| Sanskrit (संस्कृतम्) | English Translation |
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥॥ पञ्चमोऽध्यायः - ५ ॥ |
Discourse VA description of the cosmos(Preamble) |
नारद उवाच ।देवदेव नमस्तेऽस्तु भूतभावन पूर्वज । |
Nārada said : My obeisance to you O god of gods, creator of all beings, forefather of all. Kindly instruct me in that wisdom which makes one realize the truth of the Spirit. (1) My lord, kindly tell me in essence the truth about this universe, as to what its characteristics are, on what it is supported, by whom it has been created, where it ultimately rests, by what power it is ruled and what it essentially is. (2) You surely know all this; for you are the lord of that which has come to be, that which is still to come and that which is coming into existence. Like a fruit of the emblic myrobalan on the palm of one's hand, the universe is within the range of your knowledge. (3) What is the source of your special knowledge and by whom are you supported ? To what power do you owe your allegiance and what is your essential nature? Single-handed you create all beings out of the five elements by dint of your own Māyā (wonderful creative energy)! (4) Even as a spider spins a web out of its own mouth without any exertion and sports in that web, so do you create all beings in your own self by your own energy and remain unchanged yourself. (5) Of all that is known through a certain name, form and qualities, in this world, O lord, I know of nothing, animate or inanimate, high, low or mediocre, which has its source in anything other than you. (6) By the fact that even you (the supreme Ruler of all) practised austere penance with great concentration of mind, you bewilder us and lead us to suspect that there is someone higher than you. (7) Omniscient as you are , O Ruler of all, I ask you all this. Pray, therefore, instruct me in such a way that I may follow your teachings correctly. (1-8) |
ब्रह्मोवाच ।सम्यक्कारुणिकस्येदं वत्स ते विचिकित्सितम् । |
Brahmā replied : Laudable is this enquiry of yours, dear child, who are full of compassion to all; for you have thereby urged me to reveal the Lord's glory. (9) It is not without truth either what you have spoken about me, my son. For, until one has come to know Him who is even greater than me, all this greatness appears as belonging to me. (10) I (seem to) manifest (bring forth) the universe, which stands manifested by the self-effulgent Lord, much in the same way as the sun and fire, the moon and the other planets as well as the other stars and the lunar mansions (seem to) illumine it (the universe) even though it stands illumined by the Lord. (11) I bow to the same Lord Vāsudeva and meditate on Him. Deluded by His Māyā, which is so difficult to conquer, people (like you) speak of me as the father of the universe. (12) Nay, bewildered by that Māyā, fools vauntingly speak of the body as their self ('I') and of all that belongs to it as 'mine', although this Māyā is too shy even to stand the Lord's look. (13) In reality, O divine sage, there is no substance other than Lord Vāsudeva—neither the elements nor Karma (destiny) nor Time nor Swabhāva (nature) nor the individual soul. (14) Nārāyaṇa (Lord Viṣṇu) is the goal of the Vedas; the gods have sprung from the limbs of Nārāyaṇa; the sacrifices are meant to please Nārāyaṇa and the worlds attained through such sacrifices are so many limbs of Nārāyaṇa's Cosmic Body. (15) Nārāyaṇa is the ultimate object of all Yoga (concentration of mind); all austere penance is intended to propitiate Nārāyaṇa. All wisdom is directed towards Nārāyaṇa and all paths lead to Nārāyaṇa. (16) He is at once the Seer and the Ruler; though immutable, He is all-embracing. It is He who created me; and, encouraged by His glance, I evolve this creation. (17) The Lord is infinite and beyond the three Guṇas (modes of Prakṛti); it is His Māyā that has assumed these three Guṇas—Sattva, Rajas and Tamas—for the purpose of creation, preservation and destruction. (18) Through the agency of the elements, the senses and the gods presiding over the senses, these Guṇas (modes of Prakṛti) bind the individual soul who is subject to Māyā, though ever free in essence, with the consciousness that he is the physical body, the senses and the mind, all in one. (19) The selfsame Lord, who transcends sense-perception, envelops Himself beyond recognition with these three sheaths of matter. He is the Ruler of all beings as well as of myself, O Nārada! (9-20) |
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कालं कर्म स्वभावं च मायेशो मायया स्वया । |
Intent upon becoming many (at the dawn of creation), the Lord of Māyā assumed at will (pressed into His service for the purpose of creation) by His own Māyā (deluding potency), Time, Karma (Destiny of the Jivas) and Swabhāva (their innate disposition) that had already existed in a latent form in His being. (21) Time disturbed the equilibrium of the three Guṇas, Swabhāva transformed them and from Karma was evolved Mahat (the principle of cosmic intelligence), all these functioning through the power of the Lord Himself. (22) From Mahat, as it underwent transformation, dominated as it was by Rajas and Sattva, emanated an evolute which was dominated by the element of Tamas (darkness, opacity) and was made up of three factors—Dravya (substance), Jñāna (intelligence) and Kriyā (activity). (23) This was known by the name of Ahaṅkāra and became threefold as it underwent transformation. Its three varieties are Vaikārika (Sāttvika), Taijasa (Rājasika) and Tāmasa, which are severally predominated, O Nārada, by the force of Jñāna, Kriyā and Dravya. (24) From the Tāmasa Ahaṅkāra, the origin of the five gross elements, as it underwent transformation, was evolved ether. Śabda (sound) is the subtle form as well as the distinctive characteristic of this element; and it is sound which furnishes a clue to the seer and the seen.* (21-25) |
