Part 2 - Classification of creation

The 3^rd skandha of the Bhāgavatapurāṇa mentions the process of creation as ten kinds which come under three broad divisions viz., prākṛta, vaikṛta and prākṛtavaikṛta.^[1] The creation is of nine kinds due to Prakṛti and Vikṛti, and the creation going under the names of prākṛta and vaikṛta counts as the tenth.^[2] According to this Purāṇa, in the process of creation kāla plays a vital role. Kāla is the primeval source of the interactions of the three guṇas. It is unchangeable and limitless and it works as the instrument of God^[3]. However, kāla itself has no special property and is without beginning and end. Puruṣa sportively manifested himself as the universe by using time as the efficient cause.^[4] It is only kāla that manifests the universe. The world is covered up by Viṣṇu’s māyā and is manifested by God with the help of kāla.^[5] This cosmic manifestation happens only due to the factor kāla which is called as the unmanifestated feature of the Lord.

i) Prākṛta-sarga

According to the Bhāgavatapurāṇa, the prākṛta sarga is of six types, namely mahat, ahaṃkāra, bhutas, anindriya, deva and tamas.^[6] Creation of mahat is the first cause which is caused by God by disturbing the equilibrium state of the guṇas.^[7] The second is ahaṃkāra consisting of objects, knowledge and action.^[8] The third is bhūta sarga i.e., the evolution of the rudimentary matter (tanmātras) which are the causes of the gross elements (mahābhūtas).^[9] The fourth is called as aindriyasarga i.e., the creation is that of organs of senses, both of knowledge and action.^[10] The fifth is named as deva sarga or vaikārika i.e., the creation that of presiding deities of the senses and manas,^[11] the sixth one is known as tamas, which is the cause of ignorance of the jīva.^[12] By the influence of darkness, the conditioned soul forgets his relationship with the Supreme Lord and is covered by attachment, hatred, pride, ignorance etc., which causes bondage. These six are the prākṛta creations as they pertain to Prakṛti as mentioned above.^[13]

ii) Vaikṛta-sarga

Next type of creation is arising from vikṛti. According to the Bhāgavatapurāṇa, vaikṛta sarga is of three fold viz., mukhyasarga (prominent creation) tiryakyoni (birds and beats) and arvāksrota^[14] (human species).

From the vaikṛta type of creation immobile objects i.e., trees come first. This is the seventh creation in the above order. This is also named by mukhya creation. It is the first in order of sequence of the three vaikṛta categories of creation, which is subdivided into six varieties namely vanaspati (vegetation), oṣadhi (plants which die immediately after fruit-bearing), latā (creepers), tvaksār (trees of strong bark, e.g. bamboo), vīrudh (strong creepers likecanes not requiring support for them), drūm (trees bearing fruits after blossoming). These belong to mukhya sarga. All these have only internal sense of touch.^[15]

The eight creations are of animals and birds. These belong to tiryakyoni. They are devoid of the knowledge of future time. They have the sense of smelling.^[16] The Bhāgavatpurāṇa gives the names of beasts and birds. The cloven-hoofed beats are the cow, the buffalo, the black-antelope, the pig, the bison, the ruru (a kind of deer), the sheep, the camel. The uncloven-hoofed beasts are donkey, horse, mule, guara (a cross of a horse and a female mule), śarabha (a fictitious eight legged animal who can kill lions), camara. Beats with five nails are the dog, jackal, tiger, cat, hare, hedge-hog, lion, monkey, elephant, tortoise, alligator, shark and others. The birds are heron, vulture, bat, hawk, bhāsa (cock), bhallūka (bear), peacock, swan, crane (baka),crow, owl and others.^[17]

The creation of men is the ninth one. This belongs to arvāksrota. Men have predominance of rajas and are full of activities and feels pleasure and pain.^[18]

iii) Prākṛta-vaikārika-sarga

The last category of creation of prākṛta-vaikārika is the creation of kumāras. This sarga is known as kumāra sarga, the creation of kumāras^[19]. It is clearly stated in the Markaṇḍeya and Viṣṇupurāṇa that prākṛta vaikṛtachhaivakaumārouvamaḥ smṛtah.^[20] This is the creation of Sanatkumaras and others.

Classification of the process of creation of the Bhāgavatapurāṇa is given below in a tabular form.

