srimadbhagavatham-skandha2-chapters4and5

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Chapter 4and 5- Creation of the Universe

 

The king asked Suka to tell him how the Lord created the universe with his maya.

Suka prayed to the Lord by whose command the goddess sarasvathi appeared from the face of Brahma in order to make him perform the function of creation and started relating the story of creation.

 

Brahma instructed Narada with that knowledge which he was instructed by Lord Hari. Then Narada asked Brahma to tell him whether he himself has created the universe like a spider creates the web out of himself or was it due to the support of some superior power and if so, towards whom he was doing penance.

 

Narada's words were,

 

Yadhroopam yadhaDhishTAnamyathah srshtam idham prabho

ythsamsTham yathparam yath chathth thatthvam vadha thatthvathah

 

What are the characteristics of this universe, which is its substratum, how was this created, where is the end of this and to what does it depend on and what is the truth behind the creation?

 

The answer to this was,

nArAyanaparAvedhA dhevA nArAyaNAngajAh

nArAyaNaparAlokA nArAyanaparAmakhAh

nArAyaNaparo yogo nArAyaNaparam thapah

nArAyaNaparam jnAnam nArAyaNaparA gathih

 

Vedas are about Narayana, the devas originated from His limbs, the worlds depend on Him, the yajnas are intended for Him. All yogas have Him as their goal and the austerities pertain to Him only. The knowledge about Narayana is the real knowledge and He is the end of all the means.

 

Brahma replied that he never created anything but only made manifest what was already in the Lord, who alone is the material as well as efficient cause. What this means is that when a pot is made, for instance, the potter only makes manifest the pot which was already in the clay in unmanifest form. But it requires the potter who is the efficient cause, though the material cause , the clay, itself was transformed into the pot. So nothing new is created but what existed is made manifest. But in the case of the universe the Upanishad says there was nothing else except Brahman in the beginning, `sadheva soumya idham agra Aseeth Ekmeva adhvitheeyam,' ( chan.6-2-1) and hence Brahman has to be the material cause. But Brahman is not wholly transformed into the world because He is the efficient cause as well. ` thadhAikshathabahusyAm prajAyeya thathejo asrjatha,' meaning that Brahman willed to become many and created the world. Moreover the whole universe is only a small part of the infinite, that is Brahman as declared by the sruti that one quarter comprises of the whole universe and the other three quarters are beyond the cosmos.

 

The word quarter however is meant to denote the smallness and not to be taken literally. Brahman is therefore the efficient cause since it is only due to the power of Brahman and aided by His maya Brahma was able to create the world. The maya of the Lord deludes the ignorant who think in terms of `I' and `mine,' but those on Him the glance of the Lord falls, they are able to cross over the maya. Same idea is expressed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavatgita that whoever resort to Him with devotion and a spirit of surrender transcend His maya, `mAmeva ye prapadhyanthe mAyAM ethAm tharanthi the.' (BG.7-14)

 

 

Brahma said that he himself was created by the Lord and started creating the categories according to His command but they stood separate not being able to combine and produce the world of sentient and insentient beings. Then the Lord Himself activated them. This the Upanishad mentions as `anena jeevena AthmanA anupravisya nAmaroope vyAkaravANi,' (chan.6.3.2) meaning, "I will enter into the self of all and give them name and form."