Srimad Bhagavatam #17: Srimad Bhagavatam is the answer for all questions

In the previous part, we studied the meaning of the Catuh-sloki Bhagavatam, the four original verses that Krsna spoke to Brahma in answer to his four questions.

In this part:

The conclusion of the Catuh-sloki (chapter 2.9)
When did Brahma see the Lord?
Narayana or Krsna?
The Lord disappears
Bhāgavatam Is the Answer to All Questions (chapter 10)
The adhyātmic, adhidaivic, and adhibhautic persons
The creation of the universe
The Lord is behind everything
Why is the universal form described?
Understanding the cosmic cycles
Setting the chronology

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The conclusion of the Catuh-sloki (chapter 2.9)

In the previous part, we studied the meaning of the Catuh-sloki Bhagavatam, the four original verses that Krsna spoke to Brahma in answer to his four questions.

Here is a summary of Brahma’s questions and the answers given in the four verses:

1- What are the forms of the Lord both in matter and in transcendence? How can the universe be created from the energy of the Lord, and how can the Lord be present in it, if the Lord has no material form?

A: The Lord is a person and the possessor of inconceivable energies. Everything is the energy of the Lord, therefore the Lord is in everything, although at the same time, He is present in His eternal abode. The material world is a permutation of the external energy of the Lord and thus the Lord is also present in it, although at the same time aloof. All the souls are parts and parcels of the Lord, but at the same time eternally separate individuals.

“Brahmā, it is I, the Personality of Godhead, who was existing before the creation, when there was nothing but Myself. Nor was there the material nature, the cause of this creation. That which you see now is also I, the Personality of Godhead, and after annihilation what remains will also be I, the Personality of Godhead.”

2- How are the different energies of the Lord working? How does the Lord manifest the different energies responsible for the generation, maintenance, and annihilation of the universe?

A: Everything is born from the Supreme, including all living beings and Brahma himself. The Lord is also the source of the material manifestation, the spiritual worlds, and everything that exists. Nothing exists that is not connected with the Lord.

Krsna has two main energies, yoga-māyā, and mahā-māyā. Yoga-māyā means to see things in the proper perspective, in connection with the Lord, while detaching a thing from its relationship with the Lord means to be under mahā-māyā. The souls are thus not independent, any sense of independence from the Lord is just a product of illusion.

“O Brahmā, whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. Know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness.”

3- How does the Lord play with His different energies, just like a spider produces the web, maintains it and in the end absorbs it back?

Krsna is inside of everything, but at the same time He is outside, situated in His own abode. He is all-pervading, and at the same time localized. This truth can be fully understood only by the practice of devotional service, which the Lord urges Brahma to practice.

We tend to think we can understand all kinds of spiritual topics by just studying. While this is important, there is another necessary component, spiritual realization. Without such realization, even the simplest topics may escape our comprehension, even after studying them. The study of the scriptures should thus go hand in hand with spiritual practice and association with advanced devotees.

“O Brahmā, please know that the universal elements enter into the cosmos and at the same time do not enter into the cosmos; similarly, I Myself also exist within everything created, and at the same time I am outside of everything.”

4- How can Brahma perform the duties entrusted to Him, without becoming conditioned by these activities?

Brahma should dedicate himself to the practice of sadhana-bhakti, hearing and speaking about Krsna’s glories and remembering Him, in all circumstances, in all space and time, and both directly and indirectly. In this way, he may perform his work of creation without becoming conditioned by it, just like Arjuna fought in the battle of Kuruksetra without forgetting the Lord at any point.

“A person who is searching after the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, must certainly search for it up to this, in all circumstances, in all space and time, and both directly and indirectly.”

When did Brahma see the Lord?

In verse 2.9.30, after submitting his questions, Brahma prayed to the Lord that all his work of creation would not give birth to pride. In answer to this, the Lord recommended Him to just follow the conclusion of the four verses, practicing devotional service and fixing his mind unto Him.

“O Brahmā, just follow this conclusion by fixed concentration of mind, and no pride will disturb you, neither in the partial nor in the final devastation.” (SB 2.9.37)

One could question when this conversation of Lord Brahma with Krsna happened. This is actually a difficult question to answer because the focus of the Srimad Bhagavatam is the spiritual instructions and not the historical descriptions. We are currently on the first day of the second half of the life of Brahma. This conversation happened at the very beginning of one of his days, but each one?

In SB 3.4.13, Krsna describes to Uddhava that He spoke to Brahma at the beginning of creation, at the Padma Kalpa (the lotus millennium): purā mayā proktam ajāya nābhye padme niṣaṇṇāya mamādi-sarge, “O Uddhava, in the lotus millennium in the days of yore, at the beginning of the creation, I spoke unto Brahmā, who is situated on the lotus that grows out of My navel”

The different days of Brahma receive names, and two kalpas are referred to as the Padma Kalpa. The first Padma Kalpa is the second day of the first half of his life, as described in SB 3.11.35-36:

“In the beginning of the first half of Brahmā’s life, there was a millennium called Brāhma-kalpa, wherein Lord Brahmā appeared. The birth of the Vedas was simultaneous with Brahmā’s birth. The millennium which followed the first Brāhma millennium is known as the Pādma-kalpa because in that millennium the universal lotus flower grew out of the navel reservoir of water of the Personality of Godhead, Hari.”

