Conclusion of the descriptions of creation (Srimad Bhagavatam #33)
Conclusion of the descriptions of creation (Srimad Bhagavatam #33)
Lord Kapila offers a description that puts all the previous explanations together and helps us to understand the full plot behind the creation of this material world and our imprisoning inside of it.
The previous chapters in the second and third canto of Srimad Bhagavatam include several descriptions of the creation of the universe. Each of these descriptions brings new details, helping us to progressively grow our understanding. These different explanations may seem at first disconnected from each other, but they just offer the same description from different angles, just like a description of the same story from the viewpoint of different characters helps us to understand the whole plot. Now, in chapter 26, Lord Kapila offers a description that puts all the previous explanations togueter and helps us to understand the full plot behind the creation of this material world and our imprisoning inside of it. This is the last place in the Srimad Bhagavatam where this topic is discussed in depth. After this, the narration moves to other topics. This makes this description particularly important, since if we miss it, we may study the Srimad Bhagavatam and still keep elementary doubts that are answered here.
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Lord Kapila adds to the previous descriptions of creation (chapter 3.26)
The previous chapters in the second and third canto of Srimad Bhagavatam include several descriptions of the creation of the universe. Each of these descriptions bring new details, helping us to progressively grow our understanding. This system of explaining the same topic repeatedly with a growing level of detail is often found in Vedic literature. We can see that Krishna uses it in the Bhagavad-Gita, for example. This is a quite natural system because it's not possible to immediately understand all the complexity of any subject. Even in school, we study mathematics in the first year, then in the second year, the third year, and so on, but each year we study it at a higher level of complexity.
The previous chapters of Srimad Bhagavatam include the following explanations of the material creation:
Chapter 1.3: A brief explanation of how the Lord becomes Maha-Vishnu, Garbhodakasayi Vishnu, and Ksirodakasayi Vishnu to facilitate the material creation.
Chapter 2.5: Brahma describes to Narada Muni the creation of the material elements, starting from the mahat-tattva. First false ego manifests, and then it is divided into three features: in goodness, in passion, and in ignorance. From these three, the five elements, ether, air, fire, water, and earth are generated, together with sound, touch, form, etc. followed by the mind and senses. From there, the universes were created and the Lord entered each one as Garbhodakasayi Vishnu and manifested the universal form, which serves as a blueprint for the creation performed by Brahma.
Chapter 2.6: Here Brahma describes features of the universal form, the subtle manifestation of the universe that is manifested by the Lord previous to the creation performed by him. The universal form is the source of everything and contains all manifestations in a subtle form, as a blueprint. Brahma has the function of giving physical forms to these manifestations. Later in the chapter Brahma describes his appearance from the lotus flower and how he organized the first sacrifices. In this chapter, the ten sons of Brahma, as well as the Manus and others are mentioned, but no details are given about their creation.
Chapter 2.9: Here it is described how Brahma met the Lord at the beginning of the current day and received the four original verses of the Srimad Bhagavatam from Him. The Lord existed before the material creation and He is the cause of the creation. Everything is connected with Him, and maya means the illusion of seeing things as disconnected or independent from Him. The Lord is everywhere and we are always with the Lord, and the purpose of human life is to search for Him.
Chapter 2.10: This chapter again describes the universal form, but now with a different purpose: explaining how everything is connected with the Lord, and how we can see Him everywhere. This explanation is connected with the ten topics of the Srimad Bhagavatam, describing how the Lord is the ultimate shelter and how He is behind everything.
Chapter 3.5: This chapter narrates again the creation of the material elements starting from the mahat-tattva but with more detail than in chapter 2.5. It also goes further by describing how the Lord enters into the material elements and how material creation becomes possible only due to His presence.
Chapter 3.6: Now the creation of the universal form is described, again in more detail than in the previous explanation. Another difference is that in chapter 2.6 the universal form is described from the viewpoint of Brahma, while in chapter 3.6 it is described from the viewpoint of the Lord. The creation of the material elements is described thus in chapters 2.5 and 3.5, and the universal form in 2.6 and 3.6. This description of the creation of the elements and the universal form comprises the primary creation (performed by the Lord), while the following chapters describe the secondary creation performed by Brahma.
