CHAPTER LIX. WORKS OF BRAHMÁ’S CREATION.
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Valmiki and Mitra, Viharilala
Argument. Vanity of the World born of Brahmá’s conception. Its Disappearance and Liberation.
Vasishtha continued:—There is nothing in this world except the gratification of the carnal appetites, and the pleasure of eating, drinking and concupiscence with the vulgar; but it is the lasting good of men, which is desired by the good and great.
2. The crooked and creeping beings and things, and beasts and wicked men and ignorant people only are gratified with carnal pleasures; they are all fond of everything conducing to their bodily enjoyments.
3. They are human asses, who dote on the beauty of female bodies, which are no better than lumps of flesh, blood and bones.
4. This may be desirable to dogs and devouring animals, but not to man (who is a rational and spiritual being). All animals have their fleshy bodies, as the trees have their trunks of wood, and the minerals their forms of earth.
5. There is the earth below and the sky above, and nothing that is extraordinary before us; the senses pursue the sensible objects, but human reason finds no relish in them.
6. The consciousness (or intuition) of men, leads them only to error; and true happiness, which is desired by all is situated beyond all sensible objects and gratifications.
7. The end of worldly pleasure is sorrow and misery, as the product of a flame is soot and blackness; and the functions of the mind and senses, are all fleeting having their rise and fall by turns. All enjoyments are short lived, owing to the fugacity of the objects, and the decay of the powers of our enjoying.
8. Prosperity fades away as plant encircled by a poisonous viper; and our consorts die away as soon as anything born of blood and flesh. (Fortune is fleeting and life a passing dream).
9. The delusion of love and lust, makes one body to embrace another, both of which are composed of impure flesh and blood. Such are the acts, O Ráma! that delight the ignorant.
10. Wise men take no delight in this unreal and unstable world, which is more poisonous than poison itself, by infecting them that have not even tasted the bitter gall.
11. Forsake therefore your desire of enjoyment, and seek to be united with your spiritual essence; because the thought of your materiality (or being a material body), has taken possession of your mind (and separated you from yourself and the spirit of God).
12. Whenever the thought of making the unreal world, rises in the mind of Brahmá the creator, he takes an unreal body upon him of his own will.
13. It becomes as bright as gold by his own light, and then he is called Virinchi (virincipiens) on account of his will; and Brahmá also for his being born of Brahmá. (He is represented as of red colour, as Adam is said to be made of red earth).
14. Ráma asked:—How does the world become a solid substance, from its having been of a visionary form in the spirit or mind of God?
15. Vasishtha replied:—When the lotus-born male (Brahmá), rose from his cradle of the Embryo of Brahmá, he uttered the name of Brahmá whence he was called Brahmá. (The word Brahm answers the Hebrew Brahum—create them, and corresponds with the Latin ficet—bhuya ভুযাৎ).
16. He then had the conception (Sankalpa) of the world in his own imagination, and the same assumed a visible and solid form by the power of his will, called the conceptional or conceived world. (Sankalpasrí).
17. He conceived at first luminous idea of light, which having assumed a visible form spread on all sides, as a creeping plant is outstretched all about in autumn. (Light was the first work of creation).
18. The rays of this light pierced all sides like threads of gold; they shone and spread themselves both above and below.
19. Concealed amidst this light, the lotus-born Hiranyagarbha, conceived in his mind a figure like his luminous form, and produced it as the four faced Brahmá.
20. Then the sun sprung forth from that light, and shone as a globe of gold amidst his world encircling beams.
21. He held the locks of his flaming hair on his head, which flashed as fire all around him; and filled the sphere of heaven with heat and light.
22. The most intelligent Brahmá, produced afterwards some other luminous forms from portions of that light, which proceeded from it like the waves of the ocean (and these are thence called the Maríchis or rays, who were the first patriarchs of other created beings).
23. These most potent and competent beings, were also possessed of their concepts and will, and they produced in a moment the figures as they thought of and willed.
24. They conceived the forms of various other beings also, which they produced one after the other, as they desired and willed.
25. Then did Brahmá bring to his recollection the eternal vedas and the many ceremonial rites, which he established as laws in his house of this world.
26. Having taken the gigantic body of Brahma, and the extensive form of the mind—manas, he produced the visible world as his own offspring—Santati. (Brahmá means brihat—great; and santate derived from the root tan. Latin—leoreo means continuation of race).
27. He stretched the seas and mountains, and made the trees and upper worlds. He raised the Meru on the surface of the earth, and all the forests and groves upon it.
28. It was he who ordained happiness and misery, birth and death and disease and decay; and he created the passions and feelings of living beings, under their threefold divisions of satva, rajas and tamas.
29. Whatever has been wrought by the hands (faculties) of the mind of Brahma before, the same continues to be still perceived by our deluded vision.
30. He gave the mind and laws to all beings, and makes the worlds anew as they are situated in his mind.
31. It is error, that has given rise to the erroneous conception of the eternity of the world, whereas it is the conception of the mind alone that creates the ideal forms. (The world is neither material nor substantial, but a conceptual and ideal creation of the mind).
32. The acts of all things in the world, are produced by their conception and wishes; and it is the concept or thought, that binds the gods also to their destiny.
33. The great Brahmá that was the source of the creation of the world, sits in the meditative mood, contemplating on all that he has made.
34. It was by a motion of the mind, that the wonderful form of the living principle was formed; and it was this that gave rise to the whole world, with all its changeful phenomena.
35. It made the gods Indra, Upendra and Mahendra and others, and also the hills and seas in all the worlds above and below us, and in the ten sides of the heaven above:—
36. Brahmá then thought in himself, “I have thus stretched out at large the net work of my desire, I will now cease from extending the objects of my desire any further”.
37. Being so determined, he ceased from the toil of his creation, and reflected on the eternal spirit in his own spirit. (According to the Sruti:—the spirit is to be reflected in the spirit).
38. By knowing the spirit, his mind was melted down by its effulgence, and reclined on it with that ease, as one finds in his soft sleep after long labour.
39. Being freed from his selfishness and egoism, he felt that perfect tranquility which the soul receives by resting in itself, and which likens the calmness of the sea by its subsidence in itself.