The second Padma Kalpa is the current day of Brahma. It’s also called Padma because in this millennium the lotus flower also appears, following the complete devastation at the end of the first half of Brahma’s life. The current day is also referred to as the Varāha-kalpa and the Śvetavarāha-kalpa, which can be confusing. However, on SB 2.10.47 Prabhupada makes it clear:

“The present duration of a kalpa of Brahmā is called the Varāha-kalpa or Śvetavarāha-kalpa because the incarnation of the Lord as Varāha took place during the creation of Brahmā, who was born on the lotus coming out of the abdomen of Viṣṇu. Therefore this Varāha-kalpa is also called Pādma-kalpa, and this is testified by ācāryas like Jīva Gosvāmī as well as Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura in pursuance of the first commentator, Svāmī Śrīdhara. So there is no contradiction between the Varāha and the Pādma-kalpa of Brahmā.”

This is also confirmed by Sukadeva Goswami, who refers to the current Kalpa as the Padma Kalpa in the same verse:

“O King, I shall in due course explain the measurement of time in its gross and subtle features with the specific symptoms of each, but for the present let me explain unto you the Pādma-kalpa.” (SB 2.10.47)

As explained in this verse, the events described in the 3rd canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam onwards happened in the current day of Brahma, the Padma Kalpa. The conversation between Brahma and Krsna could thus have happened at the beginning of the current day, or in the previous Padma Kalpa (at the beginning of Brahma’s life).

However, in the Krsna Sandharbha (section 64, text 5), Srila Jiva Goswami quotes a verse from the Gopala Tapani Upanisad (1.27): tad u hovaca brāhmaṇaḥ asāv anavaratam me dhyātaḥ stutaḥ parārdhante so ‘budhyata. gopa-vešo me purastād āvirbabhūva.

The word for word is: tat-then; u-certainly; ha-indeed; uvāca-replied; brahmānah-Brahma, asau-He; anavaratam-continually, me-by me; dhyātah-remembered; stulah-glorified; parardhante-at the conclusion of the parardha; sah-He; abudhyata-became perceived; gopa-veśah-in the form of a cowherd boy; me-me; purastat-in the presence; avirbabhūva-became manifested

“Brahmā replied, “O brāhmaņas, during the first half of my life, I remembered and glorified Him constantly. Then at the end of a parārdha, that Supreme Puruşa awoke and appeared before me as a cowherd boy.”

In this verse, Lord Brahma speaks to the four Kumaras. Brahma discloses that Krsna appeared to him in His original form after the end of the first half of his life (parārdhante). Since we are on the first day of the second half of his life, this would put the meeting at the beginning of the current day, which is also known as the Padma Kalpa.

If this version is accepted, then the chronology of the Srimad Bhagavatam is that Brahma had the darsana of the Lord and received the catuh-sloke Srimad Bhagavatam from Him at the very beginning of the current day. Brahma then transmitted this knowledge to Narada Muni, who transmitted it to Vyasadeva. VYasadevva then expanded this knowledge and spoke it to Sukadeva Goswami, who expanded it further in his description to Maharaja Pariksit.

Narayana or Krsna?

Although the description of Lord Brahma seeing Vaikuntaloka suggests that he spoke to Lord Narayana, Srila Prabhupada insists on his purport to 2.9.37 that He spoke directly with Krsna, in His original form.

“As in the Bhagavad-gītā, Tenth Chapter, the Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, has summarized the whole text in four verses, namely ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ, etc., so the complete Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has also been summarized in four verses, as aham evāsam evāgre, etc. Thus the secret purpose of the most important Bhāgavatite conclusion has been explained by the original speaker of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, who was also the original speaker of the Bhagavad-gītā, the Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”

To sustain this point, He quotes from the same verse of the Gopala Tapani Upanisad, which describes: gopa-veśo me puruṣaḥ purastād āvirbabhuva, “the Lord appeared before Brahmā as a cowboy, that is, as the original Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Govinda”.

Goloka Vrindavana is the topmost planet of the Vaikuntalokas, therefore when the verses mention Vaikunta, this also includes Goloka, just like mentioning a country also includes the capital, although not all parts of the country are the capital.

Prabhupada also notes that Brahma describes Lord Govinda in the Brahma Samhita, which is an ancient scripture, spoken by Lord Brahma much before the appearance of Krsna on our planet. It would not be possible for Brahma to describe the Lord so eloquently if he didn’t have His personal darshan.

In this way, we see that all these pastimes come together in a single timeline. Narada Muni (in his previous life as a boy) was living on the previous day of Brahma, and he merged into the body of Lord Maha-Vishnu together with all the great sages following the complete devastation at the end of the previous day, which concluded the first parardha, the first half of the life of Lord Brahma.

