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| This is the Karana creation or the creation of the materials of the Individual creation. They could not, however, unite and proceed fur- ther with the work of creation. The Sakti of Bhagavan then perme- ated them and the cosmic Egg or Brahmanda was formed. The Egg remained for a thousand years unconsciously submerged in the pri- mal waters. Purusha then influenced Kala, Karma and Svabhava to send forth vitality into it. It is this Purusha that emerged from the Egg with thousands of heads and thousands of limbs and is known as Virat Purusha. The seven Lokas and the seven Patalas are parts of His body. This is the first Avatara, the Adi Purusha that creates, preserves and destroys. All the objects of creation are His Avataras, or Saktis or Vibhutis. The Lila Avatars of Virat Purusha or special Incarnations for the preservation of the Universe are detailed below. 16 A Study of the Bhagavata Purana II. PRESERVATION BY LILA AVATARAS. SKANDHA IT. CHAP. 7. 1. 10. 11. Varaha—In order to raise the Earth from the waters, the Pu- rusha adopted the body of Varaha or Boar and killed with His tusks the first Daitya Hiranyaksha. . Yajna—was born of Ruchi and Akuti. The Suyama Devas were born of Yajna. He dispelled the fears of Triloki. . Kapila—was born of Kardama Prajapati and his wife Devahati. He taught Brahma Vidya to his mother. . Dattatreya—He preached Yoga to his disciples, who acquired powers and became liberated. . The Kum4ras.—Sanat Kumara, Sanaka, Sanandana and Sana- tana. They completely promulgated the Atma Vidya, which had been lost in Pralaya. . Nara Narayana.—They were born of Dharma and his wife Murti, daughter of Daksha. Their Tapas was so great that the Deva ladies could not shake it. . Dhruva.—Thougha boy, he could not bear the words of his step- mother. He went into the forests and made Tapas. He was rewarded with ascent to Dhruva Loka or the region of the polar star. . Prithu—He milked out riches and edibles from the earth. . Rishabha.—Rishabha was the son of Nabhi by Sudevi or Meru Devi. He roamed about as Parama Hansa. Hayagriva.—This horse-headed Avatara appeared in the Vedic Yajna and promulgated the Vedas. Matsya.—Vaivasvata Mann found out this Avatara at the end of a cycle of Yugas. He preserved all beings and the Vedas from the waters of the Deluge. Purnendu Narayana Sinha, M. A., B. L. 17 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. Kirma.—At the great churning of the Ocean, the Tortoise Avatara supported the Mandara mountain. Nrisinha.—The Man-Lion Avatara killed Hiranyakasipu. Hari—saved the Elephant King of the famous story of Gajendra Moksha. Vamana—measured the Triloki by His two steps. Hansa—related Bhakti Yoga, Gnana and Bhagavata Purana to Narada. The presiding deity of each Manvantara. Dhanvantari—promulgated the science of medicine. Parasu Rama—suppressed the Kshatriyas who became disre- gardful of the Brahmanas and the Sastras. Rama—destroyed Lanka and killed Ravana. Rama and Krishna.—The tenth Canto of Bhagavata is entirely devoted to their deeds. Vyasa.—He divided the trunk of the Veda tree into several branches. Buddha.—When the Asuras came to know the Vedic mysteries and to oppress people, Buddha incarnated Himself in order to confound them by preaching a variety of by-religions. Kalki—will appear before the end of Kali Yuga, to set things right. Besides these Lila Avataras, there are Maya Guna Avataras and Vibhitis or Saktis. In creation these are: Tapas, Brahma, the Rishis, and the Nine Prajapatis. In preservation they are: Dharma, Vishnu, Manu, Devas and Kings. 18 A Study of the Bhagavata Purana In Pralaya they are: Adharma, Siva, Serpents and Asuras. O Narada, this is, in brief, the Bhagavata Purana. You relate it to others in a much more expanded form, so that people may have Bhakti or Divine attachment to Bhagavan. THOUGHTS ON THE ABOVE. The above account of creation relates to Triloki and to the dwellers of Triloki. After creation, some come down from the higher planes and hold responsible positions as we have already seen. The Vaikarika Devas, who may be identified with the Vedic Devas, are created or rather manifested in the Triloki before the Individual creation. They appertain to what the Purana calls Karana or causal Creation. The Vaikritika Devas and Deva Yonis, known as Elemental in Theosoph- ical language, are created according to their Karma in the previous Kalpa and are subject to gradual evolution during the Kalpa. The Vaikarika Devas, however, remain as they are during the whole of the Kalpa. Similarly the Devas of the higher planes, e. g., Ku- mudas, Ribhus, Pratardanas, Anjanabhas and Pratitabhas of Mahar Loka, Brahma Purohitas, Brahma Kayikas, Brahma Maha Kayikas and Amaras of Jana Loka, Abhasvaras, Mahabhasvaras, and Satya Mahab- hasvaras of Tapas Loka and