Chapter 3.8: This chapter describes Brahma waking up on the lotus flower, seeing only darkness around, performing meditation, and seeing the Lord. Again, this description is similar to what is described before, in chapter 2.9, but from a different perspective. In chapter 2.9 the meeting is described from the perspective of Brahma receiving the original verses of the Srimad Bhagavatam from the Lord, while on 3.8 it is described from the perspective of the creation of the universe. Therefore, different details are emphasized.
Chapter 3.10: In this chapter, Maitreya offers a condensed description of the nine creations, six of them performed by the Lord as part of the primary creation, and three performed by Brahma as part of the secondary creation. The description of the creation of Brahma here is very short.
Chapter 3.11: This is the chapter that describes material time, detailing the divisions from the truṭi to the maha-kalpa, the lifetime of Brahma.
Chapter 3.12: Here the creation of Brahma is described in more detail. He first created nescience (self-deception, sense of death, false ownership, etc.) and proceeded to create the Kumaras and Lord Shiva. Next, he created his ten sons, including Narada, and proceeded to create religion and irreligion, lust, anger, greed, etc. Later, the Vedas became manifest, and Brahma created the different components of sacrifice (Vedic hymns, rituals, recitation, etc.) He then created the Upa-vedas (secondary scriptures, containing material knowledge about medicine, music, astrology, sciences, etc.), the Puranas and histories (the fifth Veda), the Varnasrama system, etc. The description is concluded with the creation of Manu.
Chapter 3.20: This explanation adds more detail to the creation of Brahma, detailing how he created the different species, including the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas, the demigods and demons, ghosts and spirits, etc. as well as the different times of the day, and other manifestations, culminating with the creation of the manus and human beings.
Now, in the explanation of the creation given by Lord Kapila, we will have a description that combines details of the previous explanations and will help us understand how they fit together, and thus have a detailed picture of how the universe came to be and how we ended up being entangled here. This description of Lord Kapila is extremely intricate because it is the post-graduation on the topic of creation, building on the previous descriptions. It is meant to be studied by great sages. Devahuti, although posing as an ordinary woman, was a great ascetic, and therefore Lord Kapila didn't held back in explaining this knowledge to her.
The creation of material consciousness
Starting from verse 3.26.21, Lord Kapila describes the creation of the material elements from the mahat-tattva. This explanation is very intricate because it describes simultaneously four topics:
a) The creation of the material elements.
b) Tow these elements manifest from the Lord.
c) The process of entanglement of the soul in these elements, having his original pure consciousness covered by material consciousness.
d) The process to return to our original consciousness.
The first step is the Lord entering into the mahat-tattva and manifesting consciousness. The presence of the Lord is necessary at each stage of creation. Nothing can happen without his participation.
As Lord Kapila describes:
"The mode of goodness, which is the clear, sober status of understanding the Personality of Godhead and which is generally called vāsudeva, or consciousness, becomes manifest in the mahat-tattva. After the manifestation of the mahat-tattva, these features appear simultaneously. As water in its natural state, before coming in contact with earth, is clear, sweet and unruffled, so the characteristic traits of pure consciousness are complete serenity, clarity, and freedom from distraction." (SB 3.26.21-22)
The material world offers an alternate reality for the souls who are forgetful of their eternal position of service to Krishna. Originally, the soul has consciousness, ego, intelligence, and mind, but all these components are spiritual. The original consciousness of the soul is Krishna Consciousness, love of Godhead. The original ego of the soul, the true ego, is the true identity of the soul as an eternal servant of the Lord. The original intelligence is knowledge about Krishna and His service, while the original mind is saturated with spiritual love and desires connected with the service to Krishna. All these four are spiritual and can be used only in connection with Krishna.
When the soul somehow becomes forgetful of this eternal position and joins the material creation, the Lord has to create a material version of these four components, so the soul can think, feel, desire, and act inside the material creation. There is thus a material version of consciousness, which allows the soul to be conscious inside the material manifestation, a material ego, that allows the soul to accept material identities, a material intelligence, that allows the soul to think and make plans on how to coordinate his material activities, and a material mind that serves as a receptacle for all kinds of material feelings and desires.
