13 - Creation after dissolution

Lord Krishna said: 

1. Lord Vishnu, the slayer of Asura Madhu, the receptacle of compassion, was thus praised by his son Brahma, spoke in a voice as loud as the thunder of reigning clouds.

The lord said: 

2. O Brahman, please start re-creating⁵ the universe in the fashion you did in the previous Kalpas. 

5. After each dissolution of the universe, there is re-creation. Lord Vishnu enjoins Brahma to create the universe afresh. 

3. You have no axe to grind thereby. You create the universe to carry out my instructions.” Thus, spoken to by Vishnu, Brahma praised the lord. 

He thought of creating the Universe, just for pleasing Him. 

4-5. O Garuda, at first, Brahma, who represented intellect¹ created Vayu² who became the presiding deity of life. He is the soul of mankind.³

1. The primordial creation was evolved out of intellect which is an unconscious principle. Brahma, the conscious principle pervaded intellect to create the universe. 

2. Brahma created the principle of breath (prana) which is the principal constituent of life. The gross body cannot function without breath. Hence breath is the presiding deity of life. 

3. To regard Vayu (breath) as the soul is hyperbolical. Vayu and Atman are different entities. They cannot be equated with each other. 

6. Then, from his right hand he created Brahmani and Bharati. The two control the unmanifest Prakruti. 

From his left hand was created Fire, the son of Truth, representing the principle of Intellect. 

7. From his right hand was created Hara representing Ego. At first, Shesha was born. Garuda came next. 

8-9. Thereafter Brahma created Rudra. Thus, Brahma created the universe. Ten years after his own birth, Brahma created Vayu. A year after, he created Gayatri. 

10. A year after, he created Bharati. A thousand divine years after, he created Shesha. 

11. A thousand divine years after, he created Garuda.

12. After the lapse of the same period, he created Varuni. 

13. When ten years had lapsed after Garuda was created he created Sauparni. 

14-15. After the lapse of ten years, he created Parvati; after the lapse of ten years, he created the moon, the presiding deity of the mind.⁴ After the lapse of ten years, he created Indra, the presiding deity of the right arm. After the lapse of ten years, he created Shachi.⁵

4. The moon is born out of the mind of Brahma (Chandrama manaso jatah) and at the dissolution of the universe the mind is merged into the moon (manas chandre niliyate).

5. Shachi-the wise of Indra. 

16. After the lapse of thirty years since Indra was born, he created, from his left arm, Kama, the presiding deity of the mind.¹ 

1. deity of the mind: Since desire is born out of the mind, Kama (Desire) is said to be the presiding deity of the mind. But, as stated previously, the mind is governed by the moon.

17-18. After the lapse of ten years since the birth of Kama, he created Rati, the wife of Kama Brahma is the presiding deity of Kama. After the creation of the universe, he created Ego. 

19. After the lapse of ten years, he created the right nose. After the lapse of five years, he created the left nose. 

20-21. Seven years after the creation of ego, he created Bruhaspati. Five years after, he created Tara² who became the wife of Bruhaspati.

2. Tara-Wife of Bruhaspati who eloped with Chandra (the moon). A child born of their union was called Budha. She returned to Bruhaspati later on.

22. Twenty-five years after, he created Manu³ his son from his mind.

3. Manu-the mental son of self-born Brahma was called Svayambhuva.

23-28. Five years after, he created Shatarupa.⁴ Twenty years after, he created Daksa from his right thumb. Five years after, the four-faced Brahma⁵ created Prasuti from his left thumb.

4. Shatarupa-the wife of Manu.

5. On the four-faced Brahma, see P. Fn.

Brahma made an all-out effort and created offspring for the increase of population. First of all, he created Daksha.⁶ Twenty-five years after Daksha, he created Aniruddha,⁷ out of the joints of his middle finger.

6. Daksha. This is repeated.

7. Aniruddha. This feature is not mentioned elsewhere.

Twenty-five years after, he created Viraja out of the joints of his middle finger. 

One hundred years after, Aniruddha, he created Pravaha from the joints of his little finger. Ten years after, he created Parvati.

29. One hundred years after, he created Vamadeva from the joints of his little finger. 

30. He created Yama from his back. Eight years after, he created Shyamala who became the wife of Yama. 

31. Thirty years after Yama, he created the moon from the right car. The moon became the presiding deity of ears. 

32. Nine years after, the lord created Rohini. He created Garuda from his left ear, of which Garuda became the presiding deity. 

33. Twenty years after the creation of the moon, he created the sun from his right eye. 

34. Six years after the creation of the sun, he created Samjna from his left eye. 

35-36. A hundred years after, he created Varuna from his organ of taste and made him the presiding deity of that organ. 

Twenty years after, he created Ganga from the very organ of taste and made her the presiding deity of that organ. 

37. Ten years after, he created Narada from his lap. Narada became very dear to him. 

38-40. He created Agni from his organ of touch, sixty years after. 

He, the presiding deity of speech,¹ created Svaha² after five years. Svaha became the presiding deity of the mantras.

1. Either Brahma or Bruhaspati is meant.

2. Svaha, the wife of god Agni.

O lord of birds, ten years after, from his eye-brows, he created Bhrugu,³ the best of the Brahmanic sages.

3. Bhrugu: Son of Brahma and the founder of Bhrugu Vamsha, was born of Brahma's skin.

After a year, he created a woman who became the wife of Bhrugu. 

41. A hundred years after Bhrugu, he created Kashyapa out of his mind. 

42. A year after, he created Aditi. Ten years after Kashyapa, he created Atri. 

43. Ten years after, he created Bharadvaja.

Ten years after, he created Vasishtha. 

44. Ten years after, he created women, to become their consorts, at the interval of one year each. 

45. After Vasishtha, he created Gautama. Ten years after, he created Jamadagni. 

46-47. Ten years after, he created Vaivasvata Manu. A hundred years after Manu, was born Vishvaksena, the most powerful son of Vayu. Fourteen years after, the lord of ganas was born. 

48. O lord of birds, eight years after, he created Kubera; a year after, he created his consorts. 

49. Ten years after Vishvaksena, he created Jaya and others the devotees of the lord. 

50. After Jaya, he created the deities of activities–Valla and others. A hundred years after, he created the bull Nandi, the Vehicle of Shiva. 

51. Thirty years after, he created Parjanya, the presiding deity of Mantras and Yantras. 

52. Ten years after, he created Pushkara, the presiding deity of the principle of activity. 

O lord of birds, thus Brahma started creation at my bidding, in order to oblige me. 

He who understands this obtains liberation.