maha-Visnu's "hired" material bodily vessels 

Each jiva-soul is unique and has a material bodily vessels based on their desires.

All material bodily vessels are created by the dreaming Maha-Visnu and are provided to all visiting jiva-souls who enter Maha-Visnu's material creation.

Every material bodily combination is already within Maha-Visnu’s dreams, and the jiva-soul is given a material body that matches their desires.

And then karma leads them to future material bodies that number billions of different bodies within the 8 million 400 thousand species of life within the material creation.

HERE HERE HERE

Essay Five.

The mysterious workings of Maha-Visnu's material creation works in a way that not even science fiction writers could imagine.

All material bodily vessels in the material creation originate from the dreams of Maha-Visnu.

Such material bodily containers are an instant alternative for those jiva-souls (marginal living entities) who reject serving Krsna.

Therefore such material bodily vessels are provided by Maha-Visnu to those individual jiva-souls who can no longer stay in the Spiritual planets because of their rejection of Krsna or Visnu.

No individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) originate from Maha-Visnu, they only move into His dreams (material bodies) according to their desires for their journey through the material creation.

There are unlimited material bodily vessels available to those individual jiva-souls who have chosen to leave Vaikuntha, that instantly places them in Maha-Visnu's material creation.

The impersonalists have a limited understanding of what is really going on, yes, the material energy is "all-one" but NOT the "spiritual energy" which is made up of individual living entities that are all eternal.

Only the material energy is eventually "all-one" and when the material body breaks down and decomposes and merges back into one "oneness" of the material nature.

But the life force that moves matter is NOT all one as explained above, life is eternal individual units (jiva-souls) that ALWAYS remain independent individuals.  

We are NOT matter, meaning we are NOT the material body, we are the eternal passenger who is using the material body as a vehicle to get ar, so that process of matter merging as one with ma  has nothing to do with us

Even this can be confusing to many because spiritual energy is only ONE when in relation to Krsna and His Visnu-tattva expansions, but is NOT one when referring to the individual jiva-souls.

The jiva-souls never lose their individual personality, identity and eternal spiritual bodily form when the outer covering or material body breaks down and decays (dies) and merges back into the oneness of material energy.

The individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities), just like Krsna, were never created, each jiva-soul has no origin because they were never created.

Krsna and the jiva-souls are like the Sun-disc and the sun-rays, that cannot exist without each other.

Therefore Krsna and the jiva-souls have always existed and were never created.

Although the real home of the jiva-souls is always in either the Vaikuntha planets of Lord Visnu, or Krsna's central planet of Goloka Vrindavana, and not living in the temporary mundane material creation, or merged inactively (dormant) in the impersonal Brahmajyoti.

From Maha-Visnu's point of view, the movement through material time's past, present and future, all exist simultaneously and is always there as a permanent pathway that unlimited jiva-souls are continuously moving through.

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." (Tokyo Japan 1972 lecture on SB Canto 4 Ch 29)

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 roadway or pathway is where the jiva-soul moves through the past, to the present, and to the future, from its start (birth) to its end (death)

These realities of Maha-Visnu's dreaming material creations can be rewinded, they can be fast forwarded, but they can never be changed.

This is because each material bodily vessel's pathway is already set in stone from its beginning to its end, this means each material bodily pathway that the visiting jiva-soul travels on, comes from the already dreamed dreams of Maha-Visnu and can only be lived through and can never be changed (hence, set in stone).

The visiting jiva-souls who enter the material creation and obtain (hired) a material bodily blue-print from Maha-Visnu's dreams that are already a set reality from its beginning to its end.

This is why once the jiva-soul has entered one of Maha-Visnu's dreams, nothing in that material bodily pathway can be changed.

Also each material bodily "hired" pathway (from Maha-Visnu's dreams) is repeatedly available and continuously re-occupied by other visiting jiva-souls who have also chosen to enter the temporary material creation.

Linear time is the movement from past to present and then to future.

In other words 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.

Seeing the entire journey on the complete roadway all at once is seeing above linear time.

Maha-Visnu sees above linear time like one sees an entire roadway from above, its beginning, middle and end all at once. 

All material bodily vessels are chosen from Maha-Visnu's dreams, His collection of material bodily vessels from His permanent volt of dreams are lived out by the visiting jiva-souls in linear time.

