Radha Krishna - Chapter 20: The Beings Created by Brahmâ

(1) S'aunaka said: "After the position of the earth was restored [by Lord Varâha] oh son of Romaharshana [Sûta], what did Svâyambhuva Manu [see 2.7: 2, 3.12: 54, 3.13: 2] do to show those to be born the path? (2) Vidura, the great, unalloyed devotee and intimate friend of Lord Krishna, abandoned his elder brother [Dhritarâshthra] because he and his hundred sons went against Krishna. (3) Born from the body of Vyâsa and in no way inferior to him in greatness, he with all his heart took shelter of Lord Krishna and followed those devoted to Him. (4) What was it that this hero of purity when he visited the holy places asked Maitreya, the foremost knower of spiritual life whom he had met at Kus'âvarta [Hardwar] where he resided? (5) When the two engaged in their conversation oh Sûta, that resulted in the spotless narrations that like the waters of the Ganges vanquish all sins when one takes shelter of the Lord's lotus feet. (6) All good fortune to you! Tell us the stories about His selfless actions that are so worthy to be sung. What devotee appreciative of the devotional mellows [rasas] one has with Him would have enough of drinking in the nectar of the Lord's pastimes?"

(7) Thus being questioned by the sages assembled in the Naimishâranya forest, Sûta who had dedicated his mind to the Lord then said to them: "Just listen to this."

(8) Sûta said: "Vidura, having heard how the Lord had assumed the body of a boar, He by His own potency had uplifted the earth from the bottom of the ocean and as a good sport indifferently had killed Hiranyâksha, was overjoyed and addressed the sage. (9) Vidura said: 'Oh holy sage, knower of that which is beyond our scope, please tell me what Brahmâ has started after bringing forth the Prajâpatis who created mankind. (10) How did the learned ones headed by Marîci observe the brahminical order of Svâyambhuva Manu and how have they developed this world? (11) Have they operated being married, did they remain independent or have they all worked together bringing about all of this?'

(12) Maitreya said: 'By Mahâ-Vishnu, by the eternally active power of the hard to grasp divine ordinance, the equilibrium of the three modes of nature got disturbed, so that the complete of the Fortunate One His material elements was produced. (13) From the greatness of the cosmic intelligence [the mahat-tattva], as ordained by the divine, beginning from the [spatial force field of the] ether the birth of the basic reality of the material elements [the ego as known] in groups of five took place [the five elements, five senses, five sense objects and five sense organs] with the threefold of nature in which the element of passion [or quality of movement] predominates. (14) Those elements, which on themselves could not bring about the coherence of the material universe, produced, having combined with the union of the divine, a globe that shone like gold. (15) It lay in the waters of the causal ocean as an egg in an unconscious state for in fact quite a bit longer than a thousand [celestial] years before the Lord [as Garbhodakas'âyî Vishnu] entered it. (16) From the Lord's navel the lotus of a thousand and more suns sprouted with a dazzling splendor [the galaxy, see 2.2: 24-25]. It is the abode of all conditioned souls where the self-born one [Lord Brahmâ, the Creator] found his existence as the first living entity. (17) When the Lord who sleeps in the causal waters entered Brahmâ's heart, he created the universe as he did before.

(18) First of all he from his shadow created the five types of ignorance called tâmisra [forgetfulness], andha-tâmisra [the illusion of death], tama [not knowing oneself], moha [the illusion of being matter] and mahâ-moha [mad after matter, craving; compare 3.12: 2]. (19) Dissatisfied Brahmâ threw off this body of ignorance which was then seized by Yakshas [evil spirits] and Râkshasas [wild men, demons] to serve as the darkness that is the source of hunger and thirst. (20) Controlled by that hunger and thirst they ran after him in order to eat him and cried in their affliction: 'Do not spare him!' (21) That disturbed the godhead and he told them: 'Do not eat me, but preserve me, for you Râkshasas and Yakshas are my sons!'

(22) The demigods who shine with the glory of the fear of God and were created first, took hold of the effulgent form of the daytime which as the vehicle of God was left behind. (23) The god, from his backside, next gave birth to the godless who fond of sex approached the Creator in lust for copulation. (24) At first the worshipable Lord had to laugh about being followed by the shameless ones of darkness, but he then terrified and annoyed, hurried to get away. (25) He turned to Him who bestows all boons and whose feet are sought, the Lord who dispels distress and who, in order to show His mercy to His devotees, manifests Himself in a suitable form: (26) 'Protect me oh Supersoul, following Your order I created those sinful living beings who approach me for having sex, oh Master. (27) Only You are capable of relieving the people who are afflicted by material miseries, only You can stop those who do not take shelter of Your feet.'

