8: The Creation
A brief summary
- In one corner of the spiritual sky, a "cloud" covers one portion of the brahmajyoti. This is where the Causal Ocean is (also known as the Viraja River).
- Maha-Vishnu lies down in the Causal Ocean. At this time, the material nature is in a neutral state (pradhana).
- Maha-Vishnu (through His Siva expansion) glances over the material nature, impregnating her with living entities, and agitating her into activity; she transforms into mahat-tattva, the active state.
- The mahat-tattva produces the various elements, starting with the false ego.
- The innumerable universes emanate from Maha-Vishnu's pores like bubbles.
- Garbhodakasayi-Vishnu expands from Maha-Vishnu into each of the universes.
- Garbhodakasayi-Vishnu creates within the universe another ocean, upon which He rests with the help of Sesa-naga. He produces the first living entity, Lord Brahma, from a lotus flower that sprouts from His navel.
- Lord Brahma creates the various planetary systems, the sun, the moon, etc., and species of life. The living entities obtain bodies according to their previous karma.
Mahat-tattva
- The aggregate of all the ingredients for the material creation, including the conditioned souls.
- The germinating place for all the varieties of creation, starting with the false ego.
- Material nature's primal state.
- The shadow of pure (spiritual) consciousness
- The junction between pure spiritual existence and material existence.
False ego (ahankara)
- The binding force of material existence.
- Causes one to identify with the body and mind, to think oneself a product of matter, and to see oneself as the controller and enjoyer.
- The basic principle of the material world and its activities.
Mind (mana)
- Basic functions are sankalpa (accepting) and vikalpa (rejecting), which are manifestations of material attachment.
- Storehouse of all knowledge, experiences, all perceptions
- Simultaneously like an attorney pleading the case of the senses and a courtroom within which the judge (intelligence) works.
Intelligence (buddhi)
- The power of discrimination and making distinctions
- The ability to utilise and synthesise knowledge (experience) into usable forms and reach conclusions for action.
- The power to understand the nature of an object.
- It figures out plans and discriminates — what is to be done and what not to be done, based on time, place and circumstance
Knowledge-acquiring senses (jnanendriya)
- Enable the living being to relate to this world.
- They cover the original spiritual senses, but have no power of perception without the spiritual senses.
- Feed information about the material world through sense objects (taste, form, touch, sound, and aroma) to the mind
- Always active and attracted to sense objects like a magnet to iron; thus desires for sense gratification flow into the mind.
- Have to be controlled through devotional service, snakes with fangs removed.
Sense objects (indriyartha)
- Sound, touch, form, taste, and aroma are the subltle forms of ether, air, fire, water, and earth respectively.
Gross elements (maha-bhuta)
- Ether is the three-dimensional space that accommodates the existence of everything in the universe. Radio and television transmissions propagate through ether.
- Air, water and earth represent gas, liquid, and solid respectively.
- Fire represents all effulgent emanations, electricity, and the entire electromagnetic spectrum.
- Air exists in a subtler form in the body and contributes to its proper functioning. A subtle form of fire in the body enables digestion.
Time (kala)
- The twenty-fifth element. The mixing element
- Represents the presence of the Supreme Lord
- Causes fear of death
The soul and the Supersoul are sometimes counted as the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh elements.
The hierarchy of the bodily components
The senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he [the soul] is even higher than the intelligence. (Bhagavad-gita 3.42)
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