Answer
Narayana is the form of the Lord in the spiritual world. He is the predominating deity of the Vaikuntha planets. Each Vaikuntha planet is presided over by a particular form of Narayana. These forms are known by twenty-four names such as Keshava, Narayana, Madhava, Govinda, Vishnu, Madhusudana, and others.
These twenty-four forms are distinguished by the arrangement of the Lord’s four symbols — the conch, disc, lotus, and club — held in His four hands, two on the right side and two on the left side. Different arrangements of these symbols produce twenty-four possible combinations, giving rise to the twenty-four forms and names of Narayana. Thus, Narayana is the predominating deity of the spiritual Vaikuntha planets.
Maha Vishnu has a specific role in creation. At the beginning of creation, Maha Vishnu enters into the material energy, which is lying in a dormant condition, and glances upon it. By His glance, the material energy becomes activated. Before this, material nature remains inactive. Once activated, the three gunas begin to function, and they act upon the mahat-tattva, the total material energy in its activated state. From this interaction, the material elements are generated — the five gross elements, the ten senses, the five sense objects, as well as the mind, intelligence, and false ego.
Maha Vishnu lies on the Causal Ocean, or Karana Ocean, and when He exhales, innumerable universes emanate from the pores of His skin in seedlike forms. These universes continue to exist only for the duration of one breath of Maha Vishnu. When He inhales, all the universes are withdrawn back into His body, and the entire cosmic manifestation is dissolved. Thus, the lifetime of the universe is only one breath of Maha Vishnu.
Then Garbhodakashayi Vishnu enters into each universe, and the universe begins to develop. In the beginning, the universal shell is empty, but Garbhodakashayi Vishnu fills half of it with water generated from His perspiration. This water is called the Garbha Ocean. He lies upon this Garbha Ocean on the bed of the serpent Shesha Naga.
From His navel sprouts a lotus flower, and upon that lotus, Brahma is born. Garbhodakashayi Vishnu then expands as the Virat Purusha and manifests all the planetary systems and the various conditions of life suitable for the residence of living beings.
After this, Brahma begins the secondary creation. He receives the knowledge of creation from the Lord. Brahma first creates the Prajapatis, and the Prajapatis generate the first members of each species. Thereafter, the species multiply through procreation and gradually populate the entire universe across the different planetary systems.
Thus, these are the different roles performed by the various expansions of the Lord in the process of cosmic creation.
