Kṛṣṇa has innumerable expansions, rāmādi. Rāma, Lord Rāmacandra, is also Kṛṣṇa's expansion. Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā. Kalā means expansion of the expansion. Just like... I have given this example many times: the original candle, and you ignite another candle. That is second candle, and from the second, from the third; from the third, the fourth. In this way, all the candles, although you say, "This is first candle, second candle, third candle, fourth candle," but they are all equally powerful. So far candle-power is concerned, they are equally the same. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's incarnation, Kṛṣṇa is the origin, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28), the origin, person, ādi-puruṣa. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. Still, the expansion of Kṛṣṇa... Just like the first expansion is Balarāma. Then Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha. Then Nārāyaṇa. Then again Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha. Then Mahā-Viṣṇu. Then, from Mahā-Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. From Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu to Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. From Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu there are innumerable expansions, Paramātmā expansion. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). So in this way there is... The Śrīmad-Bhāgavata says, "Expansion of Kṛṣṇa are so many, just like incessant waves in the river or in the ocean."
So that is one status of expansion. And another expansion is the jīva-tattva. We are also expansion. In the Varāha Purāṇa it is said, svāṁśa and vibhinnāṁśa. The vibhinnāṁśa expansion, they are also innumerable, jīvas. We are also expansion of Kṛṣṇa. But svāṁśa and vibhinnāṁśa. So the vibhinnāṁśa expansion, they are minute, and the svāṁśa expansion, they are vibhu, unlimited. So in this way we have to understand the distinction between svāṁśa and vibhinnāṁśa. When svāṁśa expansion comes within this material world, He remains vibhu, or prabhu, and the vibhinnāṁśa expansion is always aṇu, very small, or servant. One is prabhu, and the other is servant. One is vibhu and the other is aṇu.
So the aṇu, vibhinnāṁśa jīva, when he comes within this material world, he becomes entrapped or his that jyoti... In the previous verse you have studied jyoti. Vibhinnāṁśa living entity, we are also jyoti. Just like spark. The original fire is also fire, and the spark fire, that is also fire. Quality, the same, but a spark, when falls down on your cloth, it can burn a little portion. Similarly, if the whole fire comes, then you become burned into pieces. The same example again: the sun and the sunshine. Sunshine is combination small particle of shining molecules. Similarly, we are also the same spark. Dīpārcir eva hi daśāntaram abhyupetya dīpāyate (Bs. 5.46). So Kṛṣṇa and His expansion, They are all the same. And we, vibhinnāṁśa jīva, we are very small. Therefore our condition is different from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is not infected by the material qualities but, we become infected. Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti na me karma-phale spṛhā (BG 4.14), it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā. The activities in this material world, Kṛṣṇa remains unaffected, but we, being a small particle, we become infected by the qualities: tribhir guṇamayair bhāvaiḥ.
So those who are too much infected by these material qualities, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). They think that "Kṛṣṇa and we are the same." But that is not the fact. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Because Kṛṣṇa comes as human being, we may think that "Kṛṣṇa is as good as I am." No, that should not be... Kṛṣṇa is vibhu, and we are aṇu. Kṛṣṇa is master, and we are servant. That is our eternal relationship. We should not forget that. And sa eṣa prakṛtiṁ sūkṣmāṁ daivīṁ guṇamayīṁ vibhuḥ. Prakṛti, prakṛti, this prakṛti is also Kṛṣṇa's. Kṛṣṇa, the supreme powerful, He can utilize the prakṛti as He likes. He is not controlled by prakṛti. But we are controlled by prakṛti. Because He is vibhu... Vibhu means the great. So you cannot say great māyā, or prakṛti is greater than Kṛṣṇa. You cannot say. Then your God is not great. If something is greater than God, then you cannot say God is great. If you accept this, that there is no more greater identity than Kṛṣṇa, then you can say, "Kṛṣṇa is great, or..." Kṛṣṇa cannot be entrapped. Nūnaṁ mahatān tatra. If you are smaller, then you can be overpowered by the great. If your strength is lesser than another man... Say, two wrestler. If one wrestler is more powerful, he can defeat the other wrestler.
So therefore, here it is said that vibhuḥ... Kṛṣṇa is vibhuḥ, and if He is covered by māyā... As the Māyāvādī philosopher thinks, that "When God comes within this material world, He is also covered by māyā..." He is not covered by māyā. If māyā is greater than Kṛṣṇa, then māyā can cover Kṛṣṇa. But that is not the fact. Kṛṣṇa says, mama māyā. That means... Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). If one surrenders to Kṛṣṇa, then he becomes free from the clutches of māyā. So how Kṛṣṇa can be caught by māyā? This is contradictory. If anyone surrenders to Kṛṣṇa, he becomes free from the influence of māyā, simply by surrendering. Then how Kṛṣṇa can be influenced by māyā? It is common sense. By surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, by becoming a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, you become free from the clutches of māyā. Mām eva ye prapadyante. Simply by surrendering. Māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). So never think that Kṛṣṇa... The Māyāvādī thinks like that, that "We are one, Kṛṣṇa and we. We are one." Yes, we are one—in quality. The same thing: just like the fire and the spark, one in burning capacity. Even a small spark of the fire, it can burn. So we are one in the spiritual quality, but in quantity, we are different. Same example: vibhu and aṇu. This is very nice verse in the Bhagavad-gītā, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14).
In another verse is there,
- bhakti-yogena manasi
- samyak praṇihite 'male
- apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ
- māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam
- (SB 1.7.4)
Vyāsadeva, Vyāsadeva, when he was instructed by his spiritual master Nārada Muni to write Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, at that time, by bhakti-yoga meditation, he could see the Supreme Personality of Godhead and this māyā also. But it is said, māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam. Māyā is situated in the back side, back side, without any influence upon Kṛṣṇa, apāśrayam, under the control. So māyā is always controlled. Kṛṣṇa is the controller of māyā.