"'Yudhishthira said, "What is that which is called Undeteriorating and by
attaining to which no one has to come back? What, again, is that which is
called Deteriorating, and by attaining to which one has to return once
more? O slayer of foes, I ask thee the distinction that exists, O thou of
mighty arms, between the Deteriorating and the Undeteriorating ones for
understanding them both truly, O delighter of the Kurus. Brahmanas
conversant with the Vedas speak of thee as an Ocean of knowledge.
Highly-blessed Rishis and Yatis of high souls do the same. Thou hast very
few days to live. When the Sun turns from the southern path for entering
into the northern, thou shalt attain to thy high end. When thou shalt
leave us, from whom shall we hear of all that is beneficial for us? Thou
art the lamp of Kuru's race. Indeed thou art always blazing with the
light of knowledge. O perpetuator of Kuru's race, I desire, therefore to
hear all this from thee. Listening to thy discourses that are always
sweet like nectar, my curiosity, without being satiated is always
increasing!"
"'Bhishma said, "I shall, in this connection, relate to thee the old
narrative of the discourse that took place between Vasishtha and king
Karala of Janaka's race. Once on a time when that foremost of Rishis,
viz., Vasishtha, endued with the effulgence of the Sun, was seated at his
ease, king Janaka asked him about that highest knowledge which is for our
supreme good. Highly proficient in that department of knowledge which is
concerned with the Soul and possessed of certain conclusions in respect
of all branches of that science,[1608] as Maitravaruni, that foremost of
Rishis, was seated the king approaching him with joined hands, asked him
in humble words, well pronounced and sweet and destitute of all
controversial spirit, the question,--O holy one, I desire to hear, of
Supreme and Eternal Brahma by attaining to which men of wisdom have not
to come back. I desire also to know that which is called Destructible and
That into which this universe enters when destroyed. Indeed, what is That
which is said to be indestructible, suspicious, beneficial and free from
evil of every kind?
"'"Vasishtha said, 'Hear, O lord of Earth, as to how this universe is
destroyed, and, of That which was never destroyed and which will never be
destroyed at any time. Twelve thousand years, (according to the measure
of the celestials), make a Yuga, four such Yugas taken a thousand times,
make a Kalpa which measures one day of Brahman.[1609] Brahman's night
also, O king, is of the same measure. When Brahman himself is
destroyed,[1610] Sambhu of formless soul and to whom the Yuga attributes
of Anima, Laghima, &c, naturally inhere, awakes, and once more creates
that First or Eldest of all creatures, possessed of vast proportions, of
infinite deeds, endued with form, and identifiable with the universe.
That Sambhu is otherwise called Isana (the lord of everything). He is
pure Effulgence, and transcends all deterioration, having his hands and
feet stretching in all directions, with eyes and head and mouth
everywhere, and with ears also in every place. That Being exists,
overwhelming the entire universe. The eldest-born Being is called
Hiranyagarbha. This holy one has (in the Vedanta) been called the
Understanding. In the Yuga scriptures He is called the Great, and
Virinchi, and the Unborn. In the Sankhya scriptures, He is indicated by
diverse name, and regarded as having Infinity for his Soul. Of diverse
forms and constituting the soul of the universe, He is regarded as One
and Indestructible. The three worlds of infinite ingredients have been
created by Him without assistance from any source and have been
overwhelmed by him. In consequence of His manifold forms, He is said to
be of universal form. Undergoing modifications He creates Himself by
Himself. Endued with mighty energy, He first creates Consciousness and
that Great Being called Prajapati endued with Consciousness. The Manifest
(or Hiranyagarbha) is created from the Unmanifest. This is called by the
learned the Creation of Knowledge. The creation of Mahan (or Virat) and
Consciousness, by Hiranyagarbha, is the creation of Ignorance.[1611]
Ascription of attributes (worthy of worship) and the destruction thereof,
called respectively by the names of Ignorance and Knowledge by persons
learned by the interpretation of the Srutis, then arose, referring to
this, that, or the other of the three (viz., Akshara, Hiranyagarbha, or
Virat).[1612] Know, O king, that the creation of the (subtile) elements
from consciousness is the third.[1613] In all kinds of consciousness is
the fourth creation which flows modification of the third. This fourth
creation comprises Wind and Light and Space and Water and Earth, with
their properties of sound, touch, form, taste and scent. This aggregate
of ten arose, without doubt, at the same time. The fifth creation, O
monarch, is that which has arisen from combination of the primal elements
(named above). This comprises the ear, the skin, the eyes, the tongue,
and the nose forming the fifth, and speech, and the two hands, and the
two legs, and the lower duct, and the organs of generation. The first
five of these constitute the organs of knowledge, and the last five the
organs of action. All these, with mind, arose simultaneously O king.
