There is a description of the incarnations of the Lord in the second canto of Srimad Bhagavatam that includes some incarnations we don’t hear much about. We all know about Rama, Kalki, and so on, but we may not know so much about Suyajña and Dattātreya, for example. Who are they?

– Suyajña (Yajña): On a day of Brahma, there are 14 Manus, and during the reign of each Manu, the Lord appears once as a Manvantara-avatara. During the reign of the first Manu (Svayambhuva Manu) the Lord appeared as Yajña, to assist him in the administration of the universe. He accepted the post of Indra and begot other demigods with the assistance of his wife, Dakṣiṇā. In this way, the first group of demigods who assisted the first Manu was born. As Indra, Yajña diminished the miseries of the three planetary systems, and because of this, he was also called Hari (the Lord takes away all inauspicious things).

Yajña appeared as the son of Prajapati Ruci and Ākūti (one of the daughters of Svayambhuva Manu, daughter of Devahuti) but he was accepted by Svayambhuva Manu as his son. He is also the cousin of Dhruva Mahārāja and Lord Kapila.

– Dattātreya: Atri Muni was situated in vātsalya Rasa, and thus desired to have the Lord as his son. The Lord accepted his devotion, and thus Dattātreya was born. On SB 4.1.15, Prabhupada explains that Anasūyā, the wife of Atri Muni, gave birth to three very famous sons: Soma, Dattātreya and Durvāsā. Dattātreya was a partial representation of Lord Viṣṇu, Soma was a partial representation of Lord Brahmā and Durvāsā was a partial representation of Lord Śiva.

In the Srimad Bhagavatam, Lord Kapila speaks a few quite enigmatic verses: “Although a devotee appears to be merged in the five material elements, the objects of material enjoyment, the material senses and material mind and intelligence, he is understood to be awake and to be freed from the false ego. The living entity can vividly feel his existence as the seer, but because of the disappearance of the ego during the state of deep sleep, he falsely takes himself to be lost, like a man who has lost his fortune and feels distressed, thinking himself to be lost. When, by mature understanding, one can realize his individuality, then the situation he accepts under false ego becomes manifest to him.” (SB 3.27.14-16)

What does it mean? In these verses, Lord Kapila explains more about the nature of the false ego, details how can a person realize his eternal nature while still living in the material body, and calls our attention to the menace of impersonalism, the last snare of Maya, that can prevent a soul striving for perfection from attaining the ultimate goal. Falling into this trap, the transcendentalist gives up the search for his eternal, original position and settles in a position of pseudo-liberation, that is still under material conceptions.

The connection between the soul and the material reality is the false ego. The material manifestation is composed of many planets, countries, bodies, and material experiences and everything is going on more or less automatically because of the influence of the three modes of material nature. There are millions of living beings being born and dying in innumerable universes every second, but it doesn’t at all concern us. However, when the particular material body we call “ours” is under threat, we become terrified. This happens due to our identification with this particular body and its subproducts. Even when we understand we are not the body, we still tend to think we are the mind or the intelligence. This all happens under the influence of the false ego.

In the teachings of Lord Kapila (SB 3.27.11-13) we find an enigmatic explanation:

“A liberated soul realizes the Absolute Personality of Godhead, who is transcendental and who is manifest as a reflection even in the false ego. He is the support of the material cause and He enters into everything. He is absolute, one without a second, and He is the eyes of the illusory energy.
The presence of the Supreme Lord can be realized just as the sun is realized first as a reflection on water, and again as a second reflection on the wall of a room, although the sun itself is situated in the sky.
The self-realized soul is thus reflected first in the threefold ego and then in the body, senses and mind.”

These three verses give a very deep explanation of the nature of our material, conditioned consciousness, the presence of the Lord, and the vision of a pure devotee.

The Lord is present everywhere in the material creation, even in the false ego, which is the most subtle of all material elements. However, at the same time, it is said that the Lord never touches material nature. How is it that the Lord is present everywhere if He never touches the material creation?

Lord Kapila explains this point by using the example of the sun reflected on a pot of water and then on the walls of a room. The material world is by nature dark, just like a dark room, and the only light comes from the Lord.

