SECTION IV.Maitreya said:—"O mighty ascetic, relate unto me how the reverend Brahmā whose name is Nārāyana, created all beings at the commencement of the Kalpa". (Thereat) Parāçara said,—"Hear as to how that god, the lord of Prajāpati,[49]the reverend Brahmā instinct with Nārāyana, created beings. On the expiration of the past Kalpa, that Master, Brahmā, surcharged with the energy of righteousness, awaking from his slumbers, saw the universe—void of all. And the supreme, incomprehensible Nārāyana—the lord of the greatest—as the worshipful Brahmā, became engaged in creation. Thisslokais used with reference to the divine Nārāyana, the creator of the universe, in the form of Brahmā.Apais namednāra, having been created by Nara;[50]and in days of yore, (water) having been the abode of him, he hath hence been called Nārāyana.—And on the universe becoming one ocean, the creator of all beings, the Lord resting on water, inferring that the Earth was thus placed, set his heart on delivering her. And as he, on former occasions, had assumed the forms of a fish, a Tortoise,etc., he now assumed the form of a Boar. And for sustaining the entire universe, the lord of creatures, impregnated with the Veda and sacrifices, of serene soul and the soul of all,—the Supreme spirit—stay of soul, and the prop of the Earth,—hymned by the Siddhas inhabiting the region of Jana,—Sauaka and others,—then entered water.—And seeing him enter the nether regions, that exalted one, the Earth, bowing low in humility and reverence, began to praise him. And the Earth said,—'I bow unto thee, who art all being; I bow unto thee, holding the conch and the mace. Do thou rescue me from here, now, as, thou hadst formerly done. I had formerly been delivered by thee. O Janārddana, I as well as other things, such as the sky,etc., are permeated by thee. Reverence unto thee, O prime spirit, O male soul, I bow unto thee. I bow unto thee, who artpradhānaandvaykta, and who art Time. Thou, wearing the forms of Brahmā, Vishnu and Rudra, art the creator of all beings, and thou art the maintainer as well as the destroyer thereof. Having destroyed everything, thou, O Govinda,[51]on the universe having become one Ocean,—contemplated by the pious, reposest (on the serpent-couch). None knoweth the high mystery encompassing thee; and the deities do but adore that form in which thou incarnatest thyself. O supreme Brahmā, adoring thee, those desirous of emancipation, attain the same. Who, not worshipping Vasudeva, obtaineth liberation? Thy entire form comprehends ail that may be secured by the mind, all that may be perceived by sight and the other senses, all that may be discriminated by thought. And I am supported, and created, and maintained by thee. And for this it is that people call me Mādhavi.[52]Victory to thee, O thou that art all knowledge! Victory to thee, who art gross and undeteriorating! Victory to thee, O thou that art infinite! Victory to thee, thou that art the Nascent! Victory to thee, thou that art Manifest. Thou, O lord! O prime of prime souls! O soul of the Universe! Victory to thee, O master of sacrifice, thou, who art sinless! Thou art Sacrifice, andVaskatkāra[53]and thou,Omkarāa[54]and thou, Fire. Thou art the Vedas, and thou the branches thereof, and thou Hari,[55]art the person presiding; over sacrifice. Thou art the Sun,etc., and the planets and stars, and thou the entire universe. And O foremost god, thou art all that is formless and that is formed, and that is hard and, O best of male beings, all that I have mentioned and also all that I have left un mentioned. I bow down unto thee. I bow unto thee again and again.'"[49]A divine personage sprung from Brahmā.—T.[50]A name of Vishnu.—T.[51]This term, a common appellation of Krishna, is derived variously.Go—language[the language of the Vedas] andvinda—who knows; orgo—heavenor acow, andvid—to obtain,—by whom heaven is obtained, or who obtains felicity by protecting kine.—T.[52]Madhava being one of the names of Krishna,Madhavimeans related toMadhava.—T[53]Oblation into fire with the utterence ofVashata.—T.[54]The utterence ofOm.—T,[55]Another appellation of Krishna, from the root,hri—to take or seize.Haripossibly meanshe that takes men's hearts.