from lower to higher forms
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Lord Brahma is definitely situated in the humor of friendship with the Lord. Every living being is eternally related with the Personality of Godhead in one of five different transcendental humors, namely santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhurya. We have already discussed these five kinds of humors in relationship with the Personality of Godhead. It is clearly exhibited herein that Lord Brahma is related to the Personality of Godhead in the transcendental humor of friendship. A pure devotee may be related with the Lord in any one of the transcendental humors, even in the humor of parenthood, but the devotee of the Lord is always a transcendental servitor. No one is equal to or greater than the Lord. That is the version of the Bhagavad-gita. Brahmaji, although eternally related with the Lord in the transcendental humor of friendship, and although entrusted with the most exalted post of creating different grades of living entities, still is conscious of his position, that he is neither the Supreme Lord nor is supremely powerful. It is possible that some personality, within or without the universe, even though extremely powerful, sometimes shows more power than the Lord Himself. Still the pure devotee knows that this power is a vibhuti delegated by the Lord, and such a delegated powerful living entity is never independent. Sri Hanumanji crossed the Indian Ocean by jumping over the sea, and Lord Sri Ramacandra engaged Himself in marching over the bridge, but this does not mean that Hanumanji was more powerful than the Lord. Sometimes the Lord gives extraordinary powers to His devotee, but the devotee knows always that the power belongs to the Personality of Godhead and that the devotee is only an instrument. The pure devotee is never puffed up like the nondevotee class of men who falsely think that they are God. It is astonishing to see how a person who is being kicked by the laws of the Lord's illusory energy in every step can falsely think of becoming one with the Lord. Such thinking is the last snare of the illusory energy offered to the conditioned soul. The first illusion is that he wants to become Lord of the material world by accumulating wealth and power, but when he is frustrated in that attempt he wants to be one with the Lord. So both becoming the most powerful man in the material world or desiring to become one with the Lord are different illusory snares. And because the pure devotees of the Lord are surrendered souls, they are above the illusory snares of maya. Because he is a pure devotee, Lord Brahma, even though the first dominating deity in the material world, and therefore able to do many wonderful things, would never, like the nondevotee with a poor fund of knowledge, have the audacity to think of becoming one with the Lord. People with a poor fund of knowledge should take lessons from Brahma when they are puffed up with the false notion of becoming God.
(More...) So this is called Vedic knowledge. Perfect information is given there. Doesn't say 901 or 950. Exactly, 900,000. Jalaja nava-laksani. Then next, sthavara laksa-vimsati. Then, after aquatic, when the water dries, the vegetation comes out, and that vegetation grow gradually into plants, trees, herbs and so many, big, big trees. Here we have got big, big trees. So from aquatic life they have come to this vegetable life. And one tree standing for thousands of years. They cannot move an inch. This is also life. There is life. The trees, these banyan trees, they are making their arrangement how to stand fixed-up very strong. Nobody can move. The same struggle for existence is going on. As we are struggling to make our position secure, similarly, the trees are also making their position secure. The cats and dogs, they are also making attempt to make their position secure. This is called struggle for existence. So from this tree, just try to remember that there are 900,000 species of aquatics.
(More...) Regarding the question you have asked, you can give a very straight answer. Bhagavad-gita says, "dehantara praptih [Bg 2.13]''. The soul transmigrates, but there is no regular process. In the beginning of creation, when all the world was water, all living entities were aquatics. Then gradually from aquatics the soul passes into plant bodies, then insect bodies, then bird bodies, then animal bodies, then human beings. In the human form the soul can decide whether to go back to home, back to Godhead or return to birth and death, accepting material bodies according to his karma. Therefore, it is advised to take advantage of the human form of body to go back home, back to Godhead. Our movement is for this purpose, to offer all human beings a chance to go back home, back to Godhead.
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