PURPORT

From Vedic literature we learn that when the Supreme Lord glances (sa aiksata) over the material energy, the three modes of material nature become manifest and create material variety. Before He glances over the material energy, there is no possibility of the creation, maintenance and annihilation of the material world. The Lord existed before the creation, and consequently He is eternal and unchanging. Therefore how can any human being, however great a scientist or philosopher he may be, understand the ways of the Supreme Personality of Godhead?

The following quotations from Caitanya-bhagavata (Adi-khanda, 1.48-52 and 1.58-69) tell of the glories of Lord Ananta:

ki brahma, ki siva, ki sanakadi 'kumara'
vyasa, suka, naradadi, 'bhakta' nama yaṅra

"Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, the four Kumaras [Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanat-kumara], Vyasadeva, Sukadeva Gosvami and Narada are all pure devotees, eternal servants of the Lord.

sabara pujita sri-ananta-mahasaya
sahasra-vadana prabhu-bhakti-rasamaya

"Lord Sri Ananta is worshiped by all the uncontaminated devotees mentioned above. He has thousands of hoods and is the reservoir of all devotional service.

adideva, maha-yogi, 'isvara', 'vaisnava'
mahimara anta iṅha na janaye saba

"Lord Ananta is the original person and the great mystic controller. At the same time, He is a servant of God, a Vaisnava. Since there is no end to His glories, no one can understand Him fully.

sevana sunila, ebe suna thakurala
atma-tantre yena-mate vaisena patala

"I have already spoken to you of His service to the Lord. Now hear how the self-sufficient Anantadeva exists in the lower planetary system of Patala.

sri-narada-gosani 'tumburu' kari' saṅge
se yasa gayena brahma-sthane sloka-vandhe

"Bearing his stringed instrument, the tumburu, on his shoulders, the great sage Narada Muni always glorifies Lord Ananta. Narada Muni has composed many transcendental verses in praise of the Lord."

srsti, sthiti, pralaya, sattvadi yata guna
yaṅra drsti-pate haya, yaya punah punah

"Simply due to the glance of Lord Ananta, the three material modes of nature interact and produce creation, maintenance and annihilation. These modes of nature appear again and again.

advitiya-rupa, satya anadi mahattva
tathapi 'ananta' haya, ke bujhe se tattva?

"The Lord is glorified as one without a second and as the supreme truth who has no beginning. Therefore He is called Anantadeva [unlimited]. Who can understand Him?

suddha-sattva-murti prabhu dharena karunaya
ye-vigrahe sabara prakasa sulilaya

"His form is completely spiritual, and He manifests it only by His mercy. All the activities in this material world are conducted only in His form.

yaṅhara taraṅga sikhi' simha mahavali
nija-jana-mano ranje hana kutuhali

"He is very powerful and always prepared to please His personal associates and devotees.

ye ananta-namera sravana-saṅkirtane
ye-te mate kene nahi bole ye-te jane

asesa-janmera bandha chinde sei-ksane
ataeva vaisnava na chade kabhu tane

"If we simply try to engage in the congregational chanting of the glories of Lord Anantadeva, the dirty things in our hearts, accumulated during many births, will immediately be washed away. Therefore a Vaisnava never loses an opportunity to glorify Anantadeva.

'sesa' ba-i samsarera gati nahi ara
anantera name sarva-jivera uddhara

"Lord Anantadeva is known as Sesa [the unlimited end] because He ends our passage through this material world. Simply by chanting His glories, everyone can be liberated.

ananta prthivi-giri samudra-sahite
ye-prabhu dharena gire palana karite

"On His head, Anantadeva sustains the entire universe, with its millions of planets containing enormous oceans and mountains.

sahasra phanara eka-phane 'bindu' yena
ananta vikrama, na janena, 'ache' hena

"He is so large and powerful that this universe rests on one of His hoods just like a drop of water. He does not know where it is.

sahasra-vadane krsna-yasa nirantara
gaite achena adi-deva mahi-dhara

"While bearing the universe on one of His hoods, Anantadeva chants the glories of Krsna with each of His thousands of mouths.

gayena ananta, sri-yasera nahi anta
jaya-bhaṅga nahi karu, doṅhe-balavanta

"Although He has been chanting the glories of Lord Krsna since time immemorial, He has still not come to their end.

adyapiha 'sesa'-deva sahasra-sri-mukhe
gayena caitanya-yasa anta nahi dekhe

"To this very day, Lord Ananta continues to chant the glories of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and still He finds no end to them."