This means all material bodily vessels are like costumes that are "hired" from the Costume shop owner Maha-Visnu.

All of the jiva-soul's desires,  choices and expressions of their free will are factored in before the jiva-soul is given a particular material bodily vessel to enter the material creation. 

Free will only exists partially in the human form of life (4 hundred thousand human species) and none existant in all other 8 million species of material life.

Maha-Visnu sees all, beginning, middle and end of all material bodily vessels.

This is because He is God and knows past, present and future.

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

HERE HERE HERE.

There is always "free will" however, each material body's destiny that the visiting jiva-soul experiences, is already mapped out within the dreams of Maha Visnu explained above.

And "free will" is factored into the equation in such a way that the free will of each jiva-soul is not affected.

Free will always exists in the spiritual worlds that allows the jiva-souls to except or even reject Krsna by choosing to leave Krsna's association if they choose. 

Such freedom must be there if love truly exists in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana.

So from the mistaken desires of the rebellious jiva-soul, that begins when they put their own selfish desires in the centre, instead of first pleasing Krsna, they are "forced" to choose a vessel from Maha-Visnu's "library of dreams" that transfers them to His temporary material creation and into a temporary material bodily vessel (Maha Visnu's dreams)

This is the beginning of the jiva-souls fall down to the material creation from Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana.

But such fall downs are very rare, less than 10% of jiva-souls fall down from the Spiritual Planets.

Rejecting Krsna means the jiva-soul can no longer stay in the Spiritual World and is therefore instantaneously transferred out of Vaikuṇṭha or Goloka Vṛndāvana and relocated to the dreams of Maha-Visnu (the pathway of material bodily vessels) material creation.

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

Within Maha-Visnu's material creation exists every possible "dream" to fulfil every desire the visiting jiva-souls have, every scenario they can come up with is eternally existing in Maha Visnu's dreams.  

This means the jiva-soul's ability to express "free will" is already factored into the equation of the destiny of the material bodily vessel one has chosen to enter as explained above.

BG Ch 11 text 7 - "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."

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)

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 there shall be in the future,

3 - And what is at present.

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 by three ways: 

past, 

present,

future. 

Time limitation, past, present and future. Whenever you speak of time, it is past, present or future.

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

Just like in the Bhagavad Gītā Kṛṣṇa says,

"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 past, present, and future, he explained. 

Another place Kṛṣṇa says, vedāhaṁ samatītāni (BG 7.26). Atītāni, atītāni means past. Vartamānāni ca, "and present." 

So that is yogic power, one CAN know past, present, and future''.(SB Canto 12 Ch 2 text 1, San Francisco, March 18, 1968)

There is still a lot more to learn about the movement of the marginal living entity (jiva-soul) through material space/time's past, present and future.

We have only scratched the surface in understanding Vedic texts in the 50 years since Srila Prabhupada made his valuable contribution to the western world.

The movement of space/time in the temporary material creation is eternally divided into past, present and future as a roadway that has its beginning point (birth), middle (youth and middle age) and end of the roadway (old age and death), but ONLY while the individual jiva-souls are covered by these material bodily vessels governed by the movement of material time.

Temporary means the decaying progression of material time's past, present and future thats effect are birth, youth, middle age, old age and death.

Whereas in the spiritual worlds there is only the "permanence" of the "eternal presence" of Krsna where everything is eternally fresh, youthful and never decomposes 

In the spiritual planets the jiva-souls ARE their bodily form and therefore no longer possess an outer material decaying bodily vessel or covering.

All material bodily vessels or bodily containers, are part and parcel of the fabric of material energies space/time that governs the temporary material creation and takes up 1/4 of the Spiritual Sky (matter)

The other 3/4s of the Spiritual Sky are the permanent eternally youthful spiritual worlds (anti-matter) eternally existing in the "eternal presence" beyond the decaying influence of past, present and future that only exists in the material creation.

In the material creation's bodily vessels, the jiva-souls are there as the passengers who are riding within the material energies fabric of material bodily vessels. 

Each material body is made of material energy that the jiva-souls become covered by in the material creation.

The individual marginal living entities (jiva-souls) are the passengers in the material body made of material energy.

Material energies bodily vessels are dead matter when they are no longer held together by form possessed by an individual jiva-soul (anti-matter)

1 - "Matter" is lifeless dead energy existing in the material creation.

