8 - God Brahma's Mental Creation: Gods, sages, manes, and human beings created

Suta said: 

1. Even as he was meditating, the mental progeny was born along with those causes and effects arising out of his body. 

2-4. There cropped up Kshetrajnas (Individual souls) of the Kshetra (Cosmic body) of this intelligent person i.e., Brahma). Thereafter, he was desirous of creating thousands and thousands of the four groups of living entities viz. the Devas, the Asuras, the Pitrus and the human beings. Prajapati engaged himself therein and meditated upon the creation. While meditating thus, an effort arising out of his Tamas constituent was involved. So, at the outset the Asuras were born as his sons from Prajapati's loins. 

5. Asu is considered by scholars as the vital breath. Therefore, those who were born of it were Asuras.¹ He discarded that physical body whereby the Asuras had been created.

(1) A noteworthy derivation of asura as contrasted with the usual a + sura.

6-7a. That physical body discarded by him immediately became Night. Since that physical body had the Tamas element predominant, the night too consisting of three Yamas (watches of night of the duration of three hours each) became Tamobahula (one in which darkness prevails). 

Therefore, at night the subject’s (people) are themselves enveloped by darkness. 

7b-9. After creating the Asuras, he adopted another body that was unmanifest, with the Sattva element predominant within it. Then he engaged himself with it. As the lord joined himself to it, he felt very happy. Thereafter from his shining face the Devatas (gods and goddesses) were born, since they were born of the refulgent face (Divyatah) they are glorified as Devas.

10. The root "Div" is used in the sense of "to play".¹ Therefore, the Devas were born of his divine (lit. "shining") body (and called Devatas).

1. Correct etymology —div—means both ‘to play’ and 'to shine'.

11. After creating the Devas, he discarded that divine body. That physical body discarded by him became "day". 

12. Therefore, people worship the Devas with holy rites performed during the daytime. After creating the Devas, he adopted another body. 

13-14. He adopted another body that was solely constituted by the Sattva element and engaged himself therein. The lord meditated upon those sons considering them like father (of fatherly nature). The Pitrus were born of that body in the juncture of night and day; therefore, those Pitrus are Devas. That state of being Pitrus is declared about them. 

15. He discarded that body whereby the Pitrus were created. The body that had been discarded by him forthwith became the twilight. 

16. Hence, the daytime is considered as belonging to the Devas and the night is remembered as belonging to the Asuras. The body that belongs to the Pitrus and that is in between those two is the most important. 

17. Hence the Devas, the Asuras, the sages and the human beings, while practising Yoga, worship that body which is in between dawn and morning (day-break). 

18. Hence, Brahmanas perform sandhya at the junction of the night and day. Thereafter, Brahma engaged himself in another body of his. 

19. That body which the lord created mentally was solely constituted by the Rajas element. They (the progeny so created) are his sons through the mind. Since they were begot ten (Prajananat), they became Prajas (subjects). 

20. Since, he meditated (before creation) (Mananat), they are called Manusyas (Men); they became well known as Prajas because they were procreated. After creating the subjects again, he discarded his own body.

21. That body discarded by him became the moonlight immediately. Hence, the subjects become delighted when the moonlight comes out. 

22. Thus these physical bodies discarded by that noble-souled person immediately became night, day, twilight and moonlight.¹

1. VV. 22-27 summarise the four main creations from God Brahma's body and their other features as follows: 

23. The moonlight, the twilight, and the day these three are constituted solely of the Sattva element. The night is constituted of Tamas only. Hence that is Niyamika* (that which checks, restrains and restricts).

* He emended as triyamika 'consisting of three Yamas' as in verse 6 above, Va.P.9.22 (an identical verse) also reads triyamika. 

Creation   Born from Brahma's    When discarded His     Prevailing 

          part of the body          Body transformed into      gunas.

i.              Asuras     Loins & vital                 Night            Tamas                           breath             

ii.            Devas          Shining face                        Day              Predominant                                                                                                    Sattva.

iii.          Pitrus.        Mind       juncture of day and      Pure Sattva.                                                      night

iv.     Human       mind        moonlight (but dawn        Rajas.                                    Beings                                     in other Puranas)    

24. So, the Devas were created by means of the shining divine body with pleasure and sportiveness through the face (mouth). Since their birth was during the day time, they are powerful during the day time. 