[Creation — Material (Prākṛta) — Elemental (Vaikṛta) — Mixed (Prākṛta-vaikṛta) — 1. mahat; 2. ahaṃkāra; 1. Mukhya sarga; 1. kumāra sarga; 3. bhūtasarga; 2. tiryakyoni; 4. aindriyasarga; 3. arvāksrota;  5. devasarga; 6. tamas.]

The Bhāgavatapurāṇa mentions the above mentioned tenfold creation comes under the broad division of viz., prākṛta-vaikṛta, prākṛta and vaikṛta. The enumeration of ten types of creation corresponds with that of the other sāttvika purāṇas .

Besides, the 3^rd skandha of the Bhāgavatpurāṇa gives a detail discussion on the process of creation. For serving the purpose of creation, Vāsudeva gave birth to Brahmā from his naval lotus region. He conserved the subtle elements within his body, got agitated by the attribute rajas which was impelled by kāla. At the propelling force of kāla, one cosmic lotus sprang out from the naval region of Nārāyaṇa which illuminates like the Sun.^[21] Within the lotus, creator of the world, the originator of the Vedas, svayambhu is appeared.^[22] The seeds of all the planets of the universe were impregnated in the lotus on which Brahmā starts practicing of penance for many years being directed by the God. Lord Brahmā engaged himself in the penance and after that he entered into the whorl of the Lotus with a vision of creating the universe and he divided the lotus into three divisions and later into fourteen divisions as the lotus is immensely large. This is the creation of tri-lokī.^[23] Brahmā, at first created the different aspects of ignorance like tamas, moha, mohāmoha, tāmisra and andhatāmisra. This creation is full of sin and ignorance. Seeing such a misleading creation as a sinful task, Brahmā didn’t feel much pleasure in his activity and therefore he purified himself by meditation. When his mind was purified by meditation he begins to do another creation.^[24] So he created great four spiritual sages named Sanaka, Sananda, Sanātana and Sanatkumar to help him in the process of creation. But they could not take part in the work of creation as they were highly spiritualistic by nature. When Brahmā asked them to procreate they declined. Then Brahmā creates a son of dark-blue complexion son from his middle of his eyebrows whose name was Rudra. The creation of Rudra from between the eyebrows of Brahmā is the result of his anger, mode of passion partly touched by ignorance. Being ordered by his father, Rudra started procreating children who were like him in powers, form and nature. Then seeing the fearful form of his son, Brahmā ordered him to stop the process of procreation and to perform penance. After that, Brahmā created ten sons to help him in his creative endevour as he could not directly take part in the process of creation. They were Marici, Atri, Aṅgiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhṛgu, Vaiṣya, Dakṣa, and Nārada.^[25]

Besides, the Bhāgavatapurāṇa gives a description of the evolution of different mental states and other things from the different limbs of Brahmā. Dharma was born from his right breast and adharma was born from his back. Kāma was born in his heart, kroddha from his brow, lobha from his lower lip, speech from his mouth, the rivers from his generative organ and death from his anus.^[26] Kardama, the husband of Debahutī, was born of Brahmā’s chāyā or shadow. So there was creation out of the body and the mind of Brahmā. From the four mouths of Brahmā, four Vedas were produced. Similarly Āyurveda, Dhanurveda, Gandharvaveda and Sthāpatyaveda were also created from the mouths of the creator.^[27] The Upa-Vedas, the philosophies, the four parts of dharmas and the duties of āśramas also appeared.

Moreover, Brahmā divided his body into two. A pair was formed by that division. The male was Svayambhu Manu and the female was his wife Śata-Rūpā. The subjects or beings then begun to multiply from their relationship as husband and wife.^[28] Svayambhu Manu begot five children of Śata-Rūpā, two sons, Priyavarta and Uttanapāda and three daughters, Ākuti in marriage to Ruci, Devāhuti to Kardama and Prāsūti to Dakṣa. This changing universe is filled with their progeny.

The Bhāgavatapurāṇa enumerates the process of creation in the light of Sāṃkhya system. Sāṃkhya system states Puruṣa’s proximity disturbs the equilibrium of the three guṇas and evolution is taken place while in the Bhāgavatapurāṇa, it is said that when Lord was desirous of become many, he disturbed the equilibrium state of the three guṇas through kāla. Therefore, kāla or time is the disturber of the guṇas not Puruṣa.

