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Kis article is a chapter from the book "Bliss Divine"

Divine".

Creation
By

Sri Swami Sivananda

Introduction
Ke Cause of Kis Universe
Nature of the Creative Process
God and the Universe
Evolution of the Elements
Ke Doctrine of Ajati-vada
World is Mental Creation
Ke Cosmic Drama
Why Has God Created Kis World?
God Only Is: the World Is Not
Know the Truth

Introduction

Ke universe is a mystery. No one can say how it came to be.

You will Xnd in the Rig-Veda: "Who knows here, who can here state whence came
:
 all this multifarious universe? Even the Devas are posterior to its creation; who
then knows whence this came out?".

Some hold that the universe was created out of nothing by a Xat of God and that
it will again lapse into nothing at the period of deluge. Kis dogma of creation ex
nihilo is not endorsed by scientists. Key say emphatically that what exists now
should have existed always and will continue to exist always in some form or the
other. In Sankhya philosophy also you will Xnd: "Kat which is cannot come out
of that which is not". Ke Gita also states: "Kere can be no existence out of non-
existence, nor can the existent cease to be. Ke truth about both has been
perceived by seers".

Something cannot come out of nothing. Something can come out of something
only.

Ke grass comes out of the earth and is absorbed into the earth. Even so, this
universe comes out of Brahman, rests in Brahman, and dissolves in Brahman.

Ke Cause of Kis Universe

In the beginning, Brahman who is one without a second, alone exists. When
darkness was rolling over darkness, there was existence alone.

In Brahman, there was a Spandana or vibration before the world was projected.
Kis is the Sankalpa of Brahman. He thought or willed: "Ekoham Bahu Syam: I
am one; may I become many". Kis vibration corresponds to the bulging of the
seed within the ground when it is soaked with water. Ken the whole world was
projected.

When an ordinary, meagre juggler can bring forth mangoes, fruits, money,
sweetmeats, an imaginary palace, etc., through Indrajala or Sammohana-vidya,
can He—the omnipotent, omniscient Ruler—not create this insigniXcant world
for His own play? When a mortal king adorns his palace with furniture, pictures,
curios, garden, fountain, etc., can He not furnish this world with beautiful
landscape, brilliant sun, moon and stars, mighty rivers and oceans?

Nature of the Creative Process

Kis visible world is God’s jugglery. Kis world is not chaos. It is an organised,
divine institution. Ke world is a shadow of God.

Brahman creates this unthinkable universe through His illusive power of Maya
for His own Lila or sporting. Ke phenomenon of this universe is due to the
:
 power called Maya, by which the Absolute, without undergoing any change in or
by Itself, appears as an ever-changing succession of phenomena conditioned by
time and space.

Brahman has projected this universe without being a]ected in any way. Ke
Absolute is not a]ected by the world-process that is going on within It, just as the
rains from a cloud do not wet the sky. Ke one Brahman, through His Sakti, can
put on all these countless names and forms and appear as many. Kere is no
change in Himself. Ke world is mere appearance.

Brahman does not require any instruments or hands for making these forms. He
is Chaitanya, self-luminous intelligence. By mere willing, He can bring forth
countless worlds.

Just as the potentiality of a seed brings forth a tree, so also, the Svabhava or
potentiality of Brahman brings forth this universe. Projection co-exists with
existence.

God and the Universe

Kis whole universe is the body of God. Kis entire world is God or Virat-
Svarupa.

Kis world is not a world of dead matter, but a living Presence. Brahman or the
Absolute manifests Itself as the universe through forms.

Creation is a joyous self-expression of the One.

A king played the part of a beggar for his own sporting. A sage played the part of
a fool for his own sporting. Even so, this world is a sport or Lila of Brahman.

Brahman appears as the world. It is Brahman alone that shines as the world of
variegated objects. Brahman Himself appears as stone, tree, stars, etc. Ke One
Consciousness alone appears as the universe of plurality.

Just as one man alone becomes many in dream, so also the one God exists as
many.

Ke whole universe is Brahman only in essence. All this is Brahman only,

appearing in Brahman and through Brahman.

Earth, food, Xre and sun are forms of Brahman. East, west, north and south are
parts of the Lord. Ke sky, heaven, ocean are portions of Brahman.
:
 Breath is a part of Brahman. Sight is a part of Brahman. Hearing is a part of
Brahman. Mind is a part of Brahman. Kis life is Brahman. Brahman or Truth is
the essence in which the universe has its being, from which it is born, and in
which it dissolves at the end of each world-cycle.

An e]ect does not exist apart from its cause. A pot does not exist apart from clay.
Kis universe does not exist apart from Brahman. It has no independent
existence. It is one with Brahman.

If you have a candle light, and from it you light a thousand other candles, is not
the Xrst light in all the other candles? So it is with God. Creating all things, He is
in all by spirit, breath and being.

Ke world is charged with the splendour, glory and grandeur of God. Just as
sugar-cane juice pervades the sugar-cane, just as salt pervades the water when a
lump of salt is dissolved in it, just as butter pervades milk, so also, Brahman
pervades all the objects, animate or inanimate.

