Creation
and Annihilation of the Universe
Krsna's
three energies
The
three kinds of creation
The
nine kinds of creation
Visarga;
recreation - creations of Brahma
The
creations of the Kumaras and others
The
species of life
The
four categories of the universal annihilation
Krsna's three
energies
visnu saktih
para prokta
ksetra-jnakhya tatha para
avidya-karma samjnanya
trtiya saktir isyate
"The Supreme Lord has diverse and innumerable energies which
are beyond our conception; however, great learned sages or liberated souls have
studied these energies and have analyzed them into three parts. All of the
energies are of visnu-sakti, that is to say they are different potencies of
Lord Visnu. The first energy is para, transcendental. Living entities also
belong to the superior energy. The other energies, or material energies, are in
the mode of ignorance." (Visnu Purana 6.7.61)
1) Antaranga sakti - internal potency (Yoga-maya)
sat - samvit - eternal potency
cit - sandhini - knowledge potency
ananda - hladini - pleasure potency
The spiritual energy is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. It
is
transcendental and beyond all changes of material nature.
2) Bahiranga sakti - external energy (Maha-maya) (BG 7.4)
a) bhumih - earth
b) apah - water
c) analah - fire
d) vayuh - air
e) kham - ether
f) manah - mind
g) buddhih - intelligence
h) ahankara - false ego
The external energy is the exact opposite and is therefore
temporary, full of ignorance and misery. It is mundane and always changing.
3) Tatastha sakti - marginal potency (living beings) (BG 7.5;
15.7)
The marginal energy (jiva) also belongs to the spiritual energy,
but because he has the independence to be either in the spiritual world or the
material world, he is called marginal.
Krsna is the saktimana or the source of all energy. (BG 7.6)
The whole manifestation is the Lord himself by diffusion of His
different energies only, namely the internal, external and marginal. Such
energy is simultaneously one with and different from the Lord
(acintya-bheda-abheda-tattva). (SB 2.9.27)
The material world is also called Durga or jail. Just as the jail
is for those people who break the laws of the government, this material world
is created for those souls who do not like to accept Krsna's supremacy. Just as
the purpose of the jail is to reform criminals, in the same way the purpose of
creation is to reform the conditioned soul or to get rid of his criminal desire
to use Krsna's property without Krsna. (SB 2.9.19 purport)
The elementary creation of the sixteen items of matter
|
1) earth |
1) nose |
1) smell |
The five gross elements, the five senses, the five sense objects
and the mind make up the sixteen items of matter. The creation of these
elementary manifestations is a result of the energies of Maha Visnu. All this
is called creation or sarga.
The interaction of the modes of nature is called visarga,
recreation or secondary creation. The secondary creation is a result of the
original ingredients and is performed by Brahma. (SB 2.10.3) After manifesting
the universes from the pores of His skin, Maha Visnu expands as Garbhodakasayi
Visnu and enters into each and every universe which is half filled with water
made from the perspiration from His transcendental body. Because He is the
Supreme Person or Nara and the water from His body is called Nara, because he
lies on this water He is called Narayana. While lying on His bed of mystic
slumber the Lord desired to manifest varieties of living entities from Himself
alone.
The Lord divides His potency into three divisions:
1) Adhidaiva - controlling
entities
2) Adhiyatma - controlled entities
3) Adhibhuta - material bodies or forms of matter
SB 2.10.15-30:
From the sky situated within the body of the manifesting Maha
Visnu sense energy, mental force and bodily strength are all generated, as well
as the sum total of the fountainhead of the total living force. (This explains
how everything originally comes from Maha Visnu).
When the total energy is in motion, all other entities move, and
when the total energy stops endeavoring, all other living entities stop sensual
activities. The individual entities are completely dependent on the total
energy of the Lord, just as every electrical instrument depends of the power
house.
Being agitated by the virata purusa, the living force generated
hunger and thirst and when He desired to eat and drink the mouth opened.
From the mouth the palate became manifested as well as the tongue.
After this all the different tastes came into existence. The controlling deity
Varuna also became manifest along with the tongue.
