It is a beautiful question of how creation takes place and its purpose. It is one question that comes to almost everyone in their lifetime. However, due to inadequacy to get a suitable answer, we leave it there thinking this question has no answer.
But Vedic scriptures are very voluminous, and it has full details. Specifically, Srimad Bhagavatam covers the question more aptly.
One of the first understandings we require is that there are two types of creation – sarga, and Visarga – Primary and Secondary creation.
In simple words, sarga is like a large furniture company providing the essential parts to assemble a piece of furniture per the manual’s instructions. Visarga creation is to take these parts and complete them using the instructions in the manual.
A Jiva or living entity cannot conceive of performing universal sarga creation, not even Brahma. Therefore, the Supreme Lord, all-knowing, does sarga design for the benefit of all living entities. However, Brahma does the Visarga, the secondary creation using the output ingredients.
Creation by itself is a material concept. Therefore, creation happens in the material world. However, there is no creation in the spiritual world. Why?
Because the spiritual world has no matter, atoms, or chemicals – it is wholly made of spirit. Moreover, as we know from Bhagavad Gita 2.11-30, the spirit soul is neither created nor destroyed.
Remember that when creation happens, destruction follows soon after. While it applies to everything in the material world, the spiritual world is eternal. Eternal means there is no creation; as a result, there is no destruction.
In Bhagavad Gita 15.5-6, Krishna gives us a glimpse of His eternal kingdom, the spiritual world. He says, “That supreme abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by fire or electricity. Those who reach it never return to this material world.”
So far, we have understood there are two worlds: the material and the spiritual. The material world undergoes creation, but the spiritual world does not. The material world has two types of creation: Sarga (by the Supreme Lord) and Visarga (by Brahma).
Without the intervention of the Supreme Lord, neither Visarga nor Sarga creation can take place. Therefore, the Supreme Lord takes Purusa incarnations to facilitate the creation and maintenance of the material world.
Three purusa incarnations of the Supreme Lord reside in the material world for maintenance.
Lord Maha Visnu is the first Purusa incarnation. He resides in the Karanodaka ocean, therefore, is also called Karanodakasayi Visnu. All the material universes come out of the body pores and breath of Maha Visnu. As he exhales, the universes come into being until Maha Visnu inhales, when all universes wrap up their existence and enter the body of Maha Visnu.
So, this breathing process of Maha Visnu results in a continuous cycle of appearance and disappearance of multiple universes. The many universes continue to float like bubbles in the Karnodaksayi ocean next to the body of Maha Visnu.
You may recall that Lord Vamanadeva made a hole in the shell of our universe, thereby making the water from the karanodaksayi ocean enter our universe. This celestial water body was the river Mandakini in the swarga Loka. Later, it entered the realm of Bhuloka as the river Ganga. The details around this will come as part of a separate article.
As millions of universes come into existence, it requires their sustenance. Who will sustain them?
Therefore, Lord Maha Visnu expands His Self into multiple Garbodaksayi Visnus. Garbodakasayi Visnu enters the womb of each universe. By nature, each universe is like a half-filled coconut. It has a hard shell and is half-filled with water. The water body is known as the Garbodaka ocean. Lord Visnu resides within each universe on Anant shesha, floating in the Garbodaka ocean at the bottom of each universe. Hence, He is known as Garbodakasayi Visnu.
Garbodakasayi Visnu births Lord Brahma through the Lotus flower that sprouts from His navel. So it happens in each universe. Garbodakasayi implants knowledge in the heart of Lord Brahma, by which he attains the power to create using the available ingredients.
However, the ingredients require some active principles that can run everything as it does in this material world. Therefore, the action in each atom through the movement of electrons and its attraction toward neutrons is an atom’s active principle. All chemical reactions or manifestations of beautiful things in our environment, which we presumably call nature, are an effect of this active principle. But, the exciting thing to note is who governs this active principle that we pass as nature.
Lord Garbodakasayi Visnu of each universe further expands into multiple expansions called Ksirodakasayi Visnu. The main Ksriodakasayi Visnu resides on top of the universe on an island called Svetadvipa. The island is called Svetadvipa, surrounded by a milk ocean called Kshira Sagar. As Lord Visnu resides in this milk ocean, He is known as Kshirodakasayi Visnu.
However, this Kshirodakasayi Visnu has unlimited expansions, which enter every atom and the heart of every living entity or soul. We know this form of Visnu more commonly as Paramatma. The Paramatma is the active principle in each atom and the living entity. Without the existence of Paramatma, no action will exist. For example, the elements found in the periodic table will cease to exist, as they exist because of their active principle through the movement of electrons and protons.
To summarize, three purusa avatars of the Supreme Lord manifest to sustain the material world. Maha Visnu to bring about the universes. Garbodakasayi Visnu to maintain an individual universe. Ksirodakasayi Visnu to become a local companion of the living entity and provide an active principle for everything else to exist.
Now, a bigger question is why do all this. For what and for whom?
The all-merciful Supreme Lord does all this for you. We all are original residents of the spiritual world. We do not belong here. We are like a fish out of water. We, like the fish, struggle to survive in the absence of water, the Supreme Lord.
While in the spiritual world, sometimes we develop envy to become the enjoyer like the Supreme Lord. However, there cannot be another Supreme Lord. He is second to none. So, the Lord creates a world, the material world. Here everyone tends to become the lord. They want to lord over everything they get access. However, the original nature of the living entity is to serve. As one goes against its nature to Lord over, suffering begins. The material world is a place for us to redevelop our real nature. The Lord is merciful. He satisfies all our desires. Even unnatural desire to Lord over. However, the living entity cannot fulfill this undesirable desire in the spiritual world. Therefore, the Lord has to create the material world, a child’s playground.
Have you seen children playing an exciting board game of monopoly? They buy Agra, Allahabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and so on. The board provides them a platform for the illusion of owning something they never own. We all get this illusion of ownership too. The illusion of ownership is due to our false identity because we want to go against the original nature of servitude to the Lord.
So, the material world is a platform for creating an illusion of fulfilling the temporary reckless desires of the living entity; at the same time, it provides an ability to regain its original position as the servitor of the Lord. When by some good fortune, one comes in touch with pure devotees of the Lord and revives his original nature to serve the Supreme Lord with devotion, he paves his path back to home, back to Godhead.