—T.Parāçara said:—Thus eulogised by Earth, that graceful one, the holder thereof, began to roar in Sāma[56]accents. Then heaving up the Earth with his razors from the deep, the mighty Boar, having eyes resembling blown lotuses,—and himself like unto lotus-leaves,—rose up like a gigantic dark-blue mountain. And as he emerged, the troubled water dashed by the wind forced out from his mouth, surging up, splashed the highly resplendent and sinless ascetics, Sananda and others, dwellers of the regions of Jana. And on the nether regions being broken up by the hoof-impacts (of the boar), the water began to run down with roars; and the Siddhas constantly inhabiting the regions of Jana, were moved about by the air of his breath. And the ascetics, placed in the tactual pores of the mighty bore as he rose up holding the Earth in his abdominal cavity and kept shaking his Veda-impregnated person,—experienced the highest bliss. Andyogisdwelling in the regions ofJana, Sananda and others, with delighted hearts, and with heads bent in humility, hymned the holder of the Earth, remaining moveless, with his eyes expanded,—saying,—"Victory unto thee, O foremost God of gods,—O Keçava,[57]O wielder of the conch, mace, sword and discus! The cause of creation, destruction and sustentation, save thee, supreme state there is none whatever. The Vedas are thy feet, and theyupa,[58]thy larger tooth, and Sacrifice, thy smaller; the place of the (sacrificial fire) is thy mouth, and the fire itself thy tongue; anddarvais thy down. O Lord, thou art the person presiding over Sacrifice. O mighty soul, day and night are thy eyes; and that refuge of all—the state of Brahmā, himself—is thy head; the entire complement ofSuktas[59]composeth thy matted locks; and thy tongue is the sacrificial offerings, O god. O thou having the (sacrificial) ladle for thy face! O thou who hast the solemn accents of Sāma for thy voice, O thou that hast the front-part of the sacrificial ground, for thy body! O thou who hast all the sacrifices for thy joints! O god, thou hast for thy ears the morality of theSmritisas well as theSrutis.[60]Be thou propitiated! O undeteriorating one, O thou that hast the Universe for thy form, we know thee as having covered the Earth with thy paces, and that thou art the cause and stay thereof. Thou art the foremost Lord of the cosmos. Be thou gracious! Thou art the master of the mobile and the immobile. Raised on thy razor-ends, all this Earth, O Lord, seemeth like a lotus-leaf besmeared with mud on the tusk of an elephant that hath plunged into a pool of lotuses. O thou of unparalleled power, all the space between heaven and earth hath been covered with thy body. O thou, the universe hath been enveloped with whose splendour, O Lord, prove thou of profit to the universe. Thou art the sole highest reality,—there is none other, sovereign of the universe. And this glory in which the mobile and the immobile are enfolded,—is thine. O thou that art knowledge, unspiritual people, through ignorance, look upon this form of thine displayed in the world. Foolish persons, regarding this entire universe impregnated with knowledge, as real, fall into a sea of delusion. But O supreme lord, those that are versed in knowledge and are of pure spirit, look on this entire universe as thy form replete with knowledge. O Sarva, O soul of all! Be thou gracious! For the good of this world do thou, O thou of immeasurable soul, raise the Earth up. O lotus-eyed one, confer on us what is good. Thou, O reverend one, art surcharged with the virtue of goodness. O Govinda, for the benefit (of all), O lord, raise up this Earth. O lotus-eyed one, confer on us what is good. Mayst thou incline thy mind to creation fraught with profit to the universe! We bow unto thee. O lotus-eyed one, confer on us what is good".[56]i.e.belonging to the Sama Veda, which used to be sung.—T.[57]An appellation of Krishna, derived fromKa—Brahmā, andica—Siva andva—who goes—i.e.one that goes before Brahmā and Siva, or fromKesa—hair, andva—who possesses—fair-haired.—T.[58]Sacrificial stake.[59]Hymns of the Rig Veda.—T.[60]Hindu scriptures are broadly divided into (1)Sruti—audition; and (2)Smriti—reminiscence. The former correspondsto the Christian Revelation, and the other is tradition.—T.Parāçara said,—"Thus hymned by the divinities, that supreme soul, the holder of Earth, at once lifted her up, and set her on the mighty sea. And, resting on the sea like a giant bark, Earth did not sink in consequence of the flatness of her frame. Then leveling the Earth, the worshipful supreme Lord without beginning, placed mountains on her in proper order. And by his infallible power, that one of truthful purposes created on the Earth all the mountains that had been burnt on the occasion of the burning of the foregone creation. And then; properly dividing the land containing seven islands, he, as formerly, created the four regions,viz., Bhuvaand the rest. And then, possessed with the principle of passion, the reverend Deity, Hari, wearing the form of Brahmā and assuming four faces, set about creation, But in the matter of creation, he was an instrument merely; as the force resident in the things created, was the principal Cause. Being ripe for development, (objects at the time of creation) desiderate nothing more. O foremost of those practising austerities, objects attain their objectivity by virtue of their inherent force".[61][61]This approaches wonderfully the theory of Spontaneous creation, which is accepted by the out-and-out apostles of Modern Science—The most uncompromising advocates of Evolution could not outdo the Hindu sage of yore, in formulating their faith in (to give a Spencerian turn to the expression) theunknowableforce, which,unintelligentitself, brings about this wonderful system of things instinct with infinite wisdom and love! Queer, however, would the classification read,—Parāçara, Darwin, Spencer, Huxley, Heckel, Tyndall,etc.—T.