Achyutas, Suddha Nibasas, Satyabhas and Sanjna Sanjnins of Satya Loka these are not affected by creation in Triloki. The dwellers of those Lokas other than Devas are also sim- ilarly not affected. The story of creation is a simple one. As the Linga Purana says, when Earth is scorched up in the summer season, it be- comes fallow and the roots of vegetation remain underground. They, however, wait for the rainy season to germinate again and grow in all the varieties of the previous vegetation. Similarly when the previous creation is burnt up by the fires of Pralaya, the roots remain imbed- ded in Prakriti, which becomes fallow. The fallowness is removed on the approach of the creative period or Kala. Kala, according to Bha- gavata, is a Sakti of Purush or the Unmanifested Logos. Then trans- formation follows in Prakriti according to Svabhava or the inherent nature of Prakriti and Karma, or the root-record of the previous Kalpa gives shape to the transformation. Purnendu Narayana Sinha, M. A., B. L. 19 Sridhara Svami quotes a sloka, which says that there are three Purusha manifestations. The first Purusha is the creator of Mahat and other elemental principles (Tatvas). The Second Purusha is the dweller of the Cosmic Egg. The Third Purusha is the pervader of all beings. Creation is divided into two stages. First the creation of the prin- ciples themselves or Tatvas, which unite to form globes and individu- als. This is called Karana creation. Secondly the creation of individu- als and of globes. This is called Karya or resultant creation. Following the law of periodicity, the First Purusha energises the latent Karma or Jiva-record of the previous Kalpa, and prepares the ground for the development of that Karma, by setting Prakriti into active transfor- mation. This is the First Life Wave which caused the principles to appear by themselves. The First Purusha permeated these principles as pure Atma. But the principles could not unite to make the forms, and to make individuals and globes. Purusha, as pure Atma could not guide them further, as the gulf between Purusha and Prakriti was too wide. So Purusha had to limit Himself further, by uniting with Mula Prakriti, as one undivided whole, and so becoming the guiding principle of all individual workings in our universe, the pervader of all individuals and globes as Atma-Buddhi. The Universe as a whole is represented as an Egg, and the Second Purusha or Virat Purusha is the soul of that Egg. Individuals and globes appear as germs in that Egg, and are all brought into manifestation in time by the Third Purusha Brahma. The Second Purusha is called the First Avatara and the seed and resting place of all other Avataras. An Avatara is a highly evolved Jiva, that has attained the Logoic state and that comes down from his exalted position, to serve the universe. Why is the second Purusha called an Avatara? The Brihad Aranyaka Upanishad raises the veil a little on this point. "This was before Atma, bearing the shape of man (the first born from the Egg, the embodied soul, the Virat with heads and other members of the body) Looking round, he beheld nothing, but him- self. He said first: "This am I’. Hence the name of I was produced. "And because he, as the first of all of them consumed by fire all the sins, therefore he is called Purusha. He verily consumes him, who strives 20 A Study of the Bhagavata Purana to obtain the state of Prajapati, prior to him." Sankaracharya explains the under-lined portion as follows:—"And because he, "Prajapati in a former birth, which is the cause, as the first of those who were de- sirous to obtain the state of Prajapati by the exercise of reflection on works and knowledge, viz, "as the first of all of them," of all those desirous of obtaining the state of Prajapati, consumed by the perfect exercise of reflection in works and knowledge all the sins of contact, which are obstacles to the acquirement of the state ’of Prajapati’ be- cause such was the case, therefore he is called Purusha, because, he, pur (first) (did) ush (burn) Therefore by the words: "He consumes him," it is meant, that the perfect performer obtains the highest state of Prajapati, he, who is less perfect, does not obtain it, and by no means, that the less perfect performer is actually consumed by the perfect. Here the word Prajapati refers to the Second Purusha. The state of the Second Purusha is the highest achievement of Jiva. It is the meeting ground of Jiva and the Supreme Purusha. The Second Purusha may be different for each Kalpa, it may be for each Brahmanda. He is the Ishvara, the Lord of our Universe. He holds the whole creation unto His bosom, and is the sustaining force of all. In the three aspects of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva, he guides the creation, the preservation and the dissolution of the Universe.