Elements of Hindu Iconography v4.c25.s3.46

v4.c25.s3.46

Just as the weaver is the efficient cause (nimittakāraṇa), the Nishkalā-Śiva is the efficient cause of the universe composed of the moveable and immoveable objects. The immoveable objects consist of such things as the mountains, and the moveable, of things like paśu (here used in the technical sense of animals endowed with souls; man covered with ignorance). Souls have sūkshma-śarīras (subtle bodies) and bhuvana śarīras (material regional bodies). The bhuvanas or regions are of two kinds, namely, the suddha (pure) and the asuddha (impure) bhuvanas. These bhuvanas and kalās and their residents are appended below in the foot note (1). The bhuvanas or the regions have been created by Paramaśiva for the enjoyment of the paśus or embodied souls. The souls that live in the pure regions are pure in their nature and those that live in the impure regions are impure. The paśus are divided into three classes: viz., the vijñānakalas, the pralayākalas and the sakalas. Those that are enveloped