The theory of creation in different Purāṇas is described in the similar way though there exists some differences. The Vaisnavite Purāṇas viz., Bhāgavata, Nāradīya, Garuḍa, Padma and Varāha give almost similar description of the creation process. Thus these Purāṇas describe that the process of creation starts from Lord Viṣṇu.

Like the Bhāgavatapurāṇa, other Sāttvika Purāṇas also describe the theory of creation in the same way. In the Vaisnavite Purāṇas, Viṣṇu or Nārāyaṇa is described as the source from which the process of creation sprang out. He is the cause of creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe. All the sāttvika or Vaiṣnavite Purāṇas viz., Bhāgavata, Viṣṇu, Padma, Nāradiya, Garuḍa and Varāha give almost similar description on the process of creation.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

sargo navavidhastasya prākṛto vaikṛtastu yaḥ /
kāladravyaguṇairsya trividhaḥ pratisaṃkramaḥ// Ibid., 3.10.13;

[2]:

yastu prākṛto vaikṛtaśca ca daśamaḥ/ Śrīdhara’s commentary on Ibid.

[3]:

guṇavyatikarākāro nirviśeṣo’pratiṣṭhitaḥ/
puruṣastadupādānmātmānaṃ līlayā’sṛjat//Bhāgavata-purāṇa , 3.10.11

[4]:

ādyantaśūnya ityarthaḥ/
sṛṣṭyādi tena nimittabhūtena karotītyā ha puruṣa/ Śrīdhara’s commentary on Ibid.

[5]:

viśvaṃ vai brahmatanmātraṃ saṃthitaṃ viṣṇumāyayā/
īśvareṇa paricchinnaṃ kālenā’vyaktamūrtinā// Bhāgavata-purāṇa , 3.10.12

[6]:

Ibid., 3.10.14-17

[7]:

ādyastu mahataḥ sargo guṇavaiṣmyātmanaḥ / Ibid., 3.10.14 (a)

[8]:

dvitīyastvahamo yatra dravyajñānakriyodayaḥ/ Ibid., 3.10.14 (b)

[9]:

bhūtasargastṛtīyastu tanmātro dravyaśaktimān/ Ibid., 3.10.15

[10]:

caturtha aindriyaḥ sargo yastu jñānakriyātmakaḥ/ Ibid., 3.10.15 (b)

[11]:

vaikāriko devasargaḥ pañcamo yanmayaṃ manaḥ/ Ibid., 3. 10.16 (a)

[12]:

ṣaṣṭhastu tamasaḥ sargo yastvabuddhikṛtaḥ prabho/ Ibid., 3.10.16(b)

[13]:

Ibid., 3.10.16-18

[14]:

Ibid., 3.10.19-20, 25, 26

[15]:

saptamo mūkhyasargastu ṣaḍavidhastasthuṣāṃ ca yaḥ /
banaspatyouṣdhilatātvaksārā vīrōdho drumāḥ// Ibid., 3.10.18.

[16]:

Ibid., 3.10.19

[17]:

Ibid., 3.10.21-24

[18]:

Ibid., 3.10. 25

[19]:

kaumārastūbhayātmakaḥ/ Ibid., 3.10.26 (b)

[20]:

Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa, 39.36; Viṣṇu-purāṇa , 1.5.25,

[21]:

Bhāgavata-purāṇa , 3.8.14

[22]:

tallokapadmaṃ sa..…………………………………so’bhūt/ Ibid., 3.8.15

[23]:

padmakośaṃ tadā’viśya bhagavatkarmasoditaḥ/
ekaṃ vyabhāṅkṣīdurūdhā tridhā bhāvyaṃ dvisaptadhā// Ibid., 3.10.8

[24]:

sasarjārge’ndhatāmisramatha tāmisramādikṛt/
mahāmohaṃ ca mohaṃ ca tamaścā’jñānavṛttayaḥ// Ibid., 3.12.2

[25]:

sanakaṃ ca sanandaṃ ……. daśamastatra nāradaḥ/ Ibid., 3.12.4-22

[26]:

adharmaḥ pṛṣṭhato…….pāyorghāśrayaḥ/ Ibid., 3.12.25-26

[27]:

Ibid., 3.12.37-39;

[28]:

Ibid., 3.12.49-57