SECTION IV.Maitreya said:—"O mighty ascetic, relate unto me how the reverend Brahmā whose name is Nārāyana, created all beings at the commencement of the Kalpa". (Thereat) Parāçara said,—"Hear as to how that god, the lord of Prajāpati,[49]the reverend Brahmā instinct with Nārāyana, created beings. On the expiration of the past Kalpa, that Master, Brahmā, surcharged with the energy of righteousness, awaking from his slumbers, saw the universe—void of all. And the supreme, incomprehensible Nārāyana—the lord of the greatest—as the worshipful Brahmā, became engaged in creation. Thisslokais used with reference to the divine Nārāyana, the creator of the universe, in the form of Brahmā.Apais namednāra, having been created by Nara;[50]and in days of yore, (water) having been the abode of him, he hath hence been called Nārāyana.—And on the universe becoming one ocean, the creator of all beings, the Lord resting on water, inferring that the Earth was thus placed, set his heart on delivering her. And as he, on former occasions, had assumed the forms of a fish, a Tortoise,etc., he now assumed the form of a Boar. And for sustaining the entire universe, the lord of creatures, impregnated with the Veda and sacrifices, of serene soul and the soul of all,—the Supreme spirit—stay of soul, and the prop of the Earth,—hymned by the Siddhas inhabiting the region of Jana,—Sauaka and others,—then entered water.—And seeing him enter the nether regions, that exalted one, the Earth, bowing low in humility and reverence, began to praise him. And the Earth said,—'I bow unto thee, who art all being; I bow unto thee, holding the conch and the mace. Do thou rescue me from here, now, as, thou hadst formerly done. I had formerly been delivered by thee. O Janārddana, I as well as other things, such as the sky,etc., are permeated by thee. Reverence unto thee, O prime spirit, O male soul, I bow unto thee. I bow unto thee, who artpradhānaandvaykta, and who art Time. Thou, wearing the forms of Brahmā, Vishnu and Rudra, art the creator of all beings, and thou art the maintainer as well as the destroyer thereof. Having destroyed everything, thou, O Govinda,[51]on the universe having become one Ocean,—contemplated by the pious, reposest (on the serpent-couch). None knoweth the high mystery encompassing thee; and the deities do but adore that form in which thou incarnatest thyself. O supreme Brahmā, adoring thee, those desirous of emancipation, attain the same. Who, not worshipping Vasudeva, obtaineth liberation? Thy entire form comprehends ail that may be secured by the mind, all that may be perceived by sight and the other senses, all that may be discriminated by thought. And I am supported, and created, and maintained by thee. And for this it is that people call me Mādhavi.[52]Victory to thee, O thou that art all knowledge! Victory to thee, who art gross and undeteriorating! Victory to thee, O thou that art infinite! Victory to thee, thou that art the Nascent! Victory to thee, thou that art Manifest. Thou, O lord! O prime of prime souls! O soul of the Universe! Victory to thee, O master of sacrifice, thou, who art sinless! Thou art Sacrifice, andVaskatkāra[53]and thou,Omkarāa[54]and thou, Fire. Thou art the Vedas, and thou the branches thereof, and thou Hari,[55]art the person presiding; over sacrifice. Thou art the Sun,etc., and the planets and stars, and thou the entire universe. And O foremost god, thou art all that is formless and that is formed, and that is hard and, O best of male beings, all that I have mentioned and also all that I have left un mentioned. I bow down unto thee. I bow unto thee again and again.'"[49]A divine personage sprung from Brahmā.—T.[50]A name of Vishnu.—T.[51]This term, a common appellation of Krishna, is derived variously.Go—language[the language of the Vedas] andvinda—who knows; orgo—heavenor acow, andvid—to obtain,—by whom heaven is obtained, or who obtains felicity by protecting kine.—T.[52]Madhava being one of the names of Krishna,Madhavimeans related toMadhava.—T[53]Oblation into fire with the utterence ofVashata.—T.[54]The utterence ofOm.—T,[55]Another appellation of Krishna, from the root,hri—to take or seize.Haripossibly meanshe that takes men's hearts.