Prabhupāda: Hm. So, the peacock plumes, they look like eyes, painted. But it has no power to see. Similarly, if we do not see the forms of the Lord, just like in this temple we are seeing, then these eyes are to be considered as painted eyes, not real eyes. Simply just appearing like eyes; it has no use. The human form of life, the eyes are there, particular eyes, to see the forms of the Lord, eye to eye. And because our present position is that with these material eyes we cannot see the Lord in His spiritual form, therefore the Lord has kindly appeared before us in a manner in which we can see Him.
The forms of the Lord is not imagination. They say that they imagine some form. Sādhakānāṁ hitvārthāya brahmaṇo rūpa-kalpanaḥ. The Māyāvādī philosophers, due to their poor fund of knowledge, they think that, "The Absolute Truth is formless, but because we cannot meditate upon formless, something formless, let us imagine some form." Imagine. Nirviśeṣa-vādī, nirākāra-vādī, they imagine forms.
Therefore their philosophy that, "Any form you like, you can concentrate. Because after all, there is no form. But for your present facility, you can imagine some form." But there is also mistake on their part, because they say: "Imagine any form." Generally, they prescribe the form of Lord Śiva, the form of Lord Viṣṇu, the form of Durgā, the form of the sun and the form of Gaṇeśa. Pañcopāsanā., these five forms. But ultimately, you become "form-less." The example given by them is that you rise up to a upper place with a wooden stair, and as soon as you reach there, you throw it away, so that you'll not be able to come back again.
Similarly, their philosophy is, "With some imagination of form, you worship, and as soon as you realize Brahman, throw it away. No more." These are all imagination; actually there is no fact. They do not know the actual position of spiritual life, therefore they are personally misled, and they mislead others also. Here it is particularly mentioned, liṅgāni viṣṇoḥ, the form of Viṣṇu, not of this rascal imagination of Durgā, Kālī or Lord Śiva.
So we are not concerned with the imagination form. They are also not imagination. Actually, everyone, all the demigods, they have got their forms. But the difference is Viṣṇu, the form of Viṣṇu, is eternal, and the forms of demigods or the form, our forms—just like we have got now some form—they're not eternal. Temporary. We all sitting here, we have got different forms, but as soon as these forms will be changed—we shall accept another form—this form's gone forever. It will never come again. But Viṣṇu form, Lord Viṣṇu's form, viṣṇu-tattva . . . viṣṇu-tattva means the forms of the original Lord, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the original form. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). But He expands in different forms.
The original form is Kṛṣṇa. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). In the Brahmā-saṁhitā it is said Kṛṣṇa, advaita, one. There is no second, I mean to say, counterpart. But He expands. Advaitam acyutam. Acyuta. Acyuta means which does not fall down. Acyuta. Cyuta means fall down. So God's another name is Acyuta, never falls down. Just like we living entity, we fall down. From spiritual world, we fall down. Because we have fallen down, therefore we have got this material body. But Kṛṣṇa, or God, never falls down.
Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam. Ananta, endless. You cannot count how many forms are there of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They have been compared with the incessant waves of the river. Just like in the river you stand, on a flowing river, you will find the waves are day and night flowing, flowing, flowing, flowing.
Similarly, God, Kṛṣṇa, from Him, ananta-koṭi, innumerable incarnations are coming out, coming out. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam. Then next question may be that "If all the forms are coming from Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa also must have come from some other form." Because we see . . . suppose I have got hundred children, so I was also born by some father. No. Kṛṣṇa is not like that. Anādi. He is not emanation from anyone. He's original. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. All others are emanation from Kṛṣṇa.
Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyam. He's the original. Ādyaṁ. Purāṇa, the oldest. Then why Kṛṣṇa does not look like old man? Just like in some other religious sect they present God as very old man. But Kṛṣṇa is, although the oldest . . . because He's the origin of all emanation, He must be oldest, but He's nava-yauvanaṁ ca, just like a young man, sixteen to twenty years old. That is Kṛṣṇa. Yogeśvara. Kṛṣṇa, the oldest of all, still He appears nava-yauvana. Nava-yauvana, just youthful life is beginning. That is called nava-yauvana. So according to our human society, the youthful life begins at sixteen years. So Kṛṣṇa is like that. He'll look always sixteen to twenty years old, not more than that. We have never seen Kṛṣṇa has become old. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33).
Liṅgāni. Liṅgāni means form. So Kṛṣṇa has many forms: as Kṛṣṇa, as Viṣṇu, as Nārāyaṇa, as Baladeva, as Jagannātha. So many. Govinda. There are thousands and thousands of forms. So we must see at least one of such forms. Either you see Kṛṣṇa form or Rāma form or Viṣṇu form or Nārāyaṇa form or Baladeva form, or His incarnation, Nṛsiṁha-deva form, Matsyāvatāra, Mīnāvatāra . . . so many. If we do not increase our anxiety or inclination to see one of the forms of Viṣṇu . . . here it is specifically mentioned, Viṣṇu, not others.
Liṅgāni . . . liṅgāni viṣṇor na nirīkṣate . . . nirīkṣato. If we do not see, then our eyes are exactly like the painted eyes on the plumes of the feathers, or plumes of the peacock. It looks very nice, but it has no value. No, it has no seeing power. So our these eyes are also painted, because it is material. These eyes will remain when I shall give up this body, but it will have no more seeing power. The seeing power is gone when the spirit soul gives up this body. So in spite of the beautiful eyes, it is unable to see.