Chapter 2, Anuvakaha # 6, Shloka # 3:

He desired, “ I shall become many and be born. He performed tapas; having performed tapas, He created all this whatsoever (we perceive). Having created it, He entered into it. He became the manifest and the unmanifest, the defined and undefined, the housed and the houseless, knowledge and ignorance, truth and falsehood and all this whatsoever exists. Therefore, it is called Existence. In this sense, there is the following Vaidika verse”

Continuing his teaching of the Upanishad Swamiji said, in Anuvakaha 6 of Brahmanandavalli we have just completed discussion of Pancha Kosha Viveka. Now a student raised some questions, anuprashnahas. Two questions were raised and a third was implied.

The first or implied question was, is there a Brahman? Doubts on this existence of Brahman are possible and legitimate as Brahman is not available for transactions. Anything not available for transaction we consider it as non-existent.

The second question was, assuming there is a Brahman; will an ignorant person merge into it upon death? As per shastras, any product will merge into its cause at its destruction. The very definition of destruction is that the product merges into its cause.

The third question is, will a wise person merge into Brahman at death?

Now the teacher answered the first question. In this answer many Vedantic ideas about creation were taught. Seven reasons were given as evidence of existence of Brahman. They are:

• Brahman is existent. It is the nimitha karanam. Nimitha karanam is the intelligent cause behind creation. We can infer this from our experience because any ordinary product has an intelligent cause behind it. A piece of cloth, a mike etc. all has an intelligent cause. Similarly, our complex universe also has an intelligent cause. Concluding that there is no intelligent cause behind creation does not make sense. Even scientists don’t believe anymore that there is no cause behind creation. They know the natural laws of physics and chemistry but they are not able to find the cause of creation. Many scientists believe this cause cannot be found by scientific reasoning. It is this unknown X –factor that is brought out by the shastras. It has to be the Chetana Tatvam. It is a sentient intelligent cause. It has to be an extraordinarily intelligent cause. This is Brahman, the nimitha Karanam.

When you see a wooden desk, do you ask, did a carpenter create this or do you say, it may have been created by a carpenter?  Maybe can also mean, may not be. Did the wood slice itself? So, with respect to desk we accept the carpenter was behind its creation.

Now the question rises, how did Brahman create this universe?

Any creation has three stages to it.

• A deep & intense desire to create must come up. Without it nothing gets produced. Kama avastha and Tirva ichha are required.
• Visualization as to what to create has to occur? When we build a house we visualize how many rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, puja room etc. are required? The house has to be created in mind before it comes into actuality.
• Actual implementation of the visualization: Here the concrete creation comes out. First and second stages are not visible, only the third stage is visible. Brahman also goes through these three stages of creation.

So Brahman desired to create the universe. I can desire because I have an instrument called the mind. What is the instrument of Brahman? The instrument is called Maya or Ichha Shakti. When Brahman uses Maya, it is called Ishwara. Brahman married to Maya and thus as the householder is called Ishwara.

Why should Brahman desire to create the universe and make us suffer? If there is no creation then there is no samara and no resultant suffering as well.

Desire to create comes out of apurnatvam. Kama is considered a product of avidya. Kama produces Karma and Karma produces Phallam.

Thus: Ignorance>Desire> Action>Result.

Therefore liberation is considered freedom from Kama. A free person is a desire-less person. A person becomes free from Samasara, once all desires are gone.

Now, Bhagawan desired. If the Lord is liberated, how come he has desire?

Bhagawan’s desire is not born out of apurnatvam. It is a desire born out of knowledge as such it is a non-binding desire.

Why does God desire? His desire is meant for fructification of karma phalas of Jiva rashi’s. All jiva rashi’s have karma and phalam, which comes into being only when there is a Samsara.