2 - "Anti-matter" is living individual living entities AS Spiritual bodily forms that pervades the Spiritual Worlds of the Vaikuntha Planets and Goloka-Vrindavana.

The jiva-soul ARE living units of anti-matter whereas the material energy is not living, it is simply dead matter.

All material bodily vessels are given to the jiva-souls by Maha-Visnu (from His dreams) according to their desires.

And as the embodied 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 lower species of life where one acts only on the instincts of eating, sleeping, mating and defending. 

From the viewpoint of Maha-Visnu and great sages, they see past, present and future in the material creation all exist simultaneously.

Just like from above one can see the beginning, middle and end of a long winding roadway.

And also even with mundane logic, the material desires of an individual marginal living entity (jiva-soul) would eventually repeat themselves again over the span of eternity if they stayed in the material creation that long.

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

This is possible because the jiva-souls (marginal living entities) are eternal meaning they have always existed and were never born. 

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 body one chooses from Maha-Visnu's dreams, still be happening in the universe's "same space" but happening in a different "time", with another individual jiva-soul playing that same part?

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

This is because past, present and future are happening "always" (simultaneously) and are a permanent fixture of the fabric of material energy.

This means all material bodily vessel are like a permanent 'POST' or roadway that many jiva-souls can also experience its journey.

Just like Lord Brahma's material body is also a POST that many jiva-souls can experience if qualified to attain the material body of Brahma.

This further means only those jiva-souls with the right qualifactions can experience what ever bodily vessel they are offered, but only if they deserve it.

To be qualified for any material bodily vessel, one must be trained up and simultaneously have corresponding desires to qualify and enter a particular material bodily vessel they deserve, desire, rewarded with or punished with.

Once in the material creation, the jiva-souls will eventually take a material body created by their own karma (past good and bad actions)

It is also seems to some that the material universe of material bodily containers or vessels are repeating itself, except with a different batch of individual jiva-souls possessing all material bodily vessels.

Some philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche call this the "eternal reoccurrence"

But NO, that is NOT what is going on, there is no such thing as eternal reoccurrence, there is only the permanent roadway of material bodily vessels the jiva-souls are eternally travelling through.

This means everything already exists eternally and the jiva-souls just move through those permanent pathways of material energy (dreams of Maha-Visnu).

The "material body" is NOT the PERSON, the material vessel is made of perishable material elements that a jiva-soul is covered by and travels through and in (like one travels on an already made roadway) 

Essay Five.

The distance from the sun to the earth is 100,000 yojanas or 800,000 miles or 1,350,000 kilometers.

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura estimates that Dhruvaloka, the polestar, is 3,800,000 yojanas above the sun. 

Above Dhruvaloka by 10,000,000 yojanas is Maharloka

Above Maharloka by 20,000,000 yojanas is Janaloka.

Above Janaloka by 80,000,000 yojanas is Tapoloka.

Above Tapoloka by 120,000,000 yojanas is Satyaloka. 

Thus the distance from the sun to Satyaloka is 233,800,000 yojanas, or 1,870,400,000 miles. 

The Vaikuṇṭha planets begin 26,200,000 yojanas (209,600,000 miles) above Satyaloka. 

Thus the Viṣṇu Purāṇa describes that the covering of the universe is 260,000,000 yojanas (2,080,000,000 miles) away from the sun. 

The distance from the sun to the earth is 100,000 yojanas, and below the earth by 70,000 yojanas are the seven lower planetary systems called Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Talātala, Mahātala, Rasātala and Pātāla. 

Below these lower planets by 30,000 yojanas, Śeṣa Nāga is lying on the Garbhodaka Ocean. That ocean is 249,800,000 yojanas deep. 

Thus the total diameter of the universe is approximately 500,000,000 yojanas, or 4,000,000,000 miles.

THE POLESTAR

If we enter the ocean by boat we can navigate our direction to a destination based on the stars. The stars are compared to so much knowledge found in the Vedas. One of those stars in the sky is called Dhruva-loka.

In modern science Dhruva-loka is called the Pole Star or North Star. When we are in the ocean if we lose sight of that star, if we cannot see that star then we cannot benefit from all the other stars.

We will be lost in the ocean. The Pole Star doesn't move. It is fixed in one place. As long as we can see the Pole Star, which never moves, than we can determine so many things by the other stars which are moving.–

‘Generally those who are free from sinful reactions, those who are righteous, very easily take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The word puṇya-karmaṇām is very significant here.