At the beginning of the current day, the lotus flower again sprouted from the navel of Lord Vishnu, and Brahma awoke in complete darkness. After trying to understand the situation by experimental means, climbing down through the stem of the lotus, he heard the word “tapa”, and started to meditate. Because Brahma remembered and glorified the Lord constantly during the first half of his life, the Lord agreed to appear to him in His original form and transmitted the knowledge of the Srimad Bhagavatam to Him in the form of the four original verses.

Later, Brahma instructed this knowledge to Narada Muni, and also composed the Brahma Sanhita, with his heartfelt prayers to the Lord. The Brahma Sanhita was originally much more extensive, but nowadays we have access only to the 5th chapter, the only one that survived the passage of time. Mahaprabhu Himself uncovered the manuscripts.

The Lord disappears

Verses 37 to 39 conclude the description of the meeting of Krsna and Brahma. After speaking, the Lord disappeared, and after offering his respects, Brahma started his work of creation.

It’s mentioned that Brahma began to re-create the universe, as it was previously. Brahma doesn’t create the universe according to his whims, but according to the project conceived by the Lord. In this way, the universe is always created in the same way, in a renewed state. The material energy is never transformed into something else, but it is permutated, or rearranged in the form of the material creation. When the universe is destroyed, the material energy returns to its original state, just like a bunch of Lego blocks that can be assembled into different toys and later disassembled. In this way, the same material energy can be reused eternally in the different cycles of creation, which are in turn connected with the breath of Lord Maha-Vishnu.

From verse 40, the focus of the conversation returns to Sukadeva Goswami, who starts to narrate another ancient conversation, in which Brahma transmitted the knowledge of the Catuh-Sloki Srimad Bhagavatam to Narada Muni after he was pleased with Him:

“Nārada very much pleased his father and desired to know all about the energies of Viṣṇu, the master of all energies, for Nārada was the greatest of all sages and greatest of all devotees, O King.
The great sage Nārada also inquired in detail from his father, Brahmā, the great-grandfather of all the universe, after seeing him well satisfied.
Thereupon the supplementary Vedic literature, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which was described by the Personality of Godhead and which contains ten characteristics, was told with satisfaction by the father [Brahmā] to his son Nārada.
In succession, O King, the great sage Nārada instructed Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam unto the unlimitedly powerful Vyāsadeva, who meditated in devotional service upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, on the bank of the river Sarasvatī.” (SB 2.9.42-45)

At the beginning of creation, Brahma created several exalted sons directly from his mind. The most exalted of them were Daksa, the four Kumaras, and Narada Muni. Daksa received from Brahma knowledge about karma, the path of fruitive activities (karma-kāṇḍa); the four Kumaras received knowledge on the path of jñāna (jñāna-kāṇḍa) and Narada Muni received knowledge about devotional service (upāsanā-kāṇḍa, or bhakti-kāṇḍa).

It appears that this conversation happened after the conversation between Brahma and Narada, narrated in chapters five to seven of the second canto. This second conversation in turn appears to have happened before the events connected with the first Manvantara, described in the third canto, which describes the creation of Swayambhuva Manu, the appearance of Lord Varaha, etc.

Although the original Srimad Bhagavatam has only four verses, it describes ten separate topics, that are explained in summary form in chapter 10 of the second canto, and explained more extensively in the rest of the book. Brahma described the four original verses to Narada, but Narada expanded this knowledge when teaching it to Vyasadeva, who in turn expanded it more when describing it to Sukadeva Goswami. Similarly, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu instructed Srila Rupa Goswami in a nutshell, but he expanded this knowledge into so many different books. That’s a characteristic of transcendental knowledge. The same Srimad Bhagavatam can be described in four verses, or 18 thousand verses, or one billion verses, and remains powerful, just like Krsna can become infinitely big, or infinitely small without losing His potency.

Bhāgavatam Is the Answer to All Questions (chapter 10)

This chapter is called “Bhāgavatam is the answer to all questions” because in this chapter Sukadeva Goswami expands the meaning of the four original verses and shows how they answer all the remaining answers of Maharaja Pariksit.

Although there are just four verses in the chatuh-sloki, they present ten separate topics, which are described in each of the 12 cantos of the Srimad Bhagavatam in different levels of detail. These ten topics may not be obvious in the text, but when the four verses are fully understood, all the ten topics become apparent. Sukadeva Goswami describes these 10 topics in verses 2.10.1 to 2.10.7:

1- The creation of the universe (sarga)

This topic includes the creation of the material elements, including the five elements (fire, water, earth, air, and ether), sound, form, taste, smell, touch, and the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin, and mind. This is called sarga, or the primary creation.

Originally, the pradhana includes the non-differentiated material elements and the three modes of nature in an unmanifested form. After Lord Maha-Vishnu impregnates it with Kala, the time energy, there is interaction between these, creating all the other material elements in succession. This work is done by the Lord Himself, before the birth of Brahma. This process of sarga, or primary creation, is done only two times during the universe’s existence: at the beginning of Brahma’s life and on the first day of the second half of his life.

