Page 59 - Metaphysical questions of life

Lord in His different puruṣa incarna ons (expansions) as described in
the Nārada Pañcarātra, one of the Sātvata-tantras:

viṣṇos tu trīṇi rūpāṇi
puruṣākhyāny atho viduḥ
ekaṁ tu mahataḥ sraṣṭṛ
dvi yaṁ tv aṇḍa‐saṁsthitam
tṛ yaṁ sarva‐bhūta‐sthaṁ
tāni jñātvā vimucyate

‘For material crea on, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s plenary expansion assumes three
Viṣṇus. The first one, Mahā-viṣṇu, creates the total material energy,
known as the mahat-ta va. The second, Garbhodaka-śāyī Viṣṇu, enters
into all the universes to create diversi es in each of them. The third,
Kṣīrodaka-śāyī Viṣṇu, is diffused as the all-pervading Supersoul in all
the universes and is known as Paramātmā. He is present even within
the atoms. Anyone who knows these three Viṣṇus can be liberated from
material entanglement.’

This material world is a temporary manifesta on of one of the energies
of the Lord. All the ac vi es of the material world are directed by these
three Viṣṇu expansions of Lord Kṛṣṇa. These puruṣas are called incarna-
ons. Generally one who does not know the science of God (Kṛṣṇa) as-
sumes that this material world is for the enjoyment of the living en es
and that the living en es are the puruṣas – the causes, controllers and
enjoyers of the material energy. According to Bhagavad-gītā this athe-
is c conclusion is false. In the verse under discussion it is stated that
Kṛṣṇa is the original cause of the material manifesta on. Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam also confirms this. The ingredients of the material mani-
festa on are separated energies of the Lord. Even the brahma-
jyo r, which is the ul mate goal of the impersonalists, is a spiritual en-
ergy manifested in the spiritual sky. There are no spiritual diversi es in
the brahma-jyo r as there are in the Vaikuṇṭha-lokas, and the imper-
sonalist accepts this brahma-jyo r as the ul mate eternal goal. The
Paramātmā manifesta on is also a temporary all-pervasive aspect of
the Kṣīrodaka-śāyī Viṣṇu. The Paramātmā manifesta on is not eternal
in the spiritual world. Therefore the factual Absolute Truth is the Su-
preme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa. He is the complete energe c per-

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