Krishna first incarnates in the form of the three Supreme-Avatars: Karanodakashayi or Maha-Visnu, Garbhodakashayi Visnu and Kshirodakashayi Visnu. The energies of Krishna can also be divided into three categories, namely the energy of thought, the energy of feeling and the energy of action. He manifests the first as Supreme God, the second as Vasudeva and the third as Sankarsana Balarama. Creation cannot exist without thought, feeling and action. Although we cannot speak of creation with regard to the spiritual world, the material universe is indeed created. However, both the spiritual world and the material universe are manifestations of Krishna's energy of action, through which He intervenes in the form of Sankarsana and Balarama.

The spiritual world, with its planets Vaikuntha and Krishnaloka, relies on the thought energy of the Divine. Although there can be no question of creation in view of its eternal nature, let us understand that the spiritual planets nevertheless depend on the energy of the mind of the Supreme Lord. This energy is described in the Brahma-samhita (sacred book), where it is said that the Supreme Abode, Goloka, manifests as a lotus with hundreds of petals. Everything is manifested there by Ananta, Balarama or Sankarsana. The cosmic manifestation and its various galaxies are manifested through maya, the material energy. Let us not believe, however, that nature, material energy, is the cause of the entire cosmic manifestation. Rather, it is the Supreme Lord, whose different emanations operate through material nature, who is the cause. In other words, there can be no question of creation without the guidance of the Lord. The form through which the energy of material nature operates creation is called Sankarsana. It is therefore understood that the cosmic manifestation, (the material cosmos), is created under the supervision of the Supreme Being. We give on this subject the example of iron which, on contact with fire, becomes similar to it.

Lord Chaitanya continues; the emanations of Lord Krishna appearing within the material creation are called Avatars, or incarnations. The word Avatar means, which descends from the upper, spiritual world. The latter is populated by innumerable planets called Vaikuntha, from where the emanations of the Lord descend into our galaxy. Hence they are called Avatars.

The first Avatar of the Supreme Person, God, to emanate from Sankarsana is the Avatar-Supreme. When God descends in the form of the first Avatar-Supreme, He immediately manifests the sixteen elementary energies of material creation. Called Maha-Visnu, He rests on the waters of the Causal Ocean and is the Original Avatar of the material galaxy, the Master of time, of nature, of causes and their effects, of the mind, of the ego, of the five elements, of the three modes of influence of nature, of the senses and of the universal form. Although He is the Lord of all things, mobile and still, He remains no less independent. Material nature cannot exert its influence beyond the Causal Ocean. Neither the attributes of nature (Virtue, Passion and Ignorance) nor material time have the slightest influence on the spiritual planets Vaikuntha, where Krishna's companions live eternally, those liberated souls worshiped by heavenly beings and anti-gods.