This refers to the performance of great sacrifices, like the aśvamedha-yajña, mentioned in the Vedic literature. 

Those who are righteous in performing devotional service but who are not pure can attain the planetary system of the polestar, or Dhruvaloka, where Dhruva Mahārāja is presiding. He is a great devotee of the Lord, and he has a special planet, which is called the polestar." (BG Ch 18 text 71 purport).

Srila Prabhupada  - "In the upper status of the planetary systems there are facilities thousands and thousands of times greater for material enjoyments than in the lower planetary systems. 

The topmost planetary systems consist of planets like Brahmaloka and Dhruvaloka (the polestar), and all of them are situated beyond Maharloka.

The inhabitants of those planets are empowered with eightfold achievements of mystic perfection. 

They do not have to learn and practice the mystic processes of yoga perfection and achieve the power of becoming small like a particle (aṇimā-siddhi), or lighter than a soft feather (laghimā-siddhi).

They do not have to get anything and everything from anywhere and everywhere (prāpti-siddhi)

To become heavier than the heaviest (mahimā-siddhi)

To act freely even to create something wonderful or to annihilate anything at will (īśitva-siddhi)

To control all material elements (vaśitva-siddhi)

To possess such power as will never be frustrated in any desire (prākāmya-siddhi), or to assume any shape or form one may even whimsically desire (kāmāvasāyitā-siddhi).

All these expediencies are as common as natural gifts for the inhabitants of those higher planets. They do not require any mechanical help to travel in outer space, and they can move and travel at will from one planet to any other planet within no time.

The inhabitants of the earth cannot move even to the nearest planet except by mechanical vehicles like spacecraft, but the highly talented inhabitants of such higher planets can do everything very easily." (SB Canto 2 Ch 2 text 22 purport).

Srila Prabhupada  - "The polar star of the universe and the circle thereof is called the Śiśumāra circle, and therein the local residential planet of the Personality of Godhead (Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu) is situated. 

Before reaching there, the mystic passes over the Milky Way to reach Brahmaloka, and while going there he first reaches Vaiśvānara-loka, where the demigod controls fire. 

On Vaiśvānara-loka the yogī becomes completely cleansed of all dirty sins acquired while in contact with the material world. 

The Milky Way in the sky is indicated herein as the way leading to Brahmaloka, the highest planet of the universe." (SB Canto 2, Ch 2 text 24 purport).

The individual jiva-soul is forever a servant of the Supersoul, and therefore his relationship with the Supersoul is to offer service. 

That is called bhakti-yoga, or bhakti-bhāva. Dhruva Mahārāja offered his prayers to the Lord not in the way of the impersonalist philosophers, but as a devotee.

Therefore, it is clearly said here, bhakti-bhāva. The only prayers worth offering are those offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose reputation is spread far and wide. 

Dhruva Mahārāja wanted to have the kingdom of his father, but his father refused even to allow him to get on his lap. 

In order to fulfill his desire, the Lord had already created a planet known as the polestar, Dhruvaloka, which was never to be annihilated even at the time of the dissolution of the universe.

Dhruva Mahārāja attained this perfection not by acting hastily, but by patiently executing the order of his spiritual master, and therefore he became so successful that he saw the Lord face to face. 

Now he was further enabled, by the causeless mercy of the Lord, to offer fitting prayers to the Lord. To glorify or offer prayers unto the Supreme, one needs the Lord's mercy. One cannot write to glorify the Lord unless one is endowed with His causeless mercy. (SB Canto 4 Ch 9 text 5 purport).

Although the polestar existed before its occupation by Dhruva Mahārāja, it had no predominating deity. 

Dhruvaloka, our polestar, is the center for all other stars and solar systems, for all of them circle around Dhruvaloka just as a bull crushes grains by walking around and around a central pole. 

Dhruva wanted the best of all planets, and although it was a childish prayer, the Lord satisfied his demand.

A small child may demand something from his father which his father has never given to anyone else, yet out of affection the father offers it to the child; similarly, this unique planet, Dhruvaloka, was offered to Mahārāja Dhruva.

The specific significance of this planet is that until the entire universe is annihilated this planet will remain, even during the devastation which takes place during the night of Lord Brahmā. There are two kinds of dissolutions, one during the night of Lord Brahmā and one at the end of Lord Brahmā's life. 

