49 verses
Śaunaka said: O son of Romaharṣaṇa! When Svāyambhuva accepted the earth as his shelter, what did he do to manifest the living beings after the appearance of the Kumaṛas?
dvaipāyanād anavaro mahitve tasya dehajaḥ sarvātmanā śritaḥ kṛṣṇaṁ tat-parāṁś cāpy anuvrataḥ
kim anvapṛcchan maitreyaṁ
virajās tīrtha-sevayā
upagamya kuśāvarta
āsīnaṁ tattva-vittamam
Vidura, was the greatest friend and devotee of Kṛṣṇa, who gave up his elder brother along with his son who would not listen to Kṛṣṇas advice since he was an offender, and who was born of Vyāsa and consequently not less than him, Taking shelter of Kṛṣṇa with body, mind and words, he would approach the Lords devotees. After purifying himself by visiting many holy places, what did he inquire from Maitreya, living in Haridvāra, who knew about Kṛṣṇa?
Please tell us the questions and answers that took place in the conversation between Vidura and Maitreya? Vidura rejected his elder brother along with his sons headed by Duryodhana. Anavaraḥ means not less. Virajāḥ means purified of passion. This was caused by visiting holy places. The holy places also became pure by association with him. Kuśāvarta is Haridvāra.
The two must have spoken only pure topics of the Lord, which destroy sin like the water of the Gaḍgā which takes shelter of the Lords lotus feet.
The topics are pure because both were devotees. The topics were thus devoid of any subject other than Kṛṣṇa and his devotees. The water of the Gaḍgā (gaḍgyaḥ) destroys sin.
O Sūta! All auspiciousness to you! Please sing to us the topics of the Lords activities which are worthy of being chanted. What relisher of rasa could be fully satisfied on drinking the nectar of the Lords pastimes?
Out of great eagerness to hear, the sages give blessings to Sūta. Please chant the topics in which there are great pastimes of the Lord, or please chant the topics of the Lord who has great pastimes worthy of being praised.
When asked by the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya, Sūta, concentrating his mind on the Lord, then said, Please listen.
Adhyātmam means mind.
Sūta said: O sages! Hearing how Varāha lifted the earth from the Garbhodaka Ocean with complete sincerity and casually killed Hiraṇyākṣa, Vidura, with hairs standing on end, inquired from Maitreya.
Sv-amāyayā means with no deceit at all. The Lord eternally is situated (dhṛta) in the form of the boar. Dhṛta belongs to the tud-ādi class of verbs and means situated. Go means of the earth. Bhārataḥ means Vidura.
Vidura said: O brāhmaṇa! Knower of the truth about the Lord! Please tell me what Brahmā did after creating the Prajāpatis.
How did the brāhmaṇas headed by Marīci and Svāyambhuva Manu create the living beings according to the order of Brahmā?
How did they create (abhāvayan) the universe?
How did they create along with their wives? Did they do this independently or together?
Sadvitīyāḥ means with their wives. Did they do creation (karmaṣu) so without depending on others or did they do so depending on many others?
Maitreya said: The mahat-tattva arose from prakṛti made of three guṇas, by disturbance caused by time, the Lord, and the inexplicable karmas of the jīvas, through the Lords glance.
In answer to the question about creation in verse 9, Maitreya answers by describing the secondary creation. Though this was already previously described, it is described in summary here for completing the narration. Daivena means by the karmas of the jīvas. The root of the karmas cannot be understood (durvitarkena). Prakṛti was disturbed by the karmas of the jīvas, the desire of the SupremeLord to create (parena), and time (animiṣeṇa). From this pradhāna arose the mahat-tattva. Bhagavataḥ means by the glance of the lord.
From mahat-tattva in the mode of rajoguṇa, arose ahaḍkāra with its three guṇas by the instigation of the Lord. From this arose the five gross elements, the five tan-mātras, the five action and five knowledge senses and their devatās.