2- Subcreation (visarga)

The subcreation, or secondary creation includes the work performed by Lord Brahma in creating the different planets and other structures of the universe, as well as its first inhabitants. This is called the secondary creation because Brahma creates on top of the work done by the Lord in the previous process. Brahma also receives all the knowledge necessary to create the universe from the Lord, building according to instructions given by Him. The Lord is thus the primary creator, and Brahma is the secondary creator.

3- The planetary systems (sthitir)

This is the discussion about the proper situation for the living entities living on the different planets of the universe, which is to obey the laws of the Lord and be in perfect peace of mind under the protection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The conditioned souls who are illusioned by the external energy and take this material creation as the place for the satisfaction of selfish desires, remain in this material world, living under the material laws, and reaping the good and bad results of their actions.

4- Protection by the Lord (posanam)

The jivas are called the marginal energy of the Lord because they have free will. They can choose between serving the Lord or trying to be separate enjoyers of the material energy. When one wants to challenge the supremacy of the Lord, he lives under karma and the different material laws, but when a soul desires to surrender, the Lord helps him in all possible ways, so he can go back to his constitutional position, back home, back to Godhead.

5- The creative impetus (utayah)

The impetus for activity is the desire for fruitive work that binds us to this world. It can be counteracted by the practice of Krsna Consciousness, as the Lord instructed Brahma.

6- The change of Manus (manvantara)

There are 14 manus in a day of Brahma, the first of which is Svāyambhuva Manu, whose activities will be narrated in the third canto. Other manus are (2) Svarocisa, (3) Uttama, (4) Tamasa, (5) Raivata, (6) Caksusa, (7) Vaivasvata, (8) Savarni, (9) Daksasavarni, (10) Brahma-savarni, (11) Dharma-savarni, (12) Rudra-savarni, (13) Deva-savarni and (14) Indra-savarni. We are currently in the reign of the 7th Manu.

Most of the events described in the Srimad Bhagavatam happened during the reign on the 1st and 6th manus, as well as recently in the 7th manu. The main reason for that is the pastime of Daksa offending Lord Shiva described in the 4th canto. After being killed and then revived with the head of a goat, Daksa stopped his duties as a Prajapati and went to perform austerities for a long time to become purified from his offenses and achieve a new birth. He got the goat’s head in the first manvantara and took a new birth only on the 6th. Because Daksa is the main progenitor, this delayed the process of populating the universe.

The names of the manus mentioned in the Bhagavatam are posts that are occupied by different personalities, just like the names of demigods, such as Indra, Surya, etc. The main duty of the Manus is to give sad-dharma, good guidance for human beings, who can take advantage of the scriptures to achieve the ultimate goal of life.

7- The Science of God (isa-anukathah)

This topic includes the incarnations of the Lord and His different pastimes, alongside the activities of His great devotees. Both the Lord and His devotees descend to various planets in the material world to save the conditioned souls. Hearing about these pastimes can gradually attract us back to the spiritual platform.

8- Winding up of the cosmic manifestation (niridhah)

At every cycle of creation of the universe, just a small number of souls go back to Godhead. The ones who remain forgetful of their relationship with the Lord merge back to the body of Lord Maha-Vishnu after the destruction of the universe, where they sleep until the beginning of the next creation.

9- Liberation (mukti)

The promotion of the celestial planets is a temporary situation. After one’s pious credits are exhausted, one has to come back. Liberation however is a permanent situation. When a soul is able to leave both the gross and subtle body and attain the spiritual planets, there is no need to come back ever.

10- The summum bonum (asraya)

Krsna is the original source of all energies, the summum bonum. The Absolute Truth has three aspects: Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavam. As already explained, Bhagavatam is the supreme aspect, and even amongst the different expansions and incarnations of the Lord, Krsna is the last word. He is the original candle which ignited all the other candles. He is the supreme shelter. All the other nine aspects have the goal of simply illuminating this 10th topic.

The explanations we have in the 10th chapter are centered on the topics of sarga (the primary creation) and asraya (the ultimate goal of surrendering to the Lord), but all the other topics are implied, therefore it’s considered that this chapter answers all the previous questions of Maharaja Pariksit, although not through direct answers. The further cantos will bring additional details on all the topics.

The adhyātmic, adhidaivic, and adhibhautic persons

In verses 8 and 9, Sukadeva Goswami opens a new topic. He explains about the adhyātmic, adhidaivic, and adhibhautic persons:

“The individual person possessing different instruments of senses is called the adhyātmic person, and the individual controlling deity of the senses is called adhidaivic. The embodiment seen on the eyeballs is called the adhibhautic person. All three of the above-mentioned stages of different living entities are interdependent. In the absence of one, another is not understood. But the Supreme Being who sees every one of them as the shelter of the shelter is independent of all, and therefore He is the supreme shelter.” (SB 2.10.8-9)

This description may sound cryptic, but it’s actually not hard to understand:

a) The adhyātmic person means us, the person who is seeing, touching, etc.
b) The adhidaivic person means the demigods, who control our material senses. Without the cooperation of these demigods, no one can see, touch, etc.
c) The adhibhautic person is the different material forms we can see, including our own bodies and the bodies of others.

