Chapter 41 - Nativity of Brahmā

1. When the period of a thousand yugas lapsed and it was morning for him, lord Brahmā created once again the subjects who had fallen off, in the same manner as they were before.

2-6. O leading brahmin, when thus the period of twice Parārdha lapsed, the earth merged into the water, the water into the fire, the fire into the wind, the wind into the ether along with the tanmātras. O excellent brahmin, eleven sense-organs and the tanmātras merged into the ego lo! in a trice. Ego merged into intellect (mahat) in a moment. O brahmin, the intellect also attained the unmanifest (avyakta) and merged into it. The unmanifest became merged into the lord along with its Guṇas. Thereafter creation took place as before from Puruṣa Śiva.^[1] Then the mental sons were created by him by mere thinking.

7-9. The subjects thus created by the lotus-born deity did not flourish in this world. For the purpose of increase, lord Brahmā performed a penance with the supreme lord in view, in the company of his mental sons. The great lord was pleased by their penance. Realising Brahma’s desire, the lord pierced through the middle of Brahmā’s forehead. Saying “I am your son” he then became male-cum-female in his form.

10-14. The lord with half-female body became his son. Then, the lord burnt Brahmā, the preceptor of the universe. Thereafter for the purpose of the flourishing increase of the worlds the lord adopted the yogic path and enjoyed his own prosperous semi-Mātrā, Parameśvarī. He created Viṣṇu and Brahmā in her. The lord of the universe, the soul of the universe, created the Pāśupata missile too. Hence Viṣṇu and Brahmā were born of the part of Mahādevī. Thus Brahmā who was the Egg-born, and the lotus-born was born also of the body of the lord.^[2] Thus, in brief, the entire anecdote has been mentioned to you, as also what happened during the first Parārdha of Brahmā.

15-21. I shall now briefly mention the detachment of Brahmā born of tamoguṇa. Lord Viṣṇu split his body into two and created universe consisting of the mobile and immobile beings. He then created Brahmā who in turn created Rudra. O sage, in another kalpa, Rudra created Brahmā. Then O sage, in another kalpa, Viṣṇu created Brahmā, then Brahmā created Viṣṇu, then the lord created Brahmā. Then Brahmā thought that the world was full of misery and he abandoned the activity of creation. He engaged his soul in the higher soul. He restrained the movement of the vital breaths and remained motionless like a rock. He remained in Samādhi (ecstasy) for ten thousand years. The splendid lotus that faced downwards and was stationed in the heart was filled with inhalation. It became blossomed out. When by means of retention of breath it was restrained that lotus became ūrdhva-vaktra (with facelifted upwards).

22-27. In the middle of its pericarp he installed the lord. Then Brahmā, the self-controlled who had purified his soul by perfect restraint of his senses installed the great lord Śiva in his heart. The lord was situated there in a space as small as the hundred part of the thread of the lotus stalk^[3] by repeating ‘om’ in a series of half measures of time. He who was worthy of worship himself,^[4] then propitiated the unchanging lord (i.e. Śiva) by means of flowers of restraint etc.^[5] Then at the behest of the Īśvara situated in the heart-lotus (of Brahmā) the allpervading lord born of the body of Bhava came out of Brahmā by piercing through his forehead.

That lord born from Śiva’s heart was blue originally but became red by contact with fire. Because that Puruṣa was both Nīla (blue) and Lohita (red) just like the form of Kala, the God of Death, he was named Nīlalohita by Īśvara and lord Kāla by Brahmā. The all-pervading one (i.e. Kāla) became pleased thereby.

28. O great sage, Brahmā, the soul of the universe eulogised the lord who was delighted in his mind and who had the universe as his form by means of the Nāmāṣṭaka—the set of eight names.^[6]

Brahmā said:

29-32. O lord Rudra, obeisance to you of unmeasured splendour like the sun. Obeisance to you lord Bhava identical with water and taste. Perpetual obeisance to Śarva who has the form of earth and smell. Obeisance to you, Īśa, identical with air and the quality of touch. Obeisance to Paśupati the lord of individual souls, identical with fire of excessive splendour. Obeisance to you, Bhīma, identical with ether having the quality of sound. Obeisance to Mahādeva, identical with the moon—the abode of nectar. Obeisance to you, Ugra, the Yajamāna (one who performs sacrifice) who is the agent for all actions.^[7]

33-34. He who reads this hymn sung by Brahmā unto Rudra, he who listens to this or he who narrates this to brahmins with great concentration will attain identity with the lord of eight cosmic bodies, within a year. After eulogising thus, Brahmā looked at the great lord.

35-36. The great lord stood with the eight forms spread all round. The sun shone. So also the fire and the moon. There were earth, wind, water, ether and yajamāna—the sacrificer. Ever since that time they call Īśvara, Aṣṭamūrti.

37-38. Thanks to the grace of Aṣṭamūrti, Brahmā created again. After creating the world of mobile and immobile beings, he fell asleep for the period of a thousand yugas. In the next kalpa when he woke up he became desirous of creating the subjects, and so he performed great and severe penance.

39. Even when he performed the penance thus, nothing-happened. After a great deal of time he became miserable and his sorrow turned into anger.

40. When he was overwhelmed with anger, drops of tears fell from his eyes. From those drops of tears goblins and ghosts originated.