—T.Parāçara said:—Thus eulogised by Earth, that graceful one, the holder thereof, began to roar in Sāma[56]accents. Then heaving up the Earth with his razors from the deep, the mighty Boar, having eyes resembling blown lotuses,—and himself like unto lotus-leaves,—rose up like a gigantic dark-blue mountain. And as he emerged, the troubled water dashed by the wind forced out from his mouth, surging up, splashed the highly resplendent and sinless ascetics, Sananda and others, dwellers of the regions of Jana. And on the nether regions being broken up by the hoof-impacts (of the boar), the water began to run down with roars; and the Siddhas constantly inhabiting the regions of Jana, were moved about by the air of his breath. And the ascetics, placed in the tactual pores of the mighty bore as he rose up holding the Earth in his abdominal cavity and kept shaking his Veda-impregnated person,—experienced the highest bliss. Andyogisdwelling in the regions ofJana, Sananda and others, with delighted hearts, and with heads bent in humility, hymned the holder of the Earth, remaining moveless, with his eyes expanded,—saying,—"Victory unto thee, O foremost God of gods,—O Keçava,[57]O wielder of the conch, mace, sword and discus! The cause of creation, destruction and sustentation, save thee, supreme state there is none whatever. The Vedas are thy feet, and theyupa,[58]thy larger tooth, and Sacrifice, thy smaller; the place of the (sacrificial fire) is thy mouth, and the fire itself thy tongue; anddarvais thy down. O Lord, thou art the person presiding over Sacrifice. O mighty soul, day and night are thy eyes; and that refuge of all—the state of Brahmā, himself—is thy head; the entire complement ofSuktas[59]composeth thy matted locks; and thy tongue is the sacrificial offerings, O god. O thou having the (sacrificial) ladle for thy face! O thou who hast the solemn accents of Sāma for thy voice, O thou that hast the front-part of the sacrificial ground, for thy body! O thou who hast all the sacrifices for thy joints! O god, thou hast for thy ears the morality of theSmritisas well as theSrutis.[60]Be thou propitiated! O undeteriorating one, O thou that hast the Universe for thy form, we know thee as having covered the Earth with thy paces, and that thou art the cause and stay thereof. Thou art the foremost Lord of the cosmos. Be thou gracious! Thou art the master of the mobile and the immobile. Raised on thy razor-ends, all this Earth, O Lord, seemeth like a lotus-leaf besmeared with mud on the tusk of an elephant that hath plunged into a pool of lotuses. O thou of unparalleled power, all the space between heaven and earth hath been covered with thy body. O thou, the universe hath been enveloped with whose splendour, O Lord, prove thou of profit to the universe. Thou art the sole highest reality,—there is none other, sovereign of the universe. And this glory in which the mobile and the immobile are enfolded,—is thine. O thou that art knowledge, unspiritual people, through ignorance, look upon this form of thine displayed in the world. Foolish persons, regarding this entire universe impregnated with knowledge, as real, fall into a sea of delusion. But O supreme lord, those that are versed in knowledge and are of pure spirit, look on this entire universe as thy form replete with knowledge. O Sarva, O soul of all! Be thou gracious! For the good of this world do thou, O thou of immeasurable soul, raise the Earth up. O lotus-eyed one, confer on us what is good. Thou, O reverend one, art surcharged with the virtue of goodness. O Govinda, for the benefit (of all), O lord, raise up this Earth. O lotus-eyed one, confer on us what is good. Mayst thou incline thy mind to creation fraught with profit to the universe! We bow unto thee. O lotus-eyed one, confer on us what is good".[56]i.e.belonging to the Sama Veda, which used to be sung.—T.[57]An appellation of Krishna, derived fromKa—Brahmā, andica—Siva andva—who goes—i.e.one that goes before Brahmā and Siva, or fromKesa—hair, andva—who possesses—fair-haired.—T.[58]Sacrificial stake.[59]Hymns of the Rig Veda.—T.[60]Hindu scriptures are broadly divided into (1)Sruti—audition; and (2)Smriti—reminiscence. The former correspondsto the Christian Revelation, and the other is tradition.—T.Parāçara said,—"Thus hymned by the divinities, that supreme soul, the holder of Earth, at once lifted her up, and set her on the mighty sea. And, resting on the sea like a giant bark, Earth did not sink in consequence of the flatness of her frame. Then leveling the Earth, the worshipful supreme Lord without beginning, placed mountains on her in proper order. And by his infallible power, that one of truthful purposes created on the Earth all the mountains that had been burnt on the occasion of the burning of the foregone creation. And then; properly dividing the land containing seven islands, he, as formerly, created the four regions,viz., Bhuvaand the rest. And then, possessed with the principle of passion, the reverend Deity, Hari, wearing the form of Brahmā and assuming four faces, set about creation, But in the matter of creation, he was an instrument merely; as the force resident in the things created, was the principal Cause. Being ripe for development, (objects at the time of creation) desiderate nothing more. O foremost of those practising austerities, objects attain their objectivity by virtue of their inherent force".