Mahat-tattva is initially predominantly in sattva, but at the time of producing ahaḍkāra, it becomes predominated by rajas. This form of mahat-tattva is called sūtra. Ahaḍkāra (bhūtādiḥ) has three guṇas. Viyad-ādīni means gross elements, and then the subtle elements or tanmātras such as sound, the knowledge senses, the action senses, and their devatās, all in groups of five.
These elements, which individually could not create, were combined together by the energy of the Lord, and created the golden egg of the universe.
The elements joined together by the addition of the energy of the Lord.
The universe, without life, lay in the Kāraṇa Ocean for over a thousand years. Then the Lord inhabited it.
The universe lay in the Kāraṇa Ocean without life, since the mass of jīvas had not woke up. For a little over (sāgram) a thousand years it lay there. After that (anu) the Lord, Garbodakaśāyī, dwelled in it.
From the navel of Viṣṇu arose a lotus, shining like a thousand suns, which was the abode of all the jīvas. In this lotus appeared Brahmā.
From the navel (nabheḥ) arose the lotus. In the lotus (yatra) arose Brahmā (svarāṭ).
As directed by Viṣṇu lying on the Garbhodaka Ocean, Brahmā created all the planets as previously with their names and forms.
Regulated by the Lord, who was lying in the water, Brahmā created. Inspired by the Lord, he created the planets with proper arrangement (svayā saṁsthayā), with names and forms.
First Bramā created ignorance of five types by his shadow: tamas, moha mahātamas tāmisram, and andha-tāmisram.
In creating the Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, devatās and humans, false identity must arise in the jīvas. Without ignorance this is not possible. Thus first the functions of ignorance appeared on their own, through Brahmā. Tamas is the original form of ignorance. This verse describes how Brahmā created them by tamas which took the form of a shadow. In succession, tamas, moha, mahāmoha, tāmsira and andh-tāmisra were created. Tamas means ignorance. Moha means egoism. Mahāmoha means attachment. Tāmisra means hatred. Andha-tāmisra means absorption in material pleasure.
Not satisfied with his body which became full of ignorance, Brahmā gave up that body. This body transformed into night, which gives rise to hunger and thirst. Yakṣas and Rākṣasas respected the night.
He was not pleased with the shadow body. Ah! I have been covered with ignorance at the beginning of creation! Criticizing himself, he gave up that body. That rejected body became night. The demons, who had arisen from Brahmā at that time, accepted the night. This means that avidyā and adharma, āvaraṇa and vikṣepa, are superior to the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas. Then Brahmā gave up that body which produced hunger and thirst. Śruti says sā tamisrābhavat: that became tamisra. When it says that Brahmā gave up his body, it means that he gave up the mentality of that body, since Brahmā lives for a hundred years. The sequence is as follows. (First tamas arose). Anger and the rest, the mentality arising from tamas, appeared in the mind of Brahmā. From that, the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas appeared. That mentality of tamas (when Brahmā rejected it) then became the night. The Yakṣas and Rākṣasas accepted it.
Though Brahmā accepted and rejects different bodies by his power of yoga to carry out creation, this does not disrupt his life of a hundred years. Some also say that even the devatās like Indra accept and reject bodies for material enjoyment.
The Yakṣas and Rākṣasas, being afflicted with hunger and thirst, pursued Brahmā to devour him. Pained by hunger and thirst they said, Do not protect him. Eat him!
They ran after Brahmā (tam) to eat him (jagdhum). Some said, Do not protect him out of compassion. Eat him. Jakṣ means to eat or to laugh.
Frightened, Brahmā said, O Yakṣas and Rākṣasas! You are my sons. Do not eat me. Protect me.
Devaḥ means Brahmā. Do you eat me but protect me. Aho indicates astonishment. O Yakṣas and Rākṣasas!
Shining with his effulgence, Brahmā then created the chief devatās. The devatās accepted that effulgence which Brahmā gave up, and which became the day, and they played with it.