41. On seeing this first-born creation consisting of goblins, ghosts and demons, the unborn deity lord Brahmā censured himself.

42. Thereupon, the infuriated lord Brahmā, abandoned his life. Thereafter, Rudra in the form of Prāṇa (vital breath) appeared through the mouth of lord Brahmā.

43. The lord, having a lustre resembling that of the rising sun became Ardhanārīśvara (male-cum-female form). He divided himself into eleven^[8] parts and settled down there.

44. With half a portion of himself Ardhanārīśvara, the soul of ail, created Umā. She created Lakṣmī, Durgā and Sarasvatī.

45-48. (She further created) Vāmā, Raudrī, Mahāmāyā, Vaiṣṇavī the lotus-eyed goddess, Kalavikariṇī, Kālī residing in the lotus, goddess Balavikariṇī, Balapramathinī, Sarvabhūtadamanī, (the suppressor of all living beings) and Manonmanī. Similarly thousands of other women were created by her. Accompanied by those ladies and the Rudras, Mahādeva, Parameśvara. the lord of the three worlds stood in front of lord Brahmā, Parameṣṭhin who was the soul of all but was now lying dead.

49. Lord Maheśvara, the sympathetic son of Brahmā, granted him vital airs.

50. Then Rudra the lord of Devas was delighted and he spoke these pleasant words to Brahmā who regained his life a little.

51. O highly blessed lord Brahmā, O preceptor of the worlds, do not be afraid; the vital airs have been established here in your heart. Hence, O lord get up.

52-54. On hearing his words as though in dreams passing through his mind, Brahmā became delighted in his heart. With the vital airs coming back to him, he looked at Maheśvara with his eyes that had the lustre of full blown lotus. After glancing up at him for a long time, lord Brahmā got up and said with palms joined in reverence in a tone affectionate and majestic.

“O highly blessed one, tell me. You are delighting my mind: Who are you standing with eight cosmic bodies and in eleven forms?”

Indra said:

55-58. On hearing his words, Maheśvara the slayer of the enemies of Devas spoke through all his mouths.

The lord said:

“Know me the great soul and know her the birthless Māyā. These standing by are the Rudras, who have come here to protect you”.

Thereafter Brahmā bowed down to the lord of Devas and said with palms joined in reverence. His words were choked with delight.

“O lord, O lord of the chiefs of Devas, I am agitated and excited due to miseries.

59-60. O Īśāna, O Śaṅkara, it behoves you to release me from the bondage of worldly existence.

Thereupon the lord of Umā laughed at Brahmā. Then the lord of the universe vanished from there along with Umā and the Rudras.

Indra said:

61-64. Hence O Śilāda, understand that in all the worlds it is difficult to get a person who is not born of a womb and who is deathless. Even the lotus-born deity has death. But if Rudra the lord of Devas is pleased, a son not born of a womb and devoid of death is not difficult for you to get. It is not possible for me, for Viṣṇu and for Brahmā to offer you a son not born of a womb and devoid of death.

Śailādi said:

After speaking thus to the leading brahmin and blessing him, the kind lord accompanied by Devas went away riding on his white elephant.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

At first there was nothing except Prakṛti and Puruṣa (i.e. Śiva and Māyā). Then Śiva created twenty-five tattvas out of himself. Cf.—[tattvāni śivajātāni pañcaviṃśanmanīṣimiḥ |]—Liṅga, part II; and Śiva-Purāṇa cited in Śivatoṣiṇī.—[nātyatkiñcittadā hyāsītprakṛtiṃ puruṣaṃ vinā]

[2]:

Brahmā is born of (i) the Cosmic Egg, (ii) the lotus, as well as (iii) the body of Śiva.

[3]:

mṛṇāla-tanu-bhāga: Cf. [nīvāraśūkavat tanvī pītā bhāsvatyaṇūpamā tasyāḥ śikhāyā madhye hi paramātmā vyavasthitaḥ]; also [bālāgramātraṃ hṛdayasya madhye...] cited in Śivatoṣiṇī.

[4]:

yājya [yājyaḥ]—yajanayogya [yajanayogyaḥ] Śivatoṣiṇī. worthy of worship.

[5]:

yama-puṣpādi [yamapuṣpādibhiḥ]: in the form of observances such as yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna and samādhi.

[6]:

Eight names of Śiva. Śiva-Purāṇa. Vidyeśvara-saṃhitā (Chapter 20.47) mentions eight names as Hara, Maheśvara, Śambhu, Śūlapāṇi, Pinākadhṛk, Śiva, Paśupati and Mahādeva. But Liṅga has a different list, represented by the the eight forms of Śiva.

[7]:

karma-yogine: karma-yogin is the eighth form of Śiva called yajamāna (a sacrificer) and Ugra. According to Śivatoṣiṇī. karmayogine=karma-phala-bhoktre—one who enjoys the fruits of his actions i.e. Jīva.

[8]:

ekadaśadhā: in eleven forms, as stated in Viṣṇu (cited in Śivatoṣiṇī). They are named Aja-ekapād, Ahirbudhnya, Tvaṣṭṛ, Rudra, Hara, Tryambaka, Aparājita, Vṛṣākapi, Śambhu, Kapardin and Raivata. Other Purāṇas give different lists. For detail, see Matsyapurāṇa—A study, pp. 65-67.