Para-Vasudeva

Description

The four vyuhas (emanations) of Vasudeva are regarded to have emerged from Para-Vasudeva, identified with Vishnu, of which Vāsudeva is described to possess the full measure of the six gunas (qualities) of jnana, aishvarya, shakti, bala, virya, and tejas, while Samkarshana, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha possessed only two of these qualities in turn. In the Puranic tradition, Vāsudeva is identified with Krishna, Samkarshana with Balarama, Pradyumna with the son of Krishna from his chief consort Rukmini, and Aniruddha as the son of Pradyumna.

Para-Vasudeva is described to will his consort, Sri-Lakshmi, in her aspects of bhuti (being) and kriya (doing) to produce the six qualities, which become the basis of all creation.

In the Gaudiya, the Vallabha, and the Nimbarka traditions, Para-Vasudeva refers to Krishna, the Svayam Bhagavan, the absolute representation of God. In the Sri tradition, the term refers to Vishnu.