These constitute the four and twenty topics that exist in the forms of
all living creatures. By understanding these properly, Brahmanas
possessed of insight into the truth have never to yield to sorrow. In the
three worlds a combination of these, called body, is possessed by all
embodied creatures. Indeed, O king a combination of those is known as
such in deities and men and Danavas, and Yakshas and spirits and
Gandharvas and Kinnaras and great snakes, and Charanas and Pisachas, in
celestial Rishis and Rakshasas, in biting flies, and worms, and gnats,
and vermin born of filth and rats, and dogs and Swapakas and Chaineyas
and Chandalas and Pukkasas in elephants and steeds and asses and tigers,
and trees and kine. Whatever other creatures exist in water or space or
on earth, for there is no other place in which creatures exist as we have
heard, have this combination. All these, O sire, included within the
class called Manifest, are seen to be destroyed day after day. Hence, all
creatures produced by union of these four and twenty are said to be
destructible.
"'"This then is the Indestructible. And since the universe, which is made
up of Manifest and Unmanifest, meets with destruction, therefore, it is
said to be Destructible. The very Being called Mahan who is the
eldest-born is always spoken of as an instance of the Destructible. I
have now told thee, O monarch, all that thou hadst asked me. Transcending
the four and twenty topics already adverted to is the twenty-fifth called
Vishnu. That Vishnu in consequence of the absence of all attributes, is
not a topic (of knowledge) though as then which pervades all the topics,
he has been called so by the wise. Since that which is destructible has
caused all this that is Manifest, therefore, all this is endued with
form. The twenty-fourth, which is Prakriti, is said to preside over all
this (which has sprung from her modifications). The twenty-fifth, which
is Vishnu, is formless and, therefore, cannot be said to preside over the
universe.[1614] It is that Unmanifest (Prakriti), which, when endued with
body (in consequence of union with Chit) dwells in the hearts of all
creatures endued with body. As regards eternal Chetana (the
Indestructible), although he is without attributes and without form, yet
he (in consequence of a union with Prakriti) assumes all forms. Uniting
with Prakriti which has the attributes of birth and death, he also
assumes the attributes of birth and death. And in consequence of such
union he becomes an object of perception and though in reality divested
of all attributes yet he comes to be invested therewith. It is in this
way that the Mahan-Soul (Hiranyagarbha), becoming united with Prakriti
and invested with Ignorance, undergoes modifications and becomes
conscious of Self. Uniting with the attributes of Sattwa and Rajas and
Tamas, he becomes identified with diverse creatures belonging to diverse
orders of Being, in consequence of his forgetfulness and his waiting upon
Ignorance. In consequence of his birth and destruction arising from the
fact of his dwelling in upon with Prakriti, he thinks himself to be no
other than what he apparently is. Regarding himself as this or that, he
follows the attributes of Sattwa, Rajas, and Tamas. Under the influence
of Tamas, he attains to diverse kinds of conditions that are affected by
Tamas. Under the influence of Rajas and Sattwa, he attains similarly to
conditions that are affected by Rajas and Sattwa. There are three colours
in all, viz., White, Red, and Dark. All those colours appertain to
Prakriti (so that He it is who becomes White or Red or Dark according as
the nature of the Prakriti with which is He becomes identified for the
time being). Through Tamas one goes to hell. Through Rajas one attains to
and remains in the status of humanity. Through Sattwa, people ascend to
the regions of the deities and become sharers of great felicity. By
adhering to sin continuously one sinks into the intermediate order of
beings. By acting both righteously and sinfully one attains to the status
of the deities. In this way the twenty-fifth, viz., Akshara (the
Indestructible), the wise say, by union with the unmanifest (Prakriti),
becomes transformed into Kshara (destructible). By means of knowledge
however, the Indestructible becomes displayed in His true nature.'"'"