These four originate from the quadruple expansion of the Lord; Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha, and are presided by them. The goal of these four components is to allow the soul to become again situated in his original position, but when we misuse the opportunity, we become more and more entangled in the material ocean.
This is connected with the four internal senses (mind, intelligence, material ego, and material consciousness) that were previously mentioned. From Vāsudeva comes material consciousness, from Saṅkarṣaṇa comes false-ego, or ahankara, from Pradyumna, comes material intelligence, and from Aniruddha the material mind. Because these four components come from the Lord, they are also meant to worship the Lord in His different forms. In his purport, Prabhupada mentions that in order to get release from the false ego, one has to worship Saṅkarṣaṇa, to get free from mental disturbances, one has to worship Aniruddha and to be fixed in one’s intelligence one has to worship Pradyumna. These three expansions of the Lord are represented in Lord Shiva, the moon, and Brahma, and are sometimes worshipped through them.
The creation of material consciousness from Vāsudeva
What is this material consciousness that sprang from Lord Vasudeva? This is a reflection of the original, spiritual consciousness, which is manifested in the mahat-tattva. This consciousness springs from the mode of goodness and is pure, similar to our original spiritual consciousness. It is described in verse twenty-two as being clear, free from all distractions, and serene, just as water is pure in its original state.
In this state, one is free from passion and ignorance and it is a clear state of understanding. This is the original status of the consciousness of the soul when put into the mahat-tattva. At this stage, there is no material mind or intelligence, and not even false ego. The soul is free from these contaminations. According to Prabhupada (SB 3.5.27), there is just a small tinge of the mode of passion, which allows the existence of the material creation and the start of material activity.
This state, however, does not describe the constitutional position of the soul. It is just a stage of the process of creation of the material universes. The souls who are inseminated into the pradhana were part of the previous creation. When the universe is destroyed, all the coverings of the soul are destroyed, and the pure soul goes to sleep inside the body of Mahā-Viṣṇu, and in the next cycle of creation, these same souls are put into the mahat-tattva, initially in this pure stage of Vasudeva consciousness.
If there is no mind, false ego, or any other layer of material contamination, how is it that the soul returns to the material creation? Why the soul doesn't just go back to Godhead from there?
It happens that there is another component that is never destroyed. This component, the very thing that distinguishes a living soul from inanimate matter, is free will. Due to free will the soul develops an affinity for matter, and this free will keeps the soul bound to this material creation even when all other coverings are removed. This explains how the soul originally comes in contact with matter, and also how souls can fall back into the material world even when put into the impersonal brahmajoti. Only when the original propensity of service to Krishna is fully revived, is the soul becomes finally free from this propensity and goes back to his original position of service to Krishna.
As Prabhupada mentions in his purport to verse 3.26.24: "The living entity exists in the natural state of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but he has marginal independence, and this allows him to forget Kṛṣṇa. Originally, pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness exists, but because of misuse of marginal independence there is a chance of forgetting Kṛṣṇa."
Although the souls are freed from material contamination with the destruction of the universe, the propensity to enjoy matter remains present. Therefore, at the beginning of the next creation, the Lord restores the coverings of the soul, including consciousness, false ego, mind, intelligence, senses, and finally the physical body as the creation progresses. Everything is restored the same way it was in the previous creation, so the souls can continue their pursuit of material enjoyment. In this way, souls who were demigods again become demigods, souls who were human beings again become human beings, and so on. Everyone continues from where they stopped in the previous creation.
Prabhupada explains this point in the Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta: "In His form as Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu the Lord impregnates material nature by His glance. The transcendental molecules of that glance are particles of spirit, or spiritual atoms, which appear in different species of life according to the seeds of their individual karma from the previous cosmic manifestation. And the Lord Himself, by His partial representation, creates a body of innumerable universes and again enters each of those universes as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu." (CC Adi 5.69)
The point about the mahat-tattva in connection with this pure state of consciousness is mentioned by Prabhupada in his purport to SB 3.5.27: "The mahat-tattva is the total consciousness because a portion of it is represented in everyone as the intellect. The mahat-tattva is directly connected with the supreme consciousness of the Supreme Being, but still it appears as matter. The mahat-tattva, or shadow of pure consciousness, is the germinating place of all creation. It is pure goodness with the slight addition of the material mode of passion, and therefore activity is generated from this point."