For the process of seeing to happen, these three things are necessary. There must be an observer, the cooperation of the demigods who control vision, (for the sense of vision to work) and some object to be observed. These three things are interdependent. Without an observer, there is no activity of the senses. If there is no cooperation from the demigods, one can’t see, and his vision is useless if there is nothing to be seen. In this way, if one is absent, the process of observation doesn’t happen. The sunlight is useful because we have eyes, if we didn’t have eyes, if we were not able to see, or if there were nothing to be seen, the sunlight would be useless.

Just like in this example, there are many other things in the material creation that are interdependent. This leads to the logical conclusion that someone created them in this way. Someone created the universe the way it is, with many interdependent factors. The fact everything depends on something else leads to the conclusion there is someone who is independent, who controls all the others, who are dependent. This example therefore is used to maintain the idea that there is an ultimate shelter or asraya for everything that exists. This shelter is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He gives shelter to anyone, but He doesn’t depend on any other shelter. He is fully independent.

This explanation is thus given to bring us to the conclusion that we should take shelter in the Lord, abandoning our idea of independence.

The creation of the universe

After making this point clear, Sukadeva Goswami proceeds to explain the process of creation of the universe.

“After separating the different universes, the gigantic universal form of the Lord [Mahā-Viṣṇu], which came out of the Causal Ocean, the place of appearance for the first puruṣa-avatāra, entered into each of the separate universes, desiring to lie on the created transcendental water [Garbhodaka].” (SB 2.10.10)

The creation of the material universes starts with Lord Maha-Vishnu, who lies on the Karana ocean and creates all the material universes. He then enters into each universe as Garbodakasay-Vishnu, lying on the Garbodaka Ocean inside each one of the created universes. Here is not mentioned, but the Garbodaka Ocean is created by Lord Garbodakasay-Vishnu Himself through His perspiration.

This explanation of the process of creation is given to present the necessity of the process of devotional service of the Lord, which is the prime activity for all living entities. This passage also the independence of the Lord in all His different incarnations, and the dependence of all living entities on Him.

“One should definitely know that all material ingredients, activities, time and modes, and the living entities who are meant to enjoy them all, exist by His mercy only, and as soon as He does not care for them, everything becomes nonexistent.” (SB 2.10.12)

The Lord creates the material world and also destroys it in due time. The material manifestation exists under the limits of time, and while it is active the living entities can perform material activities, impelled by the three modes. The goal however is that one may gradually come to understand his original spiritual position.

“Everything becomes nonexistent” refers to the unmanifested state, when everything merges into the body of Maha-Vishnu. The universe remains manifested for 311 trillion years (the life of Brahma) and becomes unmanifested with the souls sleeping in the body of Maha-Vishnu for the same period of time.

“The Lord, while lying on His bed of mystic slumber, generated the seminal symbol, golden in hue, through external energy out of His desire to manifest varieties of living entities from Himself alone.
Just hear from me how the potency of His Lordship divides one into three, called the controlling entities, the controlled entities and the material bodies, in the manner mentioned above.” (SB 2.10.13-14)

In verses 8 and 9 there was a discussion about the interdependence of the adhyātmic, adhidaivic, and adhibhautic persons, or the living entities, the demigods, and the material bodies. The three are interdependent and thus one can’t exist without the other. Now, these two verses describe how the three are created by Lord Maha-Vishnu from the primordial material energy. While lying down in his transcendental sleep, the Lord generated the principle of creation, composed of the three. The Lord is independent, and by his desire, He generates many sets of interdependent things.

As Prabhupada explains in his purport:

“No one has independent existence, just as no electric lamp has independent effulgence. Each and every electrical instrument depends fully on the total powerhouse, the total powerhouse depends on the reservoir of water for generating electricity, water depends on the clouds, the clouds depend on the sun, the sun depends on creation, and the creation depends on the movement of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the cause of all causes.”

It’s important to keep in mind that all the steps described here are part of the primary creation. These are all subtle creations that preceded the creation of Brahma. All the cosmic manifestation is first created in a subtle form and later Brahma gives physical forms to all the creations done by Maha-Vishnu. The creation of Maha-Vishnu is thus the principal step, just like the author of a book receives more credit than the one who just prints it.

The next verses, from 15 to 31, describe the creation of the Virat-Purusha, the universal form. This is when the different components of the universe come into existence in a subtle form, as an idea we can say. Later, when Brahma is generated from the lotus flower sprouting from the navel of Lord Gabodakasayi Vishnu, He creates the universe following this project, giving physical forms to everything. One may think that this creation done by the Lord is less important than the physical creation of Brahma, but it is the opposite. At this stage, the Lord is writing the book, and Brahma will later print it.