Brahmā shone with an effulgent body composed of sattva. He created the chief devatās. Yāḥ refers to te. They accepted that effulgent body which he gave up, which took the form of the day. Why? They accepted the day in order to play with it. Just as the night resides with the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas, the day is the abode of the devatās. Jīva Gosvāmī says that div, belonging to the cur class of verbs, means to wish for. The devatās wished for or requested the day. Purity, the mentality of sattva appeared in the mind of Brahmā. From that the devatās appeared. That purity became the day. The devatās then accepted the day. That is the sequence.
Brahmā created the Daityas from his buttocks. They were lusty for women and, desiring sex, pursued Brahmā.
Then in Brahmās mind lust, the mentality of rajas, appeared. From that the demons appeared. That mentality became the sandhyā. The demons accepted that sandhyā. Adevān refers to the demons. Śruti says sa jaghanād asurān asṛjata: he created the demons from his buttocks. From lust arises great evil: they pursued Brahmā.
Brahmā first laughed, and then, on being pursued by the shameless demons, he became angry. Becoming frightened, he fled.
Parāpatat means he fled.
He then approached the Supreme Lord, giver of benedictions, who removes suffering from the surrendered souls, and who reveals himself according to the devotees desire to give them mercy.
Brahmā mentally approached the Lord and then made a request. This is understood but not stated.
O supreme soul! O Lord! By your order I created the offspring. These sinful beings are chasing me for sex. Please protect me!
They desire sex even though I am a male.
O Lord! You alone are the remover of suffering for devotees who suffer. You alone give suffering to those who do not take shelter of your lotus feet.
You give suffering to the non-devotees, those who do not take shelter of your feet. This implies You destroy the suffering of the devotees, those who take shelter of your feet. You alone (ekaḥ) have this nature of being affectionate to your devotees. Others do not have this nature. You alone give suffering to those who do not take shelter of your feet in the form of time, karma and malefic planets. But if they take shelter of your feet suddenly, you immediately destroy their suffering. This means that the devotees are not subject to time and karma. You do not treat the jīvas unequally, since you are like a desire tree.
The Lord, who knows for certain the hearts of all others, understanding the misery of Brahmā, said, Give up your terrible body. Brahmā then gave up that body.
Viviktam means discriminating. The Lord has knowledge of others hearts very accurately (adhyātma-darśanam). Having told Brahmā to give up the body, Brahmā did so.
anyonya-śleṣayottuḍga- nirantara-payodharām sunāsāṁ sudvijāṁ snigdha- hāsa-līlāvalokanām
gūhantīṁ vrīòayātmānaṁ
nīlālaka-varūthinīm
upalabhyāsurā dharma
sarve sammumuhuḥ striyam
The lusty demons imagined the twilight to be a woman and were delighted. They said, The ankle bells on her feet are jingling. Her eyes quiver in intoxicating. Her hips are covered with fine cloth and a belt. Her breasts rub against each other, and are raised, without space between. Her nose and teeth are beautiful and her smile and glance are affectionate. Is she covering herself with the edge of her cloth out of shyness? The locks of her hair are black. In this way the demons became bewildered by the twilight whom they imaged was a woman.
Verse 37 explains that this woman was imaginary. They took the twilight to be a woman. They imagined the sound of birds returning to their nests in the twilight to be the sound of the ankle bells. They imagined the clouds with specific shapes to be the womans feet, eyes, hips and breasts. This is suggested by the word payodhara, which means a cloud as well as a breast. The pink color of the sunset was her pink dress. Rodhas can mean the hips as well as a bank of clouds. Because of rubbing together the breasts became raised, without space between them. The disappearance of the clouds was her act of hiding in shyness. Her smile and glance were like a small amount of the suns rays. Her black hair extending from her head to her feet was a towering, black cloud. O Vidura (dharma)! The demons, thinking of (upalabhya) the twilight as a woman, became bewildered.