Because the sun is so powerful, even the reflection of the sun in a pot of water in the corner of a dark room is sufficiently luminous to be again reflected in the walls of the room and thus illuminate the whole place. The sun thus enters into the room and illuminates it, although it never leaves its position in the sky. Similarly, although the Lord is far, far away, outside the coverings of the universe, he becomes present everywhere by the diffusion of the reflection of His energy.

The Lord is situated in the spiritual sky, and He never comes in contact with the material energy. However, at the same time, He becomes present through the reflection of His energy. In this way, Lord Maha-Vishnu appears as Lord Garbhodakasayi-Vishnu and then as Ksirodakasayi Vishnu, and from Him, all avataras are manifested. Even Krsna Himself, who never leaves Vrindavana, appears in the different universes together with his supreme abode. A pure devotee can thus see Krsna present everywhere, although He is eternally situated in the spiritual sky.

This also shows that although present everywhere, Paramatma is just one. Ksirodakasayi Vishnu is like the reflection of the sun in the pot of water. The light of the reflection illuminates the whole room, although all the right comes from a single source. Just like the light coming from the reflection on the pot of water illuminates the whole room, Paramatma permeates all parts of the universe, although at the same time localized.

What about the soul? The soul is just like the Lord (tat tvam asi). The Lord is like the big sun, and the soul is like a small sun. Just like the Lord doesn’t come in contact with the material energy, the soul also doesn’t, although the consciousness of the soul somehow becomes entrapped here. Lord Kapila explains this point on verse 13: evaṁ trivṛd-ahaṅkāro, bhūtendriya-manomayaiḥ, svābhāsair lakṣito ’nena, sad-ābhāsena satya-dṛk.

Just like a pure devotee can see the Lord present everywhere by His reflection in the material energy, he can see himself also present as a reflection. The consciousness of the soul is first reflected in the three divisions of the false ego (in goodness, passion, and ignorance) and from there permeates the body, senses, and mind. In this way, the big sun permeates the whole universe, while the small sun permeates just a particular body, but both are eternally situated in the sky.

The soul thus enters into the body in the form of consciousness, and in this way goes from one body to the other, even though the soul never really comes into contact with matter, remaining always in his transcendental position. We are thus not factually present in this material world, although our consciousness is focused here. This explains how a soul can achieve liberation by just focusing his meditation on Krsna. When one can do so, he sees himself immediately with Krsna, even while still technically living in a material body. Being in the material world is thus not a question of being in a geographical space, but a matter of consciousness. As long as our consciousness is focused on the material world, we are here, but as soon as our consciousness is again focused on Krsna, we suddenly realize we never left. This is a very subtle point in our philosophy.

In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Srila Rūpa Gosvāmī explains that a pure devotee can be liberated even while living in his material body. Liberation in this case means to become aware of one’s eternal relationship with Krsna. This leads us to the question: How can the pure devotee become aware of His eternal relationship with Krsna and thus be directly present with Krsna even though he is still living in his physical body?

The answer is that the sun still shines in the sky, even though reflected in the water. The light of the sun has no problem in being manifested in many places simultaneously. As Prabhupada explains: “When one is reflected through the material contamination of the body and mind in false identification, he is in the conditional state, but when he is reflected in the pure stage he is called liberated.”

Prabhupada goes further by explaining the eternal position of the soul as a servitor of the Lord. This is the explanation for the “origin” of the soul that Prabhupada consistently gives in his books, and is the only explanation that does not contradict the scriptures.

As he mentions: “Real individuality is to understand oneself to be the eternal servitor of the Supreme Lord. This information is received from the mouth of Lord Caitanya. He said clearly, upon the inquiry of Sanātana Gosvāmī, that a living entity is the servitor of Kṛṣṇa eternally. Kṛṣṇa also confirms in Bhagavad-gītā that the living entity is eternally His part and parcel.”

In the Bhagavad-Gita Krsna explains that “nāsato vidyate bhāvo, nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ”. Everything that is sat (real) is eternal or immutable, and everything that changes or has a beginning is asat (non-existent, or illusory). If the relationship of the soul with Krsna had the be established at a certain point in time, this relationship would have a beginning and thus would be asat, illusory, and temporary, existing only under the purview of the material manifestation. The only way the soul can have an eternal relationship with Krsna is if that relationship is eternally existing. As Prabhupada explains, the soul is eternally connected with Krsna in a bond of love. This relationship is eternal and ever existing, and can’t ever be broken, although it can be temporarily forgotten. The soul thus can come to the material world and become focused on the temporary reality, just like the light of the sun can be reflected in the pot of water and from there illuminate a room, although the sun is permanently fixed in the sky. The reflection of the soul thus becomes engaged with the material ego, mind, intelligence, and senses, creating a delirious consciousness from where one believes there is no God, or that he is one with Brahman, or that he is eternally part of the material world, he was never with Krsna or doesn’t have a relationship with Krsna, that an eternal relationship with Krsna has to be established, and so on. These are all illusory concepts that come from one’s delirious condition.

