Lomaharşhana continued:
1. O Brāhmaṇas, the period of time calculated by me for the creation (of the universe) should be known as one day of the supreme Lord.
2. The night of the great Lord should also be known as entirely of the same duration. The period of creation is his day and the period of dissolution is called his night.
3. It is held that he (Brahma) has only the day and no night. But such assumption is made just for the benefit of the world.
4-6. The subjects, the Patriarchs, the seers of Vedic Mantras along with ascetics, eternally youthful sages like Sanatkumāra and others along with those who have attained salvation, the sense-organs and their objects, the subtle elements, as well as the intellect and the mind-all these stay during the day of the Lord Supreme; they are dissolved at the end of his day; at the end of the night, there is creation of the universe.
7. When the quality Sattva stays in itself and when the secondary creation is withdrawn, both Pradhana and Purusha become similar (i.e. inactive).
8. The qualities Tamas and Sattva stay in a state of equilibrium. When there is equilibrium in the qualities mutually, it should be known as dissolution; when there is disequilibrium of the gunas, it is called creation (i.e. creation takes place).
9. Just as oil abides in the gingelly seeds or ghee in milk, so does the quality Rajas stay unmanifest in Sattva and Tamas.
10. After remaining quiescent throughout the great night of the Lord, the creation of Prakruti begins anew at daybreak.
11. Entering the cosmic Egg, the great god caused, by his supreme Yoga, agitation in Pradhāna and Puruşha.1
1. Kshobha ‘agitation’ is a process of contraction and expansion which is cyclic. It is called Samañchana-Prasarana’ in Shat. Br. 8. 1. 4-10 and Sankocha-Vikasa’ in KP. I. 4. 15.
12. From Pradhana that was being agitated, Rajas was produced. It is Rajas that causes the activity even as water causes the activity in the seeds.
13. The disequilibrium of qualities having taken effect the presiding (deities) are begotten. The three gods were created while the gunas were being agitated. Those embodied gods, the souls abiding in all who have taken resort are extremely hidden.
14. The Rajas quality became Brahmā, Tamas, Fire and Sattva becomes Vişhnu. Brahma, the illuminator of Rajas, stays in the capacity of creator.1
1. Puräņic writers identify Guņas with the triad of gods Brahmă, Vişhņu and Rudra (cf. Bd. P. I. 1. 4-6 and my note on it), LP. I. 70. 77-78. In our text Agni represents Tamas Guna. But since Vedic times Rudra is identified with Agni, e.g. 1) Tvam agne Rudro asuto maho divah|-RV. II. 1, 6, TS. 1.3.14.1; 2) Tasmai Rudrāya namo astvagnaye|-A. V. (Atharva Veda) VII. 87, 1.
Purāņa writers have accepted the Sankhya theory of cosmic evolution but they have added iśhvara or a supreme deity and have given a popular garb to this evolution for mass education.
15. Fire, the illuminator of Tamas, abides in the capacity of Käla. Vişhnu, the illuminator of Sattva, remains indifferent.
16. These alone are the three gods* and the three fires. They are mutually dependent, devoted and faithful to one another.
*V. L. Vedāḥ ‘The Vedas’.
17. They function jointly, sustain one another, they are ever in association with one another. They subsist on one another. There is no separation among them even for a moment. They do not leave off one another.
18. Iśhvara is the highest deity. Vishnu is greater than Mahet. Brahmā, with dominant Rajas, functions for the purpose of creation. Purusha is known as Para (the supreme) and Prakruti as Parā (great).
19. He (Brahma) functions on being presided over by Maheśhvara and being urged all round. Mahat and other (creations of Prakruti) long stationed in their respective objects due to attachment, function thereafter.
20. Due to the disequilibrium of the qualities, Pradhana begins to function at the time of creation. From Pradhāna, which is of the nature of Sat and Asat, presided over by Iśhvara, the pair Brahma and Buddhi (cosmic intelligence) are born simultaneously.
21. Then the Kşhetrajña termed Brahma, of the nature of Tamas and the unmanifest, manifests himself in the beginning, fully equipped with sense-organs for all activities.
22. He, the unmanifest endowed with intellect shines forth with brilliance. He is verily the first embodied being abiding in the capacity of a cause.
23. He is equipped with unobstructable knowledge and supreme lordship. He is endowed with unobstructed dharma and detachment.
24. The knowledge, characterised by detachment, of that lord is unimpeded. The intellect of Brahmä identifying himself with that Lord, is affected by Dharma and Aiśhvarya (supremacy).