What a beautiful form! What astounding patience she has! What fresh youth she has! We all desire here but she moves among us as if detached.
The demons talk under the influence of illusion created by lust.
The foolish demons, thinking of the twilight as a woman, speculating about here, welcomed her and then with affection questioned her.
Is she attracted to us or not? Is she a goddess or a human? Is she a prostitute or a woman of strict vows? In this way they speculated. They received her properly (abhisambhāvya).
O beautiful woman! Who are you? Whose daughter are you? Why are you in this place? Why do you torture us unfortunate beings by putting your priceless beauty for sale?
Your beauty is a priceless artefact. It is to be sold, but instead you give us pain. We are unfortunate, and deserve to be your slaves. Binding us up, you desire to take us into your association. Or you give us pain, because you do not sell your beauty. Thus we are unfortunate.
Whoever you are, we are fortunate to see you. But you agitate our minds by playing with a ball, while we watch.
Utsunosi means you agitate. They imagined the ball of the setting sun to be red ball.
O praiseworthy woman! You play by striking the bouncing ball with your hand again and again and, in doing so, your feet do not stay in one place. It seems you are tired with your thin waist fatigued, bent because of the weight of your breasts. Your glance is pure and languid, and your hair is beautiful.
This verse describes her playing with a ball. O praiseworthy woman! Your feet do not remain still. Patatpataḍgam means a bouncing ball and the setting sun. Because your waist is thin, it appears to be getting weak with the weight of your breasts. Your glance is without desire (amala) though internally you have desire. It appears languid (śrāntā) because of playing ball. Your hair appears splendid, being bound up. Su can stand as an indeclinable meaning beautifully.
In this way the foolish demons accepted the twilight which stimulates lust to a woman of lusty conduct.
They imagined the twilight to be a woman of lusty conduct.
Smiling to reveal his inscrutable intention, Brahmā then created the Gandharvas and Apsarās by his beauty which he had relished.
When Brahmā remembered beauty, the Gandharvas appeared and the beauty became moon light. The Gandharvas accepted the light. Because of the custom of identifying the beauty with the possessor of beauty, it is stated that his beauty smelled itself by itself (though Brahmā smelled). Smiling and smelling are signs of relishing his own beauty.
Brahmā gave up that body of beauty which became moon light, and the Gandharvas headed by Viśvāvasu accepted it
Creating the Bhūtas and Piśācas from laziness, and seeing them naked and with loosened hair, Brahmā closed his eyes.
One time Brahmā felt lazy. From that the Bhūtas and Piśācas appeared. That laziness became yawning and sleep. The Bhūtas accepted that. The effect of laziness (tandrā) is called tandri.
When Brahmā gave up his body called laziness, the Bhūtas and Piśācas accepted it. O Vidura! That body in which the senses become contaminated is called sleep and by that contamination, Bhūtas attack the contaminated persons. That condition is called madness.
By sleep moistening of the mouth and other senses takes place. By that, the Bhūtas attack contaminated persons. That attack is called madness. In others people are called mad when attacked by the Bhūtas.
Then Brahmā, thinking himself powerful, created the Sādhyas and then, by his invisibility, he created the Pitṛs.
One time, Brahmās power and invisibility appeared. They became the Sādhyas and Pitṛs. Their oblations also appeared. This is explained in two verses. From his strength appeared the Sādhyas. From his invisibility appeared the Pitṛs.
The Sādhyas and Pitṛs accepted those bodies, by which the wise make offerings to the Sādhyas and Pitṛs.
They, the Sādhyas and the Pitrs, accepted the appropriate bodies. By these bodies, the wise offer havya to the Sādhyas and kavya to the Pitṛs with faith.
Brahmā produced the Siddhas and Vidyādharas by his disappearance. He gave them that body.
One time, Brahmā disappeared. From that the Siddhas and Vidhādharas appeared.
Looking at his reflection in a mirror and thinking it beautiful, he created the Kinnara and Kimpuruṣas from his reflection.
