Bhagavatapurana 3.10: atha daśamo'dhyāyaḥ

3.10.1

/0 vidura uvāca
antarhite bhagavati brahmā loka-pitāmahaḥ /
prajāḥ sasarja katidhā daihikīr mānasīr vibhuḥ //

Vidura said: / When the Lord had vanished, in how many ways did Brahmā, / the grandfather of the worlds, the powerful lord, create bodily and mental offspring?

1 & 2. Vidura said: When the Lord of the world was out of view, how many kinds of beings did Brahma, the grandfather of the world, create both from his body and from his mind?—O sage of great wisdom, be pleased to explain in order the various points about which I have enquired of Thee and end all my doubts.

3.10.2

ye ca me bhagavan pṛṣṭās tvayy arthā bahuvittama /
tān vadasvānupūrvyeṇa chindhi naḥ sarva-saṃśayān //

And the matters about which I asked you, O venerable one, foremost of the wise, / tell them in due order, and cut away all our doubts.

3.10.3

/0 sūta uvāca
evaṃ sañcoditas tena kṣattrā kauṣāravir muniḥ /
prītaḥ pratyāha tān praśnān hṛdi-sthān atha bhārgava //

Sūta said: / Thus urged by that Kṣattṛ [Vidura], the sage born of Kuṣārava, / delighted, answered those questions residing in his heart, O descendant of Bhṛgu.

3. Suta said: O Saunaka, thus requested by Vidura, the sage Kausharava was very much pleased with him and immediately proceeded to answer the questions of which he was mindful.

3.10.4

/0 maitreya uvāca
viriñco 'pi tathā cakre divyaṃ varṣa-śataṃ tapaḥ /
ātmany ātmānam āveśya yathāha bhagavān ajaḥ //

Maitreya said: / Viriñca too performed austerity for a hundred celestial years, / centering his self in the Supreme Self, as the unborn Lord had spoken.

4. Maitreya said: Brahma too directed his mind to Atman as the Almighty Lord had instructed him, and performed Tapas for a hundred years according to the celestial measure.

3.10.5

tad vilokyābja-sambhūto vāyunā yad-adhiṣṭhitaḥ /
padmam ambhaś ca tat-kāla- kṛta-vīryeṇa kampitam //

Then, observing the lotus on which he sat and the water / shaken by the wind whose power was aroused by that time, the lotus-born [Brahmā]—

5 & 6. Brahma born of the lotus observed the lotus, his own seat, as well as the water agitated by Vayu which had acquired strength through the time of deluge—his Tapas and wisdom centred in self growing stronger, Brahma with his developed strength of wisdom devoured Vayu along with the water.

3.10.6

tapasā hy edhamānena vidyayā cātma-saṃsthayā /
vivṛddha-vijñāna-balo nyapād vāyuṃ sahāmbhasā //

With ever-increasing ascetic penance and with knowledge rooted in the self, / his power of spiritual wisdom fully grown, he drank up the wind together with the water.

3.10.7

tad vilokya viyad-vyāpi puṣkaraṃ yad-adhiṣṭhitam /
anena lokān prāg-līnān kalpitāsmīty acintayat //

Beholding that lotus upon which he was seated extending through the sky, / he thought: “With this I shall fashion the worlds that were previously dissolved.”

7. On observing the lotus which was his seat extending all over space, he began to think "By means of this lotus I shall produce the worlds which had been withdrawn."

3.10.8

padma-kośaṃ tadāviśya bhagavat-karma-coditaḥ /
ekaṃ vyabhāṅkṣīd urudhā tridhā bhāvyaṃ dvi-saptadhā //

Entering the lotus whorl, impelled by the work of the Lord, / he divided the single [lotus] into many—into three, which was to become fourteenfold.

8. Then inspired by the Lord's activity he entered into the interior of the lotus; and broke up the one thing that should become many into three and into fourteen.

3.10.9

etāvāñ jīva-lokasya saṃsthā-bhedaḥ samāhṛtaḥ /
dharmasya hy animittasya vipākaḥ parameṣṭhy asau //

Such is the comprehensive division of the realms of living beings; / indeed, this supreme position is the fruition of selfless dharma.

