The Bhagavata Purana
by G. V. Tagare | 1950 | 780,972 words | ISBN-10: 8120838203 | ISBN-13: 9788120838208
This page describes Various Creations of Brahma which is chapter 20 of the English translation of the Bhagavata Purana, one of the eighteen major puranas containing roughly 18,000 metrical verses. Topics include ancient Indian history, religion, philosophy, geography, mythology, etc. The text has been interpreted by various schools of philosophy. This is the twentieth chapter of the Third Skandha of the Bhagavatapurana.
Chapter 20 - Various Creations of Brahmā
[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]
Śaunaka said:
1. Oh son of Sūta Romaharṣaṇa, having established himself on the earth, what did Svāyambhuva Manu do to create openings (ways) for the creation of beings of later birth (as they were absorbed within God)?
2. The great devotee (of Kṛṣṇa) viz., Vidura, was absolutely devoted to Kṛṣṇa.[1] He abandoned his elder brother (Dhṛtarāṣtṛa) along with his sons, as he was wicked to Kṛṣṇa.
3. Vidura who was born of Dvaipāyana, was in no way inferior to him in greatness. He was devoted to Kṛṣṇa with all his heart.[2] He was also attached to the devotees (of the Lord).
4. Vidura cleansed his sins by resorting to sacred places. What did he ask of Maitreya who was the foremost one among the knowers of the truth after approaching him while he was sitting at Kuśāvarta?
5. Oh Sūta, while they were conversing, sacred stories relating to the lotuslike feet of Hari, must have issued—stories which were sanctifying like the waters of the Gaṅgā which resorts to his lotuslike feet.
6. Please extol to us the deeds (of Hari) which are sublime and worth describing. God may bless you. But what man of taste will feel satiated while drinking the nectar in the form of Hari’s līlās?
7. Ugraśravas who was thus asked by the sages dwelling in the Naimiṣa forest fixed his mind on the Lord and spoke to them, ‘Please hear’.
Sūta said:
8. Having heard the lifting up of the earth from the Rasātala by Hari assuming the body of a boar through his Māyā, and Hari’s līlā of easily slaying Hiraṇyākṣa, Vidura felt rejoiced and asked the sage (Maitreya).
Vidura said:
9. Oh Brāhmaṇa, God Brahmā knows the course of the unmanifested Lord.[3] What did the Lord of Prajāpatis begin to do for the creation of beings after procreating Prajāpatis (progenitors like Marīci etc.)?
10. How did Brāhmaṇas like Marīci and Svāyambhuva Manu create this world at the behest of Brahmā?
11. Did they create this world with their wives? Or did they do so independently (without wives?) Or was this world produced jointly by them all?
Maitreya said:
12. The principle called Mahat was evolved out of Prakṛti composed of three guṇas (viz. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas) which got agitated by (the will of) the unperturbable Lord due to the incomprehensible destiny (adṛṣṭa) of jīvas, by the will power of the Supreme Being (the controller of Prakṛti) and through the force of unwinking (ever alert) Time.[4]
13. Ahaṃkāra (bhūtādi) was created out of Mahat which was predominently full of rajas. It (ahaṃkāra) was of three forms (namely Vaikārika, Rājasa and Tāmasa) and it was urged by adṛṣṭa (destiny of jīvas). It (ahaṃkāra) created the groups of five each: of subtle elements (tanmātrās), five gross elements such as the sky etc., five conative organs of senses and five cognitive organs of senses and their presiding deities.
14. The above things as separate ones were unable to create this Brahmāṇḍa of five bhūtas. When they came together by the inscrutable power of the Lord, they created the golden Egg.
15. That Egg being devoid of Ātman or Intelligent Being to preside over it, lay for one thousand years in the waters of the ocean. (At the end of that period) Īśvara (the controlling Almighty) entered into it.
16. From his navel sprouted forth a lotus with the great splendour of one thousand sons. It was the abode of all living beings. Therein was manifested God Brahmā.
17. God Brahmā who was guided by the Supreme Being who was lying on the ocean, created the well-arranged universe as before, with its own arrangement of names and forms.
18. Out of his ignorance or Tamoguṇa, Brahmā created avidyā of five forms, viz., tāmisra, andha-tāmisra, tamas, moha, and mahātamas.[5]
19. Not being pleased with his body which was composed of tamas, he cast it off. Yakṣas and Rākṣasas accepted that body which was in the form of night and which was the cause of hunger and thirst.
20. Being overcome with hunger and thirst, they ran at him to eat him up. Being afflicted with hunger and thirst they cried out, “Don’t protect him, devour him”.
21. God Brahmā being frightened, requested them, “Oh don’t devour me, protect me. You Yakṣas and Rākṣasas are born of me”.
22. Shining with brilliant light he chiefly produced these deities who playing with the light, i.e. day time, thus shed by him, claimed the day as theirs.
23. God Brahmā created sexually over-passionate Asuras from the lower part of his body. Out of lust, they approached him for copulation.
24. Thereupon god Brahmā laughed. But when he was pursued by the shameless Asuras, he got enraged, afraid and fled away in great haste.
25. He approached Hari who removes the distress of the afflicted and confers boons on them, and who with a view to bestowing his grace, manifests himself to his devotees in the form desired by them.
26. (Brahmā prayed): ‘Oh Supreme Soul, protect me. It is at your command that I created (these) beings. Oh Lord, these wicked beings fall upon me to satiate their lust.
27. You are the only one who can certainly remove the distress of the afflicted persons. You are the only one who can give trouble to those who do not resort to your feet’.
