Text 42] Purusa-sukta Confirmed 329

TRANSLATION

Karanarnavasayi Visnu is the first incarnation of the Supreme Lord,
and He is the master of eternal time, space, cause and effects, mind,
elements, material ego, modes of nature, senses, the universal form of the
Lord, Garbhodaksayi Visnu, and the sum total of all living beings, both

moving and nonmoving.

PURPORT

That the material creation is not permanent has been discussed many
times hereinbefore. The material creation is but a temporary exhibition of
the material energy of the Almighty God. This material manifestation is
necessary to give a chance to the conditioned souls who are unwilling to
associate with the Lord in the relationship of loving transcendental service.
Such unwilling conditioned souls are not allowed to enter into the liberated
life of spiritual existence because at heart they are not willing to serve.
Instead, they want to enjoy themselves as imitation Gods. The living
entities are constitutionally eternal servitors of the Lord, but some of
them, because of misusing their independence, do not wish to serve;
therefore they are allowed to enjoy the material nature, which is called
maya, or illusion. It is called illusion because the living beings under the
clutches of mayd are not factually enjoyers, although they think that they
are, being illusioned by maya. Such illusioned living entities are given a
chance at intervals to rectify their perverted mentality of becoming false
masters of the material nature, and they are imparted lessons from the
Vedas about their eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord Krsna
(vedaig ca sarvair aham eva vedyah). So the temporary creation of the
material manifestation is an exhibition of the material energy of the Lord,
and to manage the whole show the Supreme Lord incarnates Himself as the
Karanarnavasayi Visnu just as a magistrate is deputed by the government
to manage affairs temporarily. This Karanodakasayi Visnu causes the
manifestation of material creation by looking over His material energy (sa
aiksatah). In the first volume of this book we have already discussed to
some extent the explanation of the verse jagrhe paurusam rijpam. The
duration of the illusory play of material creation is called a kalpa, and we
have already discussed the creation’s taking place in kalpa after kalpa. By
His incarnation and potential activities, the complete ingredients of crea-
tion, namely time, space, cause, result, mind, the gross and subtle elements
and their interactional modes of nature—goodness, passion and ignorance—
