etween the sṛṣṭi, creation, and pralaya, annihilation, there is one period which is called sthiti. That sthiti means the life of Brahmā. When the life of Brahmā is finished, then there is no more sthiti; it is now annihilated. Now you can calculate what is the life of Brahmā. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). Our one thousand years, and multiplied by the years of yuga . . . The yuga year means forty-three hundred thousands of years, and multiplied by one thousand, that period is Brahmā's twelve hours, day. Now you can imagine . . . It is beyond your mathematical calculation, but still, there is calculation in the śāstra, and that is, such hundred years is the duration of sthiti. But that sthiti, before Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, is the moment, just like we exhale and inhale. So sṛṣṭi-sthiti. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya (BS 5.48). They take only that much time which is between exhaling and inhaling. That Mahā-Viṣṇu. That Mahā-Viṣṇu has placed Himself in this material energy, maha-tattva, and by His niśvasa, by His inhaling and exhaling, the material energy is agitated. Then the three guṇas are there. Then, by interaction, counteraction, the whole creation takes place.
Nyasyedam ātmani jagad vilayāmbu-madhye śeṣe. Śeṣe: "Lying down on the Śeṣa-mūrti." Ātmanā nija-sukhānubhavo . . . "He is not obliged, as we are placed in certain condition of life, being obliged." Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). I have got this body; you have got this body. It is not sukhānubhavaḥ. Here it is said that nija-sukhānubhavaḥ. This is called pastime. He is not obliged, but he takes pleasure. Just like sometimes we take pleasure in the swimming pool, lie down and closing our eyes. Who are expert swimmer, they're lying down. Why it is not possible for the Supreme Lord? (laughter) What is the difficulty? Sukhānubhavaḥ. We take that pastime for pleasure, for pleasure, lying down on the water, closing eyes. So when we speak, "The Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu lying down in the Causal Ocean," these rascals, fools, they sometimes criticize, "And how it is possible?" How it is not possible? If a ordinary man can take pleasure lying down on the water, closing and lying for hours—we have seen it—so what is the difficulty for the Supreme Lord? You have got this tendency to lie down on water, half on the water, and close your eyes. So where your tendency has come? Your tendency has come because the same tendency is there in the Supreme Lord. This is the explanation. Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jayante. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). This is the Vedic . . . Everything, whatever you see, that is there in the Supreme Being. Why we make love affairs with young girls or young boys? Because the same propensity is there. Lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama sevyamānam (BS 5.29). Kṛṣṇa is enjoying in Goloka Vṛndāvana with so many young girls. That tendency to enjoy the company of young girls or young boys is there. Otherwise wherefrom it has come? That is the explanation. Everything, whatever you see, everything—janmādy asya yataḥ—that is there.
So this sleeping of Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is not extraordinary. We can . . . If we study our, I mean to say, inclination, our sense of pleasure; if we simply study ourself, you'll find that the Supreme Lord possessing the same thing but in turya, without any touch of māyā or without any touch of the three guṇas. Then you can understand what is God. God means . . . Because we are part and parcel of God, so you study yourself, you'll find the same quality. Just like a small drop of seawater. You analyze it, what chemicals are there—the same chemicals are in the ocean. The difference is quantity. Quality, the same. That is called acintya-bhedābheda tattva. We are qualitatively one with God, not quantitatively. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they think we are also quantitatively the same. That is mistake. That is not possible. Otherwise, why it is said, sthito na tu tamo na guṇāṁś ca yuṅkṣe (SB 7.9.32)? This . . . He is so big that He is above these qualities. Just like we become infected in a filthy place, but the sun does not become infected. It rather sterilizes that infected place. So we should not compare with God, that "I am equal to Him." No. That is not possible. Tejīyasāṁ na doṣāya (SB 10.33.29). The sun, when it absorbs water from the urinal, he is not infected. He makes that urinal sterilized. Similarly, if sometimes we see some behavior of the Supreme Lord which appears from social . . . our social point of view as not permitted . . . But He can do anything. That is the meaning of all-powerful. But He's not affected. He's not affected. Apāpa-viddham (ISO 8). Apāpa-viddham, in the Upaniṣad, Īśopaniṣad, that sinful activities . . . He cannot do anything which is sinful. God is always good. But to our calculation, limited calculation, if we see that He is committing something sinful, it is not sinful; it is sterilizing. The same example: tejīyasāṁ na doṣāya (SB 10.33.29). If by chanting His holy name we become sinless, how God can become sinful? It is not possible. This is common sense. If by chanting His holy name, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa . . .
Devotees: . . . Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.
Prabhupāda: . . . so we become purified, how Kṛṣṇa can be impure? It is not possible. Pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). Try to understand Kṛṣṇa.
Here is explanation, that sthito na tu tamo na guṇāṁś ca yuṅkṣe. This is Kṛṣṇa. This is Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa. Never, never think . . . There are some party, they say, "We worship Kṛṣṇa, Bāla-Kṛṣṇa, boy Kṛṣṇa." Sometimes they give reason that why not, I mean to say, grown-up Kṛṣṇa. They say that "Grown-up Kṛṣṇa was polluted by rāsa-līlā." Just see the foolish nonsense. That is not . . . Kṛṣṇa is always Kṛṣṇa. This is foolish conclusion, that child Kṛṣṇa is pure than young Kṛṣṇa. This is wrong conception. Kṛṣṇa is . . . Just like Kṛṣṇa, when He was three months old, He could kill a big, gigantic witch, that Pūtanā. Can a three months' old child can kill such a big . . .? No. Kṛṣṇa is always God. Either He appears in three months or three hundred years or three thousand years, He is the same. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam adyaṁ purāṇa puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca (BS 5.33). This is Kṛṣṇa.