9. The arrangement of the world occupied by living beings is briefly of this extent; and the region of Brahma is a place where righteous duties performed without desire bear fruit. (Note:—that region is not subject to changes as the three worlds occupied by ordinary beings.)

3.10.10

/0 vidura uvāca
yathāttha bahu-rūpasya harer adbhuta-karmaṇaḥ /
kālākhyaṃ lakṣaṇaṃ brahman yathā varṇaya naḥ prabho //

Vidura said: / As you have spoken of the manifold forms and wonderful deeds of Hari, / describe to us, O brāhmaṇa, O lord, his characteristic nature known as Time.

10. Vidura said: You have mentioned the form known as Time of Hari whose forms are many and whose deeds are wonderful; O Brahman, be pleased to describe that form to me as it is, O Lord.

3.10.11

/0 maitreya uvāca
guṇa-vyatikarākāro nirviśeṣo 'pratiṣṭhitaḥ /
puruṣas tad-upādānam ātmānaṃ līlayāsṛjat //

Maitreya said: / The form characterized by the agitation of the guṇas, devoid of specific attributes and without support, / is the Puruṣa; having taken it as material cause, he playfully created himself.

11. Maitreya said: Time is that which is produced by the modification of the Gunas, but which is by itself destitute of attributes, or peculiarities, as well as of both the limits (the beginning and the end). The Lord made Time the instrument of His creation and sportfully produced Himself in the form of the Universe.

3.10.12

viśvaṃ vai brahma-tan-mātraṃ saṃsthitaṃ viṣṇu-māyayā /
īśvareṇa paricchinnaṃ kālenāvyakta-mūrtinā //

The universe is indeed nothing but Brahman, established through the creative power of Viṣṇu, / demarcated by the Lord through Time of unmanifest form.

12. In fact the Universe is nothing but Brahman which was withdrawn by Vishnu's Maya and it is a finite

*V.* That Brahman which in the gross developed state with the attribute of the developed chit and achit is in the form of the universe, remains by itself when by the will of Vishnu (Himself) it is withdrawn. *i.e.*, when it returns to the subtle state, with the attributes of Chit and Achit (even during Pralaya); that Brahman has the attribute of Kala possessed of ruling power as pervaded by His ruling power and also possessed of an unmanifest form. *D.* Indeed the universe is produced and protected by that Vishnu who is present in Brahma under the name of Brahma and endows Him with all powers; it is preserved in proper order by His own power directly as Vishnu, and it is destroyed by the destroyer Kala, of unmanifest form, presided over by Rudra created by His own destructive power and form called Iswara. thing produced under the force of Time by Iswara who is of unmanifest essence.

3.10.13

yathedānīṃ tathāgre ca paścād apy etad īdṛśam /
sargo nava-vidhas tasya prākṛto vaikṛtas tu yaḥ //

As it is now, so was it formerly, and so too will it be hereafter; / its creation is of nine kinds, both primary and secondary.

13. As it is now, so it was in the past, so too will it be in the future; and ninefold was his creation from Prakriti and the tenth variety is called Vaikrita.

3.10.14

kāla-dravya-guṇair asya tri-vidhaḥ pratisaṅkramaḥ /
ādyas tu mahataḥ sargo guṇa-vaiṣamyam ātmanaḥ //

Its dissolution is threefold, caused by time, substance, and the guṇas. / The first creation is that of the Mahat, the imbalance of the self’s guṇas.

14. The destruction of the Universe is of three kinds (as Nitya, Naimittika, and Prakrita) brought about by Time, substance and gunas; and the production of Mahat is the first (in the series) which consists in Atman's throwing the gunas out of balance, *i.e.*, mixing them in different proportions.

3.10.15

dvitīyas tv ahamo yatra dravya-jñāna-kriyodayaḥ /
bhūta-sargas tṛtīyas tu tan-mātro dravya-śaktimān //

The second is of the ego, wherein arises substance, knowledge, and action. / The third is the creation of the elements, the subtle elements endowed with power over substance.

15. The second is that of Ahankara Tattva, in which the knowledge of substance and action has its source; and the third is that of the subtle principles of the Bhutas, having the power to produce the gross substance of the Bhutas.

