Puruśottamāya namah
The presiding deities of the physical elements continued their prayer, “O Lord! Walking on the path of knowledge, some Yogis totally control their mind, conquer your illusory power and reach You, the personification of completeness. Nevertheless, this method of Yoga is quite strenuous. From this it can be deciphered that the devotee who lovingly offers services to You obtains liberation quickly.
O Primordial Lord! With the intent of creating different worlds, You created us. However, we were born due to the influence of the three attributes of Nature (trigunas) which resulted in differences in our actions. Hence we are unable to unite and perform any task. As a result we lack the capacity to create a universe most suitable for Your playful enjoyments and offer it to You.
O birthless Lord! We desire to offer You enjoyments and luxuries at the earliest. While living in our positions, we too should be provided with food to sustain ourselves. Likewise, even these living beings should, without any doubts or obstacles, make the required offerings to both You and us, while nourishing themselves with adequate food.
What is the method by which all these can be achieved? O Lord, You are a form of completeness and are devoid of any transformation. You are the Self who resides within each and every being. You are eternal. You are our Lord. There is no Lord superior to You. You are birthless. Even your illusory power is birthless. You have impregnated this illusory power (māya shakti) with the seed called ‘Mahat tattva’. It is from Mahat tattva that we have taken birth.
O Lord! Please instruct to us our duties. Please bestow us with the energy of knowledge and action (jnana and kriya shakti) necessary to create this universe.
With this the fifth chapter of the third canto comes to an end.
Third Canto Sixth chapter
In this chapter, the gross forms being energized and readied for creation due to the entry of the Supreme energy into them and the description of the Universal form are covered.
Maharishi Maitreya continued, “The Supreme Lord observed that Mahat and other energies of creation could not combine with each other as a result of which creation could not commence.
Kāla-sañjñāṁ tadā devīṁ bibhrac-chaktim urukramaḥ
Trayoviṁśati tattvānāṁ gaṇaṁ yugapad āviśat
At that moment, the all-powerful Supreme Lord accepted His divine energy called ‘eternal time’ (Kala) and simultaneously entered into the 23 principles i.e. Mahat tattva (cosmic intelligence), ahamkara (sense of I-ness), five subtle elements, five gross elements, five organs of action and five organs of perception as well as the mind.
Entering into them, He awakened within them the energy of action (kriya shakti) which was lying dormant thus far. He caused them to combine within themselves. In this way He awakened ‘action’ within living beings. It is this ‘action’ that rewards the being with the ‘resultant fruit’. The Supreme Lord, thus caused living beings to be inclined towards fruitive activities.
With their partial aspects (amsha) these twenty-three principles, which were energized by the will of the Supreme Lord, created the Universal form of the Lord (Virāt roopa).
When the Supreme Lord, who is the cause for creation, fractionally entered into these twenty-three principles, they combined with each other. Due to the turbulence caused by this merger, the Universal form, which is the shelter for this world consisting of inanimate and animate objects, was created.
The supremely effulgent Universal Lord (Virāt Puruśa), who is an embodiment of all energies, resided within the cosmic egg for 1000 years. The Lord’s illusory power (māya shakti) made itself visible in the forms of energy of knowledge (jnana shakti) and energy of action (kriya shakti). These energies of knowledge and action reside within Hiranyagarbha, also known as Virāt Puruśa, who is the form of action within Mahat and other principles of creation.
Using these energies, He divided Himself into one form; three forms and 10 forms respectively. Hiranyagarbha, who is the partial aspect of the Lord, is the first incarnation. He is the Self within all the beings. It is in Him that this entire creation is being seen.
Virāt Puruśa remains within all beings in the form of their senses (indriyas), within the Solar and other systems He remains in the form of Devatas and within the five basic elements (earth water etc.) He remains in the form of sound and other qualities. In this way He divided Himself into 3.
This universal form also resides in the form of 10 modifications of Pṛāna i.e. the five Prāṇas viz., Prāṇa, Apāna, Vyāna Udāna and Samāna as well as the five Upa-prānās known as Nāga, Kurma, Krikala, Devadutta and Dhananjaya. He also exists in the form of one heart.
In this way Lord Mahavishnu fulfilled the prayer of Mahat and other principal energies of creation. In order to bestow upon them the capability to perform innumerable actions, He illumined the Universal form, through the medium of knowledge (jnana shakti). Many divine-positions instantly opened up in this Universal form which was illumined due to knowledge.
As soon as a face emerged in this Universal form, the Fire-god Agni who is the guardian-deity of the world entered the face together with organ of speech (vāk) who was his fractional aspect. It is through speech that the individual being expresses himself.
When jaws emerged in this Universal form Guardian-deity called Varuna entered into the palate together sense of taste (rasanendriya) who was his partial aspect. Through this sense of taste, the individual being tastes everything that he eats.
Nostrils emerged within the all pervading Universal form. Ashwini Devatas, the celestial physicians, entered into them together with the sense of smell (grhnendriya). This organ enables the living being to smell the aroma.
Eyes manifested in this Universal form. Immediately Sun, who is the guardian deity of the world entered into it together with the organ of perception (netrendriya). Due to this organ of perception, the individual beings are able to identify the forms”.
In the earlier episode we discussed about the origin of these parts of the Universal form. Here their actions are being specified. Do not presume that it is a repetition. There only the form was described. Here their actions and the way they merge are being explained.
Adhokshajāya namah
