Superficially material nature appears to be the cause of creation, maintenance and destruction, but material nature is set into motion for creation by the supreme conscious being, the Personality of Godhead.

Before the Before and Afterwards

Background of the creation of the cosmos

Text 45
There is no direct engineering by the Lord for the creation and destruction of the material world. What is described in the Vedas about His direct interference is simply to counteract the idea that material nature is the creator.

PURPORT
The Vedic direction for the creation, maintenance and destruction of the material world is this: yato va imani bhutani jayante. Yena jatani jivanti. Yat prayanty abhisamvishanti, i.e., everything is created by Brahman, after creation everything is maintained by Brahman, and after annihilation everything is conserved in Brahman. Gross materialists without any knowledge of Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan conclude material nature to be the ultimate cause of the material manifestation, and the modern scientist also shares this view that the material nature is the ultimate cause of all the manifestations of the material world. This view is refuted by all Vedic literature. The Vedanta philosophy mentions that Brahman is the fountainhead of all creation, maintenance and destruction, and Srimad-Bhagavatam, the natural commentation on the Vedanta philosophy, says, janmady asya yato 'nvayad itaratash chartheshv abhijñah svarat [SB 1.1.1], etc.

Inert matter is undoubtedly energy with potential to interact, but it has no initiative of its own. Srimad-Bhagavatam therefore comments on the aphorism janmady asya by saying abhijñah and svarat, i.e., the Supreme Brahman is not inert matter, but He is supreme consciousness and is independent. Therefore inert matter cannot be the ultimate cause of the creation, maintenance and destruction of the material world. Superficially material nature appears to be the cause of creation, maintenance and destruction, but material nature is set into motion for creation by the supreme conscious being, the Personality of Godhead. He is the background of all creation, maintenance and destruction, and this is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (9.10):

mayadhyakshena prakritih
suyate sa-characharam
hetunanena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate

The material nature is one of the energies of the Lord, and she can work under the direction of the Lord (adhyakshena). When the Lord throws His transcendental glance over the material nature, then only can the material nature act, as a father contacts the mother, who is then able to conceive a child. Although it appears to the layman that the mother gives birth to the child, the experienced man knows that the father gives birth to the child. The material nature therefore produces the moving and standing manifestations of the material world after being contacted by the supreme father, and not independently. Considering material nature to be the cause of creation, maintenance, etc., is called "the logic of nipples on the neck of a goat." The Chaitanya-charitamrita by Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami describes this logic of aja-gala-stana-nyaya as follows (as explained by His Divine Grace Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja): "The material nature, as the material cause, is known as pradhana, and as efficient cause is known as maya. But since it is inert matter, it is not the remote cause of creation." Kaviraja Gosvami states as follows:

ataeva krishna mula-jagat-karana
prakriti—karana yaiche aja-gala-stana (Cc. Adi 5.61)

Because Karanarnavashayi Vishnu is a plenary expansion of Krishna, it is He who electrifies the matter to put it in motion. The example of electrification is quite appropriate. A piece of iron is certainly not fire, but when the iron is made red-hot, certainly it has the quality of fire through its burning capacity. Matter is compared to the piece of iron, and it is electrified or made red-hot by the glance or manipulation of the supreme consciousness of Vishnu. Only by such electrification is the energy of matter displayed in various actions and reactions. Therefore the inert matter is neither efficient nor the material cause of the cosmic manifestation. Sri Kapiladeva has said:

yatholmukad visphulingad
dhumad vapi sva-sambhavat
apy atmatvenabhimatad
yathagnih prithag ulmukat (SB 3.28.40)

The original fire, its flame, its sparks and its smoke are all one, for fire is still fire yet is different from the flame, flame is different from sparks, and sparks are different from the smoke. In every one of them, namely in the flames, in the sparks and in the smoke, the integrity of fire is present, yet all of them are differently situated with different positions. The cosmic manifestation is compared to the smoke because when smoke passes over the sky so many forms appear, resembling many known and unknown manifestations. The sparks are compared to living entities, and the flames are compared to material nature (pradhana). One must know that each and every one of them is effective simply because of being empowered by the quality of the original fire. Therefore all of them, namely the material nature, the cosmic manifestation and the living entities, are but different energies of the Lord (fire). Therefore those who accept the material nature as the cosmic manifestation's original cause (prakriti, the cause of creation according to Sankhya philosophy) are not correct in their conclusion. The material nature has no separate existence without the Lord. Therefore, setting aside the Supreme Lord as the cause of all causes is the logic of aja-gala-stana-nyaya, or trying to milk the nipples on the neck of a goat. The nipples on the neck of a goat may seem like sources of milk, but to try to get milk from such nipples will be foolish.