Brahman is one. Manifestation is many. One has become many.

As from a blazing Xre, sparks all similar to one another, come forth in thousands,
so also, from the one imperishable Brahman proceed all breathing animals, all
worlds, all the gods, and all beings.

Evolution of the Elements

By dint of His will, the Lord, the undecaying substratum or reality of the
universe, gave the Xrst impetus to Nature to shake o] her state of primal
equipoise and to be gradually and successfully evolved into those categories and
elements which were necessary for the formation of the present universe.

Ke Xrst evolute is Akasa. Why should Akasa be the Xrst evolute? Because,
without space, nothing can exist. Prana acted on Akasa. Kere was Spandana or
vibration. Wherever there is vibration, there must be motion. Motion is the
quality of air. Kerefore, air came out of Akasa. Motion produced heat.
Kerefore, Xre was born of Vayu or air. When there is heat, water is produced. On
a hot day, the body perspires. Hence, water was born of Xre. Wherever there is
water, there is food. Earth is Annam or food. Kerefore, earth was born of water.

Ke subtler the element, the more powerful it is. Water is more powerful than
earth, because it is more subtle than earth. Water removes away earth. Fire is
more powerful than water, because it is more subtle than water. Fire dries up all
water. Air is more powerful than Xre, because it is more subtle than Xre. Air
:
 blows up Xre. Ether or Akasa is more powerful than air, because it is more subtle
than air. Air rests in Akasa. Akasa is the support for air. Air is born of Akasa, Xre
is born of air, water is born of Xre, earth is born of water. During cosmic Pralaya,
earth is reduced or involved into water, water into Xre, Xre into air, and air into
Akasa.

Ke whole world, the gross bodies of the four kinds of beings, viz., Udbhija or the
seed-born, Svedaja or those born of sweat, oviparous or those born of egg, and
viviparous or those born of placenta, and all objects of enjoyment are formed out
of the Xve elements.

Ke Doctrine of Ajati-vada

As people with gross minds cannot grasp the theory of Ajati-vada or non
creation, this kind of Srishti-krama is given. If you study the doctrine of Ajati-
vada, propounded by Gaudapada in his Karika, you will Xnd that this world does
not exist in the past, present and future. Kis doctrine can be understood only by
high-class aspirants who lead a life of seclusion and meditation.

If you remain in Allahabad for six months, you forget all about your native place
which is Madras. Kere is no Madras for you while you live in Allahabad, and
there is no Allahabad for you while you live in Madras. Kis world is a mere
collection of Samskaras created by the mind.

If you can consciously destroy the mind by Sadhana and Samadhi, the world
vanishes. It is all Brahman only. You shut yourself in a room for a fortnight, give
up reading newspapers, engage yourself in deep meditation, and see whether
there is world or not.

World is Mental Creation

It is only the waking state that brings before us this creation. Kis universe is
nothing but a mode of the mind, self-evolved from Brahman, the cause of the
universe.

Ke motion or vibration of Prana moves the mind. Ke movement of the mind

generates the universe. Ke mind manifests itself as the external world. Names
and forms arise owing to Vikshepa Sakti, one of the powers of Maya. Ke
Vikshepa force operates both in the Jagrat and in the Svapna states. Ke whole
world is projected on account of this power only. In sleep, it disappears.

In the deep sleep state you have no experience of the world, because there is no
mind. Kis clearly shows that there will be world only if there is mind and that
:
 the mind alone creates this world.

World is mental creation. Kere is no world in sleep. Kere is no world in

Samadhi. Kere is no world for a sage. Kat is the reason why the Srutis declare
that this world is Manomatra Jagat, Manah-Kalpita Jagat.

Kis ever-agitated Manas, having come into existence out of the ine]able
Brahman, creates the world according to its own Sankalpa or thoughts. Kis
legerdemain of the universe springs out of the Sankalpa of Manas. It is through
the Sankalpa of your Manas that the universe appears to be and it is this
Sankalpa that is asked to be given up by you if you wish to soar to the One Reality
beyond the universe.

With the growth of a paltry Sankalpa, there will arise the universe; with the
extinction of the former, the latter will also disappear. With the annihilation of
Sankalpa, all conception of di]erences between the seer and the seen will
vanish, and then the Reality of Brahman will begin to shine uninterruptedly.
Ken the shadow of all the universe, movable and Xxed, will be found absorbed
in It in a non-dual state.

When the mind ceases to think, the world vanishes, and there is bliss
indescribable. When the mind begins to think, immediately the world
reappears, and there is su]ering.

With the contemplation of ‘I’, all the train of ideas of the universe will set in;
otherwise all the universe will vanish as instantaneously as darkness before the
sun. Mind and ‘I’ are one. Destroy the ‘I’; then the mind is destroyed. If the
mind, which is the instrument of knowledge, perception and activity, vanishes,
with it disappears this subjective world also.

Ke Cosmic Drama

Kis phenomenal universe is but an outcome of the Divine Will, seeming to be

real through the workings of the mind.

Before you write out a drama, you have a vivid mental picture of the whole
drama in your mind. Ken you write it out in succession in four acts. When it is
staged, it is acted in succession, part by part. Similarly, the universe and its
movements are a vivid mental picture in the Cosmic Mind, in the mind of Isvara.