[61][61]This approaches wonderfully the theory of Spontaneous creation, which is accepted by the out-and-out apostles of Modern Science—The most uncompromising advocates of Evolution could not outdo the Hindu sage of yore, in formulating their faith in (to give a Spencerian turn to the expression) theunknowableforce, which,unintelligentitself, brings about this wonderful system of things instinct with infinite wisdom and love! Queer, however, would the classification read,—Parāçara, Darwin, Spencer, Huxley, Heckel, Tyndall,etc.—T.
SECTION IV.Maitreya said:—"O mighty ascetic, relate unto me how the reverend Brahmā whose name is Nārāyana, created all beings at the commencement of the Kalpa". (Thereat) Parāçara said,—"Hear as to how that god, the lord of Prajāpati,[49]the reverend Brahmā instinct with Nārāyana, created beings. On the expiration of the past Kalpa, that Master, Brahmā, surcharged with the energy of righteousness, awaking from his slumbers, saw the universe—void of all. And the supreme, incomprehensible Nārāyana—the lord of the greatest—as the worshipful Brahmā, became engaged in creation. Thisslokais used with reference to the divine Nārāyana, the creator of the universe, in the form of Brahmā.Apais namednāra, having been created by Nara;[50]and in days of yore, (water) having been the abode of him, he hath hence been called Nārāyana.—And on the universe becoming one ocean, the creator of all beings, the Lord resting on water, inferring that the Earth was thus placed, set his heart on delivering her. And as he, on former occasions, had assumed the forms of a fish, a Tortoise,etc., he now assumed the form of a Boar. And for sustaining the entire universe, the lord of creatures, impregnated with the Veda and sacrifices, of serene soul and the soul of all,—the Supreme spirit—stay of soul, and the prop of the Earth,—hymned by the Siddhas inhabiting the region of Jana,—Sauaka and others,—then entered water.—And seeing him enter the nether regions, that exalted one, the Earth, bowing low in humility and reverence, began to praise him. And the Earth said,—'I bow unto thee, who art all being; I bow unto thee, holding the conch and the mace. Do thou rescue me from here, now, as, thou hadst formerly done. I had formerly been delivered by thee. O Janārddana, I as well as other things, such as the sky,etc., are permeated by thee. Reverence unto thee, O prime spirit, O male soul, I bow unto thee. I bow unto thee, who artpradhānaandvaykta, and who art Time. Thou, wearing the forms of Brahmā, Vishnu and Rudra, art the creator of all beings, and thou art the maintainer as well as the destroyer thereof. Having destroyed everything, thou, O Govinda,[51]on the universe having become one Ocean,—contemplated by the pious, reposest (on the serpent-couch). None knoweth the high mystery encompassing thee; and the deities do but adore that form in which thou incarnatest thyself. O supreme Brahmā, adoring thee, those desirous of emancipation, attain the same. Who, not worshipping Vasudeva, obtaineth liberation? Thy entire form comprehends ail that may be secured by the mind, all that may be perceived by sight and the other senses, all that may be discriminated by thought. And I am supported, and created, and maintained by thee. And for this it is that people call me Mādhavi.[52]Victory to thee, O thou that art all knowledge! Victory to thee, who art gross and undeteriorating! Victory to thee, O thou that art infinite! Victory to thee, thou that art the Nascent! Victory to thee, thou that art Manifest. Thou, O lord! O prime of prime souls! O soul of the Universe! Victory to thee, O master of sacrifice, thou, who art sinless! Thou art Sacrifice, andVaskatkāra[53]and thou,Omkarāa[54]and thou, Fire. Thou art the Vedas, and thou the branches thereof, and thou Hari,[55]art the person presiding; over sacrifice. Thou art the Sun,etc., and the planets and stars, and thou the entire universe. And O foremost god, thou art all that is formless and that is formed, and that is hard and, O best of male beings, all that I have mentioned and also all that I have left un mentioned. I bow down unto thee. I bow unto thee again and again.'"[49]A divine personage sprung from Brahmā.—T.[50]A name of Vishnu.—T.[51]This term, a common appellation of Krishna, is derived variously.Go—language[the language of the Vedas] andvinda—who knows; orgo—heavenor acow, andvid—to obtain,—by whom heaven is obtained, or who obtains felicity by protecting kine.—T.[52]Madhava being one of the names of Krishna,Madhavimeans related toMadhava.—T[53]Oblation into fire with the utterence ofVashata.—T.[54]The utterence ofOm.