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नभसोऽथ विकुर्वाणादभूत्स्पर्शगुणोऽनिलः । |
From ether, as it underwent transformation, sprang up the element of air, which is characterized by the quality to touch. Having inherited the characteristics of its cause (ether), it is further characterized by the quality of sound. Vitality, energy, zeal and strength are only other names of air. (26) From the element of air, even as it underwent transformation under the impelling force of Time as well as of the Destiny and innate disposition of the various individual souls, was evolved fire, which is characterized by the quality of colour and has also inherited the characteristics of its chain of causes, viz., sound and touch. (27) From the element of fire, even as it underwent transformation, sprang up water, which is characterized by the quality of taste. It is further characterized by the qualities of colour, touch and sound, which it has inherited from its chain of causes (fire, air and ether). (28) From the element of water, even as it underwent transformation, came into being the earth, which is characterized by the quality of smell as well as by the qualities of taste, colour, touch and sound, which it has inherited from its chain of causes (water, fire, air and ether). (29) From the Sāttvika Ego sprang up the cosmic Mind (as well as the deity presiding over the same, viz., the moon-god) and the ten deities severally presiding over the five senses of perception and the five organs of action, viz., the Digdevatās, the wind-god, the sun-god, Varuṇa, the twin-gods Aswins (the physicians of the gods), the god of fire, Indra (the lord of paradise), Lord Viṣṇu (appearing as a younger brother of Indra and therefore called Upendra), Mitra (one of the twelve sons of Aditi) and Prajāpati*(30) From the Rājasika Ego, as it underwent transformation, were evolved the ten Indriyas—the five senses of perception, viz., the auditory sense, the sense of touch, the sense of sight, the sense of taste and the olfactory sense, and the five organs of action, viz., the organ of speech, the hands and feet, the organ of generation and the organ of excretion. Again, the intellect, which is the faculty of cognition, and Pāṇa the faculty of action, are also the evolutes of the Rājasika Ego. (26-31) |
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यदैतेऽसङ्गता भावा भूतेन्द्रियमनोगुणाः । |
O Nārada (the foremost among the knowers of Brahma), so long as these categories—the gross elements, the Indriyas, the mind and the three Guṇas or modes of Prakṛti—remained dissociated they could not erect a house in the form of a body. (32) Then, urged by God's power, they combined with one another and, assuming between themselves the role of cause and its effects, produced both the cosmic and the individual body. (33) The macrocosm in the form of an egg lay on the causal waters in a lifeless condition for a thousand years. With the help of Time as well as of the destiny and innate disposition of the individual souls, however, at the end of this period the Lord (who is the life-giver of all) infused life into this egg. (34) Bursting open that (Cosmic) egg, issued therefrom the same Supreme Person (the Cosmic Being) with thousands of thighs, feet, arms and eyes and thousands of faces and heads too. (35) It is in His limbs that the wise locate the various worlds comprised in this universe—the seven lower spheres below His waist and the seven higher spheres above His hip and loins. (36) The Brāhmaṇa (the priestly class) represents the mouth of this Cosmic Being and the Kṣatriya (the warrior-class), His arms. The Vaiśya (the trading class) emanated from the Lord's thighs and the Śūdra (the labouring and artisan classes) from His feet. (37) The seven subterranean spheres and the sphere of the earth are located in His lower limbs—from the feet up to the waist, the Bhuvarloka (the space between the earth and heaven) in His navel, the Swarloka (Indra's paradise) in the heart, and the Maharloka in the breast of that Supreme Being. (38) Even so Janaloka is located in His neck, Tapoloka in His breasts, and the Satyaloka, the (comparatively) eternal abode of Brahmā, in His heads. (39) Again, the Atalaloka is located in His waist, the Vitalaloka in His thighs, the holy Sutalaloka (the abode of Prahlāda, Bali and other devotees as well as of the Lord Himself as the divine Dwarf) in His knees, the Talātala in His shanks. (40) Even so the Mahātala is located in His ankles, the Rasātala in the fore part of His feet, and the Pātāla in His soles. In this way the Supreme Person represents the aggregate of all the fourteen worlds. (41) (According to another arrangement) the sphere of the earth is located in His feet, the Bhuvarloka in His navel, and the Swarloka in His head. This is how the three worlds are located according to this arrangement. (42) |