25. Whatever he wishes mentally is created out of the un manifest naturally, due to its being controlled, due to absence of attributes (?) and due to his being the lord of Devas,
26. In the capacity of Brahma, he becomes the four-faced creator; in the capacity of Kāla, he is the destroyer; in the capacity of Puruşha (Vişhnu) he is the thousand-headed lord. These are the three states of the self-born God.1
1. Cf. Bd. P. I. i. 4. 18, KP. I, 2. 91-92. There, the Reality or supreme God is Mahādeva while in VP. I.2.70, it is Vişhnu-a difference in nomenclature only. Our author emphasizes that this supreme god assumes three forms for the creation etc, of the universe.
27. In the capacity of Brahmā, the creator, he possesses Sattva and Rajas predominantly; as destroyer (of the universe), Rajas and Tamas predominantly; and as Puruşha (Vişhnu), Sattva exclusively. Thus is the state or course of attributes of the self-born Lord.
28. In the capacity of Brahmä he creates; in the capacity of Kāla he withdraws (destroys) the worlds; in the capacity of Puruşha he remains unconcerned. These three are the states of the Lord of subjects.
29. Brahma has the lustre of the interior of a lotus. Kāla has the lustre of collyrium. Puruşha is lotus-eyed. Thus is the form of the supreme soul.
30. The Lord of Yogas who out of sportiveness has different creations, activities, forms, names and functions, creates and effects changes in (different) bodies.
31. Since he functions in the world in three ways, he is called Triguna. Since he is divided into four he is glorified as Chaturvuyūha (having four manifestations).
32. He is called Atman1 because whatever he attains (Āpnoti), takes up (Adatte) and exists (Asti) for the enjoyment of) objects, that is his permanent being.
1. The author is fond of derivations. Some of them are grammatically correct, some ingenious, but most of them are popular. Thus here Atman is derived from åp, ad, and as. Some others trace it to Van ‘to breath’, Vat ‘to move’, và ‘to blow’ (MW. 135 a).
33. He is called Ruşhi because he goes everywhere. He is Vişhnu because he pervades everything. He has the lordship over everything. He is the lord of physical body etc.
34. He is Bhagavan because there are such (excellences) in him. He is Raga (lord of passion) because he controls passion. He is Para (Supreme) because he is the cosmic being. He is Om because he protects (all).
35. He is Sarvajña (omniscient) because he knows everything. He is Sarva because everything originates from him. As men emerge from him, he is known as Nārāyana.
36. He divides his self into three and acts on the three worlds. He creates, surveys (protects) and devours through the three activities. In the beginning Hiranyagarbha manifested himself as four-faced lord.
37. Because he is first to manifest he is called the first god. He is called Aja because he is not born (is self-existent). Since he protects the subjects, he is called Prajapati.
38. He is called Mahādeva because he is the greatest deity among Devas. He is īśhvara because he is the lord of worlds and because he is not subject to other’s control.
39. He is called Brahmă due to his bigness. He is called Bhūta because of his eternal) existence. He is Kshetrajna because he knows the unmanifest cosmic nature. He is Vibhu because he is omnipresent.
40. Because he lies in the subtle body (called Pur) he is called Puruşha. He is called Svayambhū because he is not procreated and because he exists before the creation.
41-42. He is called Yajña because worship or sacrifice is offered to him. He is Kavi because he is omniscient. He is Kramana because he is worthy of being approached and due to his patronage of castes, he is called Aditya, Kapila, Agraja, and Agni. His womb was gold and he was born of golden womb, so he is called Hiranyagarbha in this Purāņa.
43. Even in hundreds of years, it is impossible to calculate the number of years that have elapsed since the self-born was manifested.
44. The time that has elapsed, the number of Kalpas that have passed after he had manifested is called Para. That much of time still remains for him. At its close, the subsidiary creation is to take place.
45. Crores and crores of Kalpas have already passed. Yet so many more still remain.
46. The Kalpa that is current now, O Brāhmaṇas, is called Väräha. That is the first of the Kalpas now current.
47-50. It will have fourteen Manus, beginning with Svayambhuva and including those of the past, present and the future. By these rulers of men, this earth including the seven continents is to be protected along with the subjects, by means of penance. Now listen in detail. Through (the description of) one Manvantara, all the future Manvantaras, and through (the account of) one Kalpa all the past and future Kalpas (are described).1 The future Kalpas along with the futurities and dynasties should be inferred by the intelligent one (on the basis of) the past Kalpas.
This is a strong popular belief shared by all Purāņa writers.