When the Supreme desired to speak, speeches were vibrated from the
mouth. Then the controlling deity of speech Fire (Agni) was generated from the
mouth.
When the Supreme desired to smell odors, the nostrils and
respiration were generated, the nasal instrument and odors also came into
existence, and the controlling deity of air, carrying smell, also became
manifested.
When the Lord desired to see the eyes, the Sun, the power of
vision and the object of sight all became manifested.
Because of the desire of the great sages to know, the ears, the
power of hearing, and the objects of hearing became manifested. The controlling
deities of directions also became manifested.
When there was a desire to perceive the physical characteristics
of matter, the skin, the skin pores and hairs on the body as well as their
controlling deities (the trees), were generated.
When the supreme Person desired to work, the hands and their
controlling deity Indra became manifested and acts dependent on the hands were
also generated.
Because of His desire to control movement the legs became
manifested and the controlling deity Visnu was generated.
Sexual pleasure and the genital organ along with the controlling
deity Prajapati developed.
When He desired to evacuate the refuse of eatables, the evacuating
hole developed along with the controlling deity Mitra.
When He desired to move from one body to another, the navel and
the air of departure and death (apana vayu) were created.
When He desired food and drink the abdomen, the intestines and
arteries became manifest. The controlling deities, the rivers and the oceans,
are the source of their sustenance and keep these organs healthy.
When there was a desire to think about the activities of his
potent energy, the heart, the mind, the moon, determination and desire all
became manifested. The mind's activities begin only when the heart becomes
manifested. The heart becomes manifested when the Supersoul desires to remind
the soul of his past activities and to see His creation.
The whole explanation and description given above is on the
subject of the absolute dependence of the living entities and absolute
independence of the Supreme Lord. Everything must first be desired by the Lord
before the subordinate living entity can act upon it. The living entity can
only see when the Lord sees, he can only smell when the Lord smells, etc.
The Visvarupa, the gigantic universal form of the Lord, is not an
eternal form. It is manifested after the ingredients of the material creation
in each universe by Garbhodakasayi Visnu. (SB 3.6.4)
The conception of the Visvarupa, the universal form is especially
meant for the neophytes who cannot understand the transcendental form of the
Lord. For them He manifests a material form or the universal form. (SB 1.3.3
purport)
SB 2.5.22-24: After the incarnation of the first purusa
(Karanodakasayi Visnu) the mahat-tattva (sum total of material energy) becomes
manifested. Then time is generated and in course of time false ego appears and
transforms into three qualities.
1) Goodness - vaikarika
ahankara
2) Passion - taijasa ahankara
3) Ignorance - tamasa ahankara
Manifestations of false ego in ignorance
SB 2.5.24-29:
From the darkness of false ego five elements are generated.
1) Sky becomes manifested first. Its subtle form is the quality of
sound.
2) Because sky is transformed air is generated with its subtle
quality of touch. (It also contains the quality of sound).
3) When air is transformed fire is generated with its subtle
quality of shape or form. (Fire also contains the qualities of sound and
touch).
4) When fire is transformed water is generated with its subtle
quality of taste. (Water also contains the qualities of sound, touch and form).
5) When water is transformed earth is generated with its subtle
quality of smell. (Earth also contains the qualities of sound, touch form and
taste).
Subtle element Gross element
Sound is the subtle quality of
sky
Touch is the subtle quality of air
Form is the subtle quality of fire
Taste is the subtle quality of water
Smell is the subtle quality of earth
Each of the elements evolve from subtle to gross. The evolving
element has the quality of the previous element as well as its own. Hence the
sky, the subtlest of the five gross elements has one quality. As the different
elements evolve they have the qualities of the previous elements and so earth,
the last element to manifest has all the qualities of all the elements. (SB
3.5.32-36)
Sky - sound
Air - sound, touch
Fire - sound, touch, form
Water - sound, touch, form, taste
Earth - sound, touch, form, taste, smell
The construction of the whole material world is prominently made
by three elements, namely earth, water and fire. But the living force is
produced by sky, air and water. So water is the common element in both the
gross and subtle forms of the material creation. Water is the most prominent
element and is therefore the principle element of all the five. (SB 2.10.31
purport)
Manifestations of false ego in passion
SB 2.5.31: From false ego in the mode of passion all of the sense
organs are generated. There are two kinds of senses:
|
Knowledge acquiring senses |
Working senses |
The intelligence and the living energy are also generated.
