A Study of the Bhagavata Purana or Esoteric Hinduism Part 5

At Pralaya, the Sakti of Bhagavan was asleep. That Sakti is Maya, which is Sat-asat or Existing-nonexisting Existing eternally as root, and not so existing as forms. Following the law of Periodicity (Kala), Purusha fecundated Maya. Mahat and other principles appeared by transformation.

All these principles were Devas, having in them germs of consciousness, action and transformation. They could not unite to form the Universe, being divergent in character. They prayed to ishvara for power to unite.

Taking Prakriti as a part (Sakti) of Him, ishvara entered into the 23 Tatvas or root principles. He awakened the Karma that remained latent in them. By Kriya Sakti, He then united then. The 23 Tatvas, acting under Divine Energy and the impulse of Karma that had remained latent in them, formed the Virat body, each bearing its own share in the work. The Purusha within this body - Virat Purusha or Hiranya Purusha - with all beings and globes included in Him, dwelt for one thousand years in the waters (like the embryo in the waters of the uterus.) This Embryonic Purusha divided self by self, onefold by Daiva Sakti, tenfold by Kriya Sakti and threefold by atma Sakti. The onefold division is in the Heart.

The tenfold division is in the Pranas (Prana, Apana, Samana, Udana, Vyana, Naga, Kurma, Krikara, Devadatta and Dhananjaya,) for the Pranas are not Tatvas or principles, but they form an aspect of Purusha. The threefold division is atma in every being which is triune with its three sides - Adhyatma, Adhibhuta and Adhidaiva. The Purusha infused His Sakti into the Virat body, for the development of powers in the Tatvas. The Adhyatma mouth appeared with its Adhibhuta speech and Adhidaiva Agni.

Similarly the following appeared: -

----------------------------------------------------------------- Adhyatma. Adhibhuta. Adhidaiva.

----------------------------------------------------------------- Tongue Rasa (taste) Varuna.

----------------------------------------------------------------- Nose Gandha(smell) Asvini k.u.maras.

----------------------------------------------------------------- Eye Rupa(sight) aditya.

----------------------------------------------------------------- Skin Sparsa (touch) Vayu.

----------------------------------------------------------------- Ear Sabda (sound) Dik.

----------------------------------------------------------------- Epidermis Sting G.o.ds of vegetation ----------------------------------------------------------------- Upastha ----------------------------------------------------------------- (generative organ) Generation Praj.a.pati.

----------------------------------------------------------------- Payu Secretion Mitra ----------------------------------------------------------------- Hand Actions of hand Indra.

----------------------------------------------------------------- Pada (foot) Movements of foot Vishnu.

----------------------------------------------------------------- Buddhi Bodh (deliberation) Brahma.

----------------------------------------------------------------- Manas Sankalpa and Vikalpa Moon.

(true and false perception) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ahankara Aham perception Rudra.

----------------------------------------------------------------- Chitta Thought Brahma -----------------------------------------------------------------

The Triloki also appeared, Svar from the head, Bhuvar from the navel and Bhur from the feet. With these Lokas appeared the Devas and other beings, who are the transformations of the Gunas. From the predominance of Satva, the Devas went to Svar Loka. Men and the lower Kingdoms entered Bhur Loka from the predominance of Rajas in them. By the predominance of Tamas, the different cla.s.ses of Bhutas remained in Bhuvar Loka. The Brahmana appeared from the mouth, the Kshatriya from the hands, the Vaisya from the thighs and the Sudra from the feet.

THOUGHTS ON THE ABOVE

We have considered the manifested Logos in the Universe. We shall now consider His manifestation in Man, the microcosm. The teachings are all collected from the Upanishads.

(i.) - _The manifestation in the heart._ - A detailed knowledge of this manifestation is called Dahara Vidya in Chandogya. The Upanishads speaks of atma in the cavity of the heart.

"Guhahitam Gahvarestham Puranam" is a well-known pa.s.sage from the Upanishads. The Purusha in the heart is also called Pradesa or the span-sized Purusha and is the favourite object of meditation in Pauranika Upasana. The Upanishads call Him thumb-sized and there is an interesting discussion as to the size in Sariraka Sutras I-3-24 to 26 and the Bhashya thereupon.

(ii.) - _The Manifestation in the Pranas._ - The Upanishads say: -

"It is this Prana that is consciousness itself, Bliss, without infirmities and death."

"They are these five Brahma Purushas."

Again -

_"Brahma Purusha in the openings of the heart."_ The heart is called the abode of Brahma. There are five openings of this abode of Brahma and there are five gate-keepers. These gate-keepers or _dvara-palas_ are the five Pranas. They are called Brahma Purushas as they pertain to Brahma.

As long as the king is in the heart, the doorkeepers remain in the body.

These door-keepers being inevitable accompaniments of Brahma in the heart, are also themselves the outer aspects of Brahma.

(iii.) - _The manifestation as atma which is triune._ What is a man but a bundle of experiences on the planes of Jagrat, Svapna and Sushupti.

Each of these experiences has a threefold aspect or in Vedantic expression is a Triputi. These aspects are:

1) the object experienced or Adhibhuta, 2) the experience itself or Adhyatma, 3) and the Deva which gives the consciousness of that experience or Adhidaiva.

