Shastra Quiz 54

Some philosophers consider the material world to be illusory, having no factual existence, and they compare it to a dream. They say that a dream has no factual existence, since no one experiences it while awake; similarly, this material world is false, mithyā, since it is no longer experienced upon the awakening to realization.

Śrī Brahmā does not accept this view. He does not consider the material world to be imaginary, the mere product of one’s ignorance. The reasoning is that since the material world exists as a potency of the Lord, who exists eternally, it too has existence.

According to Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the Supreme Lord actually generates the objects of the dream state. They are real, but differ, in that the Lord creates them for a temporary purpose, for a particular self. The external world is created for all jīvas, for a sustained period. Vyāsa states this in the following sūtra, “The dream state is also a creation of the Lord, because scripture declares it as such” (sandhye sṛṣṭir āha hi, VS 3.2.1).

Here sandhyā (junction) means “dreams,” as indicated in Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad — sandhyaṁ tṛtīyaṁ svapnasthānam (BAU 4.3.9).

Another reason dreams are considered real is that they sometimes indicate pending events in reference to the waking state. Śrīmad Bhāgavatam describes that when Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma arrived in Mathurā, Kaṁsa detected bad omens while awake and in his dreams as well. These were indicative of his imminent death:

"He dreamt that he was being embraced by ghosts, riding a donkey and drinking poison, and also that a naked man smeared with oil was passing by, wearing a garland of nalada flowers. (SB 10.42.30)"

If dreams were unreal, they could not indicate a real incident. In the waking state, a person enjoys or suffers the results of his past karma; similarly, his dreams bring him suffering or enjoyment. Positive dreams are the result of good karma, and disturbing dreams, the result of bad karma. The Lord allocates the result of karma during our waking state. He does the same in our dream state.

"The primary creation (sarga) refers to the destabilization of the neutralized guṇas of unmanifest primordial nature, giving rise to the first evolute mahat, from which evolve successively the threefold principle of individuation [ahaṅkāra, the “I” principle, or ego], the subtle aspect of the elements [sound and so on], the senses, and the gross sense objects.” - (SB 12.7.11)

When the neutralized force of the guṇas of unmanifest primordial nature (pradhāna) is destabilized, it gives rise to the first evolute, mahat-tattva, and from mahat evolves the ego (ahaṅkāra), which has three aspects corresponding to the three guṇas of nature. From this threefold ego successively evolve the subtle aspect of the elements [sound and so on], the senses, and the physical elements.

The unfolding of the subtle elements, the senses, and the physical elements implies the coming into being of their presiding deities as well. So, the consecutive generation of all these phenomenological existents [brought about by the destabilization of the guṇas of unmanifest primordial nature] is known as sarga (primary creation).

In other words, sarga refers to the generation of the causal cosmic principles [by which phenomenal existence is brought forth].

"The secondary creation (visarga) refers to this aggregate of the world of both moving and non-moving beings, which stream forth like the emergence of one seed from another. This aggregate is derived from the totality of all these evolutes of primordial nature [beginning with mahat, the cosmic wisdom principle], which have been facilitated [lit., “graced”] by the Primordial Person (puruṣa), and brought forth in accordance with the unconscious complex of desires of the living beings” - (SB 12.7.11)

Here, the word puruṣa (the Primordial Person) refers to Paramātmā, and the pronoun eteṣām (of these) indicates the evolutes of primordial nature, beginning with the first evolute, mahat (the cosmic wisdom principle). So, visarga refers to this totality [of manifest evolutes], brought forth primarily by the living being’s past desires for action as the end effect [in a chain of causality], exhibiting itself as the incessant streaming forth of moving and non moving beings, like the emergence of one seed from another.

In other words, visarga refers to the creation of the individual organisms. Visarga includes the manifestation of Brahmā’s mind-born sons — Atri, Vasiṣṭha, Dakṣa, Manu, and others. Some of these sons are Prajāpatis (progenitors), whose offspring populate the universe.

"Vṛtti in general refers to the process of sustenance, by which moving beings live upon the non-moving [and sometimes upon other moving beings as well]. For the humans among such moving beings, vṛtti specifically refers to prescribed patterns of life sustaining action in accordance with individual nature, which may be impelled either by personal desire or by the guiding light of scriptural injunction.” - (SB 12.7.11)

Mobile living beings generally subsist on immobile beings, but they may also subsist on other moving beings as well, as indicated by the word ca (and) in this verse. The impetus for such life-sustenance in these [less evolved forms of ] moving beings desire. For humans, however, among all such moving beings, the actions performed in pursuit of livelihood are prescribed according to individual nature, impelled either by personal desire or by scriptural injunction.

So, vṛtti more specifically refers to these prescribed patterns of life-sustaining action in human beings.

The cosmos exists for the duration of Śrī Brahmā’s life, one hundred years according to his time scale, in which one day lasts for one thousand cycles of the four yugas— Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali. By human calculation, therefore, a day of Brahmā lasts 4,320,000,000 years.

For managerial purposes he divides each of his days into fourteen periods, called manvantaras.

The person who rules during each of these periods is called Manu, who is assisted by the devas, such as Candra and Varuṇa; his sons; Lord Indra; the seven great sages, called sapta-ṛṣis; and a special partial expansion of the Supreme Lord who incarnates for each particular manvantara. The devas and sages are all appointed for the period of one manvantara, and the activities of these great persons constitute sad-dharma (the path of true religion).

The person who rules during each of these periods is called Manu, who is assisted by the devas, such as Candra and Varuṇa; his sons; Lord Indra; the seven great sages, called sapta-ṛṣis; and a special partial expansion of the Supreme Lord who incarnates for each particular manvantara. The devas and sages are all appointed for the period of one manvantara, and the activities of these great persons constitute sad-dharma (the path of true religion).

During the total dissolution everything in the cosmos becomes unmanifest, a state called prakṛti or pradhāna. In this state, the three guṇas of primordial nature remain in a state of equilibrium. Not until the guṇas are destabilized and thrown out of balance can creation begin again. This same principle applies to human beings: When a person is satisfied, peaceful, and equipoised, he will not initiate some new activity; some stimulus must unsettle his equilibrium and motivate him to act. One engages in sex, for example, when one’s mind and body are stimulated by lust or the desire to procreate.

The original perturbation in pradhāna is caused by the glance of the Supreme Lord, with which He impregnates prakṛti (primordial nature), with the conditioned jīvas. Śrī Kṛṣṇa confirms this in Bhagavad Gītā, “The vast material nature, called Brahman, is My womb, into which I sow the seed of living beings” (mama yonir mahad brahma tasmin garbhaṁ dadāmy aham, Gītā 14.3).

Here, the word brahma means prakṛti, not Bhagavān’s feature as absolute unqualified being.

Two prominent dynasties of kings come from Lord Brahmā — the sun dynasty and the moon dynasty.

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