In the Bhagavad-Gita,
the personal deity Krishna explains to Arjuna to process by which Krishna
becomes embodied. This raises the question, what is Krishna unembodied?
Although one candidate is Brahma, the personal god of creation, I contend that
the answer is Brahman, which is being, consciousness, and bliss. Brahman is
unmanifest, so how is it that being itself, even if conscious, can have
a will and a creative agency, or ability, to manifest as a personal deity? The
notion of Brahman is completely foreign to the Abrahamic religions, wherein a
personal deity is the creator and has perfect being. So it is worth
thinking about how, and even whether, a personal deity like Krishna can
manifest by the will and creative force (maya) of Brahman.
The full essay is at "On Brahman Becoming Embodied."
