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The big three of historical acharyas who changed India and the spiritual world are Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, and Madvacharya. They and the Pancha Ratna school all agree that the Supreme Being is existence itself, pervading all things, everywhere. All this is the imperishable Brahman that while not manifest as itself, is still the cause of everything.

Then there come ideas that appear to be more about preference than Truth: The Supreme Being is pure consciousness and pure bliss that is devoid of all that us evil, being the abode of the good. It is beyond Prakriti and also hidden by it.

First of all, this smacks of the dreaded Dualism. If there is something evil that is not of God, then we have dualism in which we have actually limited God. Somehow, I don't think this is right. The reasonable answer is that this statement equates "things we don't like" with evil. Well, who says God is only things we like and all the rest is evil and not God? The truth is that God exists in everyone one and everything, good and evil alike, and is still transcendental.

A work called the Padma Simhita, very similar in tone to the Pancha Ratra philosophy states, "Brahman is characterized by bliss; it is beginningless, changeless, always undifferentiated, self-knowing, faultless, superlatively subtle, self-determined, the ruler of all, self-luminous, spotless, infinite indestructible, tranquil, invisible, capable of evolving the world, unchangeable, full of consciousness of bliss, the essence of consciousness, omnipresent, supreme; devoid of past, present or future, the one called Vasudeva, the source of all beings, Ishwara, The Supreme Purusha of a stainless nature, eternal, without waves, without disturbance, boundless, beyond the gunas, while with gunas, the giver and fulfiller of all desires (good and bad, people, good and bad)." This idea is very similar to the one presented in the thirteen thchapter of the Bhagavad Gita.

The Lakshmi Tantra describes Brahman as follows: "It is characterized by the absence of pain [pain being different for a being in the celestial realms or on earth than a being from one of the lower lokas.]. It is eternal and by whom all this moving and non-moving or motionless world is embraced. All this world is enveloped by it as part of its own self. It is everywhere, tranquil changeless, eternal infinite, devoid of limitations of time and space. It is Brahma, the supreme abode of light, the ocean of immortality while still waveless and shining, undifferentiated consciousness, free from rising and setting. It is called Brahma, the one without a second one, being possessed of Shakti which is not different from it."

So here we begin to see the subtle differences between the great philosophies based solely upon intellectual knowledge, and one that ultimately rests on the idea of power.

We find in the Parama Samhita a tenet of Pancha Ratra doctrine expressed thusly, "The self-same glorious bright One, the Supreme, the Highest Soul, manifests itself in different forms, and in different classes of beings. The manner in which crystal is seen in different colors through the proximity of it to those colors, in the same way, the Supreme Purusha, though one itself, assumes different forms in this world according to the ingredient qualities of the realm. Thus it becomes both the bound as well as the realized souls." This affirms the many as an expression of the one. It also says that all souls, bound and realized souls, are Brahman.
Thus, the path of Divine Service appears for those who have an in-depth and practical understanding of the Supreme as well as action-oriented in their devotion. By serving the still bound souls living a in the body, one is serving God.

Lakshmi And The Supreme Being

The Supreme Being, either transcendent or appearing, is associated with a creative power, shakti, as a dynamic principle that acts as the consort of the manifold reality. The name of this shakti is Lakshmi. In this sense, she is not a mere consort in the ordinary sense but a metaphysical complement: The Creative Power of Beingness. And she is the ultimate foundation of the Pancha Ratra system.

Narayana

The Supreme Being is often described as non-involved and by definition not interested in the affairs of this universe and our world. Of course, this is belied in the Vaishnavite myth of creation in which Narayana himself gives birth to Brahma. Further, after Lakshmi appears to save Brahma from the demons that have crawled out of Narayana's ears, it is Narayana himself who enters the newly created universe as a ball of light and then explodes into the souls that will people this new realm created by Brahma. While Narayana appears instantly, Lakshmi, after her initial appearance, appears much later when the physical universe is being churned into existence by the asuras and the devas.

The Lakshmi Tantra unfolds existence in this manner: The Supreme Brahman, transcendent, immovable, unmanifest. It is the inky blackness in which Narayana floats in the deep absorption of cosmic slumber. Then comes Narayana, which is Being in the sense that "something is." While Brahman simultaneously "is" and "is not," Narayana "is," Lakshmi is the Becoming aspect of Being. While Being is a state unto itself that requires no action, Becoming is an active imperative that is said to be an integral part of Being, even if it appears to act independently.

Lakshmi Describes Herself:
In the Lakshmi Tantra, Lakshmi describes herself as the creative aspect of Narayana. She says, "I am its Supreme Shakti, Ahamta (self, unto myself) eternal and unchanging. My activity is the nature of desire to create, which I do of my own independent power, by means of myriad parts of myself. Thus, I become all types and categories of beings: The Knower and the Known." Whenever Brahman is described as a causative agent, it is really Lakshmi, since Brahman never acts but simply is.

Vyuha Manifestation 101

Vyuha is synonymous with various specific forms of Manifestation. So there are various aspects of Vyuha. While other scriptures give different reasons for causation, the Lakshmi Tantra ascribed all of the manifestation of the Vyuhas to Lakshmi.

1.Jnana - Absolute knowledge

2.Aishvarya - Sovereignty
3.Shakti - Potency
4.Bala - Strength
5.Virya - Immutability which is the ultimate in Divine Virility
6.Tejas - Splendor and Might

Here are some spiritual formulas you might find interesting. I certainly do.

Lakshmi (yields) Sankarshana which contains Jnana (Knowledge) and Bala (Strength)

Sankarshana (yields) Pradyumna which contains Aishvirya and Virya

Pradyumna (yields) Aniruddha which contains Shakti (power) and Tejas (brilliance)

Jnana (knowledge) + Bala ( strength) = Sankarshana: yields beginning manifestation of the universe from absolute being. Leads ultimately to the individual self.

From Pradyumnaya comes Aniruddha.
Shakti (power) + Tejas (Splendor and Might) = Aniruddha: Omnipotence, a being endowed with self- knowledge and individual awareness that automatically means ego consciousness. Individuality appears.

Aniruddha (yields) Antaryamin which is the ruler of souls. This is said to be a mysterious power seated in the lotus of the heart.

This may very well be a foundation idea for the concept of great souls or great beings who allow and even encourage beings of a lower evolutionary status to join with them or merge in them, even while retaining a form of individuality. This idea, so far as I know, is my original expression of the concept, although the idea of merging with Krishna is ancient. This idea explains that a soul wishing to merge with Krishna or Rama, or become part of the body of Christ or a Bodhisattva as part of an emanation of Amoghasiddhi, one of the triune, non-corporeal Buddhas is a matter of Grace afforded to souls who have certain characteristics. This idea ultimately becomes the essence of the Sangha in Buddhism as well.