Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Srimad Bhagavatam III.06 - 28 September 2022



॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥

Wednesday, 28 September 2022 - Sage Maitreya’s instruction to Vidura continues on the subject of creation.

It is vital for us to understand how the universe as we see it came into existence. After several thousand years of scientific observation and inference, they suggested the Big Bang theory, and the God Particle. However, studies in 2022 have opposed that inference. The search continues for the truth about this.

But according to Sanatana Dharma, Ishwara created this universe as a combination of matter, energy and consciousness out of Himself. This is described in a very interesting way for us here, with imagery of an infinitely big Virat Purusha.

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The Sage Maitreya continued:

The Lord noticed that the Mahattattva was unable to coalesce into a concrete creation as the components thereof remained disparate. Therefore, with His energy, called Kaala here (also interpreted as Kali in some texts), He combined and entered into the 23 parts, viz. the mind and five senses of action and five senses of perception, the Mahattattva, Ahankara, five tanmatras (subtle elements), five gross elements, all making up the 23 parts. This started the process of manifestation, and the entities as it were woke up from sleep.

When the 23 principal parts were set in action by the Lord’s will, the gigantic universal form, or the Virat Purusha, came into existence. That held all unmoving and moving elements of creation.
The gigantic Virat Puruṣa, known as Hiranmaya, lived for one thousand celestial years on the water of the universe, and all the living entities lay with Him.

The Virat Purusha had three potencies - Devashakti (consciousness), Kriyashakti (action) and Bhoktrishakti (enjoying).

The Devashakti is the divine spirit functioning in all. The Kriyashakti is the five Pranas and their respective functions, and Bhoktrishakti consists of the triad of Adhyatmikaa, Adhidaivikaa and Adhibhautika.

The Virat Purusha was the first incarnation of the Bhagavan. From the Virat Purusha, all beings are created.

His three associations are the indriyas (Adhyatmika), connected with the deities (Adhidaivika) and Adhibhautika (the body).

In answer to the prayers of the deities (gods mentioned before), the Lord manifested as the Virat Purusha, and they found their respective places in this being.

Agni took his place in the mouth for speech. Varuna took his place in the tongue for taste. The Ashwini twins took their place in the nose for smell.  Surya took his place in the eyes for sight. Vayu took his place in the skin for touch. The Dikpalas took their place in the ears for hearing.

Hair on the skin caused the oushadhis and also the faculty of sensation.

Prajapati took his place in the genital organ, for sexual function and pleasure. Mitra took his place in the organ of excretion.

Indra took his place in the arms for dexterity. Vishnu took his place in the legs to enable walking.

In the heart settled Chandrama for the mind (emotion) to function. Ahankara was occupied by Rudra with his sense of will and I-ness. Brahma took his place in the Intellect.

All living entities, humans and animals, dwell in the region from the head (heaven) to the feet (earth) around the navel. They all have the three Gunas.

Devas with Sattva in the main, are in his head. Humans with Rajas occupy the earth. The attendants of Rudra represent Tamas and are in his navel.

Brahmanas, exemplars and teachers of the community, came from His face. Kshatriyas, with the art of protection and committed leadership, came from His arms. The Vaishyas, generating wealth for the good of all, came from His thighs. The occupation of service essential to the upholding of Dharma came from His feet.

एते वर्णाः स्वधर्मेण यजन्ति स्वगुरुं हरिम्। श्रद्धयात्मविशुद्ध्यर्थं यज्जाताः सह वृत्तिभिः॥
T: All these Varnas arose from the Lord Sri Hari whom they worship by excellence in what they are naturally equipped to do, with faith and devotion for their own self-purification.

Who, Vidura, can hope to describe the Lord and His glories? His mysterious Maya includes the phenomena of Time, Karma and Nature! But I want to purify my speech so I shall speak about the Lord. Indeed, man is equipped with the faculty of speech only to sing His glories.
Similarly, his ears are meant to listen to the Lord’s splendour.

Lord Brahma, after a thousand divine years of tapas, could not understand the unending glories of the Lord. So did the best of yogis struggle to comprehend even a bit of His Maya. In fact, perhaps even the Lord cannot understand the power of His Yoga Maya!

Therefore my salutations to the Lord whom neither words can describe nor the mind understands and even the deities are bewildered about!

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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