The Lord’s cosmic manifestations are as ineffable as His Infinite nature and hence in the puranas and elsewhere, metaphorical descriptions are used in an attempt to fuse the subtle and the tangible, pointed out Sri R. Krishnamurthy Sastrigal in a discourse. For instance, when Maitreya describes the Lord’s appearance in Parkadal, or His Varaha, Kurma or Narasimha avatars in the Bhagavata Purana, the shifts from the literal to the figurative level are noticeable. In the hymn to the Lord addressed by Brahma, the Lord is visualised as a mighty spreading Tree. He manifests as the three main stems, Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara who are entrusted with the activities of Srishti, Stiti and Laya. The symbolism to the three gunas, satva, rajas and tamas is also striking.
The same symbolic effect is also present in the spectacle of the Lord’s Vishwaroopa that is presented in great detail in the Bhagavad Gita. Here, many impossibilities strike the rational mind as for instance, the vision of Duryodhana and others coming in great speed and falling in the Lord’s mouth and getting their heads bitten off to be split like mustard seeds. In a way it also is prophetic about the outcome of the war with victory for the Pandavas and the mass destruction of Duryodhana and others. But the transcendental form of the Lord affirms that He is the support of the entire creation over which He superimposes His Maya. This lends the dreamlike quality to the external world.
Brahma says that whatever he is able to grasp at the moment is owing to His grace, for all created beings share this common deficiency, the inability to grasp the Eternal Truth that nothing really exists except the Supreme Brahman. The entire creation is a Leela for the Supreme Brahman.