Everything that exists in the material universes germinates from the mahat-tattva, including our own consciousness. The original consciousness of the soul is covered by a fraction of the consciousness manifested from the mahat-tattva, and from there covered by different layers of material coverings, just like a source of light may be covered by glasses of different colors, or water may be mixed with dirt.
As Prabhupada mentions in his purport: "The pure status of consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, exists in the beginning; just after creation, consciousness is not polluted. The more one becomes materially contaminated, however, the more consciousness becomes obscured. In pure consciousness one can perceive a slight reflection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As in clear, unagitated water, free from impurities, one can see everything clearly, so in pure consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one can see things as they are. One can see the reflection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and one can see his own existence as well. This state of consciousness is very pleasing, transparent and sober. In the beginning, consciousness is pure."
The consciousness we have now is thus not our real spiritual consciousness, but the result of the reflection of this consciousness passing through all these material coverings, more or less like the consciousness of a person while dreaming. Only when all these material coverings are removed can we finally see ourselves as we are.
The creation of the false ego from Saṅkarṣaṇa
How does the soul, in this pure state of consciousness of the mahat-tattva become again entangled in matter, just like in the previous creation? Everything starts from the contamination of the false ego. This is described in verses twenty-three to twenty-five:
"The material ego springs up from the mahat-tattva, which evolved from the Lord’s own energy. The material ego is endowed predominantly with active power of three kinds: good, passionate and ignorant. It is from these three types of material ego that the mind, the senses of perception, the organs of action, and the gross elements evolve. The threefold ahaṅkāra, the source of the gross elements, the senses and the mind, is identical with them because it is their cause. It is known by the name of Saṅkarṣaṇa, who is directly Lord Ananta with a thousand heads." (SB 3.26.23-25)
The false ego manifests from Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa, and it allows the soul to take part in the material creation, identifying with a material body and mind. False ego is thus the basic principle of material activity, which is in turn executed under the three modes of material nature.
Everything starts with free will, which is the intrinsic characteristic of the soul. Because of this free will, the soul sometimes decides to leave the service of Krishna and join the material creation. Free will implies the possibility of falling down because it implies a choice. Choice is a pre-requisite for love, because when there is no choice there cannot be love. Love means I can leave, but I choose to stay. If one is forced to stay, this is not love, but bondage. Free will is therefore inseparable from the soul because it is the very thing that makes it possible for the soul to manifest his original characteristic of love for Krishna.
Because of misusing his free will, however, the soul somehow falls into the material creation, and when this happens, the soul is first covered with material consciousness, and from there covered with false ego. This false ego then interacts with the three modes of material nature. From the interaction with the mode of goodness comes the mind and also the demigods, from the interaction of passion the senses arise, together with intelligence, and from interaction with ignorance comes the gross elements, that we can manipulate in the course of our material activities.
The essence of our conditioned life is an enjoying spirit and a sense of independence from Krishna. These two are manifested through the false ego, and by the combination of the false ego with the three modes of material nature, a sequence of coverings is generated. The more we deviate from our natural position of service to Krishna, the deeper we fall into ignorance.
As Prabhupada mentions in his purport:
"False ego is the basic principle for all material activities, which are executed in the modes of material nature. As soon as one deviates from pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he increases his entanglement in material reaction. The entanglement of materialism is the material mind, and from this material mind, the senses and material organs become manifest."
