Vidura's Talks with Maitreya
As the conversation between Vidura and Maitreya deepened, the sage began to reveal increasingly profound truths about the nature of material creation and the Supreme Lord's role in it. Maitreya explained that before the material creation comes into existence, there is a state of cosmic dissolution where all material elements, living entities, and universal structures exist in an unmanifest condition within the body of Maha-Vishnu, the first purusha-avatar of the Lord. In this state of dissolution, time appears to stop, space does not exist as we know it, and all potential for manifestation rests dormant. The living entities who did not achieve liberation in the previous creation remain in a state of deep sleep within Maha-Vishnu's body, their karma and desires preserved like seeds waiting for the right season to sprout. This state is not eternal; it lasts for a specific duration according to the cosmic time scale, and then the process of creation begins again.
Maitreya described the first movements of creation in poetic and mystical language. When the time for creation arrives, Maha-Vishnu glances over material nature (prakriti), and this glance impregnates it with countless living entities, each carrying their individual karma and desires from previous lifetimes. This is a transcendental conception that cannot be compared to material reproduction - it is the supreme consciousness interacting with its own inferior energy to create the conditions for manifestation. From Maha-Vishnu's body, innumerable universes emerge, each encased in layers of material elements, each containing its own separate space, time, and set of material elements. Within each universe, Maha-Vishnu enters as Garbhodakashayi Vishnu, lying on the cosmic ocean that fills half the universe. From His navel grows a lotus flower, and on that lotus sits Brahma, the first created being of each universe, who will act as the secondary creator, fashioning all the forms and species within that particular universe.
The sage then explained the progressive manifestation of material elements according to Sankhya philosophy, the analytical study of material nature revealed by Lord Kapila. The creation proceeds from subtle to gross: first comes the mahat-tattva (total material energy), then false ego in three modes (goodness, passion, and ignorance), then the five great elements (ether, air, fire, water, earth) along with their subtle forms, the ten senses (five knowledge-acquiring senses and five working senses), and the mind. These twenty-four elements combine in different proportions to create all the varieties of material forms we see in the universe - from the gross bodies of human beings to the subtle bodies of celestial beings, from vast planetary systems to tiny atoms. The entire material creation, with all its apparent complexity and diversity, is actually composed of these basic elements combined in different proportions according to the three modes of material nature.
Most significantly, Maitreya emphasized that throughout this entire process of creation, the Supreme Lord remains transcendent and unchanged. He does not personally come into direct contact with material nature but acts through His various expansions and energies. The Lord is like a master puppeteer who controls the puppets through strings without actually touching them, or like a person whose face appears in a mirror even though they are not actually in the mirror. When we see the material world, we are seeing the Lord's energy at work, but the Lord Himself remains in His transcendental position, completely unaffected by material qualities. However, He is also present within the material creation in His form as Paramatma (the Supersoul), dwelling within every atom and within the heart of every living entity. This simultaneous transcendence and immanence - being beyond the material world yet present within it - is one of the most profound aspects of the Lord's nature.
Vidura, absorbing all this knowledge with rapt attention, asked Maitreya to explain further about the Supreme Lord's different forms and functions. Why does the Lord need to expand into different forms? What is the purpose of these various avatars and expansions? How can the Lord be simultaneously one and many? Maitreya responded that the Lord expands Himself out of His causeless mercy to fulfill various functions while remaining one. His expansion as Maha-Vishnu creates the material universes, His expansion as Garbhodakashayi Vishnu enters each universe and generates Lord Brahma, His expansion as Kshirodakashayi Vishnu (Paramatma) enters every living entity to witness their actions and provide internal guidance. Yet all these expansions are fully conscious, fully powerful, and fully the Supreme Lord - there is no diminishment or division. It is like one candle lighting many other candles; each flame is complete and independent, yet all originate from the same source.
The chapter concludes with Maitreya explaining that understanding the process of material creation serves an important spiritual purpose. It is not merely intellectual knowledge meant to satisfy philosophical curiosity. Rather, understanding how the material world is created, maintained, and dissolved helps one recognize its temporary nature and thus become detached from material pursuits. When one understands that everything in the material world - including one's own body, one's family relationships, one's possessions - is made of temporary combinations of material elements that will inevitably dissolve, one naturally turns the mind toward the eternal spiritual reality. Furthermore, understanding that the Lord is the ultimate source and controller of everything helps one see the world in relation to Krishna rather than as an independent reality to be exploited for sense gratification. This Krishna-conscious vision transforms one's relationship with the world - instead of trying to enjoy it for personal satisfaction, one uses everything in Krishna's service, seeing all material energy as the Lord's property meant for His pleasure.