All universes breathe from Krishna's body; all souls are His fragments destined for liberation.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.3.1–3 — March 28, 1968, San Francisco Reading from Śrīla Prabhupāda's First Published Bhāgavatam from India 680328SB-SAN FRANCISCO [45:09 Minutes] Upendra: ...Śrīmad-Bhāgavata, concerning "Description of Incarnations of Godhead." [break] Translation: "Sūta said, In the beginning of the creation the Lord first of all expanded Himself in the universal form of puruṣa incarnation primarily with all the ingredients of material creation. And thus at first there was the creation of the sixteen principles of material action. This was on the intention of creating the material universe." [SB 1.3.1] [Sūta said: In the beginning of the creation, the Lord first expanded Himself in the universal form of the puruṣa incarnation and manifested all the ingredients for the material creation. And thus at first there was the creation of the sixteen principles of material action. This was for the purpose of creating the material universes.] Purport. "As it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā that the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa maintains these material universes by extending His part of plenary expansions, so this puruṣa form is the confirmation of the same principle. The original Personality of Godhead Vāsudeva, or Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is famous as the son of King Vasudeva or King Nanda, the very same Personality of Godhead is full with all opulences, all potencies, all fames, all beauties, all knowledge and all renunciations. Part of His opulences is manifested as impersonal Brahman, and part of His opulences is manifested as Paramātmā.
This puruṣa feature of the same Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Paramātmā manifestation of the Lord. "There are three puruṣa features in the matter of material creation, and this form, who is known as the Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, is the first of the three. The others are known as the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and the Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, which we shall know one after another." Prabhupāda: These Viṣṇu, Kāraṇodakaśāyī, Garbhodakaśāyī and Kṣīrodakaśāyī, these are little technical. Try to understand. Now this universe, which you find just like a big ball, there are innumerable universes like this, and they are floating in water.
That water is called Causal Ocean. So that Causal Ocean there is, I mean to say, completely in the whole ocean, big gigantic body is lying down there. That is known as Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. The Viṣṇu in that gigantic form is sleeping within the water of that Causal Ocean, and by His inhaling and exhaling, breathing, there are bubbles. And those bubbles are manifested as universes.
This is stated in Brahma-saṁhitā: yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ [Bs. 5.48] [Brahmā and other lords of the mundane worlds, appearing from the pores of hair of Mahā-Viṣṇu, remain alive as long as the duration of one exhalation of the latter [Mahā-Viṣṇu]. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda of whose subjective personality Mahā-Viṣṇu is the portion of portion.] That breathing, exhaling and inhaling... Just like we also do that. So we have inherited that exhaling-inhaling, from that Viṣṇu. So how these brahmāṇḍas, or universes, each of them has a predominate deity.
He is called Brahmā. Brahmāṇḍa, the master of this brahmāṇḍa, is called Brahmā. The duration of this Brahmā, duration of life, is only the inhaling and exhaling period of Mahā-Viṣṇu. When He's exhaling, all the brahmāṇḍas are coming in existence.
And when He's inhaling, they're all vanquished. This process is going on. And the Supreme Person who is doing this, I mean to say, creation and dissolution, He is called Mahā-Viṣṇu. viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs. 5.48] So the reference is in the Brahma-saṁhitā that that Mahā-Viṣṇu is also part and parcel of Govinda, Kṛṣṇa. Just try to understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Then?
Go on. Upendra: "The innumerable universes are generated from skinholes of this Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and in each one of the universes the Lord enters as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu." Prabhupāda: Again, after creation of the universes, He enters each and every universe. This universe is filled with water, half. What you are seeing, that is half only. And half is filled with water.