॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Saturday, 17 September 2022 - The fifth chapter of the second Skandha- Lord Brahma begins to answer Sage Narada’s questions about creation.
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Bhagavan is described as Ishwara and Vasudeva (वासुदेव). He is the repository of all great qualities, the master of all, and the lord of all creation. Is this only an abstract concept? Or does Srimad Bhagavatam explain how Ishwara Himself has become this universe, and yet rules it?
Yes, this is covered in several chapters in the entire scripture repeatedly and reinforced in several ways. This knowledge is imparted because true knowledge of the Lord develops true Bhakti. True Bhakti in turn spurs the seeker to get a deeper knowledge of the Lord!
श्रद्धावान् लभते ज्ञानम् - BG Ch.4 - T: Only the one with devotion acquires true knowledge.
ज्ञानवान् मां प्रपद्यते - BG Ch. 7 - T: The one with true knowledge worships the Lord as being everything.
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This and the next chapter are a dialogue between Sage Narada and Lord Brahma. In the Trinity, Brahma is called the Creator. Sage Narada was born as his spiritual son. So Narada goes to him, seeking true knowledge.
“Oh, revered father, oh, Lord Brahma, kindly grant me the knowledge of this creation. You know everything, and you have created this world.”
आत्मन् भावयसे तानि न पराभावयन्स्वयम् । आत्मशक्तिमवष्टभ्य ऊर्णनाभिरिवाक्लमः॥
T:” Oh, Sire, you create this whole of creation by using your own power, just like a spider weaves his web out of himself. But like the spider, you remain unentangled in your own creation!”
स भवानचरद्घोरं यत्तपः सुसमाहितः। तेन खेदयसे नस्त्वं पराशङ्कां प्रयच्छसि॥
T: “And yet, Sire, I know that you have yourself performed severe austerities with great discipline to acquire your status as Brahma. That gives me cause to wonder if there is anyone above you whom you have propitiated!”
एतन्मे पृ्च्छतः सर्वं सर्वज्ञ सकलेश्वर। विजानीहि यथैवेदमहं बुद्ध्येऽनुशासितः॥
T: “Be so kind, oh Supreme Lord, to clarify all this to me in a way that I can understand.”
Lord Brahma begins to reply.
सम्यक्कारुणिकस्येदं वत्स ते विचिकित्सितम्। यदहं चोदितः सौम्य भगवद्वीर्यदर्शने॥
तस्मै नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय धीमहि। यन्मायया दुर्जयया मां ब्रुवन्ति जगद्गुरम्॥
द्रव्यं कर्म च कालश्च स्वभावो जीव एव च। वासुदेवात्परो भ्रह्मन्नचान्योऽर्थपऽस्ति तत्त्वतः॥
T: “Dear son, Narada, you have asked a sincere question. That gives me a happy opportunity to recount the glories of the Lord.”
“I bow down to that Lord, Bhagavan Vasudeva and meditate on Him with all my being. It is only his Maya that is almost uncrossable which makes people think of me as the the boss of this universe. The funny thing is that the Lord’s Maya is herself overcome with shyness and she cannot stand in front of Him!”
“Narada, you are a true Brahmin because you are a sincere seeker. Know that the gross material elements (Dravya), the phenomenon of effort (Karma) as well as the natural tendencies of each being (Svabhava) and the phenomenon of Jiva (the bound soul) are all His making. There is nothing beyond His control. There is no goal or truth beyond Him.”
नारायणपरो योगो नारायणपरं तपः। नारायणपरं ज्ञानं नारायणपरा गतिः॥
T: “Verily, all Yoga is dedicated to Narayana. All penance and austerity is to propitiate Narayana. All knowledge is finally leading to Narayana. The path and state of liberation are both in Narayana alone.”
तस्यापि द्रष्टुरीशस्य कूटस्थस्याखलात्मनः।सृज्यं सृजामि सृष्टोऽहमीक्षयैवाभिचोदितः॥
T: “Narada, I have been created by Him alone. He is located as the Supersoul in all, He dwells in every intellect. Whatever He has directed me to create, I create, ordered by a mere glance of His.”
“For the sake of creating the material world and its maintenance and annihilation, He accepts through His external energy the material modes of nature called goodness, passion and ignorance (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas), although He is always transcendental. These modes become in turn knowledge, activity and matter, operating under the principle of cause and effect. The Lord creates thus all entities including the gods out of Himself, and also eventually dissolves them. In this process, matter, knowledge and activities put the eternally transcendental living entity under conditions of cause and effect and make him responsible for such activities.”
“From the cosmic primal state, Kala (Time), Karma (activity) and Maya (the delusory sense of ego-identity) arise. Sattva confers Jnanashakti. Rajas confers Kriyashakti. Tamas confers Dravyashakti.”
“From the darkness of ego, the first of the five elements, namely the sky, is generated. Its subtle form is the quality of sound. Then the sky is transformed and the air is generated with the quality of touch, endowed also with sound. Thus are born the basic principles of duration of life: sense perception, mental power and bodily strength.”
“When the air is transformed, fire is generated, taking shape as form with the added sense of touch and sound. Then comes water, full of juice and taste and it also has form, touch and sound. And water, being transformed in variegated ways, becomes earth, appears odorous and with the added qualities of taste, touch, sound and form respectively. Thus the five gross elements with the five preceptible sense experiences come into existence through the interactions of the three modes.”
Lord Brahma describes the various deities that control these aspects, and how the Lord creates them too.
Mind is first born. Then come the organs of perception, and then the organs of action.
But the body is not energised into life until the Lord enters it by His own energy. Finally, He enters it as consciousness, and the Jiva is born.
Lord Brahma then describes how the various Lokas (spheres of the material world) form parts or limbs of the Lord.
Now another description is given, which also matches the Purushasukta.
पुरुषस्य मुखं ब्रह्म क्षत्रमेतस्य बाहवः। ऊर्वोर्वैश्यो भगवतः पद्भ्यां शूद्रोऽभ्यजायत॥
T: “The Brahmin came from the mouth of the Virat Purusha, the Kshatriya came out of his arms, his thighs created the Vaishya and the Sudra was born from His feet.”
This idea is anathema to anyone who wants a casteless society of egalitarianism and universal equality. But we should understand this in a straightforward sense. Each Jiva is a product of several lives of acquired tendencies and abilities. This idea is the core of Guna and Karma that define a Jiva. All people (i.e. every Jiva) in society operate according to their intrinsic nature and ability and opportunity. Neither menial work, nor agriculture and commerce, nor the law, order and defence, and definitely not the roles of educators and preceptors, will ever be eliminated. The question of equality should be interpreted as gainful employment suiting one’s opportunity and ability. Never in any of our scriptures is aspiration condemned. What is condemned is trying to copy others or stealing their wealth or status by devious means. One can strive, life after life, birth after birth, for the betterment of the quality of one’s life which finally should culminate, according to the Hindu Dharma, in the pursuit of liberation or Moksha which by His grace transforms into Bhakti or Universal Love.
॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
