Divisions of Krishna's Creation
The entire creation of Krishna is divided into four regions:
1. Devi-dhāma
Where the laws of material nature prevail. The material world.
2. Maheśa-dhāma
The region beyond the material universe where the brahmajyoti effulgence stretches. Lord Shiva lives here.
3. Hari-dhāma
Countless spiritual planets (Vaikunthas) where Lord Nārāyaṇa lives with His devotees.
4. Goloka Vṛndāvana
The spiritual planet where Krishna – Svayam Bhagavān – resides. The supreme abode.
The Spiritual World
The spiritual world makes up three-quarters of the entire manifestation. Only one-quarter is the material manifestation. This should not be understood quantitatively. The material world, quantitatively, is a tiny cloud of contaminated consciousness in the infinite spiritual sky.
Devi-dhāma
Prevailed by material aspects (gunas)
Maheśa-dhāma
Prevailed by sat – the aspect of eternity
Hari-dhāma
Prevailed by cit – the aspect of knowledge
Goloka
Prevailed by ānanda – the aspect of bliss
cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-
lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhir abhipālayantam
lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is tending the cows, yielding all desires, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees."
— Brahma-samhita 5.29
Goloka Vṛndāvana is divided into three parts:
1. Dvārakā
Krishna's kingdom, where He rules as a king with His queens.
2. Mathurā
Krishna's birthplace, where He performed His childhood pastimes.
3. Gokula
The highest abode of Krishna, where He lives as a cowherd boy with His friends and gopis.
Important to know
All these abodes in the material world have their reflections, which are completely non-different from their counterparts in the spiritual world. Thus, Gokula Vṛndāvana on Earth is the same Goloka Vṛndāvana in the spiritual world.
Forms of Krishna
The spiritual world would be empty without Krishna. Therefore, the various forms of Krishna constitute the essence of the spiritual world's variety. All these forms of Krishna are eternal and do not possess any traits of illusion or imperfection.
1. Svayam-rūpa – Krishna's personal forms
Krishna manifests His personal forms only in Goloka Vṛndāvana:
Svayam-rūpa
The original form – Krishna. The cowherd boy of Vṛndāvana.
Svayam-prakāśa
Personal manifestations of His original form in Gokula, Mathura, and Dvaraka.
Svayam-prakāśa is divided into:
- Prabhāva-prakāśa – when the original form manifests as many forms (eka vapu bahu rūpa). E.g., during the rāsa dance.
- Vaibhava-prakāśa – when one form reveals itself differently through various emotions. The first vaibhava-prakāśa of Krishna is Lord Balarāma.
2. Tad-ekātma-rūpa – Forms of this one
The Lord is one, but He becomes many so that He can enjoy rasa – relationships. Krishna does not enjoy objects. His only source of joy is loving relationships with His servants.
Vilāsa-prakāśa – pastime expansions
In Hari-dhāma (the Vaikuntha planets), His forms are called vilāsa-prakāśa. This category includes Lord Nārāyaṇa and all His catur-vyūha (fourfold) forms.
Ādi-catur-vyūha – the original fourfold forms
Vāsudeva
The Deity of consciousness. An expansion of Krishna.
Saṅkarṣaṇa
The Deity of ego. An expansion of Balarāma.
Pradyumna
The Deity of intellect. An expansion of Krishna's son.
Aniruddha
The Deity of the mind. An expansion of Krishna's grandson.
From these four forms, 24 other forms appear, which differ in their names and the different placement of weapons (disc, club, conch, and lotus) in their four hands.
24 Forms of Nārāyaṇa
Keśava
Nārāyaṇa
Mādhava
Govinda
Viṣṇu
Madhusūdana
Trivikrama
Vāmana
Śrīdhara
Hṛṣīkeśa
Padmanābha
Dāmodara
These 24 forms fill the entire spiritual sky (paravyoma), all the Vaikuntha planets.
3. Āveśa-rūpa – Empowered personalities
These are jīvas whom Krishna grants His power to perform a specific mission. They are called śaktyāveśa-avatāras. Examples: Nārada Muni, Vyāsadeva, the four Kumaras.
Conclusion
All of Krishna's forms are eternal and transcendental. They do not possess any traits of illusion or imperfection. Krishna expands into an innumerable multitude of forms, yet remains one and the same Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Self-Check Questions
- Into what four regions is Krishna's creation divided?
- What is Goloka Vṛndāvana and what are its parts?
- What are Svayam-rūpa and Svayam-prakāśa?
- What are the four original catur-vyūha forms?
- What is the difference between Prabhāva-prakāśa and Vaibhava-prakāśa?