“There are three kinds of spiritual processes for understanding the Absolute Truth—the processes of speculative knowledge, mystic yoga and bhakti- yoga. According to these three processes, the Absolute Truth is manifested as Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān. (157) “‘Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān.’ (158) “The manifestation of the impersonal Brahman effulgence, which is without variety, is the rays of Kṛṣṇa’s bodily effulgence. It is exactly like the sun. When the sun is seen by our ordinary eyes, it appears to consist simply of effulgence. (159)
“‘I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is endowed with great power. The glowing effulgence of His transcendental form is the impersonal Brahman, which is absolute, complete and unlimited and which displays the varieties of countless planets, with their different opulences, in millions and millions of universes.’ (160) “The Paramātmā, the Supersoul feature, is a plenary portion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the original soul of all living entities. Kṛṣṇa is the source of the Paramātmā. (161) “‘You should know Kṛṣṇa to be the original soul of all ātmās [living entities]. For the benefit of the whole universe, He has, out of His causeless mercy, appeared as an ordinary human being. He has done this by the strength of His own internal potency.’ (162) “‘But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe.’ (163)
“Only by devotional activity can one understand the transcendental form of the Lord, which is perfect in all respects. Although His form is one, He can expand His form into unlimited numbers by His supreme will. (164) “The Supreme Personality of Godhead exists in three principal forms—svayaṁ- rūpa, tad- ekātma- rūpa and āveśa- rūpa. (165) “The original form of the Lord [svayaṁ- rūpa] is exhibited in two forms—svayaṁ- rūpa and svayaṁ- prakāśa. In His original form as svayaṁ- rūpa, Kṛṣṇa is observed as a cowherd boy in Vṛndāvana. (166) “In His original form, Kṛṣṇa manifests Himself in two features—prābhava and vaibhava. He expands His one original form into many, as He did during the rāsa- līlā dance. (167) “When the Lord married 16,108 wives at Dvārakā, He expanded Himself into many forms. These expansions and the expansions at the rāsa dance are called prābhava- prakāśa, according to the directions of revealed scriptures. (168)
“The prābhava- prakāśa expansions of Lord Kṛṣṇa are not like the expansions of the sage Saubhari. Had they been so, Nārada would not have been astonished to see them. (169) “‘It is astounding that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is one without a second, expanded Himself in sixteen thousand similar forms to marry sixteen thousand queens in their respective homes.’ (170) “If one form or feature is differently manifested according to different emotional features, it is called vaibhava- prakāśa. (171) “When the Lord expands Himself in innumerable forms, there is no difference in the forms, but due to different features, bodily colors and weapons, the names are different. (172) “‘In different Vedic scriptures, there are prescribed rules and regulative principles for worshiping different types of forms. When one is purified by these rules and regulations, he worships You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although manifested in many forms, You are one.’ (173)
“The first manifestation of the vaibhava feature of Kṛṣṇa is Śrī Balarāmajī. Śrī Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa have different bodily colors, but otherwise Śrī Balarāma is equal to Kṛṣṇa in all respects. (174) “An example of vaibhava- prakāśa is the son of Devakī. He sometimes has two hands and sometimes four hands. (175) “When the Lord is two- handed He is called vaibhava- prakāśa, and when He is four- handed He is called prābhava- prakāśa. (176) “In His original form, the Lord dresses like a cowherd boy and thinks Himself one. When He appears as Vāsudeva, the son of Vasudeva and Devakī, His dress and consciousness are those of a kṣatriya, a warrior. (177) “When one compares the beauty, opulence, sweetness and intellectual pastimes of Vāsudeva, the warrior, to Kṛṣṇa, the cowherd boy, son of Nanda Mahārāja, one sees that Kṛṣṇa’s attributes are more pleasant. (178)
“Indeed, Vāsudeva is agitated just to see the sweetness of Govinda, and a transcendental greed awakens in Him to enjoy that sweetness. (179) “‘My dear friend, this dramatic actor appears like a second form of My own self. Like a picture, He displays My pastimes as a cowherd boy overflowing with wonderfully attractive sweetness and fragrance, which are so dear to the damsels of Vraja. When I see such a display, My heart becomes greatly excited. I long for such pastimes and desire a form exactly like that of the damsels of Vraja.’ (180) “One instance of Vāsudeva’s attraction to Kṛṣṇa occurred when Vāsudeva saw the Gandharva dance at Mathurā. Another instance occurred in Dvārakā when Vāsudeva was surprised to see a picture of Kṛṣṇa. (181)
