Brahmā is like the worker, Mahā-Viṣnu the engineer, and Kṛṣṇa like the CEO
Imagine a company constructing a new branch. Who takes the credit for building it? The CEO, the engineer, or the worker who was setting the bricks?
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One interesting concept in Vedic cosmology is the idea of primary and secondary creation. While the Vedas explain that the universe we live in is created by Brahmā, the first living being, who appears directly from Lord Viṣnu, Brahmā is accepted as just a secondary creator. The primary creator is still the Lord Himself. How does it work?
Imagine a company constructing a new branch. Who takes the credit for building it? The CEO, the engineer, or the worker who was setting the bricks? Kṛṣṇa is like the CEO, who gives the order but is not directly involved in the construction. Mahā-Viṣnu is like the engineer, who makes the project, and Brahmā is like the worker, who makes the physical construction following His project.
Another point to consider: When does the building start to exist? Only when the physical bricks are set, or when the engineer makes the project? These are two distinct phases, but we can say that when the project is ready, the building already exists, but in a subtle form, as an idea that later gains a physical form.
That’s what Brahmā means when he reveals to his son Nārada Muni:
“Inspired by Him only, I discover what is already created by Him [Nārāyaṇa] under His vision as the all-pervading Supersoul, and I also am created by Him only.” (SB 2.5.17)
Just as a book is first conceived by the author as an idea before being physically printed, or a product starts as a project before being effectively produced, Lord Mahā-Viṣnu creates everything that exists in the numerous universes in a subtle form (like a project or an idea). This is the primary creation. Later, Brahma is inspired from the heart to give physical forms to this project, performing the secondary creation, which is the physical construction of the universe itself.
When Mahā-Viṣnu performs the primary creation, he creates all forms, manifestations, and experiences that exist in the material universes. During the secondary creation, Brahmā creates the 14 planetary systems, each one containing an enormous volume of forms and experiences. According to our consciousness, we take birth into one of these places, and there we perform our small role in the creation, manipulating the different material objects and interacting with other living entities.
The description of the creation of the universe given in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam gives us an idea of the work necessary for creating the environment we live in. It also helps us to better understand the nature of this world. Śrila Prabhupāda frequently explains in his teachings that life in this material world is, in a sense, similar to a dream. We spend time in this dream thinking that we are a man or a woman, that we have this or that position, and so on, but because none of it is true in the ultimate sense, we need to leave these positions in due time, just like someone awakening from a dream. This, however, should not be misunderstood.
Like all analogies, the comparison of material life and a dream offers many similarities with reality, but like all analogies, it doesn’t represent all the intricacies. We should thus take the main meaning, which is the temporary nature and illusion of our current situation, and not start believing that we are literally living inside a dream and that everything around us doesn’t exist.
A dream is illusory, but it is not false. It is real in the sense that someone is experiencing it, but at the same time, it is illusory in nature, since in the dream, we forget our real identity and become absorbed in imaginary situations. A dream is thus not false, but it is illusory and based on the forgetfulness of our real self. Similarly, this whole material manifestation is not false. We are here experiencing it, as are all the people around us. Things are happening. It is compared to a dream because we become forgetful of our real nature and become absorbed in the different temporary roles we play here.
Because they are not connected with our eternal nature, all the roles we play in this material world are temporary. We play for some time, but eventually, we are forced to leave, and this is called death. After that, if we are still not ready to accept our real nature, a new temporary role is accepted, which we call birth.
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