Srimad Bhagavatam

Next Sūta describes the virāṭ form of the Lord. The conception of the virāṭ universal form of the Lord, as appearing in the material world, is imaginary. It is to enable the less intelligent to adjust to the idea of the Lord’s having form. But factually the Lord has no material form. The act of perceiving the Lord’s form in matter is simply presented to materialistic persons to help them bridge the gap between matter and spirit. The concept of the universal form is meant to help them take the ultimate step of accepting Kṛṣṇa’s eternal, spiritual form. The universal form of the Lord is particularly not mentioned along with the various incarnations of the Lord because all the incarnations of the Lord are transcendental.

The virāṭ rūpa is conceived for the neophytes. In that form the material manifestations of different planets have been conceived as His legs, hands etc. The neophytes cannot conceive of anything beyond matter. The material realm composed of collective and individual universes is a material form of the Lord who has a spiritual form of consciousness, and is devoid of a material form. This material form is composed of the guṇas and the elements from mahat-tattva to earth situated on the Paramātmā as its basis. As Supersoul, the Lord is within each and material form, but the outward material form is an imagination, both for the Lord and the living being. The present forms of the living beings are also not factual. The material conception of the body of the Lord as virāṭ is imaginary. Both the Lord and the living beings are living spirits and have original spiritual bodies.

Just as unintelligent people attribute clouds to be the sky and particles of dust to be the air, so they see the universe, the visible form of the Lord, as the Lord. Clouds and dust are carried by the air, but less intelligent people say that the sky is cloudy and the air is dirty. Similarly, they also implant material bodily conceptions on the spirit self. Despite appearances and common speech, clouds and sky remain forever separate. With material eyes we cannot see the Lord, who is all spirit. What is seen and controlled by the Lord (the universe) is attributed to be the seer or the controller, the Lord, who is actually invisible. The foolish thinks the universe is the Lord.

We look to the outward covering of the body or subtle mind of the living being, but we cannot see the spiritual spark within one’s body. So we have to accept the living being’s presence by the presence of his gross body. Similarly, those who want to see the Lord with their present material eyes are advised to meditate on the gigantic external feature called the virāṭ-rūpa. For instance, when the President goes out in his car, we say ‘There is the President’. We identify the car with the President. Similarly, those who want to see God are shown first the material cosmos as the form of the Lord, although the Lord is within and without. Though sky and air are invisible we see the sky because it is blue or the air because it is dusty. Similarly, the Lord, visible as the universe, is worshiped by the yogīs situated at the beginning stage of practice.

When a person understands that both the gross and subtle bodies have nothing to do with the pure self, at that time he sees himself as well as the Lord. When the gross and subtle material forms, which are impositions on the soul in ignorance, are removed by the realization of the devotees, one can realize Brahman. This means that the non material form of the Lord is not removed. The difference between self realization and material illusion is to know that the temporary or illusory impositions of material energy in the shape of gross and subtle bodies are superficial coverings of the self. The coverings take place due to ignorance. Such coverings never take place in the Lord. When the coverings are removed from the jīva, the jīva can see Brahman and knowing this convincingly is called liberation or seeing the Absolute.

The impetus for activities is generated from the self, but such activities become illusory due to ignorance of the real position of the self. By ignorance one identifies with the body, but when one meets the self by proper culture, the activities of the self begin. One achieves self realization not by artificial means but under the lotus feet of the Lord. When the living being desires to enjoy material energy, the Lord in the heart covers the living being with forgetfulness, and thus the living being misinterprets the gross and subtle body to be his own self. And by culture of knowledge, when the living being prays to the Lord for deliverance from forgetfulness, the Lord, by His causeless mercy, removes the illusory curtain, and thus the living being realizes his own self. He then engages in the service of the Lord, and all this is executed by the Lord either thru His external potency or directly by the internal potency.

By gaining spiritual knowledge one becomes free from the ignorance of identifying with the gross and subtle bodies. This allows one to see the Lord. When the illusory energy subsides, one’s spiritual form becomes manifest. Then we can understand that the Lord’s forms and pastimes are filled with bliss. Thus rejecting the two versions of the universal form, learned men describe the births and activities of the unborn and inactive, which is undiscoverable even in the Vedas or which is the highest subject of the Vedas. He is the Lord of the heart. This is the Paramātmā feature of the Lord. Although not born, the Lord appears as many. By His nature all His actions are endowed with knowledge and strength.

Both the Lord and the living entities are essentially spiritual. Both of them are eternal, and neither of them has birth and death. The difference is the living beings are bound by material laws and so suffer birth and death. But the so-called appearance and disappearance of the Lord are not actions of material nature, but are demonstrations of His internal potency. They are described by great sages for the purpose of self realization. In the śrutis it is said that the birthless appears to take birth. The Supreme has nothing to do, but everything is done by Him naturally, as if done automatically. Though the appearance and activities of the Lord are confidential even to the Vedas, He still displays them to bestow mercy upon the conditioned souls. We should always take advantage of the narrations of the activities of the Lord, which are meditations on Brahman in the most convenient and palatable form.

Someone may say that the Lord’s pastimes are manifestations of material illusion and they only appear to be spiritual under the influence of devotion to the Lord. But that is not true. The Lord’s pastimes are spiritual. The foolish with skill in jñāna or yoga cannot know the transcendental nature of the forms, names and activities of the Lord, who is playing like an actor in a drama. Nor can they express such things, neither in their speculations nor in their words. The Absolute Truth is beyond the expression of one’s mind and speech.

To the layman the Lord and His activities are mysterious. The fruitive workers have no information of the Absolute Truth, and the mental speculators try to know Him by their own minds. And for all these men, the Lord is a mystery. Being deceived by the jugglery of the Lord, the non devotees remain always in ignorance. The mental speculators are a little more progressive than the fruitive workers, but because they are also within the grip of illusion, they take it for granted that anything which has a form, name and activities is but a product of material energy. Thus in ignorance they think that the Supreme is formless, nameless and inactive. The ignorant men consider the Lord simply as one of the great personalities of the world, and are thus misled by illusion. The person ignorant of drama cannot understand the names and forms indicated by the actor thru theatrical gestures of the hands and poetic words indicating the moon or the lotus. Thus he does not appreciate the drama and says there is no rasa. The person in knowledge directly experiences rasa, which pervades all his senses and heart.