47 - The Creation from Prakriti and the Vikáras*

Márkandeya continues--After the Pádma Mahá-kalpa Brahma awoke, and as Nárayana raised the earth out of the sea of dissolution and fashioned it in its present shape--Then he created, first, the vegetable world--secondly, the animal world --- thirdly, the gods--fourthly, mankind--fifthly, Anugraha-and sixthly, the bhutas--Markandeya summarizes the nine creations, viz., these six, and the three described in Canto XLV. 

                  * The products evolved from Prakriti.

Kraushţuki spoke.

1 Tell me fully how Brahmá, the adorable, the creator, the lord of all creatures, the master, the divine, created all creatures. 

Márkandeya spoke.

2 Here I tell thee, O brahman, how the adorable eternal framer of the worlds created all the universe moveable and immoveable. 

3. At the dissolution which followed the Padma† Maha-kalpa the lord Brahmá awoke after having slept through the night. Then with goodness predominating in him he gazed on the

† For padmávasane read pádmávasáne? 

4 empty worlds. And here men utter this verse to Náráyana, who has Brahmá's own form, God of the universe, changeless

5 in might. “Nárá means water and bodies” *--we have thus heard it is a name for water; and in it he lies, hence he is called Náráyana. 

                  * Tanavah.

6 On awaking he knew that the earth had disappeared with in that water, and then became desirous through reflection to

7 deliver † the earth, therefrom. He assumed as of old in the kalpas and other times, other bodies such as those of a fish, a tortoise and other animals, and likewise he took the body of

                  † Sam-ud-dhára; not in the dictionnry.

8 a boar. The lord who is composed of the Vedas and sacrifices assumed a heavenly form composed of the Vedas and sacrifices and entered the water; he reached everywhere and

9 existed everywhere. And the lord of the world raised the earth out of the lower regions, and set it free in the water, while the Siddhas who abode in Jana-loka bent their thoughts

10 on him. The earth floated like an immense boat on that ocean but does not sink by reason of the amplitude of its size.

 11 Then he made the earth level and created the mountains on the earth. Formerly when creation was burnt up by the

12 then world-destroying fire, those mountains on the earth were totally consumed by that fire. The rocks were engulphed in that one ocean, and the water was driven together by the

13 winds; wherever they adhered and remained, there the mountains grew into being. Then he divided the earth, adorned

14 with seven dvipas; and he fashioned the four worlds, the Bhur-loka and the others, as before. While he pondered on creation, as of old in the kalpas and

15 other times, he next became manifested as devoid of intelligence, as enveloped in darkness. Darkness, folly, infatuation,

 16 gloominess, and blind consciousness--ignorance, †† composed of these five, became manifested out of the Supreme Soul. Creation irrational became established in five ways while he

                  †† A-vidya. 

17 was meditating. Externally and internally, it was destitute of light, * its soul was concealed, it consisted of vegetation † and since vegetation is declared to be “primary,” †† hence this is indeed the Mukhya creation.

* Prakásha. This is defined by S'hrí-dhara Svámí to mean “clear knowledge” (prakruishtam jnánam). It had no clear external perception of sound &c., or clear internal feeling of happiness, &c. 

                  † Naga. 

†† Mukhya.

18. He considered that creation incapable of causation, § and thought of creating another yet. While he was meditating on its creation, the animal world, in which the stream of life ||

§ For druishţvá sádhakam read druishţváshádhakam; see the second line of verse 21. 

                  || Srotas; or the current of nutriment.

19 is horizontal, ¶ came next into existence. Since its activities are displayed horizontally, hence it** is known as the “tiryaksrotas.” Cattle and other quadrupeds are well-known as being of that kind; they are indeed characterized chiefly by ignorance

                  ¶ Tiryak.

** For sa read sah? 

20 and are unintelligent; and they stray in wrong courses, and in their ignorance are subservient to knowledge; they are self-swayed, and devoted to self; they comprise twenty

21 eight classes. They all possess light* internally, but they are mutually circumscribed. †† He thought even that creation was incapable of causation,

†† A-vruita. Sh'ri-dhara explains this as, “mutually ignorant of their birth nature, &c.” 

