Vasudeva-the first form of fourfold Spirit
Of the four forms of the Lord regarded as Chaturatmaka, the first is Vasudeva. This name signifies that the Lord is immanent in everything in creation and bears within Himself everything in the Cosmos. He is omnipotent. He is resplendent. He remains unmoved in any condition, in any circumstance, while being present in every limb and every cell. He is known also as Angirasa--the One who is present in every Anga (limb) in the form of the circulating blood and imparts vitality to it. As the rasa (vital essence), He is described as Raso vai Saha (the elan vital). Thus, everything is permeated by God and there is nothing outside Him.
Sankarshana, Aniruddha and Pradyumna
The second name is Sankarshana. Sankarshana is the One, who at the time of Pralaya (the Great Dissolution), absorbs within Himself the entire Cosmos. He is the One who ends all sorrow and confers all happiness. The Sankarshana principle is the one which removes misery and confers joy. Shankarshana should not be regarded merely as Balarama, the son of Revathi (the elder wife of Vasudeva). Sankarshana represents the Divine attribute of eliminating grief and giving happiness, removing mental agitation and conferring peace, destroying weakness of spirit and instilling fortitude. This is no ordinary attribute. It is a Divine quality which is present in every human being.
Aniruddha, the third, refers to one who has a unique quality. He confers this quality—Sampada (wealth) on whoever prays to Him. He is the Lord who confers both material and spiritual benefits on those who adore Him. In this aspect, He shines through His effulgence. This illumination is not derived from outside. He Himself is the source of His light and also the light that illumines everything. This principle of Aniruddha is essential for every human being.
The fourth name is Pradyumna. He represents the invincible Divine power, which cannot be
overcome by anyone. He has no equal. He is His own example. He is His own law. There is no one below Him or above Him because He is even in those below Him. The Pradyumna principle is all-pervading and omnipresent.
It is the combination of all these four principles which constitute humanness. God is not different from man. Vasudeva is Paramatma (the Omni-Self). Sankarshana is Jivatma (the individual Soul). Pradyumna is the mind. Aniruddha is Aham (the ego). The union of these four is Manavatva (humanness).
If any one of these four constituents is absent, man cannot live in the world. If it is asked whether Ahamkara (egoism) is also essential, the answer is: Aham (the ego) should be present but not Aham-kara (the feeling of egoism, the sense of separate identity associated with the body consciousness). Aham means ‘I.’ The ‘I’ should not be identified with the physical form. ‘Aham Brahmasmi.‘ (I am the Brahman). ‘Aham na Dehasmi’ (I am not the body). ‘Na Aham Jivasmi’ (I am not the jiva--the individual soul). ‘Aham Aham’ (I am I). This Aham is the essence of everything. In the Sanskrit alphabet, the first letter is ‘A’ and the last letter is ‘Ha.’
When the two letters are combined, you have ‘Aha.’ All the sounds in the language are comprised within these two letters. Aham means the principle which is present in everything in the cosmos, from the atom to Brahman. This is the significance of the Vedic pronouncements: ‘Aham Brahmasmi,’ ‘Prajnanam Brahma’ (Prajnana, Constant Integrated Awareness--is Brahman), ‘Tat-tvam-Asi’ (That thou art). Failing to recognise the truth of these pronouncements and regarding the body as real and permanent, man is becoming a prey to sorrow. Bhagavan is the unified form of these four principles. (SSS Vol.22, pp. 28-29)