10 - Creation Primary and Secondary

Garuda said: 

1. Thus praised by the gods, the lord of the Satvatas disappeared after granting them the favour of his shelter. 

2. O lord Krishna, I wish to know what sort of shelter the overlord granted to his devotees. O compassionate lord, please tell me truly if your lordship thinks I am fit to hear.

Lord Krishna said: 

3. The supreme lord Vishnu entered the related tattvas which he set to motion with the desire to create the universe. 

4. In the beginning the lord created the primordial egg constituted of gold and which was spread over fifty crores of yojanas around. 

5. Above it, there is a minute particle of golden hue of the same dimension as the egg itself. Above that, there is the earth as wide as the fifty crore yojanas. 

6. Thus the dimension of the egg extends over hundred crore yojanas. The egg is encompassed by seven enclosures all around.

7. The first enclosure consists of water extending over ten thousand crores of yojanas. The second enclosure consists of fire. 

8-9. It is enclosed all round by waters. The third enclosure is called Hara. It is ten times more in dimension than the dimension of fire. The fourth enclosure consists of ether. 

10. It is enclosed all round ten times more than ether. The fifth enclosure consists of ahankara (ego) ten times more than ether. 

11. The sixth enclosure consists of mahat. It is enclosed all round ten times more than ether. 

12. The seventh enclosure consists of three gunas--sattva, rajas and tamas. 

13-16. It is enclosed all round ten times more than mahat. After mahat comes the enclosure tamas. It is enclosed all round, ten times more than mahat. 

After mahat comes the enclosure tamas. It is five times more than mahat. Thereafter comes rajas which is two times more than tamas. Thereafter comes the enclosure sattva which is two times more than rajas. The three combined are called Ekavarana 'a single enclosing'. 

The prime germ of nature 'ether' comes thereafter. It is limitless. The eternal Vishnu abides therein. 

17. The river Viraja forms the eighth enclosure. It flows in between the spaces of ether. It spreads over five yojanas all round. 

18. It is the most sacred river that wards of rebirth. O bird, those who bathe herein go to Brahmaloka where they rejoice with the four-faced Brahma.¹

1. Infra p. 1011 fn. 1.

19. Those who take bath in the Viraja² river abandon their subtle bodies and attain liberation.

2. Viraja-a mythological river.

20. Those alone who have realized the Self and abide in Brahman can cross the Viraja river. 

21-23. O lord of birds! The sage Vyasa and others, though they have realized the Self cannot cross the Viraja river, since they have still to reap the fruits of their Karman. 

They live on this earth as far as Brahma lives till the seeds of their Karman are destroyed root and branch. They can then cross the river Viraja, O lord. 

24. Others who have the seeds of their karman still fructifying cannot cross Viraja. 

25. O lord of birds, the river Viraja does not disappear even at the time of dissolution. 

26-27. The river Viraja is identical with Lakshmi and it has the function of destroying the subtle bodies. 

There are devas Rujus by name who are worthy of attaining Brahman. 

28. They are many in number being at par with the jivas who attain liberation individually or along with the Rujus. 

These are characterized by thirty-two marks and are capable of attaining the position of Vayu. 

29. Inferior to these are the yogins called Shiva-Yogins who are characterized by twenty-eight marks. In between the compass come Suras who are characterized by sixteen to twenty-four marks. 

30-31. After Suras come Ashtakas. They are called sages. Inferior to these are Chakravartins. 

Within one hundred lives of god Brahma, they can realize their Self and get their karman destroyed. O bird, within one hundred kalpas one becomes identical with Vayu. 

32. Thereafter, having passed through hundred births, one becomes Brahma and thereafter one goes to the abode of Vishnu. 

33. O lord of birds, in the forty kalpas of Brahma after getting all Karmans destroyed even Rudra can realize his Self. 

34. O bird of good vows, after the expiry of forty-one kalpas one becomes Shesha and attains liberation becoming one with Brahman. 

35. Even Indra can get his karman destroyed, realize Self and attain with Brahma the highest region of Hari. 

Garuda said: 

36-37. O lord, I have heard from Brahma that even Rudra can realize Brahman when his karman is destroyed after completing the eighty-five kalpas of Brahma, then how can you adjust your statement that even Rudra can attain Brahma after completing the forty kalpas of Brahma". O lord, how can the contrary statements be reconciled? 

38. On hearing the words of Garuda the lord spoke again. 

The lord said: 

39. There is no contrarity between two statements. The stupid alone will cherish doubt, the wise have no doubts at all. 

40. O lord of birds, ashtakas are eighty, with the additional thirteen they come to ninety-three in the fortieth Brahma kalpa- the four-faced¹ Brahma has so declared.

1. Brahma is four-faced (Chaturmukha). Originally he had five heads hut one was cut off by Shiva for telling a lie. According to another version, the fifth head was burnt off by the fire of Shiva's eye for speaking disrespectfully of Shiva. We read in the Shatarudrasamhita that it was Kalabhairava a terrible form of Shiva who cut off the fifth head. Vishnu Purana (ch. 8), however, gives a different version. It states that Bhairava attempted to cut off the fifth head of Brahma at the instance of Shiva but gave up the attempt when Shiva intervened at the behest of Vishnu. 

41. Since Reality is to be kept strictly secret, Brahma said so in olden days. O bird, you should understand this problem in the right way. 

42. O bird, those who misinterpret the term Panchashiti Brahma-kalpa as the eighty-five kalpas of Brahma are totally ignorant. I have told you the truth. 

43-44. After the Viraja river, O bird, comes the boundless ether presided over by Lakshmi. The dimension of the ether cannot be measured by any count, O lord of birds. 

45-46. The Virat Brahma was made the presiding deity of the universal egg.²

2. Brahmanda-the egg of Brahman, the primordial egg from which the universe sprang.

Thus, the everlasting, eternal Hari made special arrangements by appointing the presiding deities over the different principles. The lord Vishnu stood encompassing all regions above and below. 

47. O lord of birds, the above account refers to the primary creation. Now, I shall tell you about the secondary creation. 

Garuda said: 

48. O lord, you have already spoken on creation and I have heard of the same very attentively. 

49. O lord, now tell me in detail, what is the primary and what is the secondary creation. I am curious to hear about the same from you. 

The lord said: 

50. From the unmanifest Prakruti to the gross elements the evolutes of Prakruti are primary." The knowledge of the same leads one to liberation.

1. (1) Mahat: (creation of the great principle: intellect), (2) Tanmatra: (creation of subtle elements). (3) Bhuta: (creation of gross elements)- this set of threefold creation is primary and originates from avidya-ignorance).

51. O lord of birds, the universe evolved out of the Cosmic Egg is secondary creation. 

52-53. Creation, dissolution, recreation and release, deities, major sages and regions Bhu, Bhuvah, Svar are eternal and unchangeable. The existence of the universe is actual and not a fiction. 

54. Those who speak otherwise are the slayers of truth. The course of the universe is true, O lord, the service of the lord is also true. 

55. Raising up my arm I declare that no scripture is superior to the Vedas and no deity is superior to Keshava. 

56. Those who worship other deities, may they be pitrus or preceptors, at the cost of lord Vishnu go to the darkest regions. 

57. O lord of birds, now hear about the secondary creation. He who understands the same, attains the highest region.