Manifestations of false ego in goodness
SB 2.5.30: From false ego in the mode of goodness the mind is
generated and becomes manifested. The ten demigods controlling bodily movements
are also manifested.
The five knowledge acquiring senses and their controlling deities:
1) Ears - sense of hearing - controlling deities of directions
2) Skin - sense of touch - controlling deity of air, Vayu
3) Eyes - sense of sight - controlling deity the Sun god
4) Tongue - sense of taste - controlling deity of water, Varuna
5) Nose - sense of smell - controlling deity the Asvini Kumaras
The five working senses and their controlling deities:
1) Voice - Agni
2) Hands - Indra, king of heaven
3) Legs - Lord Visnu
4) Anus - Mitra
5) Genitals - Brahma
Aniruddha - mind - Moon god
Pradyumna - intelligence - Brahma
Sankarsana - false ego - Siva
The sense of perception is of two kinds; touch and itching.
The controlling deity of air in the body is called Anila. Anila
also controls the sense of touch.
The controlling deity of hairs on the body is called Osadhya. He
also controls the itching sensation.
The controlling deities of the trees control the hairs on the
body.
Vayu, the controller of air, controls smell because smell is
carried by air.
The controlling deities of the rivers control the nervous system.
The ocean is considered to be the controlling deity of the
abdomen.
The three kinds
of creation
SB 2.10.46 purport:
1. Mahakalpa: the creation of the sixteen elementary elements,
which are all products of the false ego, created by Maha Visnu. (Maha Visnu
creates the total material energy).
2. Vikalpa: the creation of Brahma by Garbhodakasayi Visnu and the
dispersion of the material elements. (Garbhodakasayi Visnu creates the
diversities in each universe).
3. Kalpa: the creation by Brahma in each day of his life after
waking from his sleep.
Lord Brahma's one day is called a kalpa, the creation of Brahma is
called vikalpa and the creation of the total creation is called mahakalpa.
In the Skanda Purana, Brahma's thirty days are mentioned:
|
1) Sveta Varaha Kalpa |
11) Dhyana Kalpa |
21) Soma Kalpa |
Each day of Brahma is a duration of one thousand divya yugas. A
divya yuga comprises of one thousand of the four yugas. The same duration
comprises his night.
The nine kinds
of creation
SB 3.10.15-29:
1) The first creation is of the Mahat-tattva (by Mahavisnu)
In the first creation the modes of nature mix and give rise to
false ego.
2) False ego or identification of the body, along with the material
ingredients, material knowledge and material activities arise (working senses
and knowledge acquiring senses).
3) The sense perceptions are created and from these the material
elements are generated.
i) sound - sky
ii) touch - air
iii) sight - fire
iv) taste - water
v) smell - earth
4) The creation of knowledge and working capacity.
5) The controlling deities become manifest by the interaction of
the mode of goodness.
6) The sixth creation is the ignorant darkness of the living
entity, by which the master acts as a fool.
7) The seventh creation is that of immovable living beings -
plants and trees.
8) The eight creation brings into existence animal species
comprising twenty eight groups.
9) The ninth creation gives rise to the human beings which belong
to only one species. They are predominantly under the influence of passion.
These last three creations as well as the tenth creation are called vaikrta
creations and they are different from the previous creations called prakrta.
Creation of Kumaras belongs to both. 10) There is also tenth creation, of
demigods, who comprise eight species.
Visarga;
recreation - creations of Brahma
SB 3.10.7-9: Sitting on top of the lotus, which was spread
throughout the universe, Brahma contemplated on how to create all the planets.
Brahma then entered in the whorl of the lotus and divided it into three
divisions and then into fourteen divisions.
