Creator is existing but not the creation

Speaker: Srila Prabhupada
Source: The Material World – A chance

In the material nature, you cannot have anything permanent. That is material nature. It is just like the flashlight. When you pass through roads and avenue, there are three colors — red, blue and yellow. They’re passing through, always. Not that the blue is always existing, or red is always existing, or the yellow is always. Passing, simply. That is the nature, material nature...
Everything is created and it is maintained for some time. Just like my body, your body, is created. And it will be maintained for some times. But at the end, when the body is old, it will be destroyed. This is material nature. Some of the philosophers, they say there is no such thing, creation or destruction; everything is existing always. That we also accept. That everything is existing always means Krsna. And Krsna… The creation is going through three stages. The creation taking place, it is being maintained for some time, and again it is destroyed. These things are going on. The same example: the lights, flashlights. They are coming and going. But the puller of the lights, behind the light, he is existing. Similarly, the creator is existing, but not the creation. Creation is coming into existence, is sustained, and again… But the creator is there. Aham evasam agre. Lord Krsna says that “Before creation I was there.” Otherwise who will create? “Before creation I was there. While creation is maintained, I am there. And when it is destroyed, still I am there.”