17. JAGAT (The Universe)

The Atman or the Self has been defined (or rather indicated) by both negations as well as positive assertions. The next question that arises is: what about the objective world (Jagat) that is around me? What is the relationship between the I and the Jagat? How did the Jagat come about? The teacher now proceeds to explain the evolution of the universe and its nature.

17. अथ चतुर्विशतितत्त्वोत्पत्तिप्रकारं वक्ष्यामः।

Now, we shall explain the evolution of the twenty-four Tattvas.

18. ब्रम्हाश्रया सत्वरजस्तमोगुणात्मिका माया अस्ति।

Depending on Brahman for its existence is MAYA, which is of the nature of the three gunas, Satva, Rajas and Tamas.

18.1 BRAHMAN

The word Brahman is derived from the root Brh which means “to grow”. From this root, the noun Brahman is derived and it is neuter in gender. Thus Brahman means bigness in itself and it therefore indicates the biggest or the infinite. It is also beyond the relative concepts of space and time (which are the products of the mind) and is the cause for the universe. However, the Jagat or the objective world is in the domain of time and space because it is changeable with reference to both time and space. Then how did this “finite” world come about from Brahman which is infinite or limit-less? The infinite cannot change into finite, nor can portion of the changeless become changeable. So the changeable Jagat has to be different from Brahman and this poses a riddle.

18.2 MAYA

Creation of an object can come about in two ways:

(i) either as a change or modification in the substance from which it is made or (ii) by an error in which the real thing is mistaken to be something else. Exam…

Maya. This is why the Hindu Gods with creative power are always associated with Sakti or power. Thus Siva is associated with Parvati, Vishnu with Laxmi, etc. The “Wife” of God is not really separate from Him, but the Maya aspect of God.

The individual Self or Awareness which has identified itself with various bodies and sheaths, is called Jiva. In essential nature, Jiva is also the same as Isvara, except that Jiva is under the control of Maya while Isvara controls Maya. The power of the mind (of Jiva) to create an objective world in the dream, is comparable to the power of Maya of Isvara by which He creates Jagat.

The creation of Maya has three aspects: knowledge (Jnana: the function of the intellect), the activity (Kriya: function of Prana) and the inert matter (Jada). These three aspects account for all the creation in the world. These manifestations are the effects (Karya) of the three corresponding aspects of Maya which is the cause (Karana) for them. The three aspects of the nature of Maya and their manifestations are as follows:

Karya (Effect)	Karana (Cause)
Knowledge	Sattva
Activity	Rajas
Inertness	Tamas

Because of the three aspects of creation, Maya is called Trigunatmika or Sattwarajastamogunatmika. Because of its dependence on Brahman, by which it must be blessed, Maya is also called Brahmasraya.

18.3 CREATION

Two causes are required for any purposeful creation: the efficient cause (Nimitta Karana) and the material cause (Upadana Karana). In the creation of a pot, the pot-maker is the efficient cause while the kneaded clay is the material cause. The efficient cause must have the requisite knowledge (intelligence, perception) as well as the power to create. The maker/creator of the thing is verily the knower of the thing; the pot-maker has the knowledge of the pot.

The universe (Jagat) is a creation of Isvara through the power of Maya. Everything that exists in the world is in harmony, with a purpose. Nothing is redundant. Everything has to follow the laws of nature. Man may think that he has conquered nature but in reality, it is only an adjustment with nature after understanding it.

What are the efficient and the material causes in the creation of the universe? It may appear that the creator created this world from matter. Then the question is: who created the matter? Obviously, by definition, we are searching for that entity that created everything. So Isvara must also be the matter from which the world appears to be made. Thus, Isvara is the efficient as well as the material cause in the creation of the world. This is comparable to the creation of a web by a spider which uses its own saliva to create the web. So, the spider is both the material and the efficient cause. Another example is the creation by the mind, of the world in the dream. The Jiva, with respect to awareness is the efficient cause and he is also the material cause with respect to the memories which create all the material objects.

In the creation of the world, therefore, both the efficient and the material causes are traced to the creator The cause abides in the effect. Thus, the whole universe of objects (names and forms), is but a manifestation of Brahman. Starting from the inert matter to the highest evolved form of the human beings is all Brahman. Brahman is the efficient cause

19. EVOLUTION OF THE FIVE ELEMENTS

तत आकाशः संभूतः। From that (Maya), Akasa is born.

आकाशाद् वायुः। From Akasa, Vayu (the Air).

वायोस्तेजः। From Air, the Fire.

तेजस आपः। From Fire, Water.

अभ्दयः पृथिवी। From Water, the Earth.

The world is made of the five great elements (Panchamahabhootani) viz. Akasa, Air, Fire, Water and Earth and their combinations or compounds (Bhautikani). The world consists of all objects, names and forms including the gross and the subtle bodies. These elements have been created by Maya. There is a total of five sense organs of perception and corresponding to them are the five-fold sense objects that are perceived. There is a relationship between an organ of perception and the corresponding sense objects such as bet-ween the eyes and the forms and colours or between nose and the objects with smell. The senses of perception are made from the five subtle elements (Tanmatras) before their grossification. The five-fold sense objects are made from the same five elements after grossification (Pancheekarana).

The relationship between an organ of perception (e.g. the eye or the ear) and corresponding gross objects (e.g. forms or sounds) can be explained by the example of a tungston filament lamp providing light by association with electricity. Electricity is subtler than the tungston filament. How-ever, the filament is made up of molecules which are made up of atoms which in turn are made up of electrons, protons, etc. The electrons are nothing but energy. Thus matter (such as tungston filament) is the grossification of energy. By association with subtle (electric) energy, the light (experience) is produced. Similarly, the association of the subtle sense of perception with corresponding gross object produces an experience or knowledge.

In the scheme of creation, the Tanmatras evolved in the order of the grossness (or rather in the order of reduced subtlety). The five Tanmatras are: Akasa, Vayu (Air), Agni (Fire), Apah (Water) and Prithvi (Earth). The order of creation and the principal Gunas of the Tanmatras are as follows:

	Element	Guna
1.	Akasa	Sound
2.	Air	Touch
3.	Fire	Form
4.	Water	Taste
5.	Earth	Smell

The five elements are arranged in the order in which they are evolved. That is also the order of reduction in their subtlety. The order of grossness or reduction in subtlety is determined as follows:

1. Akasa: Can only be heard. Cannot be seen, felt, tasted or smelt.

2. Air: Can be heard and felt by touch. Cannot be smelt, seen or tasted. The smell that comes with air does not belong to air but to the contaminants carried by it.

3. Fire: Can be seen, heard and felt. In the order of evolution, this is the first element that can be seen. That is why it is considered to be nearest to the creator in visible form and therefore employed for invoking the Lord in all the rituals.

4. Water: Water can be seen, heard, felt with touch and tasted. Although water is considered to be tasteless, in fact it provides the basis of com-parison of all tastes.

5. Earth: Earth or the minerals from which all the gross objects with form are made, can be seen, tasted, felt, heard as well as smelt. This is the only element that has smell. The elements have an increasing order of perception and therefore each element is considered grosser than the previous one.