28. (Hari) who vividly reads the minds of others understood Brahmā’s pitiable condition and told him, “Give up your terrible body”. Being thus commanded, Brahmā abandoned it.[6]
29-31.[7] Oh Vidura, all the Asuras thought (the evening to be a woman) and were foolishly infatuated of her—a woman whose lotuslike feet were jingling with anklets, whose eyes were overcome with intoxication, whose loins (middle) were covered with shining silken sāri (fixed up) with a girdle of small tinkling bells, whose big high breasts closely brushing each other left no space on her bosom (i.e. completely occupied it), whose nose was shapely, rows of teeth beautiful, smiles fascinating and glances sportive. The mass of hair (on whose head) were dark blue. She (as it were) concealed herself (from their glances) out of shyness.
32. (The Asuras appreciated in wonder): “Oh what a beautiful form! What boldness! What a fascinating prime of youth! Without a touch of passion she moves amongst us who are full of lust.”
33. Entertaining different ideas about the Evening in the form of a young woman, the wicked-minded Asuras, out of lust, asked her courteously:
34. “Oh lady of beautiful thighs, who are you? Whose daughter are you? Oh beautiful girl, what is your object here? Why do you torment us, the unfortunate ones by exhibiting the invaluable commodity of your beauty?
35. You may be anybody. But we have the good fortune of having a look at you. You agitate the hearts of the onlookers by your play with the ball.
36. Oh beautiful lady, while you are frequently beating down the falling ball with the palm of your hand, your lotuslike feet are not steady at any place. Your middle (waist) being afraid of the heavy burden of your big breasts, feels fatigued. Your clear eyes appear serene[8] and the braided hair beautiful.”
37. In this way, the dull-witted Asuras, thinking the evening time to be a woman as it appeared to them as such, and attracted their hearts, accepted her.
38. With a laugh of deep erotic significance god Brahmā created the tribes called Gandharvas (heavenly musicians) and Apsarās (celestial damsels) by his self-appreciating personal charm.
39. He verily gave up that splendid lovable body of moonlight which Gandharvas headed by Viśvāvasu accepted with joy.
40. Creating ghosts and goblins out of his lassitude, he closed his eyes when he saw their nudity and dishevelled hair.
41. They took over god Brahmā’s body called ‘yawning’[9] which was abandoned by him. By that body is created that complete sluggishness of senses called ‘sleep’ among living beings. They (goblins) possess the impure beings in that stage (of relaxation). It is called madness (unmāda).
42. Feeling himself possessing procreative power, venerable Brahmā created the class of celestial beings called Sādhyas and Pitṛs (manes) while he kept himself invisible.
43. Pitṛs took possession of the body from which they were created and on account of that, experts in Karma-path give to Sādhyas and manes (the offerings called havya and kavya due to them).
44. By his power of remaining invisible, he created Siddhas and Vidyādharas (demigods) and passed on to them his miraculous body called antardhāna (disappearance).
45. Decorating his body (with sandal-paste, flowers etc.) and appreciating his reflection (in the mirror) Brahmā created from his image Kinnaras and Kiṃpuruṣas.
46. They accepted the form (characterised by Narcissism) abandoned by Brahmā. Hence they get together with their wives at dawn and sing in praise of his deeds.
47. Lying with the extremities of his body fully extended and full of deep anxiety at the insufficient growth of the creation, he angrily cast off that body (which became characterised by anger, extension etc.).
48. Oh Vidura, the hair dropped from that body became serpents. From the body which was moving here and there were born cruel cobras with big hoods and broad necks.
49. When the self-born god (Brahmā) felt that he had achieved his purpose, he created from his mind Manus, progenitors of prolific population on the world.
50. The self-possessed Brahmā gave up his body in human form to the Manus. Seeing the Manus, Beings who were previously created highly praised the Lord of Prajās (Brahmā).
51. “Oh creator of the world, what you have done is verily well-done. In this (Manu-creation) all the religious courses are well-established. (Herein) all of us eat food together.”
52. The sage Brahmā who possesses (the power of) penance, knowledge, devotion, Yoga along with the power of profound meditation and perfect control over sense-organs, created the sage-world (ṛṣi-sarga) so dear to him.
53. To each one of the sages, god Brahmā gave a portion of his body characterised by complete meditation, yoga, miraculous powers, penance, knowledge and non-attachment.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
aikāntikaḥ suhṛt: One who is convinced about Hari being the only supreme being.—Padaratnāvalī
[2]:
[3]:
[4]:
As usual, commentators impose their views of creation on this verse. For example, Padaratnāvalī: Due to the impelling of Lord Viṣṇu who lay on his bed along with Lakṣmī, on the waters of the deluvian ocean, there was disturbance in the balance of guṇas leading to the creation of Mahat and its presiding deity Brahmā. This agitation in guṇas was due to God who gave effect to the destiny (adṛṣṭa) of jīvas and the Time of creation.
Subodhinī states that Mahat did not evolve out of Prakṛti, but was due to the disturbance in the attributes of Brahman. The three attributes of Brahman are: (1) Daiva (Lord’s will, or desire to create), (2) Para i.e. Puruṣa or akṣara. This is Rājasa; (3) Kāla (the ever alert Time. This is Tāmasa). Daiva or Lord’s will being indescribable is called incomprehensible. The agitation of the three attributes (guṇas) of the Lord led to the evolution of Mahat.
[6]:
Bhāvāratha Dīpikā explains that all such references to abandon the body mean eschewing the particular state of mind and assumption of body implies assumption of a particular state of mind.
[7]:
Bhāvāratha Dīpikā and Bhāgavata Candrikā state that the body thus given up by Brahmā became the evening time when sexual passions are normally aroused. This explanation introduces the following description of the evening as a beautiful lady.