“‘Who manifests an abundance of sweetness greater than Mine, which has never been experienced before and which causes wonder to all? Alas, I Myself, My mind bewildered upon seeing this beauty, impetuously desire to enjoy it like Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.’ (182) “When that body is a little differently manifested and its features are a little different in transcendental emotion and form, it is called tad- ekātma. (183) “In the tad- ekātma- rūpa there are pastime expansions [vilāsa] and personal expansions [svāṁśa]. Consequently there are two divisions. According to pastime and personal expansion, there are various differences. (184) “Again the vilāsa forms are divided into twofold categories— prābhava and vaibhava. Again the pastimes of these forms are of unlimited variety. (185) “The chief quadruple expansions are named Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. These are called prābhava- vilāsa. (186)
“Balarāma, who has the same original form as Kṛṣṇa, is Himself a cowherd boy in Vṛndāvana, and He also considers Himself a member of the kṣatriya race in Dvārakā. Thus His color and dress are different, and He is called a pastime form of Kṛṣṇa. (187) “Śrī Balarāma is a vaibhava- prakāśa manifestation of Kṛṣṇa. He is also manifested in the original quadruple expansions of Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. These are prābhava- vilāsa expansions with different emotions. (188) “The first expansion of the caturvyūha, quadruple forms, is unique. There is nothing to compare with Them. These quadruple forms are the source of unlimited quadruple forms. (189) “These four prābhava pastime forms of Lord Kṛṣṇa reside eternally in Dvārakā and Mathurā. (190)
“From the original quadruple expansions, twenty- four forms are manifested. They differ according to the placement of the weapons in Their four hands. They are called vaibhava- vilāsa. (191) “Lord Kṛṣṇa again expands, and within the paravyoma, the spiritual sky, He is situated in fullness as the four- handed Nārāyaṇa, accompanied by expansions of the original quadruple form. (192) “Thus the original quadruple forms again manifest Themselves in a second set of quadruple expansions. The residences of these second quadruple expansions cover the four directions. (193) “Again these quadruple forms expand three times, beginning with Keśava. That is the fulfillment of the pastime forms. (194) “Out of the catur- vyūha, there are three expansions of each and every form, and They are named differently according to the position of the weapons. The Vāsudeva expansions are Keśava, Nārāyaṇa and Mādhava. (195)
“The expansions of Saṅkarṣaṇa are Govinda, Viṣṇu and Madhusūdana. This Govinda is different from the original Govinda, for He is not the son of Mahārāja Nanda. (196) “The expansions of Pradyumna are Trivikrama, Vāmana and Śrīdhara. The expansions of Aniruddha are Hṛṣīkeśa, Padmanābha and Dāmodara. (197) “These twelve are the predominating Deities of the twelve months. Keśava is the predominating Deity of Agrahāyana, and Nārāyaṇa is the predominating Deity of Pauṣa. (198) “The predominating Deity of the month of Māgha is Mādhava, and the predominating Deity of the month of Phālguna is Govinda. Viṣṇu is the predominating Deity of Caitra, and Madhusūdana is the predominating Deity of Vaiśākha. (199) “In the month of Jyaiṣṭha, the predominating Deity is Trivikrama. In Āṣāḍha the Deity is Vāmana, in Śrāvaṇa the Deity is Śrīdhara, and in Bhādra the Deity is Hṛṣīkeśa. (200)
“In the month of Āśvina, the predominating Deity is Padmanābha, and in Kārttika it is Dāmodara. This Dāmodara is different from Rādhā- Dāmodara, the son of Nanda Mahārāja in Vṛndāvana. (201) “When putting the twelve tilaka marks on the twelve places of the body, one has to chant the mantra consisting of these twelve Viṣṇu names. After daily worship, when one anoints the different parts of the body with water, these names should be chanted as one touches each part of the body. (202) “From Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha, there are eight additional pastime expansions. O Sanātana, please hear Me as I mention Their names. (203) “The eight pastime expansions are Puruṣottama, Acyuta, Nṛsiṁha, Janārdana, Hari, Kṛṣṇa, Adhokṣaja and Upendra. (204)
“Of these eight expansions, two are pastime forms of Vāsudeva. Their names are Adhokṣaja and Puruṣottama. The two pastime forms of Saṅkarṣaṇa are Upendra and Acyuta. (205) “The pastime forms of Pradyumna are Nṛsiṁha and Janārdana, and the pastime forms of Aniruddha are Hari and Kṛṣṇa. (206) “All these twenty- four forms constitute the chief prābhava- vilāsa pastime forms of the Lord. They are named differently according to the position of the weapons in Their hands. (207) “Of all these, the forms that differ in dress and features are distinguished as vaibhava- vilāsa. (208) “Of Them, Padmanābha, Trivikrama, Nṛsiṁha, Vāmana, Hari, Kṛṣṇa and so on all have different bodily features. (209) “Vāsudeva and the three others are direct prābhava pastime forms of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Of these quadruple forms, the pastime expansions are twenty in number. (210) “All these forms preside over different Vaikuṇṭha planets in the spiritual world, beginning from the east in consecutive order. In each of the eight directions, there are three different forms. (211) “Although they all have Their residences eternally in the spiritual sky, some of Them are situated within the material universes (212)
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