Kere is neither ‘past’ nor ‘future’ for Him. Everything is ‘present’ for Him.
Kere is neither ‘near’ nor ‘far’ for Him.. Every place is ‘here’. Every time is
‘now’. Ke events come out in succession on the stage of the long world-drama as
:
 Time rolls on.

Atoms rotate continuously. Old becomes new and new becomes old. In reality,
there is no such thing as old; there is no such thing as new. Ke Jivas with
individual minds are witnessing the events in succession. But the Isvara knows
all events at one sweep. He is all-knowing. He is all-understanding also. He
knows every detail of His creation.

Kis vast sense-universe shines as Atma-sankalpa. Ke Cosmic Mind creates the

Maya. Individual minds receive things under delusion.

Why Has God Created Kis World?

Ke answers to the question, "Why has God created the world?", are very
unsatisfactory. For His own gloriXcation? We cannot attribute to Him so much
vanity. By love of mankind? How may He love a thing before it exists and how
may it be called love to create millions for misery and eternal pain? Ke creation
of the world is a moral necessity. It is to give fruits for enjoyment to the souls and
to help them attain God-realisation. God’s desire for His creation is to provide all
that is needed to bring His creation into an awareness of Himself.

Ke question, "Why has God created the world?", is an Ati-prasna or

transcendental question. Ke Xnite mind cannot give a proper answer. Ke
reason can give answers only to worldly questions. Ke question itself is wrong.

What is the cause for Avidya, Maya, and Samsara? Kis is an Ati-prasna. In
enquiring the cause, you abuse your innate mental organ of causality to
penetrate into a region for which it is not made and where it is no more available.
You are here in ignorance, pain and misery. You know the way out of them. Ke
question of a cause for them is senseless.

A Xnite mind that is gross and conditioned by time, space and causation cannot
comprehend the why and how of the universe, a question that is transcendental.
Ke question has never been answered by anybody, by, any Sastra, by any sage or
Acharya. Do not rack your mind on this point. You can never get a solution for
this problem. It is Mouja of Brahman to create this universe. It is His Lila-vilasa.
It is His Maya. It is His Svabhava (innate nature).

You simply waste your energy and time by entering into hot discussions
regarding the question, "Why has God created this world? Is the world real or
unreal?". It would matter nothing to you whether the world be real or not. You
will not gain anything substantial by entering into such controversies. You will
have to dive deep into the chamber of your heart by withdrawing the mind and
:
 the outgoing senses to rest in the Supreme Self. Give up, therefore, these useless
discussions and proceed straightaway in the quest of the Self and Its realisation.
Instead of counting the number of the leaves in a tree, try to eat the fruits
directly. Try to enjoy the eternal bliss of the Self by realisation. Kis is wisdom.

God Only Is: the World Is Not

Kere is only the eternal Brahman in truth. Nothing else really exists. Only
Brahman, the absolute, undi]erentiated mass of Satchidananda, exists.

Creation is a dream. Waking also is a dream. Ke body is a dream.

Ke whole world is an utter untruth. Kis world is utterly non-existent. Sensual

enjoyments are like fondling the son of a barren woman in dream.

Heaven, Moksha and world are mere words only, just like the son of a barren
woman.

Everything is a great delusion. Kere is neither dream nor deep sleep, neither
heaven nor emancipation. Ke truth is that everything is the Peace and Bliss of
Eternity.

Nothing here is ever born; nothing here ever dies. Ke subject of instruction, and
the purpose, of all teachings is only a play of words or sounds.

Ke inXnite which is both inside and outside appears as this world through space
and time.

Brahman appears as the world. World is mere appearance. It is like snake in the
rope, like water in the mirage, like blueness in the sky.

Ke snake appears because of the ignorance of the rope; when the rope is known,
the snake disappears. Ke world appears because of the ignorance of the Self; it
does not appear when there is Knowledge of Atman.

When one forgets Himself, Brahman appears to him as the universe. When one
is established in one’s own Self, the universe appears as the Brahman.

Know the Truth

If you attain Knowledge of the Self, the meaning of life will cease to be a mystery.
You will clearly understand the why and how of this universe. Ke purpose and
progress in the scheme of things will become clear to you. All transcendental
things will be known to you like the apple in the palm of your hand.
:
 Withdraw. Meditate. Dive deep into the recesses of your heart. You will have
awareness of a Reality, very di]erent from empirical reality, a timeless,
spaceless, changeless Reality. You will feel and experience that whatever is
outside of this only true Reality is mere appearance, is Maya, is a dream.

Know the Truth, the Absolute. You are saved. You are liberated. You are
enlightened. You are free.

You can know Brahman only by becoming Brahman. To become Brahman is to

identify yourself with the divine element—the Supreme Soul—which constitutes
your essential nature. Ke Knower of Brahman becomes Brahman. Ke river
joins the ocean and becomes one with the ocean. Ke drop mixes with the sea and
becomes one with the sea.

Last Updated: Monday, 29-May-2017 05:43:05 EDT

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