Lord Sri Krishna, as the Vedic literature ultimately explains, is the absolute Personality of Godhead, and His first expansion in a form for pastimes is Sri Balarama. In the age of Kali-yuga, Lord Krishna appears in this material world as Lord Caitanya, andBalarama appears as Lord Nityananda. Lord Nityananda, pictured to the right, is the spiritual brother of Lord Caitanya, and is the expansion of Lord Balarama, the brother of Lord Sri Krishna on the spiritual planet of Krishnaloka. He has descended to assist Lord Caitanya in spreading the chanting of the holy names of Lord Krishna in harinama-sankirtana, or the congregational chanting of the Lord’s holy names, and to bring the mercy of Lord Krishna to all the fallen, materially conditioned souls. How Lord Nityanandaexpands in His various forms is explained as follows:

Beyond the limitation of this material world is the spiritual sky, paravyoma, which has many spiritual planets, the supreme of which is called Krishnaloka. Krishnaloka, the abode of Krishna, has three divisions, which are known as Dvaraka, Mathura, andGokula. In that abode the Personality of Godhead expands Himself into four plenary portions--Krishna, Balarama, Pradyumna (the transcendental Cupid) and Aniruddha. They are known as the original quadruple forms.

In Krishnaloka is a transcendental place known as Svetadvipa. Below Krishnaloka in the spiritual sky are the Vaikunthaplanets. On each Vaikuntha planet a four-handed form of Lord Narayana is present, each one expanded from the first quadruple manifestation, as described above. The Personality of Godhead known as Sri Balarama in Krishnaloka is the original Sankarshan(attracting Deity), and from this Sankarshan expands another Sankarshan, called Maha-sankarshan, who resides in one of theVaikuntha planets. By His internal potency, Maha-sankarshan maintains the transcendental existence of all the planets in the spiritual sky, where all the living beings are eternally liberated souls. The influence of the material energy is conspicuous there by its absence. On those planets the second quadruple manifestation is present.

Outside of the Vaikuntha planets is the impersonal manifestation of Sri Krishna, which is known as Brahmaloka, or the great Brahman, which is described as the effulgence of the Lord’s supremely spiritual body. On the other side of Brahmaloka is the spiritual karana-samudra, or Causal Ocean. The material energy exists on the other side of that Causal Ocean, without touching it. In the Causal Ocean is Maha-Vishnu, the original purusha expansion from Sankarshan. Maha-Vishnu places His glance over the material energy, and by a reflection of His transcendental body He amalgamates Himself within the material elements.

As the source of the material elements, the material energy is known as pradhana, and as the source of the manifestations of the material energy it is known as maya, the Lord’s external or illusory energy. But material nature is inert in that she has no independent power to do anything. She is empowered to make the cosmic manifestation by the glance of Maha-Vishnu. Therefore, the material energy is not the original cause of the material manifestation. Rather, the transcendental glance of Maha-Vishnu over material nature is what produces that cosmic manifestation.

Maha-Vishnu again enters every universe as the reservoir of all living entities, and becomes Garbhodakashayi Vishnu. From Garbhodakashayi Vishnu comes KshirodakashayiVishnu, who is the expansion of the Supersoul of every living entity. Garbhodakashayi Vishnu also has His own Vaikuntha planet (spiritual residence) in every universe, where He lives as the Supersoul (Kshirodakashayi Vishnu) or supreme controller of the universe. Garbhodakashayi Vishnu reclines in the midst of the watery portion of the universe and generates the first living creature of the universe, Brahma. The imaginary universal form is a partial manifestation of Garbhodakashayi Vishnu.

On the Vaikuntha planet in every universe is an ocean of milk, and within that ocean is an island called Svetadvepa, where Lord Vishnu lives. In this way, there are twoSvetadvepas (spiritual abodes of Lord Vishnu)--one in the abode of Krishna on Krishnaloka in the spiritual realm, and the other in the ocean of milk on the Vaikuntha or spiritual planet in every universe. The Svetadvepa in the abode of Krishna is identical with Vrindavana-dhama, which is the sacred place where Krishna Himself appears to display His loving pastimes. In the Svetadvepa within every universe is a Sesha form of Godhead, which is another aspect of Lord Balarama, who expands in numerous ways to serve as the Lord’s support, and serves Lord Vishnu by assuming the form of His umbrella, slippers, couch, pillows, garments, residence, sacred thread, throne, and so on.

Nityananda Prabhu is an expansion of the same Lord Baladeva in Krishnaloka. Therefore, Nityananda Prabhu is the original Sankarshan, and Maha-sankarshan and His expansions as the purushas in the universes are plenary expansions of Nityananda Prabhu.

Nityanand Mahaprabhu Ki Jay...

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