25. Since the lord created the Asuras at night from his loins through the vital breaths, and as they were born during the night, they are invincible during the night. 

26-28a. These following, viz.: the moonlight, the night, the day and the twilight—these alone become the causes of origin) of all future Devas, Manes, human beings along with the Asuras in all the Manvantaras that had passed by and that have not yet come. Since these four spreads and shine there, the water is called Ambhas. The root bha is used in the sense of spreading and shining.²

2. Popular derivation of Ambhas.

28b-29a. After creating the waters, the lord created the Devas, the Danavas, the human beings, the Pitrus and various kinds of other subjects. 

29b-30. The lord discarded that body) the moonlight and attained another physical body predominently constituted of Rajas and Tamas. Thereafter, he engaged himself therein (he united himself to it.). Therefore, he created in darkness those who were overwhelmed by hunger. 

31-34. Those created beings, overwhelmed by hunger, attempted to seize the waters. Those among them who said—"we shall protect these waters", are remembered as Rakshasas. Those night-walkers (demons) who felt hunger within themselves and who said "Let us destroy the waters, let us be delighted in our mutual company", became Yakshas and Guhyakas of ruthless action due to that work. The root rakshis considered to have the meaning "to protect." The root “kshi” has the meaning “to destroy”. Since they protected (Rakshanat) they were called Rakshasas. Since they destroyed (Kshapanat), they are called Yakshas.¹

1. Puranic etymology of rakshasa and Yaksha.

35-36. On seeing them (the ruthless Yakshas), the intelligent self-possessed lord became displeased. Due to this displeasure, his hairs became shivered. Those shivered hairs moved up and ascended again and again. Those hairs that dropped off from the head moved and crawled up. They are considered Vyala, because they were (originally) Balas or Valas (hairs). Since they drooped off (Hinatvat) they are remembered Ahi’s serpents).²

2. Another derivation of Vyala—vala and ahi—hi—generally ahi is derived as follows: a—han—in sa ca dit ano hrasvashcha—Apte Sk. Hindi Kosha P.134.

37. They are Pannagas³ because they moved and wriggled. The state of being Sarpas is due to the fact that they crawled. Their abode of repose is in the earth under the sun, the moon and the clouds*.

3. VV. 37-41 describe the creation of various tribes of demi-gods and gives popular etymologies of Pishacha and Gandharva.

* The text suryachandramasay ghanah is obscure. Va.P. (in an identical verse reads... suryachandramasoradhah ‘below the Sun and the moon!’

38. The terrible fiery foetus born of his (Brahma's) anger entered in the form of poison in those serpents who were born along with them. 

39. After creating the serpents out of his anger a set of terrible beings whose diet was flesh and who were furious by nature were created. They had the tawny colour. 

40. Since they had been born (Bhutatvat), they are remembered as Bhutas; and as they ate flesh (Pishitashanat), they were called Pishachas. Even as he (Brahma) was singing words, the Gandharvas were born as his sons. 

41. The root Dhay is recited by poets in the sense of ‘drinking’. Since they were born drinking the (musical) words, they are remembered as Gandharvas. 

42. After creating these eight divine beings, he created the Cchandas (Prosody, Vedas) as he pleased (Cchandatah). He created the birds through his age (? Vayasa). 

43. After creating the birds, he created the groups of animals. He created goats out of his mouth and the sheep out of his chest. 

44-45. Brahma created the cows from his belly and the horses, donkeys, Gavayas (a species of ox), deer, camels, boars and dogs along with the elephants from his sides as well as feet. Other species of animals too were created. The medicinal herbs (and plants and creepers) with fruits and roots were born out of his hairs. 

46. Formerly, at the beginning of this Kalpa, at the advent of the Treta yuga, he created the five types of medicinal herbs and then engaged himself in the sacrifices. 

47-48. The cow, the goat, the man,¹ the sheep, the horse, the mule and the donkey—these are remembered as seven rural (Gramya) domesticated animals. There are other seven forest animals, the beasts of prey, the tigers, the elephants, the monkey, the birds as the fifth of the set, the aquatic animals as the sixth ones and the reptiles as the seventh ones.