3.10.16

caturtha aindriyaḥ sargo yas tu jñāna-kriyātmakaḥ /
vaikāriko deva-sargaḥ pañcamo yan-mayaṃ manaḥ //

The fourth is the sensory creation, whose nature consists of knowledge and action. / The fifth is the divine creation produced from the transformational [ego], which consists of the mind.

16. The fourth is that of the Indriyas which are the organs of knowledge and action; and the fifth is that of the gods (presiding over the Indriyas) out of the Vaikarika Ahankara, whence the mind (manas) also is produced.

3.10.17

ṣaṣṭhas tu tamasaḥ sargo yas tv abuddhi-kṛtaḥ prabhoḥ /
ṣaḍ ime prākṛtāḥ sargā vaikṛtān api me śṛṇu //

The sixth is the creation of ignorance, which was made without reflection by the Lord. / These six are the primary creations; hear also from me of the secondary ones.

17. The sixth is the production of Tamas which gives rise to Abuddhi, *i. e.* the Avarana or veil which obscures the Jiva's right understanding, and Vikshepa which is associated

with Isvara and deludes the Jivas in respect of the Supreme Being)—these are the six kinds of Prakrita creation; and of the Vaikrita also hear from me.

3.10.18

rajo-bhājo bhagavato līleyaṃ hari-medhasaḥ /
saptamo mukhya-sargas tu ṣaḍ-vidhas tasthuṣāṃ ca yaḥ //

This play belongs to the Lord, endowed with passion, whose intellect is set on Hari. / The seventh creation is the chief creation, which is of six kinds among stationary beings:

18. 19. And this is the Leela of the Almighty Hari, (in association with Rajas) the thoughts regarding whom free the soul from Samsara; the seventh is the most important creation which consists of the six kinds of immobile things; and these consist of trees which bear fruits without flowers, plants which cease to be as soon as they have produced their fruit, creepers that are disposed to climb, bamboos of which the bark is strong, creepers of stiff branches which do not require the support of other things, and also trees which bear fruit after putting forth blossoms—all these draw their nutriment upwards from below, and these are mostly wanting in sensibility, having but one sense in the interior, *viz.*, the sense of touch and possessed of many peculiarities giving rise to varieties.

3.10.19

vanaspaty-oṣadhi-latā- tvaksārā vīrudho drumāḥ /
utsrotasas tamaḥ-prāyā antaḥ-sparśā viśeṣiṇaḥ //

Fruit-trees bearing no flowers, medicinal plants, climbing plants, bamboo-like plants, creepers, and flowering trees; / their sap flows upward, they are largely ignorant, with internal sensation, and possess diverse forms.

3.10.20

tiraścām aṣṭamaḥ sargaḥ so 'ṣṭāviṃśad-vidho mataḥ /
avido bhūri-tamaso ghrāṇa-jñā hṛdy avedinaḥ //

The eighth is the creation of animals, which is considered twenty-eight-fold; / they lack discernment, have abundant darkness, perceive by scent, and have no knowledge in their hearts.

20. The eighth step in creation consists of birds and beasts and it has twenty-eight sub-classes; these beings are also destitute of knowledge of to-day and to morrow, mostly attached to the gratification of appetites, endowed with the power of scent, to know what is good to them and with no continuity of knowledge in the mind.

3.10.21

gaur ajo mahiṣaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sūkaro gavayo ruruḥ /
dvi-śaphāḥ paśavaś ceme avir uṣṭraś ca sattama //

The cow, goat, buffalo, black antelope, pig, wild ox, and ruru deer— / these animals have cloven hooves, as do the sheep and the camel, O best of men.

21 to 24. The Cow, the goat, the buffalo, the Krishna, (a species of deer) the swine, the Gavaya, the Ruru, the sheep and the camel, these beasts are cloven-hoofed, O best among the righteous; and O Kshatta, the ass, the horse, the mule, the gaura, the

3.10.22

kharo 'śvo 'śvataro gauraḥ śarabhaś camarī tathā /
ete caika-śaphāḥ kṣattaḥ śṛṇu pañca-nakhān paśūn //

The donkey, horse, mule, wild ox, the śarabha, and the yak— / these have uncloven hooves, O Vidura; hear now of the five-clawed animals:

śarabha and the chamari, these are whole-hoofed. Now hear about beasts having five nails; they are the dog, the jackal, the tiger, the cat, the hare, the hedge-hog, the lion, the monkey, the elephant, the tortoise and the alligator, and the shark, etc ; the heron, the vulture, the baka (a species of crane), the hawk, the Bhasa, the bear, the peacock, the swan, the crane, the ruddy goose, and the owl, are birds of the air.