The creation of the Virat-Purusha includes the following stages. Again, the main purpose of this description is to emphasize the point that everything is connected with the Supreme Lord. No one is independent from Him:

a) From ether, sense energy, mental force, and bodily strength are generated. These three dictate the movements of all living entities, allowing them to act in the world according to their desires. One is propelled to act because of the pull of the senses, and action is coordinated by the works of the mind. It can however be converted into physical activity only because of the strength of the body. This is thus another set of interdependent things that is created by the Lord. We can move because the material energy itself is moving, and it is put into movement by the Lord. When this movement is stopped, at the end of creation, we also stop moving and go to sleep inside the body of Maha-Vishnu. (2.10.15-16)

b) The Lord generated the sensations of hunger and thirst, and this led to the creation of the mouth and tongue, as well as all the tastes and Varuna, the demigod who controls it. Just like these components were generated at this stage in the Virat-Purusha, they develop in the body of each living entity when inside the womb, following the project created by the Lord.

We can thus see that this is another example of interdependence between the adhyātmic, adhidaivic, and adhibhautic. The Lord creates the adhibhautic (the senses that compose the different bodies) and the adhidaivic (the demigods that control them). It’s only because of that that the adhyātmic (the living entities) can enjoy these sensations. If not for the Lord, we would not have tongues, hands, or stomachs, and thus not be able to enjoy the world. Thus, all these different senses should be used for the Lord.

Different living entities receive different sets of bodies and senses according to their consciousness and activities. The different demigods act thus according to the will of the Lord. If one’s karma is to not see, for example, the eyes may be present in his body, but he will not be able to see, because the corresponding demigod will withdraw his potency from the eye.

The adhibhautic (the eye) may be present, and there may be many things to see, but without the cooperation of the adhidaivic (the demigod), the adhyātmic (the person) will not see.

c) Apart from tasting, the mouth is also used to speak. The property of speak, as well as the controlling demigod, were generated next.

d) Next the nostrils, as well as all odors were created. Another feature of the nostrils is respiration. Both smell and respiration are under the control of the demigod of air and he is in turn under the control of the Lord. The different demigods award different living entities different sets of senses according to their karma, but the whole system works only because the Lord created it the way it is. The Lord is thus the ultimate programmer, He can create systems that work perfectly without his further interference for trillions of years.

e) When the Lord desired to see, the eyes, the Sun, the power of vision, and the objects to be seen were created. As Prabhupada explains: “The living entity can see only when the Lord sees, the living entity can smell when the Lord smells, and so on. The idea is that the living entity cannot do anything independently. He can simply think of doing something independently, but he cannot act independently.”

It may sound strange that the Lord “desired to see” since the Lord can already see perfectly well in His spiritual form. The desire of the Lord to see mentioned here is ths more connected with His compassion for us, desiring to give us senses and everything else, so we can ultimately come back to Him. Once the souls fall into the material nature, the only way to go back is by receiving a material body and using it to cultivate Krsna Consciousness. All the work of creation performed by the Lord is done to give us an opportunity to do so.

f) The sense of hearing, the controlling deity of hearing, and the objects of hearing became manifested from the desire of great sages to know about the Self. This indicates how our sense of hearing is properly used when we hear about Krsna.

g) Out of the desire to perceive characteristics such as softness, hardness, warmth, cold, lightness, and heaviness, the sense of touch was created, including the skin, the skin pores, the hairs on the body, and their controlling deities (the trees).

h) From the desire to perform different types of work, the hands, as well as the strength for controlling them and the acts that can be performed using the hands were generated. At this stage, the controlling deity of the hands, Indra, was also created.

Here we are not speaking directly about the person, but the post of Indra, as well as the functions executed by him. Just as different living entities later receive different bodies composed of the senses created by the Lord at this stage, different personalities accept the post of Indra and other demigods and execute the functions created by the Lord at this stage.

i) From the desire to move from one place to another, the legs were created, alongside their controlling deity, the demigod named Viṣṇu. Later, on 3.6.22, Prabhupada clarifies that this is not the Supreme Lord, but just a demigod who receives the same name.

Just like all the other senses, the legs should be used in the service of the Lord, performing different types of sacrifice, and not just moving here and there, working like donkeys just to increase our standard of living.

j) From the desire to beget children and enjoy sexual pleasure, the genitals, along with their predominating deity, the Prajapati were generated. The functions of the genitals are thus also connected with the universal form of the Lord, and just as all the other senses, they should be used in the service of the Lord, and not for just sensual enjoyment.