22 and while he meditated, another came into existence; now this, the third, was the group of beings in which the stream of life passed upwards; †† it was characterized chiefly by goodness. Those beings abound in pleasure and affection; they

                  †† Urdhva-srotas. 

23 are uncircumscribed outwardly and inwardly; and possess light* externally and internally; they originated from an upward stream of life. Now that third creation of the Supreme Being who was satisfied in soul thereat is known as the creation

24 of the gods. When that creation came into being, Brahmá was pleased. Then he meditated further on another creation which should

25 be capable of causation and be the highest. While he meditated so, and meditated on truth, the group of beings in which the stream of life passes downwards, * and which is capable of causution, † next became manifest out of the Imperceptible.

                  * Arvák-srotas. 

                  † For sádhakah read sadhakam?

26 Since the streams of life in them moved downwards, hence they †† are “arvák-srotas;” and they possess light § copiously; they are characterized chiefly by ignorance and passion

                  †† For ta read te? 

                  § Prakásha, see note * p. 230.

27 Hence they have abundance of suffering and are continuously engaged in action; and they possess light externally and internally. They are mankind and are capable of causation.

28. Anugraha || was the fifth creation; it is disposed in four ways, by contrariety, ¶ and by perfection, ** by tranquillity, ††

|| This is the Pratyaya-sarga or intellectual creation of the Shánkhya philosophy. But Shri-dhara explains it as an inferior creation of gods (deva-sarga), who are characterized by both goodness and ignorance. It is characterized performance because it is nourished by the ignorance among immoveable and the animal creation; it is claracterized by goodness, because it harmonizes with and thrives upon the perfection and satisfaction among and the gods; and it is called Anugraha, because it favours (anugrahaka) the several natural dispositions of those objects. 

                  ¶Viparyaya.

** Siddhi.

†† S'hánti. 

29 and by satisfaction †† likewise. The objects of this creation Moreover, have knowledge of the past and of the present.

                  †† Tushţi

 30 The creation of the origins of the groas elements §§ and the gross elements || || is called the sixth; they all possess comprehensiveness, ¶¶ and are prone to mutual division; *** and the origins of the gross elements are to be known as both impulsive and devoid of propensities.

                  §§ Bhútadika

|| || Bhuta

¶¶ Pari-graha

*** Sam-vi-bhága. 

31 Now the creation of “mahat” is to be known as the first by Brahmá; and the second of the “tan-mátras” is called

32 the creation of the “bhutas;” and the third creation is that of the “vikáras,” ††† and it is perceptible by the senses. So was produced the creation from Prakriti wherein Intelligence preceded.

††† products evnload from Prakriti 

33 The “mukhya” creation was the fourth, the mukhya things are known as immoveable. The fifth was that called

34 “tiryak-srotas” * and “tairyag-yonya.” Next was the sixth creation, that of the “úrdhva-srotas”; † it is known as the creation of the gods. Then the creation of the “arvák-srotas”

                  * For tiryak-srotas read tiryak-srotas?

† For tato'rddha-srotasám read tathorddhva-srotasam?

35 is the seventh; it is that of mankind. The eighth creation is “anugraha”; it is characterized by goodness and ignorange. These last five creations are known as those which were evolved from the Vikáras, †† and the first three as those

                  †† Vaikruita. 

36 evolved from Prakriti. § The ninth creation was Prákruita and also Vaikruita; it is known as “Kaumára.” || Thus these nine creations of the Prajá-pati have been declared. 

                  § Prakruita.

|| This is the creation of Nila-lohita Rudra (see Chanto LII) and of Sanatkumára and the other mind-born sons of Brahmá, the Kumáras. This creation is called prákruita because Rudra sprang into existence by himself as mentioned in that chanto, verse 3. It is also called vaikruita, because the Kumáras were created by Brahmá in the form he assumed of a vikara (vikruiti-bhuta).