Lord Krishna said, ‘Arjuna! Note that there is nothing higher than Me in the World. All are strung in Me like flowers on a string. The Five Elements, Manas (mind), Buddhi (intellect) and Ahamkaram (ego) — these eight varieties of Prakriti (nature) have produced the Sthula-Sukshma Prapancha, the Gross and the Subtle in Creation. This is called Apara (lower) prakriti. There is another Prakriti distinct from this. That is known as Para (super, above) Prakriti. It is neither Sthula (gross body) nor Sukshma (subtle body); it is Chaitanya (consciousness), indwelling in the Jiva (individual). The Jagat (world) itself is its aspiration.
‘The Lord first created the gross world and then as Jiva, He entered it and rendered it Citta, by His Chaitanya (consciousness). This is declared clearly in the Vedas. You must consider the Apara prakriti (evanescent and transitory aspect of God) to be the Svabhava (essential quality) of Parameshvara (The supreme Lord) and the Para prakriti to be His Swarupa. Dwell on the meaning of these, Svabhava and Swarupa, and grasp it well. The Gross is bound by the dictates of Chaitanya, which is Sarva Swatantra, complete master, ever free.
‘Jiva’ means that which assumes Prana (vital breath); the Jiva holds on to Prana, through his skill and intelligence. He is the Antaryamin (God spirit in all creation), who has penetrated into everything and who sustains everything. So, the Para prakriti is just Paramatma itself. All that becomes manifest with the same Chaitanya has to be taken as One.
Jada (inert matter), Chaitanya (consciousness) are the two essentials for the entire Creation. They are the same as Prakriti, Purusha. The Chaitanya Shakti (universal power of energy), when it entertains the idea of bhoga (luxury), expresses the World out of its own Svakarma. The Jada assumes the form of the Deha (body). Both these are My Nature.
The Apara prakriti (Transient Nature), about which I speak, is just a manifestation of My Shakti, My Glory, remember. Seen superficially, with the gross vision, the sthuladrishti, the Universe might appear as Many. But that is wrong. There is no Many at all.
The yearning of the Inner Consciousness, the Antahkarana, is towards the One; that is the real Drishti (vision, point of view). When the inner Vision is saturated with Jnana, the Jagat, or Creation, will be seen as Brahman and as nothing else. Therefore the Inner Consciousness must be educated to interest itself only in Jnana.’ The Jagat is saturated with the Jagadisha (Lord of the Universe). Creation is nothing but the Creator in that Form. Ishavasyam idam sarvam (Isha Upanishad), it is said. (All this is God). (GV, pp. 102-103, 105)