Text 1] Questions by the Sages 45

exists emanates from the Lord. How this is so is explained in later chapters
of this work. This work is described by Mahaprabhu Sri Caitanya as the
spotless Purana because it contains the transcendental narration of the
Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna. The history of the Srimad-Bhagavatam
is also very glorious. It was compiled by Sri Vydsadeva after he had
attained maturity in transcendental knowledge. He wrote this under the
instructions of Sri Naradaji, his spiritual master. Vyasadeva compiled all
Vedic literatures containing the four divisions of the Vedas, the Veddanta-
sittras or the Brahma-sitras, the Puranas, the Mahabharata, and so on. But
nevertheless he was not satisfied. His dissatisfaction was observed by his
spiritual master, and thus Narada advised him to write on the transcen-
dental activities of Lord Sri Krsna. These transcendental activities are
described specifically in the Tenth Canto of this work. But, in order to
reach to the very substance, one must proceed gradually by developing
knowledge of the categories.

It is natural that a philosophical mind wants to know about the origin
of the creation. At night he sees the stars in the sky, and he naturally
speculates about their inhabitants. Such inquiries are natural for man
because man has a developed consciousness which is higher than that of
the animals. The author of Srimad-Bhdgavatam gives a direct answer to
such inquiries. He says that the Lord Sri Krsna is the origin of all creations.
He is not only the creator of the universe, but the destroyer as well. The
manifested cosmic nature is created at a certain period by the will of the
Lord. It is maintained for some time, and then it is annihilated by His will.
Therefore, the supreme will is behind all cosmic activities. Of course, there
are atheists of various catagories who do not believe in a creator, but that
is due to a poor fund of knowledge. The modern scientist, for example,
has created space satellites, and by some arrangement or other, these
satellites are thrown into outer space to fly for some time at the control
of the scientist who is far away. Similarly, all the universes with innumer-
able stars and planets are controlled by the intelligence of the Personality
of Godhead.

In Vedic literatures, it is said that the Absolute Truth, Personality of
Godhead, is the chief amongst all living personalities. All living beings
beginning from the first created being, Brahma, down to the smallest ant
are individual living beings. And above Brahma, there are even other living
beings with individual capacities, and the Personality of Godhead is also
a similar living being. And He is an individual as are the other living beings.
But the Supreme Lord or the supreme living being has the greatest
intelligence, and He possesses supermost inconceivable energies of all
different varieties. If a man’s brain can produce a space satellite, one can
