There are three divisions in the material universe: the planetary system composed of heavenly planets, the intermediate planetary system composed of planets of terrestrial types, and the lower planetary system composed of infernal planets (hell). Beyond the higher planetary system, which includes Brahmaloka, the highest planet in the universe, are the material envelopes of the universe, and beyond that is the infinite spiritual world, which contains an unlimited number of planets. These are sources of their own light and are called Vaikunthalokas or Spiritual. There live, on each of them, the Lord himself and his companions, all eternally liberated. Now, Sri Narada Muni can go to all these material and spiritual planets without any restriction, just as the almighty Lord, who is free to move in any part of his creation. In the material universe, beings are influenced by the three gunas; virtue, passion and ignorance. But Sri Narada Muni transcends these influences. Let's say he's a free cosmonaut. Only the holy beings can, by his grace, perceive the mercy of the Lord, Sri Visnu, unparalleled mercy. That is why they never fall from their position, when the materialists must, pushed by the different gunas, fall from theirs.

All wise, can not as Narada Muni enter the spiritual world. Sages like Marici, for example, are authoritative in terms of interested action; others, such as Sanaka and Sanatana, in philosophical speculation, but Sri Narada Muni is the leading authority on devotional service. All the great masters of the devotional service, moreover, follow in his footsteps, following the instructions of his Narada-bhakti-sutra; so every devotee of the Lord invariably qualifies to enter the kingdom of God, Vaikuntha.

Narada's only concern is to sing the glories of the Lord with his tumburu (stringed instrument).

The Lord then appeared in the form of Nara and Narayana, the twin sons of King Dharma and his wife. In this form, He undertook a severe and exemplary asceticism, aimed at mastering the senses.

As King Rsabha once taught his sons, voluntary submission to asceticism to attain spiritual realization is the only duty of man, and the Lord, in the form of Nara and Narayana Rsis, He has bent himself to show us the way to follow.

We continue to worship the Narayana Avatar in Badari-narayana, in the Himalayas.

Then the Lord appeared in the Person of the Avatar Kapila, the highest of all accomplished beings. He appeared during the satya-yuga, the golden age, as the son of Kardama Muni and Devahuti, in order to expose the philosophy of devotional sankhya. He also belongs to the group of twelve Mahajanas and is one of the seven leading philosophers of India.

His work was to expose to Asuri Brahmana the then forgotten knowledge of metaphysics and the elements of creation.

There are, in total, twenty-four material elements, explained individually and in detail by the philosophy of sankhya, generally assimilated to metaphysics by Western