3.10.23

śvā sṛgālo vṛko vyāghro mārjāraḥ śaśa-śallakau /
siṃhaḥ kapir gajaḥ kūrmo godhā ca makarādayaḥ //

The dog, jackal, wolf, tiger, cat, hare, porcupine, / lion, monkey, elephant, tortoise, monitor lizard, alligators, and the like.

3.10.24

kaṅka-gṛdhra-baka-śyena- bhāsa-bhallūka-barhiṇaḥ /
haṃsa-sārasa-cakrāhva- kākolūkādayaḥ khagāḥ //

The heron, vulture, crane, hawk, bhāsa vulture, bear, peacock, / swan, crane, ruddy goose, crow, owl, and other birds.

3.10.25

arvāk-srotas tu navamaḥ kṣattar eka-vidho nṛṇām /
rajo 'dhikāḥ karma-parā duḥkhe ca sukha-māninaḥ //

The ninth creation, O Vidura, whose sap flows downward, is of one kind: human beings. / They abound in passion, are devoted to work, and regard sorrow as happiness.

25. O Vidura, the ninth is that of producing but one species, having the characteristic of taking the nutriment from above which goes down into the system (that is to say), men are full of Rajoguna disposed to be very active and to regard things leading to misery as sources of happiness.

3.10.26

vaikṛtās traya evaite deva-sargaś ca sattama /
vaikārikas tu yaḥ proktaḥ kaumāras tūbhayātmakaḥ //

These three alone are the secondary creations, along with the creation of the gods, O best of men. / That which was described as transformational, however, and the creation of the Kumāras, partakes of both.

26. O Foremost among the righteous, these three are vaikrita creation; the creation of the gods also comes under this variety, which is the Vykarika variety already described; the creation of Sanatkumara and other sages is a combination of both, Prakruta and Vaikruta.

3.10.27

deva-sargaś cāṣṭa-vidho vibudhāḥ pitaro 'surāḥ /
gandharvāpsarasaḥ siddhā yakṣa-rakṣāṃsi cāraṇāḥ //

The creation of divine beings is eightfold: gods, ancestors, demons, / Gandharvas and Apsarases, Siddhas, Yakṣas and Rākṣasas, Cāraṇas,

27—28. The celestial class has eight species, viz. the gods proper, the Pitris, Asuras, the Gandharvas, the Apsaras, the Siddas, the Yakshas, the Rakshasas, the Charanas, the Bhutas, the Pretas and Pisachas, the Vidyadharas, the Kinnaras and others. These ten, O Vidura, are the creations made by Brahma as I have described to thee.

3.10.28

bhūta-preta-piśācāś ca vidyādhrāḥ kinnarādayaḥ /
daśaite vidurākhyātāḥ sargās te viśva-sṛk-kṛtāḥ //

Ghosts, spirits, Piśācas, Vidyādharas, Kinnaras, and others. / These ten creations made by the creator of the universe have been related to you, O Vidura.

3.10.29

ataḥ paraṃ pravakṣyāmi vaṃśān manvantarāṇi ca /
evaṃ rajaḥ-plutaḥ sraṣṭā kalpādiṣv ātmabhūr hariḥ /
sṛjaty amogha-saṅkalpa ātmaivātmānam ātmanā //

Hereafter I shall speak of the lineages and the Manvantaras. / Thus inundated with passion at the beginning of the kalpas, Hari, the self-born creator, / whose resolve is unfailing, creates the self by himself through the self.

29. Hereafter I shall tell you of the dynasties and the different periods of Manus. Thus indeed the self existent Hari becomes the creator through Rajoguna in the beginning of every

Kalpa; the Lord of unobstructed will produces Himself at His will and pleasure into many forms.