The seeds of all the planets in the universe were impregnated in
the lotus by the Supreme Lord. The material world and the living entities were
already generated in seedling forms by the Lord and Brahma was to disseminate
the seedlings all over the universe. (SB 3.10.7 purport)
The creations of
the Kumaras and others
SB 3.12.2-57:
Brahma first created the nescient engagements which are five in
number.
1) Self-deception - Moha
2) The sense of death - Andha Tamisra
3) Anger after frustration - Tamisra
4) The sense of false ownership - Maha Moha
5) Forgetfulness of one's real identity - Tamas
Before creating the living entities in their different species of
life, their living conditions were created by Brahma.
Brahma then gave up his body and began a new term of creation.
In the beginning Brahma created the four Kumaras; Sanaka, Sananda,
Sanatana and Sanat Kumara.
Brahma asked his four sons to generate progeny. The Kumaras
declined, which made Brahma very angry. He tried to control his anger but it
came out from between his eyebrows in the form of a child in a mixed colour of
red and blue. The child was crying and was therefore called Rudra. He was given
eleven places to reside. Rudra then began to increase the progeny of the
universe with offspring resembling himself in every way. They attempted to
devour the universe, which made Brahma very afraid. He told Rudra to go and
perform penance and wait for the time of dissolution, when his services would
be called upon.
Brahma then created ten sons:
1) Narada - born from Brahma's
deliberation
2) Vasistha - born from Brahma's breathing
3) Daksa - born from Brahma's thumb
4) Bhrgu - born from Brahma's touch
5) Kratu - born from Brahma's hand
6) Pulastya - born from brahma's ears
7) Angira - born from Brahma's mouth
8) Atri - born from brahma's eyes
9) Marici - born from Brahma's mind
10) Pulaha - born from Brahma's navel
Religion was manifested from his breast and irreligion from his
back.
- lust and desire became
manifest from his heart
- anger from his eyebrows
- greed from his lips
- the power of speaking from his mouth
- the ocean from his genitals
- abominable activities from his anus
Kardama was manifested from his shadow.
Brahma had a daughter named Vak born from his body. His mind was
attracted sinfully to her and his sons prayed to the Supreme Lord for the good
sense of Brahma.
Brahma gave up his body of sinful thought which became the
dangerous fog of darkness.
The four Vedas, the four principles of religion, the four social
orders, medical science, military art, musical art, architectural science all
emanated one after another. The fifth Veda (Purana) as well as histories all
became manifest from his different mouths in systematic order. The eight
varieties of fire sacrifice, the four divisions of retired life, the four
divisions of renounced life, the science of logical argument, law and order,
and moral codes all became manifest from his mouth. The pranava omkara was
manifested from his heart. The art of literary expression usnik was generated
from his hair. The principle Vedic hymn, gayatri, from his skin, tristup from
the flesh, anustup from the veins, and jagati from his bones. The art of
writing verse, pankti, came from the bone marrow, and brhati, another type of
verse, was generated from the life-breath. Brahma's soul was manifested as the
touch alphabets (sparsas), his body as the vowels, his senses as the sibilant
alphabets, his strength as the intermediate alphabets and his sensual
activities as the seven notes of music.
When Brahma saw that in spite of the presence of the sages there
was no sufficient increase in the population, he seriously began to consider
how the population could be increased. While he was thus contemplating, two
forms were generated from his body. They were Svayambhuva Manu and Satarupa. In
due course of time Manu begot two sons, Uttanapada and Priyavrata, and three
daughters, Akuti, Devahuti and Prasuti. Manu gave Akuti to the sage Ruci,
Devahuti to Kardama and Prasuti to Daksa. From them, all the world filled with
population.
SB 3.20.18-50:
Brahma first created the five kinds of ignorance from his shadow
(tamisra, andha-tamisra, tamas, moha and maha-moha).
Out of disgust, Brahma threw off the body of ignorance, which
became the night. The Yaksas and Raksasas took possession of that body. Night
is the source of hunger and thirst. Overpowered by hunger and thirst they ran
to devour Brahma and Brahma became very afraid and asked to be spared.