Lord Caitanya encapsulates this intricate point in his famous instructions to Srila Sanātana Gosvāmī: jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’. A living entity is the servitor of Kṛṣṇa eternally.

Later He clarifies: nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema ‘sādhya’ kabhu naya, śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya. “Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens.”

These two verses encapsulate the following points:

a) The soul is eternal.
b) The soul is constitutionally a servant of Krsna.
c) The soul’s relationship with Krsna is eternal (and thus has no beginning).
d) The soul is eternally an individual since a relationship implies two persons. There is no possibility of becoming one with the Lord.
e) Love for Krsna is eternally established in the soul. It is thus part of the soul and inseparable from it.
f) Being part of the soul, this love for Krsna is not something to be gained from another source.
g) Being eternal, the relationship with Krsna can’t be broken. Being part of the soul, love for Him can’t be lost. Both can only be forgotten.
h) When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens.

In the Srimad Bhagavatam, Brahma speaks to Narada Muni about the source of his powers. Not only Lord Brahma but all demigods and other controllers of the universe are awarded their positions because of their devotion to the Lord. Demigods are all great devotees of the Lord who at the same time have strong material desires. The Lord thus puts them in positions where they can serve Him but at the same time live in positions of power and influence. During their long lives, the demigods can gradually satisfy their material desires and eventually go back home, back to Godhead.

Lord Brahma is thus not a separate controller. He is empowered by the Lord to perform his functions, and the reason he is empowered is that he is a great devotee.

“O Nārada, because I have caught hold of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, with great zeal, whatever I say has never proved to have been false. Nor is the progress of my mind ever deterred. Nor are my senses ever degraded by temporary attachment to matter.
Although I am known as the great Brahmā, perfect in the disciplic succession of Vedic wisdom, and although I have undergone all austerities and am an expert in mystic powers and self-realization, and although I am recognized as such by the great forefathers of the living entities, who offer me respectful obeisances, still I cannot understand Him, the Lord, the very source of my birth.” (SB 2.6.34-35)

Srila Prabhupada and other Vaishnava acaryas before him put great emphasis on the study of the Srimad Bhagavatam as an essential part of our spiritual practice. Even if one doesn’t have time to study any other book, it’s said that one can attain perfection just by studying Srimad Bhagavatam. Srila Vyasadeva himself argues (on SB 1.1.2): śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-muni-kṛte kiṁ vā parair īśvaraḥ, This beautiful Bhāgavatam is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? The words “kiṁ vā parair” mean, literally, “What is the need for any other scripture?” This comes directly from the person who compiled the Vedas and understood their meaning better than anyone else.

In his Tattva-Sandarbha, Srila Jiva Goswami makes a long analysis of the process by which we can obtain perfect knowledge. Nowadays of course it’s easy since we have the books from Srila Prabhupada, but it used to be harder.

The soul is originally not part of the material world. There is another reality, which is spiritual and transcendental, and the soul is originally part of this eternal spiritual reality. The original identity of the soul is an eternal servant of Krsna.

Somehow, due to free will, this pure soul at some point leaves this original position and comes to the material world, where he tries to enjoy the material nature and become an imitation ruler. The original ruler of everything is Krsna, but in this material world, we have some space to become smaller rulers, taking charge of a small family, a business, or even a city or country.

In the Rg Veda we find the famous Puruṣa-sūkta prayers. These prayers are also mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavatam, in a chapter called “Puruṣa-sūkta confirmed”. What are these prayers about?

Being present inside each universe as Gabodakasayi Vishnu and Ksirodakasayi Vishnu, the Lord is the foundation upon which the whole material creation rests. Everything is created and maintained by His energy. The Lord is thus called the virat-purusha, the enjoyer of the cosmic manifestation, since everything is generated from His energy, and ultimately everything exists to satisfy Him. Because the universal form, or virat-rupa is described as a form of the Lord, the terms virat-rupa and virat-purusha are used more or less interchangeably.