1. Strangely enough the Purana includes the human species among domesticated animals.

49. The buffaloes, the Gavaya oxen, and the camels, the cloven-footed animals, the Sharabha (the eight-footed fabulous animal), the elephant, with monkey as the seventh of this set, are the forest animals. 

50. Through his first face (mouth), he created the following,¹ viz: the Gayatri, the Ruk, the Trivrutstoma² and Rathantara³ and Agnishtoma among the Yajnas.

1. VV. 50-53 give the creation of Vedic literature, Vedic metres and special sacrifices from the mouths or faces of Brahma.

2. Trivrutstoma—A three-fold stoma (in which at first, the three 1^st verses of each Trucha of Rv.IX.11 are sung together, then the 2nd verses and lastly the 3rd verses). 

3. Rathantara: the verses to be sung according to Sama-music art RV.VII.32.22-29 abhi tva Shwa etc.=S.V. II.1.1.11. 

51. Through his right-hand southern) face (mouth), he created the Yajurveda hymns, the Traishtubha metre, the fifteenth Stoma (hymn) and the Bruhatsaman hymn. 

52. Through his backward (western) face (mouth), he created the Saman hymns, the Jagati metre, the seventeenth Stoma (hymn), the Vairupya and Atiratra (part of Jyotishtoma) sacrifices. 

53. Through his fourth face (mouth), he created the twenty-first (stoma i.e., hymn). The Atharva-Veda, the Aptor-yama⁴ and the Anushtubh metre along with Vairaja.

4. Aptoryama is a Soma sacrifice amplification of Atiratra sacrifice. According to Tandya Br.XX 3.4-5, it is so called as its performance secures whatever one desires.

54. It is well known that after creating the great cloud well known as Parjanya, the holy lord created lightning, thunder-clouds and the red-coloured rainbows. 

55. He created the Ruk, Yajus and Saman Mantras for the accomplishment of Yajnas. The living beings both high and low were born of the limbs of Brahma. 

56-58. The Prajapati Lord of the subjects) who was creating at the outset the fourfold set viz.: The Devas, the sages, the Pitrus and the human beings, created the living beings both mobile and immobile. After creating Yakshas, the Pishachas, the Gandharvas, the Apsaras, the human beings, the Kinnaras, the Rakshasas, the birds, the animals, the deer and the serpents, he created the Avyayas (changeless ones) and Vyayas (the changeables) as well as the mobile and the immobile beings. 

59-60. Even when created again and again, these beings adopted only the Karmans that had been committed before.¹ The previous natures and features such as violence and nonviolence, softness of heart and ruthlessness, virtue and evil as well as truth and falsehood—all these were adopted by them (in their later creations). Hence, they are liked by them.

1. As noted above this Purana emphasizes the law of Karman. The end of a Kalpa does not destroy the Karma of an individual.

61. It was Brahma, the creator himself, who ordained the diversity in the great elements and their allotment to different physical bodies afflicted by the sense-organs (Indriyarteshu)*.

* If the reading Indriyartheshu is adopted the meaning is "and their allotment to different physical bodies and the objects of the various sense organs."

62. Some men say that the manly endeavour (is the sole cause of achievement). Some men say that it is the Karman (previous actions). Other Brahmanas say that it is the destiny. The Bhutacintakas (those who think about the elements—perhaps the Charvakas) say that it is nature and latent instinct.

63. (But real thinkers) know that there is no difference or superiority among the manly endeavour, previous action and the destiny. The same is understood through the nature of the outcome of fruits (of actions etc.) 

64. (Some say)² this is thus and not thus—this is both nor is it both. But persons abiding by Sattva and having impartial vision say (that the Universe) is the object of its own activity.

2. Apparently the view (anishchitatdvada) of Sanjaya Belatthi Putta in Samanna-phala-sutta a-Digha Nikaya p. 51 (Nalanda Ed.): when asked about the existence of the other world he states: 

Apam ti pi me no, tatha ti pi me no, annatha ti pi me no, no ti pi me no, no no ti pi me no.

But I think the Purana probably voices the view of Syadvada.

65. It is only through the words of the Vedas that the great lord created at the outset, the different forms and features of the living beings and the development of the created ones. 

66. The names pertaining to the sages and the visions belonging to the Devas—these, the unborn lord assigns to those who are born at the end of the night.