View source for There is visnu-tattva: Krsna, Balarama, Sankarsana, Catur-vyuha, Narayana. Dvitiya-catur-vyuha: again Sankarsana; from Sankarsana, Maha-Visnu; Maha-Visnu to Garbhodakasayi Visnu; Garbhodakasayi Visnu, then Ksirodakasayi Visnu; in this way

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{{terms|"There is visnu-tattva: Krsna, Balarama, Sankarsana, Catur-vyuha, Narayana. Dvitiya-catur-vyuha: again Sankarsana; from Sankarsana, Maha-Visnu; Maha-Visnu to Garbhodakasayi Visnu; Garbhodakasayi Visnu, then Ksirodakasayi Visnu; in this way"}}
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{{compiler|MadhuGopaldas}}
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{{first|24Jan13}}
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{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=1|Con=0|Let=0}}
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[[Category:There Is]]
[[Category:Visnu-tattva]]
[[Category:Krsna and Balarama]]
[[Category:Sankarsana]]
[[Category:Narayana]]
[[Category:Again]]
[[Category:Karanodakasayi Visnu - Maha-Visnu]]
[[Category:Garbhodakasayi Visnu]]
[[Category:Ksirodakasayi Visnu]]
[[Category:In This Way]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, 1966 - 1977]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, 1975]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, Bhagavad-gita As It Is]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - in Africa, Kenya - Nairobi]]
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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="0" parent="Lectures" text="Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures"><h3>Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures</h3>
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<div id="LectureonBG74NairobiOctober311975_0" class="quote" parent="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" book="Lec" index="268" link="Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Nairobi, October 31, 1975" link_text="Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Nairobi, October 31, 1975">
<div class="heading">So the first engineer of this universe, Lord Brahmā, he comes from Kṛṣṇa. Not directly Kṛṣṇa, but from Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. There is viṣṇu-tattva: Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Catur-vyūha, Nārāyaṇa. Dvitīya-catur-vyūha: again Saṅkarṣaṇa; from Saṅkarṣaṇa, Mahā-Viṣṇu; Mahā-Viṣṇu to Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu; Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, then Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu; in this way. So Kṛṣṇa is the origin.
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<mp3player>https://s3.amazonaws.com/vanipedia/clip/751031BG.NAI_clip3.mp3</mp3player> 
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Nairobi, October 31, 1975|Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Nairobi, October 31, 1975]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So the Vedic knowledge is called śruti. You have to learn things beyond your perception simply by hearing from the authorities. So Vedic knowledge is the authority. Why we accept Vedas as authority? Because there is the perfect knowledge. I have discussed so many times the authority of the Vedas, accepting cow dung as pure although animal stool is impure. But Vedas accept that cow dung is pure; we accept it. Cow dung is pure. This is called śruti-pramāṇa. Śruti-pramāṇa means the real knowledge, perfect knowledge, is coming from the supreme perfect, Kṛṣṇa. That perfect knowledge after creation... Brahmā is the first created being, so Brahmā was instructed the śruti, perfect knowledge, by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the original spiritual master. Vedānta-vit. He says, Kṛṣṇa, in the Bhagavad-gītā,</p>
:sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo
:mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca
:vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
:vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham
:([[Vanisource:BG 15.15 (1972)|BG 15.15]])
<p>So Vedic knowledge means the instruction given by Kṛṣṇa to the first living being, Lord Brahmā. Janmādy asya yataḥ ([[Vanisource:SB 1.1.1|SB 1.1.1]]). From Kṛṣṇa everything is born, everything is emanated. He says in the Bhagavad-gītā that ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate ([[Vanisource:BG 10.8 (1972)|BG 10.8]]). Everything is coming from Him. So the first engineer of this universe, Lord Brahmā, he comes from Kṛṣṇa. Not directly Kṛṣṇa, but from Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. There is viṣṇu-tattva: Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Catur-vyūha, Nārāyaṇa. Dvitīya-catur-vyūha: again Saṅkarṣaṇa; from Saṅkarṣaṇa, Mahā-Viṣṇu; Mahā-Viṣṇu to Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu; Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, then Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu; in this way. So Kṛṣṇa is the origin. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 10.8 (1972)|BG 10.8]]). Sarvasya means even this Mahā-Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha, Pradyumna—everything. Then again the material world—Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. Then from Brahmā so many demigods, in this way, this way. Therefore He is the ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ. This is the point. And the knowledge is also coming from Him. Knowledge is coming from Him.</p>
<p>It is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, janmādy asya: ([[Vanisource:SB 1.1.1|SB 1.1.1]]) "The original person from whom everything is born," yataḥ, anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ, "He knows everything perfectly, indirectly and directly." Anvayād itarataś ca abhijñaḥ. And wherefrom He got the knowledge? Now, svarāṭ. That is His... God means svarāṭ. He hasn't got to get any knowledge from anyone else. Everyone gets knowledge from Him, but He hasn't got to take knowledge from anyone, svarāṭ, independent. So the Brahmā, the first lord, first creature, living creature, so he got knowledge from Kṛṣṇa. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye: ([[Vanisource:SB 1.1.1|SB 1.1.1]]) "That Supreme Person gave the knowledge to the ādi-kavi." Ādi-kavi means Lord Brahmā, the first learned man.</p>
<p>So our Vedic conception of life, creation, is not like the Darwin, that his first creation... I do not know what is, but they think that they'll get knowledge from monkey. But we do not take knowledge from monkey. (laughter) Therefore we do not keep ourself in darkness. If you take knowledge from monkey, then you remain always like monkey. You cannot be advanced. But here it is... Bhāgavata says, tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye: We got knowledge directly from Kṛṣṇa, the most perfect. Therefore Brahmā is generated from Viṣṇu. So the first living creature, the perfect person within this material world who got instruction there, that is the beginning of creation. Beginning of creation is not crude or ignorance. Beginning of creation is first-class knowledge. That is the Vedic conception.</p>
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