—T,[55]Another appellation of Krishna, from the root,hri—to take or seize.Haripossibly meanshe that takes men's hearts.—T.Parāçara said:—Thus eulogised by Earth, that graceful one, the holder thereof, began to roar in Sāma[56]accents. Then heaving up the Earth with his razors from the deep, the mighty Boar, having eyes resembling blown lotuses,—and himself like unto lotus-leaves,—rose up like a gigantic dark-blue mountain. And as he emerged, the troubled water dashed by the wind forced out from his mouth, surging up, splashed the highly resplendent and sinless ascetics, Sananda and others, dwellers of the regions of Jana. And on the nether regions being broken up by the hoof-impacts (of the boar), the water began to run down with roars; and the Siddhas constantly inhabiting the regions of Jana, were moved about by the air of his breath. And the ascetics, placed in the tactual pores of the mighty bore as he rose up holding the Earth in his abdominal cavity and kept shaking his Veda-impregnated person,—experienced the highest bliss. Andyogisdwelling in the regions ofJana, Sananda and others, with delighted hearts, and with heads bent in humility, hymned the holder of the Earth, remaining moveless, with his eyes expanded,—saying,—"Victory unto thee, O foremost God of gods,—O Keçava,[57]O wielder of the conch, mace, sword and discus! The cause of creation, destruction and sustentation, save thee, supreme state there is none whatever. The Vedas are thy feet, and theyupa,[58]thy larger tooth, and Sacrifice, thy smaller; the place of the (sacrificial fire) is thy mouth, and the fire itself thy tongue; anddarvais thy down. O Lord, thou art the person presiding over Sacrifice. O mighty soul, day and night are thy eyes; and that refuge of all—the state of Brahmā, himself—is thy head; the entire complement ofSuktas[59]composeth thy matted locks; and thy tongue is the sacrificial offerings, O god. O thou having the (sacrificial) ladle for thy face! O thou who hast the solemn accents of Sāma for thy voice, O thou that hast the front-part of the sacrificial ground, for thy body! O thou who hast all the sacrifices for thy joints! O god, thou hast for thy ears the morality of theSmritisas well as theSrutis.[60]Be thou propitiated! O undeteriorating one, O thou that hast the Universe for thy form, we know thee as having covered the Earth with thy paces, and that thou art the cause and stay thereof. Thou art the foremost Lord of the cosmos. Be thou gracious! Thou art the master of the mobile and the immobile. Raised on thy razor-ends, all this Earth, O Lord, seemeth like a lotus-leaf besmeared with mud on the tusk of an elephant that hath plunged into a pool of lotuses. O thou of unparalleled power, all the space between heaven and earth hath been covered with thy body. O thou, the universe hath been enveloped with whose splendour, O Lord, prove thou of profit to the universe. Thou art the sole highest reality,—there is none other, sovereign of the universe. And this glory in which the mobile and the immobile are enfolded,—is thine. O thou that art knowledge, unspiritual people, through ignorance, look upon this form of thine displayed in the world. Foolish persons, regarding this entire universe impregnated with knowledge, as real, fall into a sea of delusion. But O supreme lord, those that are versed in knowledge and are of pure spirit, look on this entire universe as thy form replete with knowledge. O Sarva, O soul of all! Be thou gracious! For the good of this world do thou, O thou of immeasurable soul, raise the Earth up. O lotus-eyed one, confer on us what is good. Thou, O reverend one, art surcharged with the virtue of goodness. O Govinda, for the benefit (of all), O lord, raise up this Earth. O lotus-eyed one, confer on us what is good. Mayst thou incline thy mind to creation fraught with profit to the universe! We bow unto thee. O lotus-eyed one, confer on us what is good".[56]i.e.belonging to the Sama Veda, which used to be sung.—T.[57]An appellation of Krishna, derived fromKa—Brahmā, andica—Siva andva—who goes—i.e.one that goes before Brahmā and Siva, or fromKesa—hair, andva—who possesses—fair-haired.—T.[58]Sacrificial stake.[59]Hymns of the Rig Veda.—T.[60]Hindu scriptures are broadly divided into (1)Sruti—audition; and (2)Smriti—reminiscence. The former correspondsto the Christian Revelation, and the other is tradition.