Now a question comes, if creation is for fructification of punyas and papa’s, how did punyas and papa’s come to be, to begin with? They came to be from a previous Srishti. In present Srishti also Karmas will be there and they will result in a new Srishti. So Bhagawan has to create swarga and naraka. He has to create different lokas. To create all these, he must have knowledge of the karma of all Jivas. Not only does he have to visualize the right environment (where) but he also has to visualize the right bodies (who).

If so, how did past Srishti come about? Also, how did first Srishti come about? As per shastras there is no first Srishti, as the process is not a linear one. Our intellect has to get out of the linear thinking or one with a beginning and an end; else we will be frustrated.

We need to think in terms of cyclic thinking. Everything in creation is cyclic. Once we can think cyclic then the mind gets out of the tyranny of linear thinking. In a circle there is no beginning or end.

If you start and end there is no circle. If I start and come back to beginning point, then it is impossible to say where is the beginning and where is the end.

Scientists also see the circulatory logic. So, every Srishti is an intermediate creation. There was one before and after it. Here we are now discussing the present Srishti. Therefore, Bhagawan creates Srishti for Karma phalam of jivatmas. He creates for the benefit of Jivarashi’s.

Any number of nonbinding desires will not create samsara. The nonbinding desire has to be a pure one for that.

So the desire arose in Brahman that, “Now I am the universal father, let me multiply and become many lives.” Like any father, say one with three children, Brahman also creates many children.

Thus: Aham> Aavam>Vayam.

I>We both>  We All

Let me multiply myself by getting progeny. In creation, every species can reproduce only one of its own kinds. Thus, humans can reproduce humans; buffalo buffaloes etc. Bhagawan, however, is father of all species, because Maya can produce all Jiva Rashi’s.

Once desire has come next is visualization; what appears where etc.? For this visualization, he requires knowledge of papam’s and punyam’s of all respective Jivas’ (humans, insects, plants etc.). Such a Lord has to be omniscient. He has to fulfill karmas of many (parents, children; Guru shishya; brother, sister) etc. It is the result of fructification of visualization. This visualization is called Tapaha. He performed austerity through visualization. This is tapas performed through Gyanam. This tapas is performed with Maya as instrument. God, himself does not have hands and feet and indriyas to form them. Let us remember that nothing has yet been created.

Having performed Tapas for sufficient time (countless yugas) God created the whole universe. Even space and time were created. Just be aware that God has created whatever you experience in front of you.

Next question that arises is that between visualization and implementation there is a lot of effort involved; think of the effort of building a house; how difficult it is? How much time and effort has to be put into it?

However, shastras say, God did not put in any effort; he created the samsara just by his sankalpa.

Now, how is it possible to create by one’s sankalpa? Shastras say, everyone can create by sankalpa. After all we create a dream world every night through our mind and vasanas. It is an effortless process. Dream is an unreal universe. How can you say that? Shastra’s say, this universe is also an unreal universe. Ishwara has created this universe, just like you create your own dream world.

If this universe is unreal, why do I feel it is real? Shastras say, you feel many things; thus, when you are in a dream, you consider it as real. When you wake up you feel the dream was unreal. It is the same with the waking state as well. We will realize it is also unreal, when we wake up to it. Thus, God created mithya universe by Maya Shakti. Thus, God exists.

CH 2, anuvaka 6, shloka # 3: (continued)

Ishwara created the universe. This universe is meaningful only when there are jivas or sentient beings to experience it. A house is useful only when sentient people use it.

God himself enters in the universe as Jiva rashis. Thus all jivas are Bhagawan. This phenomenon of God entering universe is known as anupravesha. Shankaracharya has written extensively on anupravesha. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad also discusses this topic.

In our dream world, who goes there to experience it? I create the dream; I enter the dream as dream individual to experience the dream. Thus, I create the tiger in dream; I enter the dream world and I experience the tiger. Thus, the waker, one in waking state, becomes the dream experience. So also Ishwara becomes part of universe he created.

With Best Wishes,

Ram Ramaswamy