At the end of Brahmā's life, selected personalities go back home, back to Godhead. Dhruva Mahārāja is one of them. (SB Canto 4 Ch 9 text 20-21 purport).

Srila Prabhupada - "In this verse the word nāvartate is very significant. The Lord says, "You will not come back to this material world, for you will reach mat-sthānam, My abode." Therefore Dhruvaloka, or the polestar, is the abode of Lord Viṣṇu within this material world.

Upon it there is an ocean of milk, and within that ocean there is an island known as Śvetadvīpa. It is clearly indicated that this planet is situated above the seven planetary systems of the ṛṣis, and because this planet is Viṣṇuloka, it is worshiped by all other planetary systems.

It may be questioned here what will happen to the planet known as Dhruvaloka at the time of the dissolution of this universe. The answer is simple: Dhruvaloka remains, like other Vaikuṇṭhalokas beyond this universe.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has commented in this connection that the very word nāvartate indicates that this planet is eternal." (SB Canto 4 Ch 9 text 25 purport).

Srila Prabhupada - "According to astronomical calculation, along with the polestar there is another star, which is called Śiśumāra, where Lord Viṣṇu, who is in charge of the maintenance of this material world, resides. 

Śiśumāra or Dhruvaloka can never be reached by anyone but the Vaiṣṇavas, as will be described by the following ślokas.

The associates of Lord Viṣṇu brought the special airplane for Dhruva Mahārāja and then informed him that Lord Viṣṇu had especially sent this airplane." (SB Canto 4 Ch 12 text 27 purport).

Srila Prabhupada - "Each and every planet within the universe travels at a very high speed. From a statement in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is understood that even the sun travels sixteen thousand miles in a second, and from Brahma-saṁhitā we understand from the śloka, yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇām that the sun is considered to be the eye of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, and it also has a specific orbit within which it circles. Similarly, all other planets have their specific orbits.

But together all of them encircle the polestar, or Dhruvaloka, where Dhruva Mahārāja is situated at the summit of the three worlds. We can only imagine how highly exalted the actual position of a devotee is, and certainly we cannot even conceive how exalted is the position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." (SB Canto 4 Ch 12 text 39 purport).

Srila Prabhupada - "The speculators, the jñānīs, go on speculating about the Supreme Personality of Godhead for many, many hundreds of thousands of years, but unless one is favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot understand His supreme glories. All the great sages mentioned in this verse have their planets near Brahmaloka, the planet where Lord Brahmā resides along with four great sages-

Sanaka, 

Sanātana, 

Sanandana,

Sanat-kumāra. 

These sages reside in different stars known as the southern stars, which circle the polestar.

The polestar, called Dhruvaloka, is the pivot of this universe, and all planets move around this polestar. All the stars are planets, as far as we can see, within this one universe. 

According to Western theory, all the stars are different suns, but according to Vedic information, there is only one sun within this universe.

All the so-called stars are but different planets. Besides this universe, there are many millions of other universes, and each of them contains similar innumerable stars and planets." (SB Canto 4 Ch 29 text 42-44 purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "We should always remember that the Ganges River comes from the Causal Ocean, beyond the covering of the universe. 

After the water of the Causal Ocean leaks through the hole created by Lord Vāmanadeva, it flows down to Dhruvaloka (the polestar) and then to the seven planets beneath Dhruvaloka.

Then it is carried to the moon by innumerable celestial airplanes, and then it falls to the top of Mount Meru, which is known as Sumeru-parvata. 

In this way, the water of the Ganges finally reaches the lower planets and the peaks of the Himalayas, and from there it flows through Hardwar and throughout the plains of India, purifying the entire land.

How the Ganges water reaches the various planets from the top of the universe is explained herein. 

Celestial airplanes carry the water from the planets of the sages to other planets. So-called advanced scientists of the modern age are trying to go to the higher planets, but at the same time they are experiencing a power shortage on earth.

If they were actually capable scientists, they could personally go by airplane to other planets, but this they are unable to do. Having now given up their moon excursions, they are attempting to go to other planets, but without success." (SB Canto 5 Ch 17 text 4 purport).

