226
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 3, Ch. 6]
PURPORT
The elements of cosmic creation are all matter and have no potency to increase in volume unless entered into by the Lord in His plenary portion. This means that matter does not increase or decrease unless it is spiritually touched. Matter is a product of spirit and increases only by the touch of spirit. The entire cosmic manifestation has not assumed its gigantic form by itself, as wrongly calculated by less intelligent persons. As long as spirit is within matter, matter can increase as needed; but without the spirit, matter stops increasing. For example, as long as there is spiritual consciousness within the material body of a living entity, the body increases to the required size, but a dead material body, which has no spiritual consciousness, stops increasing. In  Bhagavad-gītā  (Chapter Two) importance is given to the spiritual consciousness, not the body. The entire cosmic body increased by the same process that we experience in our small bodies. One should not, however, foolishly think that the individual infinitesimal soul is the cause of the gigantic manifestation of the universal form. The universal form is called the  virāṭa-rūpa  because the Supreme Lord is within it in His plenary portion.
TEXT 6
हिरण्मयः स पुरुषः सहस्रपरिवत्सरान् । आण्डकोश उवासाप्सु सर्वसत्त्वोपवृंहितः ॥ ६ ॥
hiraṇmayaḥ sa puruṣaḥ sahasra parivatsarān āṇḍa-kośa uvāsāpsu sarva-sattvopabṛṁhitaḥ
hiraṇmayaḥ —the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, who also assumes the  virāṭa-rūpa ;  saḥ —He;  puruṣaḥ —incarnation of Godhead;  sahasra —one thousand;  parivatsarān —celestial years;  āṇḍa-kośa —within the global universe;  uvāsa —resided;  apsu —on the water;  sarva-sattva —all living entities lying with Him;  upabṛṁhitaḥ —so spread.
TRANSLATION
The gigantic virāṭa-puruṣa known as Hiraṇmaya lived for one thousand celestial years on the water of the universe, and all the living entities lay with Him.
PURPORT
After the Lord entered each and every universe as the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, half of the universe was filled with water. The cosmic manifestation