How can it be used for the Lord? This is answered in the Bhagavad-Gita: “I am sex life which is not contrary to religious principles”. Sexual life inside marriage to beget children who will be educated as devotees of the Lord is a form of devotional service and a direct manifestation of the Lord.

k) From the necessity of evacuating, the evacuating hole alongside Mitra, the predominating deity was generated. We can see that we depend on the Lord even for that.

l) From the desire to move from one body to the other, the navel, the vital airs that control the departure of the soul and death were all created. These three are connected because the navel is the shelter for both death and the vital airs responsible for moving the soul out of the body. As we studied previously, yogis learn to control these vital airs and are able to control death by moving them from the navel to the top of the skull.

m) To maintain the body, one needs to eat and drink. For this purpose, the abdomen and the intestines, as well as the arteries were manifested. The intestines (presided over by the rivers) are responsible for digestion, while the arteries (whose predominating deities are the seas) are responsible for distributing nutrients to all parts of the body.

n) When the Lord wants to see the activities of the material creation, the heart, together with the mind and its activities, determination, desire, and the controlling deity of the mind (the moon) were created. These are all connected because the heart is the sitting place of both the soul and Paramatma, as well as the mind. The activities of the mind, such as thinking, feeling, and willing can’t exist without the heart.

According to the Vedas, the heart and not the brain is the center of consciousness. The soul is the center of consciousness, and the material desires and emotions are functions of the mind. Both the mind and the intelligence are part of the subtle body, and not the gross body, and are centered in the heart. The brain is thus more like an interface between the subtle body and the gross body, just like the bunch of cables that connect the different components of a computer. If the cables are damaged, something will stop working although the function is present in the device, and not in the cable.

o) The gross body (composed of skin, flesh, blood, fat, marrow, and bone, as well as the fine layer of nerves on top of the skin responsible for the touch sensation) is created out of just three material elements: earth, water, and fire. The vital airs, on the other hand, were created from ether, air, and water. As Prabhupada explains, due to this combination, open air, regular baths, and ample spaces help to maintain vitality, and fresh grains and vegetables, as well as fresh water and heat, are favorable to keep the body in a healthy state.

All the other senses, objects of the senses, and the corresponding demigods are generated at this stage. The scriptures describe the most prominent stages of creation, as well as the most prominent features of the universe. It’s not just because something is not directly mentioned that we should presume it doesn’t exist.

This whole explanation is connected with the topic of asraya, which is the principal among the ten subjects of the Srimad Bhagavatam. By understanding how everything depends on the Supreme Lord, we can easily surrender unto Him. As Prabhupada explains:

“The whole explanation is on the subject of the absolute dependence of the living entities and absolute independence of the Supreme Lord. Less intelligent persons claiming to be on an equal level with God must first prove themselves to be absolute and independent, and then they must substantiate their claim to being one with God.”

The Lord is behind everything

The remaining verses, starting from 32, present a new topic: How the spiritual form of the Lord is behind both the universal form and the impersonal Brahmajoti.

“The sense organs are attached to the modes of material nature, and the modes of material nature are products of the false ego. The mind is subjected to all kinds of material experiences (happiness and distress), and the intelligence is the feature of the mind’s deliberation.
Thus by all this, the external feature of the Personality of Godhead is covered by gross forms such as those of planets, which were explained to you by me.” (SB 2.10.32-33)

Material conditioning starts with the false ego, our concept of a material identity separate from our original identity as eternal servants of Krsna. Because of the false ego we fall under the influence of the three modes, which pull the mind in different directions. In material life, the intelligence is subservient to the desires of the mind, as well as the senses. In this way, the uncontrolled mind, acting under the influences of the three modes of nature makes us act in different ways in the material world, experiencing both happiness and distress.

The Virat-purusha, the universal form of the Lord is originally created as a subtle form, as described here, containing all forms and experiences available in the material creation. Later, with the creation of Brahma, this subtle form is covered by gross elements, such as planets and the different forms of living beings. All these different coverings serve the purpose of allowing the materialists to have the illusion of acting independently from the Lord, as well as allowing devotees to practice the spiritual process and awaken their forgotten relationship with the Lord.

However, the universal form just describes how the different energies of the Lord interact with the material creation. The real form of the Lord is completely spiritual and is transcendental to everything material.

“Therefore beyond this [gross manifestation] is a transcendental manifestation finer than the finest form. It has no beginning, no intermediate stage and no end; therefore it is beyond the limits of expression or mental speculation and is distinct from the material conception.
Neither of the above forms of the Lord, as just described unto you from the material angle of vision, is accepted by the pure devotees of the Lord who know Him well.” (SB 2.10.34-35)

Why is the universal form described?

If the universal form is not the real form of the Lord, why does the second canto describe it in so much detail? There are two main purposes:

a) To help us to see everything in connection with the Lord, and understand that we are dependent on Him, leading us to the conclusion we should surrender to Him (asraya).

b) To counteract the idea that the material manifestation appears automatically due to the work of the material energy, as propounded in modern scientific theories, as well as classical philosophies such as the atheistic sankya system.

This is explained in verse 45:

“There is no direct engineering by the Lord for the creation and destruction of the material world. What is described in the Vedas about His direct interference is simply to counteract the idea that material nature is the creator.”

In reality, the Lord doesn’t get directly involved in the material creation. Everything is done through His different energies. The Lord remains always aloof from it, in His transcendental position. Even as Paramatma, He is just a witness to the actions of the living beings.