Translation - "Situated 8,800,000 miles above Saturn, or 20,800,000 miles above earth, are the seven saintly sages, who are always thinking of the well-being of the inhabitants of the universe. They circumambulate the supreme abode of Lord Viṣṇu, known as Dhruvaloka, the polestar." (SB Canto 5 Ch 22 text 17 translation)

Srila Prabhupada - "This chapter describes how all the planetary systems take shelter of the polestar, Dhruvaloka. It also describes the totality of these planetary systems to be Śiśumāra, another expansion of the external body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. 

Dhruvaloka, the abode of Lord Viṣṇu within this universe, is situated 1,300,000 yojanas from the seven stars.

In the planetary system of Dhruvaloka are the planets of the fire-god, Indra, Prajāpati, Kaśyapa and Dharma, all of whom are very respectful to the great devotee Dhruva, who lives on thepolestar.

Like bulls yoked to a central pivot, all the planetary systems revolve around Dhruvaloka, impelled by eternal time. 

Those who worship the virāṭ-puruṣa, the universal form of the Lord, conceive of this entire rotating system of planets as an animal known as śiśumāra.

This imaginary śiśumāra is another form of the Lord. The head of the śiśumāra form is downward, and its body appears like that of a coiled snake. 

On the end of its tail is Dhruvaloka, on the body of the tail are Prajāpati, Agni, Indra and Dharma, and on the root of the tail are Dhātā and Vidhātā.

On its waist are the seven great sages. The entire body of the śiśumāra faces toward its right and appears like a coil of stars. 

On the right side of this coil are the fourteen prominent stars from Abhijit to Punarvasu, and on the left side are the fourteen prominent stars from Puṣyā to Uttarāṣāḍhā.

The stars known as Punarvasu and Puṣyā are on the right and left hips of the śiśumāra, and the stars known as Ārdrā and Aśleṣā are on the right and left feet of the śiśumāra. 

Other stars are also fixed on different sides of the Śiśumāra planetary system according to the calculations of Vedic astronomers. 

To concentrate their minds, yogīs worship the Śiśumāra planetary system, which is technically known as the kuṇḍalini-cakra." (SB Canto 5 Ch 23 summary)

Srila Prabhupada - "Summarizing the entire description of the planetary systems of the universe, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that one who is able to meditate upon this arrangement as the virāṭ-rūpa, or viśva-rūpa, the external body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and worship Him three times a day by meditation will always be free from all sinful reactions.

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura estimates that Dhruvaloka, the polestar, is 3,800,000 yojanas or 30,400,000 or miles above the sun. 

Above Dhruvaloka by 10,000,000 yojanas or 80 million miles is Maharloka.

Above Maharloka by yojanas or 160 million miles is Janaloka. 

Above Janaloka by 80,000,000 yojanas or 640,000,000 miles is Tapoloka. 

Above Tapoloka by 120,000,000 yojanas or 960,000,000 miles is Satyaloka. 

Thus the distance from the sun to Satyaloka is 233,800,000 yojanas, or 1,870,400,000 miles.

The Vaikuṇṭha planets begin 26,200,000 yojanas (209,600,000 miles) above Satyaloka. 

Thus the Viṣṇu Purāṇa describes that the covering of the universe is 260,000,000 yojanas (2,080,000,000 miles) away from the sun.

The distance from the sun to the earth is 100,000 yojanas, and below the earth by 70,000 yojanas are the seven lower planetary systems known as- 

Atala, 

Vitala, 

Sutala, 

Talātala, 

Mahātala, 

Rasātala,

Pātāla.

Below these lower planets by 30,000 yojanas, Śeṣa Nāga is lying on the Garbhodaka Ocean. 

That ocean is 249,800,000 yojanas deep. 

Thus the total diameter of the universe is approximately 500,000,000 yojanas, or 4,000,000,000 (4 billion) miles. (SB Canto 5 Ch 23 text 9 purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "The seven stars revolving around the polestar at the zenith are called saptarṣi-maṇḍala. On these seven stars, which form the topmost part of our planetary system, reside seven sages:

Kaśyapa, Atri, Vasiṣṭha, Viśvāmitra, Gautama, Jamadagni and Bharadvāja.

These seven stars are seen every night, and they each make a complete orbit around the polestar within twenty-four hours. Along with these seven stars, all the others stars also orbit from east to west.

The upper portion of the universe is called the north, and the lower portion is called the south. Even in our ordinary dealings, while studying a map, we regard the upper portion of the map as north." (SB, Canto 9, Ch 16 text 24 purport)