Cycles of creation and annihilation

TEXT 46
This process of creation and annihilation described in summary herein is the regulative principle during the duration of Brahma's one day. It is also the regulative principle in the creation of mahat, in which the material nature is dispersed.

PURPORT
There are three different types of creation, called maha-kalpa, vikalpa and kalpa. In the maha-kalpa the Lord assumes the first purusha incarnation as Karanodakashayi Vishnu with all the potencies of the mahat-tattva and the sixteen principles of creative matter and instruments. The creative instruments are eleven, the ingredients are five, and all of them are products of mahat, or materialistic ego. These creations by the Lord in His feature of Karanodakashayi Vishnu are called maha-kalpa. The creation of Brahma and dispersion of the material ingredients are called vikalpa, and the creation by Brahma in each day of his life is called kalpa. Therefore each day of Brahma is called a kalpa, and there are thirty kalpas in terms of Brahma's days. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (8.17) as follows:

sahasra-yuga-paryantam
ahar yad brahmano viduh
ratim yuga-sahasrantam
te 'ho-ratra-vido janah

In the upper planetary system the duration of one complete day and night is equal to one complete year of this earth. This is accepted even by the modern scientist and attested by the astronauts. Similarly, in the region of still higher planetary systems the duration of day and night is still greater than in the heavenly planets. The four yugas are calculated in terms of the heavenly calendars and accordingly are twelve thousand years in terms of the heavenly planets. This is called a divya-yuga, and one thousand divya-yugas make one day of Brahma. The creation during the day of Brahma is called kalpa, and the creation of Brahma is called vikalpa. When vikalpas are made possible by the breathing of Maha-Vishnu, this is called a maha-kalpa. There are regular and systematic cycles of these maha-kalpas, vikalpas and kalpas. In answer to Maharaja Parikshit's question about them, Shukadeva Gosvami answered in the Prabhasa-khanda of the Skanda Purana. They are as follows:

prathamah shveta-kalpash cha
dvitiyo nila-lohitah
vamadevas tritiyas tu
tato gathantaro 'parah
rauravah pañchamah proktah
shashthah prana iti smritah
saptamo 'tha brihat-kalpah
kandarpo 'shtama uchyate
sadyotha navamah kalpa
ishano dashamah smritah
dhyana ekadashah proktas
tatha sarasvato 'parah
trayodasha udanas tu
garudo 'tha chaturdashah
kaurmah pañchadasho jñeyah
paurnamasi prajapateh
shodasho narasimhas tu
samadhis tu tato 'parah
agneyo vishnujah saurah
soma-kalpas tato 'parah
dvavimsho bhavanah proktah
supuman iti chaparah
vaikunthash charshtishas tadvad
vali-kalpas tato 'parah
saptavimsho 'tha vairajo
gauri-kalpas tathaparah
maheshvaras tatha proktas
tripuro yatra ghatitah
pitri-kalpas tatha chante
yah kuhur brahmanah smrita

Therefore the thirty kalpas of Brahma are: (1) Shveta-kalpa, (2) Nilalohita, (3) Vamadeva, (4) Gathantara, (5) Raurava, (6) Prana, (7) Brihat-kalpa, (8) Kandarpa, (9) Sadyotha, (10) Ishana, (11) Dhyana, (12) Sarasvata, (13) Udana, (14) Garuda, (15) Kaurma, (16) Narasimha, (17) Samadhi, (18) Agneya, (19) Vishnuja, (20) Saura, (21) Soma-kalpa, (22) Bhavana, (23) Supuma, (24) Vaikuntha, (25) Archisha, (26) Vali-kalpa, (27) Vairaja, (28) Gauri-kalpa, (29) Maheshvara, (30) Paitri-kalpa.

These are Brahma's days only, and he has to live months and years up to one hundred, so we can just imagine how many creations there are in kalpas only. Then again there are vikalpas, which are generated by the breathing of Maha-Vishnu, as stated in the Brahma-samhita (yasyaika-nishvasita-kalam athavalambya jivanti loma-vilaja jagadanda-nathah [Bs. 5.48]). The Brahmas live only during the breathing period of Maha-Vishnu. So the exhaling and inhaling of Vishnu are maha-kalpas, and all these are due to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for no one else is the master of all creations.