PLATE FOUR

The cosmic manifestation and its creation, maintenance and annihilation
reflect the opulences of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, 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 Krsna’s plenary expansion
assumes three Visnu forms. The origin of the material creation is Maha-
Visnu, 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, Garbhodakasayi Visnu, enters all the
universes to create diversities in each of them. From the navel of
Garbhodakasayi Visnu has sprung the stem of a lotus flower, the
birthplace of Brahma, who is the father of all living beings and master of
all the demigod engineers. Within the stem of the lotus are fourteen divi-
sions of planetary systems, the earthly planets being situated in the mid-
dle. The third expansion of the Lord, Ksirodakasayi Visnu. is diffused as
the all-pervading Supersoul in all the universes and is known as
Paramatma. He is present within the hearts of all living entities and even
within the atoms. Anyone who knows these three Visnus can be liberated
from material entanglements. (pp. 120-125)
