Nikhilananda:
Brahman expands by means of austerity, and from It primal matter is produced; from matter, Prana; from Prana, mind; from mind, the elements; from the elements, the worlds; thence works, and from the works, their immortal fruits.
EXPANDS ETC: The word tapas in the text means, literally, austerity. It also denotes intense thinking, which precedes any creative act. Here the word means knowledge regarding the future creation. Brahman, or Pure Intelligence, alone exists; It is one and without a second. Under the influence of Its own maya there arises in Brahman the desire for creation, or projection, and forthwith It becomes endowed with omniscience, that is to say, with the knowledge and capacity of creating, preserving, and destroying the universe. Thus Brahman appears to increase in size, like a seed before it splits and the sprout comes out; or like a father dilating with joy before begetting a son. In this stage Brahman, or the attributeless Absolute, becomes known as Saguna Brahman, or Brahman associated with the attributes of omniscience, omnipotence, and so on. The whole creation is the illusory superimposition of name and form on Brahman, owing to maya. Maya has no existence independent of Brahman.
FROM IT ETC: Prakriti, or primal matter in a state of non-differentiation, being a beginningless entity, cannot be said to be created. What is meant is that it becomes ready for manifestation. The word for primal matter in the text is annam, food; all created beings derive enjoyment from material objects, as a man does from food. Brahman desirous of creation appears as the undifferentiated prakriti, or matter. From the standpoint of prakriti, Brahman is the material cause of the universe, whereas, from the standpoint of Pure Intelligence, It is the efficient cause. FaoM
MATTER, PRANA: The first tangible and specific manifestation is Prana (Life), known also as Brahma, Hiranyagarbha (the Golden Egg), Prajiipati (the Creator)," and Sutriitma (the Atman which, like a thread, holds together the whole universe). He is the World Soul, the Cosmic Person in whom become manifest the knowledge and power of Brahman with regard to creation. He is the sprout, the first shoot of the creation, and contains in seed form the desires and actions of the created beings yet to be evolved. The Personal Gods of the different religions represent different aspects of Brahma. In the Puranas He is described as a special Person endowed with a form and dwelling in a special world called Brahmaloka, which may be roughly compared to the heaven of the Dualistic religions.
MIND: That is to say, the Cosmic Mind. The individual minds are not yet evolved. Mind is characterized by volition, deliberation, doubt, and determination.
ELEMENTS:· The five elements: akasa, air, £.re, water, and earth. When first evolved they are uncompounded, subtle, and incapable of creating. Then they combine and become gross elements. Each gross element contains one half portion of its subtle counterpart and one eighth of each of the four other subtle elements. W oRLDS: The fourteen worlds which constitute the relative universe. W oRKs: Performed by living beings according to their caste and order of life.
IMMORTAL FRUITS: Work (karma) creates desire, and the desire again impels one to action. Thus in the relative universe the stream of work never comes to an end even in a million aeons. The Knowledge of Brahman alone puts a stop to desire and work. Like work, its fruit is also without an end. Hence it is called immortal.
From the relative point of view, creation is without beginning. The human mind cannot think of the beginning of time or space. If a limit is arbitrarily set, one can conceive of time or space beyond that as well. Likewise, there is no such thing as absolute destruction. Vedanta speaks of the manifestation and the non-manifestation of the universe. In the former state things are seen in their tangible form, and in the latter they remain as seeds. These two states are called the "day of Brahma" and the "night of Brahma." The period of manifestation is called a kalpa, or cycle. Whenever the creation of the world is spoken of, what is really meant is the beginning of a cycle. A new cycle begins by the will of Isvara (Saguna Brahman), and its character is determined by the accumulated actions of the living beings of the previous cycle. Mere matter, without the help of consciousness or intelligence, cannot precipitate creation. Whether the created beings in a particular cycle will be happy or unhappy, wise or ignorant, is determined by the law of karma. In discussing creation, or evolution, it should be remembered that according to Vedanta it is the illusory superimposition upon Brahman of names and forms. That is to say, owing to maya Pure Intelligence, or Brahman, appears as Brahman with attributes. Then Brahman, which appeared as Brahman with attributes, further appears through maya as the undifferentiated prakriti. This process of illusory superimposition is to be applied to all stages of evolution.
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