He then created the chief demigods. He dropped before them the
form of daytime and the demigods sportingly took possession of it.
Brahma then gave birth to the demons from his buttocks. They were
very fond of sex and even approached him for copulation. Brahma first laughed
at their stupidity, but seeing their determination grew indignant and ran away
to approach the Lord for protection. The Lord ordered him to give up that body,
which took the form of the evening twilight. The demons became bewildered and
took the twilight to be a beautiful woman and seized her.
Brahma then evolved the Gandharvas and Apsaras.
Then he evolved from his sloth the ghosts and goblins. The ghosts
took possession of the body thrown off in the form of yawning by Brahma. (This
is the sleep that causes drooling. Ghosts attack such unclean people who are
subject to be haunted or to go insane.)
Brahma then evolved the Sadhyas and Pitas from his own invisible
form, from his navel.
Brahma then evolved the Siddhas and Vidyadharas and gave them his
form known as Antardhana. (Antardhana means that these living creatures can be
perceived to be present, but they cannot be seen.)
Seeing his reflection in the water and admiring himself, Brahma
evolved the Kimpurusas as well as the Kinnaras out of that reflection.
Brahma once laid down with his body at full length. In a sullen
mood he gave up that body which transformed into snakes.
From his mind Brahma evolved the Manus who promote welfare
activities and Brahma gave them his own human form.
The species of
life
jalaja nava
laksani
sthavara laksha-vimsati
krimayo rudra sankhyakat
prkshinam dasa-laksanam
trimsal-laksani paravah
catur laksani manusah
"There are 900,000 species living in the water. There are
also 2,000,000 nonmoving entities such as trees and plants. There are 1.100,000
species of insects and reptiles and there are 1,000,000 species of birds. As
far as animals are concerned there are 3,000,000 varieties and there are
400,000 human species." (Padma Purana)
SB 2.10.37-40: Brahma and his sons like Daksa, the periodical
heads like Vaivasvata Manu, the demigods like Indra, Candra and Varuna, the
great sages like Bhrgu, Vyasa and Vasistha, the Gandharvas, Vidyadharas,
Asuras, Yaksas, Kinnaras and apsaras, the serpents, the monkey-shaped
Kimpurusas, the human beings, the inhabitants of Matrloka, the demons, Pisacas,
ghosts, spirits, lunatics and evil spirits, the good and evil stars, goblins,
the animals in the forest, the birds, the household animals, the reptiles, the
mountains, the entities born from the embryo, from eggs, from perspiration,
from seeds and all others, whether they be in water, land or air, in happiness
or distress. All of them, according to their past deeds are created by the
Supreme Lord.
SB 5.5.21-22: Beings who have a living force (vegetables, trees
and plants), are superior to earth, stone or dull matter, etc. Superior to
non-moving beings are snakes and worms, etc., or beings that move. Superior to
snakes and worms are animals with developed intelligence. Superior to animals
are human beings. Superior to human beings are ghosts because they have no
material (gross) bodies. Superior to ghosts are Gandharvas. Superior to
Gandharvas are the Siddhas. Superior to the Siddhas are the Kinnaras. Superior
to the Kinnaras are the demons. Superior to the demons are the demigods. Of the
demigods Indra is the topmost. Brahma's direct sons like Daksa, etc., are
superior to Indra. Among Brahma's sons Siva is the most elevated.
SB 6.6.*: Prajapati Daksa begot sixty daughters in the womb of his
wife Asikni. These daughters were given in charity to different people to
increase the population. Ten daughters were given to Dharmaraja, thirteen to
Kasyapa, and twenty-seven to the moon god. In this way fifty daughters were
distributed. Of the other ten, two were given to Bhuta, Angira and Krsasva and
the remaining four were given to Kasyapa. Thus Kasyapa got seventeen of Daksa's
daughters. It was because of the union of these daughters with various exalted
personalities, that the entire universe was filled with various kinds of living
entities in various bodies like humans, demigods, birds, etc.