—T.Parāçara said,—"Thus hymned by the divinities, that supreme soul, the holder of Earth, at once lifted her up, and set her on the mighty sea. And, resting on the sea like a giant bark, Earth did not sink in consequence of the flatness of her frame. Then leveling the Earth, the worshipful supreme Lord without beginning, placed mountains on her in proper order. And by his infallible power, that one of truthful purposes created on the Earth all the mountains that had been burnt on the occasion of the burning of the foregone creation. And then; properly dividing the land containing seven islands, he, as formerly, created the four regions,viz., Bhuvaand the rest. And then, possessed with the principle of passion, the reverend Deity, Hari, wearing the form of Brahmā and assuming four faces, set about creation, But in the matter of creation, he was an instrument merely; as the force resident in the things created, was the principal Cause. Being ripe for development, (objects at the time of creation) desiderate nothing more. O foremost of those practising austerities, objects attain their objectivity by virtue of their inherent force".[61][61]This approaches wonderfully the theory of Spontaneous creation, which is accepted by the out-and-out apostles of Modern Science—The most uncompromising advocates of Evolution could not outdo the Hindu sage of yore, in formulating their faith in (to give a Spencerian turn to the expression) theunknowableforce, which,unintelligentitself, brings about this wonderful system of things instinct with infinite wisdom and love! Queer, however, would the classification read,—Parāçara, Darwin, Spencer, Huxley, Heckel, Tyndall,etc.—T.
Maitreya said:—"O mighty ascetic, relate unto me how the reverend Brahmā whose name is Nārāyana, created all beings at the commencement of the Kalpa". (Thereat) Parāçara said,—"Hear as to how that god, the lord of Prajāpati,[49]the reverend Brahmā instinct with Nārāyana, created beings. On the expiration of the past Kalpa, that Master, Brahmā, surcharged with the energy of righteousness, awaking from his slumbers, saw the universe—void of all. And the supreme, incomprehensible Nārāyana—the lord of the greatest—as the worshipful Brahmā, became engaged in creation. Thisslokais used with reference to the divine Nārāyana, the creator of the universe, in the form of Brahmā.Apais namednāra, having been created by Nara;[50]and in days of yore, (water) having been the abode of him, he hath hence been called Nārāyana.—And on the universe becoming one ocean, the creator of all beings, the Lord resting on water, inferring that the Earth was thus placed, set his heart on delivering her. And as he, on former occasions, had assumed the forms of a fish, a Tortoise,etc., he now assumed the form of a Boar. And for sustaining the entire universe, the lord of creatures, impregnated with the Veda and sacrifices, of serene soul and the soul of all,—the Supreme spirit—stay of soul, and the prop of the Earth,—hymned by the Siddhas inhabiting the region of Jana,—Sauaka and others,—then entered water.—And seeing him enter the nether regions, that exalted one, the Earth, bowing low in humility and reverence, began to praise him. And the Earth said,—'I bow unto thee, who art all being; I bow unto thee, holding the conch and the mace. Do thou rescue me from here, now, as, thou hadst formerly done. I had formerly been delivered by thee. O Janārddana, I as well as other things, such as the sky,etc., are permeated by thee. Reverence unto thee, O prime spirit, O male soul, I bow unto thee. I bow unto thee, who artpradhānaandvaykta, and who art Time. Thou, wearing the forms of Brahmā, Vishnu and Rudra, art the creator of all beings, and thou art the maintainer as well as the destroyer thereof. Having destroyed everything, thou, O Govinda,[51]on the universe having become one Ocean,—contemplated by the pious, reposest (on the serpent-couch). None knoweth the high mystery encompassing thee; and the deities do but adore that form in which thou incarnatest thyself. O supreme Brahmā, adoring thee, those desirous of emancipation, attain the same. Who, not worshipping Vasudeva, obtaineth liberation? Thy entire form comprehends ail that may be secured by the mind, all that may be perceived by sight and the other senses, all that may be discriminated by thought. And I am supported, and created, and maintained by thee. And for this it is that people call me Mādhavi.[52]Victory to thee, O thou that art all knowledge! Victory to thee, who art gross and undeteriorating! Victory to thee, O thou that art infinite! Victory to thee, thou that art the Nascent! Victory to thee, thou that art Manifest. Thou, O lord! O prime of prime souls! O soul of the Universe! Victory to thee, O master of sacrifice, thou, who art sinless! Thou art Sacrifice, andVaskatkāra[53]and thou,Omkarāa[54]and thou, Fire. Thou art the Vedas, and thou the branches thereof, and thou Hari,[55]art the person presiding; over sacrifice. Thou art the Sun,etc., and the planets and stars, and thou the entire universe. And O foremost god, thou art all that is formless and that is formed, and that is hard and, O best of male beings, all that I have mentioned and also all that I have left un mentioned. I bow down unto thee. I bow unto thee again and again.'"