This is confirmed in verse 36:

“He, the Personality of Godhead, manifests Himself in a transcendental form, being the subject of His transcendental name, quality, pastimes, entourage and transcendental variegatedness. Although He is unaffected by all such activities, He appears to be so engaged.”

Verses 37 to 41 describe how the different species of living beings are created by the Lord, and different souls receive forms according to how they are influenced by the three modes of material nature. Souls influenced by goodness take birth as demigods in the celestial planets, the ones influenced by passion take birth as human beings, while the ones influenced by ignorance take birth as plants and animals, acquiring thus the habits of these different species.

However, we are not left to our luck, the Lord personally comes in His different incarnations to bring the conditioned souls back to the spiritual reality. When the time comes, the universe is destroyed by Lord Shiva, just to be created again in the next cycle. These are all different manifestations of the power of the Lord, but pure devotees go beyond that, joining the Lord’s personal pastimes in the spiritual world.

Understanding the cosmic cycles

Text 46 describes how this process of creation is repeated on each day of Brahma, as well as after each cycle of complete devastation of the universe. In his purport, Prabhupada makes a summary of the cycles by which the universe goes through.

Now we are in Kali-yuga, the last of the four yugas, lasting 432,000 years. Before that, there was Dwapara-yuga, which lasted for 864,000 years, Treta-yuga, which lasted for 1,296,000 years, and Satya-yuga, which lasted for 1,728,000 years. To remember these numbers, you just need to keep in mind that Dwapara-yuga is double the extent of Kali-yuga, Treta-yuga is three times, and Satya-yuga is four times. So, it is 432, 432×2, 432×3 and 432×4.

The four eras combined last for 4,320,000 years, ten times the extent of Kaly-yuga (432×10). This is called a Divya-yuga.

One day for the demigods equals 360 days for us (or one lunar year). This is due to particularities in the orbit of the sun and stars, which we will study in detail in the 5th canto.

Therefore, one Kali-yuga lasts for 1,200 years of the demigods. Dwapara-yuga thus lasts for 2,400 celestial years, Treta-yuga for 3,600 celestial years, and Satya-yuga for 4,800 celestial years. The four eras combined, or one Divya-yuga, correspond to 12,000 celestial years. People on the celestial planets live for 10,000 celestial years, which corresponds to almost a complete cycle of the four eras.

One thousand Divya-yugas combined equals a Kalpa or a day of Brahma and lasts for 4,32 billion years (10,000 times the extent of a Kali-yuga). During this time, there are a total of 14 manus.

The 4.32 billion years of a Kalpa equals just the day or 12 hours of Brahma. There is also his night, that lasts for another 4.32 billion years. The total for 24 hours (one complete day and night) of Brahma is thus 8.64 billion years.

Brahma lives for 100 years of such days. In other words, the lifetime of Brahma equals 36,000 of His days. The whole lifetime of Brahma is thus calculated as 8,64 billion years multiplied by 36,000, or 311,040 trillion years.

This extremely long period is called a Vikalpa. It equals to one breath of Maha-Vishnu. This is the total period the material creation remains active. When the universe is finally destroyed, there is another period of 311,040 trillion years in which all the souls remain dormant inside the body of Maha-Vishnu. The two periods combined are called a Mahā-Kalpa.

Setting the chronology

In verse 47, Sukadeva gives an important piece of information for one interested in understanding the chronology of the events described in the Srimad Bhagavatam:

“O King, I shall in due course explain the measurement of time in its gross and subtle features with the specific symptoms of each, but for the present let me explain unto you the Pādma-kalpa.”

As explained previously, Padma-kalpa refers to the current day of Brahma. Here Sukadeva Goswami reveals that the events described in the third canto onwards are events that happened in the current day of Brahma and not just random stories from different days. The current day of Brahma is divided into the reigns of the different manus, and most pastimes are connected with the reign of a particular manu (the pastimes of Kardama Muni and Devahuti happened in the first manvantara, while the birth of Hiranyaka and Hiranyakashipu from Diti and Kasyapa happened in the 6th manvantara, for example). This makes it possible to understand the order in which these different pastimes occurred. In this way, we can see that the Srimad Bhagavatam also describes the history of the universe.

Back to the story of Vidhura

In verse 48, Śaunaka Ṛṣi inquires about Vidhura, whose activities were described in the 1st canto. What did Vidhura do after abandoning the palace due to the insults of Duryodhana?

This question coincides with a similar question asked by Maharaja Pariksit after he heard the description of the 10 topics of the Srimad Bhagavatam from Sukadeva Goswami. Suta Goswami thus will answer the question of Śaunaka Ṛṣi by just continuing his description of the conversation between Sukadeva Goswami and Pariksit Maharaja.

The 3rd and 4th cantos are centered around the conversations of Vidhura with Uddhava and Maitreya Rsi while he was on pilgrimage. These events happened before he returned to the palace to save Drtarastra.