Janamejaya said, "Tell me, O best of men, for what reason did Hari appear
in that mighty form equipt with a horse-head and which Brahma, the
Creator, beheld on the shores of the great northern Ocean on the occasion
referred to by yourself?"
Vaisampayana said, "All existent objects, O king, in this world, are the
result of a combination of the five primal elements, a combination due to
the intelligence of the Supreme Lord. The puissant Narayana, endued with
infinity, is the supreme Lord and Creator of the universe. He is the
inner Soul of all things, and the giver of boons. Divested of attributes,
he is again possessed of them. Listen now, O best of kings, to me as I
narrate to thee how the Destruction is brought about of all things. At
first, the element of Earth becomes merged in Water and nothing then is
seen save one vast expanse of Water on all sides. Water then merges into
Heat, and Heat into Wind. Wind then merges into Space, which in its turn,
merges into Mind. Mind merges into the Manifest (otherwise called
Consciousness or Ego). The Manifest merges into the Unmanifest (or
Prakriti). The Unmanifest (or Prakriti) merges into Purusha (Jivatman)
and Purusha merges into the Supreme Soul (or Brahman). Then Darkness
spreads over the face of the universe, and nothing can be perceived. From
that primal Darkness arises Brahma (endued with the principle of
Creation). Darkness is primeval and fraught with immortality. Brahma that
arises from primeval Darkness develops (by its own potency) into the idea
of the universe, and assumes the form of Purusha.
Pages:
2637
2638
2639
2640
2641
2642
2643
2644
2645
2646
2647
2648
2649
2650
2651
2652
2653
2654
2655
2656
2657
2658
2659
2660
2661