Verse 14.3

Verse 14.3: “My womb is the ‘Gross-Brahman’ wherein I deposit the embryo. The origination of all beings proceeds therefrom, O Scion of Bharata. (67)

Commentary called Jnaneshwari by Jnaneshwar:

This (Prakriti-Maya) is called ‘Gross-Brahman’ (mahadbrahma) since she is the resting place of the gross elements such as ‘Mahat’ and others. Oh Arjuna, all (mental) functions get strengthened because of her and so she is ‘the Gross-Brahman’. The non-manifestists give it the name ‘unmanifested’, while what Samkhyas call ‘Prakriti’ is also the same. Oh, the great-talented one, the Vedantis (Upanishadic philosophers) call it ‘Maya’; why waste words over it? This Maya is nothing else but Nescience itself (ajñāna), Oh Dhananjaya, and nescience is only forgetting one’s own ‘self. There is one more feature about it viz. it is not even discernible while the reason is at work, just as darkness is- not discernible while there is light. The cream gets dissolved in milk, when it is stirred up in it, but it gathers itself if left undisturbed. This nescience is like sound sleep (suṣupti) wherein there is neither dream nor wakefulness nor yet rapt concentration; or like the sky which remains undisturbed and quiet when there is no blowing of the wind.

One cannot be definite as to whether there is standing yonder, a pillar or a human being, but only feels that something is there; in that way, not only that one cannot discern the ‘self in its real aspect, but cannot even see definitely if if it is something else: just as there exists the transition period (between the day and the night) called the ‘evening’ which is neither the day nor the night, (in that way), there exists nescience which is neither knowledge nor its contrary. Such a state of dubiousness in regard to the real and unreal knowledge (of the self) is called nescience, and the spirit (‘self’) that is shrouded in this nescience is called the ‘Field-knower’. Strengthening only nescience and not knowing his own self should be known as the special features of the ‘Field-knower’. This is what is called, Oh my darling, the union (yoga) of the two (Prakriti and Purusha)-grasp this fact firmly-and this is the natural disposition of the highest entity-the ‘self. Following nescience, the soul (proceeds to) view his own aspect, but there appear to him many such (aspects of his own) and he is at a loss to know which of them is the real one.

It is just like a poverty-stricken man, getting mad and raving, “behold the king is coming (I am the king)” or like one recovering from unconscious state and asserting that he had been to Heaven. In that way, whatever is perceived through the deluded vision viz. this whole objectified universe, is all created from myself (the Supreme). Just as a single person under delusion while he is in a dream, witnesses himself in diverse forms, so happens to the soul, the forgetting of his own ‘self. This very problem is being clarified further to make it free from confusion, and do experience it.

This ‘Avidya’ (avidyā—ignorance as opposed to knowledge) is my housewife beginningless, ever young, and possessed of qualities that defy description. “No form whatever” is her form; her sphere (for activity) is quite immeasurable. She abides by those that are asleep (ignorant) while she keeps herself far away from the wakeful (Seers.) She keeps herself wide awake while I am asleep and she conceives by virtue of her union with the Highest reality—(the ‘self). She nourishes and develops the embryo in the ‘Gross-Brahman’ womb, with her eight-fold constitution. With the union of these two (Prakriti and Purusha) gets first created the element intellect and thence is born the mind, fully stuffed with the principle of intellect.

Energetic consciousness (wife) of mind gives birth to the element egoism, from which come, into being the gross elements. It is the nature of these elements to be invariably associated with the sense-centres and objects; so the sense-centres as also their objects are generated along with the elements. Violent disturbance in the functioning of sense-objects is followed by the advent of the three Guna-constituents, which begin to make movements through embryonic (incipient) desires; this is the genesis of the individual soul.

Just as a seed (particle), as soon as it comes in contact with water, begins to formulate the structure of the tree, in that way, with her union with me Maya (ignorance) herself begins to sprout out diverse shoots in the form of the universe. Now, Oh you King of the Good, do hear how the embryo develops into different forms (foetuses). There get developed foetuses of different orders namely ‘Manija,’ (maṇija), ‘Svedaja,’ (svedaja), ‘Udbhija’ and Jaraja (jāraja). ‘Manija’ is formed chiefly by the combination of the elements of the sky and the wind with the embryo. The ‘Svedaja’ is created by the rushing of the element water and fire in combination with the ‘Rajas’ and ‘Tamas’ Gunas.

The stationary ‘Udbhija’ results from the predominant elements of water and earth when combined with the ‘Tamas’ Guna of inferior grade, while the ‘Jaraja’ is formed by the mutual co-operation of the five sense-organs and the five organs of action as also the mind and the intellect. These four classes form as it were the hands and feet, while Prakriti having the eight-fold constitution is the head; activism is the belly, while renunciation is the back; the eight godly orders occupy the portion of the body above the waist, the heaven is the throat region, the mortal world is the waist, the region under the earth (pātāla) being the buttocks. A queer child constituted of such limbs and parts of the body is born (of Maya). The three worlds form the plumpness (bālasa [bālase]) of that child, the eighty-four lakhs of species (of the beginnings) form the ligaments of the small and large bones, and this child grows day by day. The different limbs of the body are adorned with ornaments in the form of diverse names, while Maya feeds (the child) by making it suck her breast in the form of ever new infatuations. She has adorned the child’s fingers with rings in the form of diverse worlds, the brilliance of each of these being different from one another. She (Maya) feels greatly glorified having given birth to such an only child—beautiful above description—in the form of this universe formed of many movables and immovables.

God Brahmadev [Brahmadeva] is the morning, God Vishnu the noon, while God Shiva, the evening to this child. It plays and (after getting fatigued) sleeps soundly on the bed of the great world-dissolution. It arises again at the dawn of the new age (kalpa) in infatuation (viṣama jñāna [jñāne]). In this way Oh Arjuna (grows and) walks sportively (this child) step by step in the form of recurring succession of aeons, in the house of false vision. Fancy is its great friend, while egoism is its playmate and such a child meets its end only through (real) knowledge. Enough of this elaboration. In this way, was born this universe to Maya, and therein proved of great help to my own power.