260 Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

following in the footsteps of the inhabitants of Vrndavana or strictly follow-
ing the path of devotional service are elevated to the personal abode of
Krsna, Goloka Vrndavana, or to the Vaikuntha planets. Both the imper-
sonalists and the personalists enter into the spiritual realm or the spiritual
sky, but the impersonalists are given their place in the impersonal Brahman
effulgence, whereas the personalists are given a position in the Vaikuntha
planets or in the Vrndavana planet, according to their desire to serve the
Lord in different mellows.

The personified Vedas stated that persons who are born after the
creation of this material world cannot understand the existence of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead by manipulating their material know-
ledge. Just as a person born in a particular family cannot understand the
position of his great-grandfather who lived before the birth of the recent
generation, we are unable to understand the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Narayana or Krsna, who exists eternally in the spiritual world.
In the Eighth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita it is clearly said that the
Supreme Person, who lives eternally in the spiritual kingdom of God
(sanatana-dhama), can be approached only by devotional service.

As for the material creation, Brahm is the first created person. Before
Brahma there was no living creature within this material world; it was void
and dark until Brahma was born on the lotus flower sprouted from the
abdomen of Garbhodakasayi Visnu. Garbhodakasayi Visnu is an expansion
of Karanodakagayi Visnu, Karanodakagayi Visnu is an expansion of San-
karsana, and Sankarsana is an expansion of Balarama. Balarama is an
immediate expansion of Lord Krsna. After the creation of Brahma, .the
two kinds of demigods were born: demigods like the four brothers Sanaka,
Sanatana, Sananda and Sanat-kumara, who are representatives of renun-
ciation of the world, and demigods like Marici and their descendants who
are meant to enjoy this material world. From these two kinds of demigods
were gradually manifested all other living entities, including the human
beings. Thus any living creature within this material world, including
Brahma, all -the demigods and all the raksasas, are to be considered
modern. This means that they were all recently born. Therefore, just as a
person recently born in a family cannot understand the situation of his
distant forefather, so anyone within this material world cannot understand
the position of the Supreme Lord in the spiritual world because the
material world has only recently been created. Although they have a long
duration of existence, all the manifestations of the material world, namely,
the time elements, the living entities, the Vedas, and the gross and subtle
elements, are all created at some point. Anything manufactured within