Parāçara said:—Thus eulogised by Earth, that graceful one, the holder thereof, began to roar in Sāma[56]accents. Then heaving up the Earth with his razors from the deep, the mighty Boar, having eyes resembling blown lotuses,—and himself like unto lotus-leaves,—rose up like a gigantic dark-blue mountain. And as he emerged, the troubled water dashed by the wind forced out from his mouth, surging up, splashed the highly resplendent and sinless ascetics, Sananda and others, dwellers of the regions of Jana. And on the nether regions being broken up by the hoof-impacts (of the boar), the water began to run down with roars; and the Siddhas constantly inhabiting the regions of Jana, were moved about by the air of his breath. And the ascetics, placed in the tactual pores of the mighty bore as he rose up holding the Earth in his abdominal cavity and kept shaking his Veda-impregnated person,—experienced the highest bliss. Andyogisdwelling in the regions ofJana, Sananda and others, with delighted hearts, and with heads bent in humility, hymned the holder of the Earth, remaining moveless, with his eyes expanded,—saying,—"Victory unto thee, O foremost God of gods,—O Keçava,[57]O wielder of the conch, mace, sword and discus! The cause of creation, destruction and sustentation, save thee, supreme state there is none whatever. The Vedas are thy feet, and theyupa,[58]thy larger tooth, and Sacrifice, thy smaller; the place of the (sacrificial fire) is thy mouth, and the fire itself thy tongue; anddarvais thy down. O Lord, thou art the person presiding over Sacrifice. O mighty soul, day and night are thy eyes; and that refuge of all—the state of Brahmā, himself—is thy head; the entire complement ofSuktas[59]composeth thy matted locks; and thy tongue is the sacrificial offerings, O god. O thou having the (sacrificial) ladle for thy face! O thou who hast the solemn accents of Sāma for thy voice, O thou that hast the front-part of the sacrificial ground, for thy body! O thou who hast all the sacrifices for thy joints! O god, thou hast for thy ears the morality of theSmritisas well as theSrutis.[60]Be thou propitiated! O undeteriorating one, O thou that hast the Universe for thy form, we know thee as having covered the Earth with thy paces, and that thou art the cause and stay thereof. Thou art the foremost Lord of the cosmos. Be thou gracious! Thou art the master of the mobile and the immobile. Raised on thy razor-ends, all this Earth, O Lord, seemeth like a lotus-leaf besmeared with mud on the tusk of an elephant that hath plunged into a pool of lotuses. O thou of unparalleled power, all the space between heaven and earth hath been covered with thy body. O thou, the universe hath been enveloped with whose splendour, O Lord, prove thou of profit to the universe. Thou art the sole highest reality,—there is none other, sovereign of the universe. And this glory in which the mobile and the immobile are enfolded,—is thine. O thou that art knowledge, unspiritual people, through ignorance, look upon this form of thine displayed in the world. Foolish persons, regarding this entire universe impregnated with knowledge, as real, fall into a sea of delusion. But O supreme lord, those that are versed in knowledge and are of pure spirit, look on this entire universe as thy form replete with knowledge. O Sarva, O soul of all! Be thou gracious! For the good of this world do thou, O thou of immeasurable soul, raise the Earth up. O lotus-eyed one, confer on us what is good. Thou, O reverend one, art surcharged with the virtue of goodness. O Govinda, for the benefit (of all), O lord, raise up this Earth. O lotus-eyed one, confer on us what is good. Mayst thou incline thy mind to creation fraught with profit to the universe! We bow unto thee. O lotus-eyed one, confer on us what is good".
Parāçara said,—"Thus hymned by the divinities, that supreme soul, the holder of Earth, at once lifted her up, and set her on the mighty sea. And, resting on the sea like a giant bark, Earth did not sink in consequence of the flatness of her frame. Then leveling the Earth, the worshipful supreme Lord without beginning, placed mountains on her in proper order. And by his infallible power, that one of truthful purposes created on the Earth all the mountains that had been burnt on the occasion of the burning of the foregone creation. And then; properly dividing the land containing seven islands, he, as formerly, created the four regions,viz., Bhuvaand the rest. And then, possessed with the principle of passion, the reverend Deity, Hari, wearing the form of Brahmā and assuming four faces, set about creation, But in the matter of creation, he was an instrument merely; as the force resident in the things created, was the principal Cause. Being ripe for development, (objects at the time of creation) desiderate nothing more. O foremost of those practising austerities, objects attain their objectivity by virtue of their inherent force".[61]