(28) He who unerringly knows the mind of each soul, seeing the distress of Lord Brahmâ told him: 'Cast off your impure body' and thus commanded he cast it off. (29) That body [in the form of a woman] was intoxicating with tinkling ankle bells, adorable feet, overwhelming eyes and a gold-ornamented shining girdle around the hips covered by fine cloth. (30) The breasts were tightly pressed together and raised high, the nose was well formed, the teeth beautiful, the smile lovely and the look defiant. (31) She hid herself out of shyness. Oh Vidura, all the godless ones fancying the braids of her dark hair were captivated by the woman: (32) 'Oh what a beauty, what a grace; oh what a budding youth! That she walks with us who are so desirous of her, as if she's free from passion!' (33) Indulging in all kinds of speculation about the evening twilight that had assumed the form of a young woman, the wicked-minded ones fond of her, full of respect asked her: (34) 'Who are you? Whom do you belong to, oh pretty one? Why have you come here, oh passionate lady? You are tantalizing us, unfortunate ones, with the priceless commodity of your beauty! (35) Whoever you may be oh beautiful girl, by the fortune of seeing you play with a ball, we onlookers have lost our head. (36) Moving your lotus feet about oh beautiful woman, you bounce that ball with the palm of your hand. The weight of your full grown breasts must be tiresome for that waist of yours. You look as if you're tired, please loosen the tie of your hair!'

(37) The godless this way with their minds clouded took the twilight of the evening for the wanton form of an alluring woman and seized her. (38) With a smile of deep significance the worshipful Lord then by the self-awareness of His own sweetness created the hosts of celestial musicians and dancing girls [the Gandharvas and Apsaras]. (39) The attractive form that factually was the shining moonlight He gave up and the Gandharvas headed by Vis'vâvasu gladly took possession of it. (40) When Lord Brahmâ, after he from sloth had created the ghosts and evil spirits, saw them naked and with disorderly hair, he closed his eyes. (41) They took possession of the body was thrown off that by the master of creation and which is known as yawning. With it one sees the living beings drooling in their sleep, which is an unclean state that [with the ghosts and evil spirits belonging to it] constitutes the bewilderment of which one speaks as insanity. (42) Recognizing himself as being full of energy the worshipful Brahmâ, the master of all beings, from his invisible form created the hosts of Sâdhyas and Pitâs [the invisible demigods and departed souls]. (43) They, the Pitâs, accepted that body, the source of their existence, and it is through that body that those well versed in the rituals offer their oblations [called s'râddha] to these Sâdhyas and Pitâs. (44) The Siddhas [the ones of special powers] and also the Vidyâdharas [the knowledgeable spirits] were created by his faculty of remaining hidden from vision. He gave them that wonderful form of himself known as Antardhâna [of being present but remaining unseen]. (45) From admiring himself seeing his reflection in the water the master in his self-awareness created the Kinnaras [the ones of power] and Kimpurushas [the monkey-like]. (46) They took possession of the form of the shadow he left behind, for the reason of which they every daybreak [during the brâhma-muhûrta, one and a half hours before sunrise] gather with their spouses to glorify his exploits in song. (47) Once fully stretching his body as he laid down, he to his great concern saw that the creation lacked in progress. Thereupon he out of his anger gave up that body also. (48) Oh Vidura, from the hairs falling from that body the beings without limbs were created. From their crawling bodies the snakes evolved from whom one with the vicious cobras sees the hood on their neck.

(49) When he [once] felt as if he had accomplished his life's purpose, from his mind finally sprouted the Manus [the original fathers of mankind] for promoting the welfare of the world. (50) He gave them the form of his own impassioned, personal body, seeing which those who were created earlier welcomed the Prajâpati [the founding father] with the following eulogy: (51) 'Oh Creator of the Universe, you created everything so very well: all the ritualistic customs you have settled so firmly for us to share in the sacrificial oblations! (52) By being of penance, through worship and by connectedness in yogic discipline being immersed in the finest absorption, you the first seer, the controller of the senses, have evolved the sages, your beloved sons. (53) Each of them you, the unborn one, have given a part of your own body that carries deep meditation, yogic union, supernatural ability, penance, knowledge and renunciation.'