The creation of the mind, intelligence, and senses
The appearance of the other elements, starting from the false ego is described in the following verses:
"This false ego is characterized as the doer, as an instrument and as an effect. It is further characterized as serene, active or dull according to how it is influenced by the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. From the false ego of goodness, another transformation takes place. From this evolves the mind, whose thoughts and reflections give rise to desire. The mind of the living entity is known by the name of Lord Aniruddha, the supreme ruler of the senses. He possesses a bluish-black form resembling a lotus flower growing in the autumn. He is found slowly by the yogīs. By transformation of the false ego in passion, intelligence takes birth, O virtuous lady. The functions of intelligence are to help in ascertaining the nature of objects when they come into view, and to help the senses. Doubt, misapprehension, correct apprehension, memory and sleep, as determined by their different functions, are said to be the distinct characteristics of intelligence. Egoism in the mode of passion produces two kinds of senses: the senses for acquiring knowledge and the senses of action. The senses of action depend on the vital energy, and the senses for acquiring knowledge depend on intelligence." (SB 3.26.26-31)
The mind appears from the combination of the false ego and the mode of goodness. It springs from Lord Aniruddha. The mind is the reservoir of all desires and operates based on the principle of acceptance and rejection. It desires what is favorable for the satisfaction of one's goals and rejects what is perceived as unfavorable. Originally, the mind is peaceful and is inclined to Krishna Conscious activities, but it becomes agitated and polluted as we associate with the material modes of passion and ignorance. Because we have been engaged in material activities for so long, the mind now stores all kinds of material images and desires, and as a result, is very flickering. However, when we become fixed in our practice of Krishna Consciousness, it becomes possible to bring the mind back to its peaceful state and focus it on the service of the Lord.
Desire can't be stopped, but we can attain perfection by transferring our desire from matter to the service of the Lord. In the beginning, we have to act under the order of some superior authority, who can teach us how to use our propensities in the service of Krishna. As we progress, our taste for devotional service awakens, and the material desires of the mind are gradually transformed into desires connected with the service to Krishna.
Next, from the combination of the false ego and the mode of passion, intelligence appears, which is a manifestation of Lord Pradyumna.
Intelligence gives us the power to understand material objects and discriminate between them. By using intelligence, we can determine what is appropriate or not, make choices, create plans, and so on. It is supposed to be the master of the senses, controlling the functions of the mind, but in conditioned life, intelligence often becomes subordinate to the dictations of the mind. However, it can be purified and brought back to its proper function by the cultivation of spiritual knowledge. When intelligence starts to operate inside the scope of transcendental knowledge, we can use it to purify ourselves, and from this purification, we expand our consciousness. The ultimate expansion of consciousness is pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness, when we can perfectly see ourselves as pure souls and see the Lord as our ultimate object of love.
Because we are accustomed to our current state of consciousness, we fail to understand how limited it is. As we progress in Krishna Consciousness, our awareness greatly expands. We can't even imagine the level of awareness the inhabitants of the spiritual planets have.
The functions of intelligence are doubt, misunderstanding, correct understanding, memory, and sleep. Doubt is a function of intelligence, and it is essential in the beginning to find proper spiritual knowledge. We are not supposed to be blind followers. On BG 4.34 Prabhupada mentions that both blind following and absurd inquiries are condemned. We are supposed to use our intelligence to understand spiritual knowledge and then apply it. One who naively accepts anything and everything will probably be cheated by some so-called incarnation of God.
When we find the proper source of knowledge, however, this process of doubt should be abandoned, otherwise it will bring us to destruction, leading us to reject the spiritual master and the scriptures and falling into some lesser path, as Krishna explains in the Bhagavad-Gita 4.40. When the bona-fide spiritual master is found, this process of doubt should give way to a process of humbly inquiring, as recommended in the Gita.
The intelligence can help us to understand things, but it often misunderstands. To properly understand, intelligence must be guided by the instructions of the scriptures. We should receive the correct conclusions of the scriptures from the spiritual master, and use these conclusions to interpret the world around us and find practical solutions for the perplexities of life.
Just like the physical body is maintained by food, intelligence is maintained by sufficient sleep. As Krishna explains in the Bhagavad-Gita, we need to be regulated in both eating and sleeping. Just like eating too much and sleeping too much are harmful to our spiritual practice, sleeping too little and eating too little are also obstacles. These two extremes are connected with the modes of ignorance and passion. We reach goodness when we become balanced in our habits.