In material expression, the object outside is Adhibhuta. The reception of its image is Adhyatma. The light that shews the image to be what it is, is Adhidaiva. As we have said, each experience is a three-sided triangle. All the triangles in the Jagrat state, a.n.a.lysed by the Vedantins into fourteen, are represented by the first letter _a_ in Pranava. All the triangles or Triputis in the dream state are represented by the second letter _u_. In Taraka Brahma Yoga, _a_ is merged in contemplation into _u_, and _u_ is merged into _ma_. In _ma_ there is only one triangle, which is the primary triangle to which all other triangles in _a_ and _u_ may be reduced. The Adhibhuta side of this triangle is _ananda_ by the _vritti_ of Avidya. The Adhyatma side is the _vritti_ of Avidya. The Adhidaiva side is ishvara. Life in Triloki is conditioned by this triangle. The object of Taraka Brahma Yoga is to cross the Tript.i.ti, to cross the three letters of Pranava. It is only in the fourth _pada_ of Pranava that he finds his resting place, that pada being situated beyond the Triloki.

The three manifestations of the Third Purusha in Jivas or individuals, may be said to relate to their different stages of evolution. Thus Prana manifests itself only in the lower life kingdoms, the minerals and vegetables. The Prana or life process is more elaborate in the vegetables than in the minerals. Purusha then manifests itself in the senses and emotions in the Animal kingdom and in intellect in the lower human kingdom the manifestation being three fold.

The last manifestation of Purusha, the one-fold manifestation in the heart, is in higher man.

II. - VASUDEVA AND SANKARSHANA.

*SKANDHA III., CHAP. 8.*

When this universe remained submerged in the waters of Pralaya, the eyes of Vasudeva remained closed in sleep. He opened His eyes, lying down on the Serpent King Ananta or Sankarshana. He indulged in self and was without action. Inside His body was Bhuta-Sukshma or all beings in a subtle state of latency. Only Kala-Sakti manifested itself and He dwelt in those waters in self, as fire remains in wood, with powers controlled. Having slept for one thousand Yuga cycles in the waters, with only Kala-Sakti manifesting His work, He found the lotuses of the Lokas in His body. He then looked at the Sukshma, that was within Him.

That Sukshma became pierced with Kala - propelled Rajas, and small as it was, it came out of his navel region. By the action of Kala, which awakens Karma, it suddenly grew up into a lotus bud. Vishnu entered this Loka Padma or the Lotus of Lokas. Brahma then appeared in that Lotus. He looked on all sides and became four-faced, but he could not find out the Lokas. Though he was in the Lotus himself, confused as he was, he knew not the whole Lotus. Whence am I? Whence is this Lotus? So thought Brahma. And he searched below to feel the lotus-stalk. The search was vain for one hundred years.

For another hundred years he meditated within self, and lo! there appeared within his heart one _Purusha_ lying down on the body of Sesha (the serpent king). (The description of the Purusha is much the same as we have read of the _Pradesa Purusha_. So it is not given here.) Brahma prayed to that Purusha and was told to practise Tapas for acquiring the power of creation.

III. - THE CREATION BY BRAHMA.

*SKANDHA III., CHAP. 10.*

When Bhagavan disappeared, Brahma, as directed, practised meditation for one hundred Deva-years. He found his lotus abode moved by air. With all the power acquired by _atma Vidya_ and _Tapas_, he drank up all the waters and the air. He found the _Lokas_ attached to the overspreading Lotus and he had only to divide them. He entered into the Lotus bud and divided it into three parts - the _Triloki_. This is the creation of the _Triloki_. The higher Lokas (Mahar, Jana, Tapas and Satya) are the transformations of _Nishkama Karma_ or unselfish action. So they are not destroyed in each Kalpa, but they last for two Parardhas.

"What is Kala", asked Vidura, "that has been described as a _Sakti of Hari?_"

"_Kala_ is the disturber of _Gunas_", replied Maitreya, "causing transformations. In itself it is without any particularity and is without beginning or end.

"With Kala as the Nimitta or efficient cause, Bhagavan only manifested Himself. The Universe has no separate existence from that of Brahma. It is only Kala that makes the Universe manifest."

The Creation of Brahma is ninefold, Prakrita and Vaikrita, Prakrita-Vaikrita being the tenth. The Pralaya is of three kinds:

1) By Kala or Nitya. Flow of time is the only cause of this Pralaya.

2) By Dravya or Naimittika. Dravya is the fire from the mouth of Sankarshana, at the end of one Kalpa.

3) By Guna or Prakritika, the Gunas devouring their own actions. The forms of Pralaya will be considered in the study of the Twelfth Branch.

_A. - Prakrita Creation, *i.e._ the Creation of Principles or Tatvas.*

I. _Mahat_ - Which is the out-come of the first disturbance of the equilibrium of the Gunas.

II. _Ahankara_ - Dravya + Jnana + Kriya.

III. _Tanmatra_ - Result of Dravya Sakti.

IV. _Indriyas_ - Result of Jnana and Kriya Sakti.

V. _Vaikarika_ - Devas and Manas.

VI. The five-fold Tamasika creation.

_B. - Vaikrita or Individual Creation._

VII. _Urdha Srotas_ - or with upward current of the food taken, the Sthavara or Immobile kingdom with six divisions.