His reflection appeared. From that the Kinnaras and Kimpuruṣas appeared. Pratyātmyena means reflection. He thought I am beautiful (ātmanā ātmānam mānayan). Ātmā-bhāsam means a mirror.
They accepted that body of reflection cast off by Brahmā. In couples, they praise Brahmā for his actions in the dawn.
The reflection displayed men and women together. They accepted that reflection.
Seeing that the creation was not satisfactory, Brahmā lay down with limbs spread out, in a worried state. Then when anger appeared, he rejected that body.
By his mind he rejected the body while lying down. That body became snakes. Bhogavatā means spreading out his feet and other limbs He was worried that the creation was not satisfactory. He thought, How can I make the creation successful? While thinking thus, he lost his power of discrimination. Then great anger appeared. After that he gave up that body.
The hair which fell from that rejected body became ahi, sarpa, and nāga with hoods, which are all cruel.
From that body (amutaḥ) the hair which fell (ahi) became ahi or snakes. From that body, the hands and feet that fell off became sarpa, those which move on restricted feet. Since they have hoods and no hair, others are called nāga. They have wide shoulders because of their hoods. Because they have anger, they are all cruel. These are the different types of snakes.
Thinking himself successful, finally Brahmā created by his mind Manu and others for increasing the population.
When Brahmā desired to create a couple and became blissful, thinking that his creation was complete, the Manus appeared and took the form of humans for completing the creation. This is explained in two verses. Though Manus are mentioned here, at this time only Svāyambhuva Manu became visible. Others became visible at the appropriate time. The creation of the Manus took place last (ante). Therefore, the creation of the sages which will be described after this actually took place before the creation of Manu. In the Tenth, Twelfth and Twentieth Chapters sometimes the events are in proper sequence and sometimes some elements are omitted or put in a different order. The proper sequence of the creation is as follows: first creation of animals with five joints, then the creation of trees and plants, then the creation of snakes, then the creation of cows and buffalos, then the creation of Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, Asuras, Kinnaras, Kimpuruṣas, then the creation of the Kumāras and then the creation of the humans. Finally the Manus were created. All the forms previously created increased through the forms of male and female.
Brahmā gave to Manu his own human form. Those who were created previously glanced at Manu and began to praise Brahmā.
Brahmā gave up that body (puram) in the form of a human, and Manu accepted it.
Creator of the universe! You have done excellent work in creating Manu. By this, the sacrificial actions will be established and we will be able to eat the remnants of sacrifice together.
O creator of the universe! Creation of Manu by you (te) is well done. In creating Manu (yat), actions such as sacrifice will be established, since Manu will protect everything. We will eat the offerings of food together (sākam).
Endowed with austerity, worship, aṣṭāḍga-yoga, jñāna and vairāgya, controlling his senses, Brahmā created the sages, his dear offspring.
This describes Brahmās creation of the sages when he was engaged in worship. Vidyayā means by worship. Yogena means by aṣṭāḍga-yoga. Susamādhiṇā means by jñāna and vairāgya. Controlling his senses, he created the sages such as the Kumāras.
Brahmā gave separate portions of his body endowed with knowledge, yoga, siddhis, austerity, worship and detachment to each of the various sages.
This verse describes what portions of his body he gave to the different sages. Those portions of his body which had knowledge (samādhi), yoga, siddhis (ṛddhi), austerity, worship and detachment he gave to the various sages. After this, Śiva appeared, and Marīci and others, according to the description in the Twelfth Chapter.
Thus ends the commentary on Twentieth Chapter of the Third Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas
The secondary creation previously described in detail is again partially in the Twentieth Chapter, in order to relate the lineage stemming from Svāyambhuva Manu.
Pratiṣṭhām means shelter. O son of Romaharṣaṇa (saute)! What did he do to manifest the jīvas who took birth after the Kumāras as a pastime of the Lord (avara-janmanām)? How did he create the more recent living beings?