Lord Brahma meditated in the universal form, the virat-rupa, to remember how to create the universe. There are two processes of creation: the primary creation, performed by Lord Maha-Vishnu, and the secondary creation, performed by Lord Brahma. The universal form exists even before the creation of the universe as part of the primary creation, a concept or model that guides the creation of Brahma. By meditating in this form, Brahma obtained all the necessary knowledge to recreate the universe the way it was before.

In the 2nd canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, Lord Brahma describes the universal form, the virat-rupa or virat-purusa he saw in his meditation, from which he created the universe. This 6th chapter is called “Puruṣa-sūkta confirmed” because the description of Lord Brahma is similar to the description offered in the Puruṣa-sūkta of the Rg Veda, corroborating it.

We can see that although both the 1st and the 6th chapters describe the universal form, the 1st chapter describes the universal form the yogis meditate upon, while the 6th chapter describes the universal form Brahma saw in his meditation, which served as a blueprint for the creation of the universe. At the end of the 5th chapter, he describes that the virāṭ-rūpa has thousands of legs, arms, mouths, heads, etc.

Freemasons often refer to God as the “universal architect”. According to the Vedas, there is indeed an universal architect, but he is not God. The architect of the universe is Brahma, who assists Lord Vishnu in the creation of the universe by taking charge of the construction, using the elements and the project given by Him.

There is a description in the Srimad Bhagavatam where Brahma himself explains the process of creation. Part of it is done by the Lord Himself, and part by Brahma.

Brahma certainly exhibits a great deal of power in performing his activities. We can’t even imagine what kind of force is necessary to create a universe, including all planets and stars. Atomic weapons, often considered a technological marvel, are many orders of magnitude less potent than such a power. However, Lord Brahma admits that actually this is not his power. The Supreme Lord is behind, empowering him to perform his activities. However, not many can understand Him because the Lord has a transcendental body and has inconceivable energies.

There are five basic material elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether), as well as the subtle elements: false ego, intelligence, and the mind. All these different elements come from the interaction of material time with Pradhana and the three modes of nature. Pradhana is the unmanifested mass of all material elements, including the three modes. This unmanifested mass is activated by the look of Lord Maha-Vishnu, which injects the time energy and also the souls who are going to participate in the material creation. Just as a woman becomes pregnant after sexual contact with a man, Pradhana becomes active when inseminated with the time energy and the souls, starting the process of creation of the different material elements, and eventually of the whole cosmic manifestation. All of this is ultimately meant to be used in the service of the Lord.

Pārvatī and Lord Shiva are the most exalted example of a couple in our universe. Lord Shiva is the perfect Vaishnava, and Pārvatī is the most dedicated wife. Lord Shiva lives under a tree and is completely renounced, while Pārvatī is a princess, the daughter of the king of the Himalayas. She could have selected anyone as her husband. but she chose Lord Shiva, not because he is a rich man, but because of his spiritual position. Similarly, although a princess, Devahuti chose Kardama Muni as her husband, even though he was a renounced sage, due to his spiritual advancement. She valued his sanctity and spiritual realization much more than power or money. Therefore, after the marriage, she was happy to serve him while he was practicing his austerities, as described in the third canto of Srimad Bhagavatam.

In his purports, Prabhupada gives more detail of the relationship between Devahuti and Kardama Muni. Kardama Muni was a highly qualified man, one of the greatest sages in the universe, and Devahuti accepted him as a superior. She was thus happy in serving him without reservation.

As Prabhupada mentions, the natural instinct for any woman is to marry a man who is stronger, more intelligent, more emotionally mature, etc. than her, therefore when the man can play the role, this relationship of respect is naturally established. This is the ideal situation for both because when a man has the respect of his wife he becomes motivated to grow and develop his potential, while the wife benefits from receiving the protection of such a great man. The husband becomes happy when he can play the role of a hero, and the wife is happy when she can play the role of someone protected by the hero. This is a situation where both flourish. Of course, things are rarely ideal in Kali-yuga, but this basic dynamic is still valid. Degraded men may display qualities such as harshness, infidelity, or even violence, that will make the life of a wife very difficult.