The four
categories of the universal annihilation
There are four kinds of annihilation summarized as constant,
occasional, material and final.
1) At every moment time invisibly transforms the bodies of all
created beings and all other manifestations of matter. This process of
transformation causes the living entity to undergo the constant annihilation of
birth and death.
"Experts in the subtle workings of nature, O subduer of the
enemy, have declared that there are continuous processes of creation and
annihilation that all created beings, beginning with Brahma, constantly
undergo. (SB 12.4.35)
"For a person who is suffering in the fire of countless
miseries and who desires to cross the insurmountable ocean of material
existence, there is no suitable boat except that of cultivating devotion to the
transcendental taste for the narrations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead's
pastimes." (SB 12.4.40)
2) One thousand cycles of the four yugas constitute one day of
Brahma. During his night Brahma sleeps and the three planetary systems meet
destruction. This is called naimittika or occasional annihilation. (SB
12.4.2-4)
When Brahma's night appears, the sun and the moon are without
glare. The sun and the moon do not vanish, they appear in the remaining portion
of the universe. The devastation takes place due to fire emanating from the
mouth of Sankarsana. The great sages like Bhrgu and other inhabitants of
Maharloka, transport themselves to Janaloka, being disturbed by the warmth of
the blazing fire that rages throughout the universe. At the beginning of
devastation all the seas become ferocious and in no time all the three worlds
become full of water. The fire from Sankarsana's mouth rages for 36,000 years.
Then for another 36,000 years there are torrents of rain with wind, etc., and
the oceans overflow. These reactions for 72,000 years are the beginning of the
partial devastation of the three worlds. When Brahma goes to sleep, the three
worlds below Brahmaloka are submerged in the water of devastation. In his
sleeping condition Brahma dreams about the Garbhodakasayi Visnu and takes
instruction from the Lord how to recreate the devastated area.
There is also a partial annihilation up to the earthly planet
after the period of each Manu.
3) When Brahma's life span is finished there occurs the prakrtika
or total material annihilation. At that time the entire universal egg is
destroyed.
"At the time of devastation, when Lord Ananta desires to
destroy the entire creation, He becomes slightly angry. Then from between His
eyebrows, the three-eyed Rudra carrying a trident becomes manifested. This
Rudra who is known as Sankarsana is the embodiment of the eleven Rudras. He
appears to devastate the creation." (SB 5.25.3, 2.10.43)
As the annihilation approaches there will be no rain on the earth
for one hundred years. Drought will lead to famine and the starving populace
will consume one another. Thus they will gradually be destroyed. The sun will
then drink the water of the oceans, of the living bodies and of the earth
itself. But the devastating sun will not give rain in return. Next the fire of
annihilation will flare up from the mouth of Lord Sankarsana. Carried by the
mighty wind, this fire will burn throughout the universe, scorching the
lifeless cosmic shell. Burned from all sides, from above by the blazing sun and
from below by the fire of Lord Sankarsana, the universal sphere will glow like
a burning ball of cow dung. A great and terrible wind of destruction will begin
to blow for more than one hundred years, and the sky, covered with dust, will
turn grey. After that, groups of multicolored clouds will gather, roaring
terribly with thunder, and will pour down floods of rain for one hundred years.
At that time, the shell of the universe will fill up with water, forming a
single cosmic ocean. As the entire universe is flooded, the water will rob the
earth of its unique quality of fragrance, and the element earth, deprived of
its distinguishing quality, will be dissolved. The element fire then seizes the
taste from water and water merges into fire. Air seizes form from fire and fire
merges into air. Ether then seizes the quality of touch from air and air merges
into ether. False ego in ignorance seizes sound from ether. False ego in
passion seizes the senses and false ego in goodness seizes the demigods. The
mahat-tattva seizes false ego and thus everything is wound up. (SB 12.4.7-19)
4) When a person achieves knowledge of his relationship with Krsna
or when he understands his factual identity, he is then liberated from the
material nature. This is called final annihilation or atyantika. (SB 12.4.34)