PLATE FOUR
The cosmic manifestation and its creation, maintenance and annihilation reflect the opulences of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, the absolute, infallible, beginningless person who is expanded into unlimited forms. He is the original person, the oldest, yet He always appears as a fresh youth. For material creation, Lord Kṛṣṇa's plenary expansion assumes three Viṣṇu forms. The origin of the material creation is Mahā-Viṣṇu, who lies in the Causal Ocean. While He sleeps in that ocean, millions of universes are generated as He exhales and annihilated when He inhales. The second expansion, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, enters all the universes to create diversities in each of them. From the navel of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu has sprung the stem of a lotus flower, the birthplace of Brahmā, who is the father of all living beings and master of all the demigod engineers. Within the stem of the lotus are fourteen divisions of planetary systems, the earthly planets being situated in the middle. The third expansion of the Lord, Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, is diffused as the all-pervading Supersoul in all the universes and is known as Paramātmā. He is present within the hearts of all living entities and even within the atoms. Anyone who knows these three Viṣṇus can be liberated from material entanglements. ( pp. 120–125 )