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"One thousand years" is indicative of Pralaya, which lasts for one thousand yuga cycles. In Pralaya, the kumaric soul had no body i.e. no abode. The body separates Jiva from Ish- vara. Without the impediment, the obstacle of the body, without any obscuring agency, the Jiva meets Ishvara face to face in Jana Loka, and being both essentially alike become friends. Narada says, esoter- ically the Manasa Laka is the heart and Hansa means the pure. But in Pralaya, the heart of the Jiva is in Jana Loka, which is the Manasa or mental Lake. This friendly union of Jiva and Ishvara gives all the promise of the future for the Jiva. What is not preserved in Naimittika Pralaya, the forms of the past kalpa, are all borne in the mind of Brahma as images. It is the mind of Brahma that reproduces the forms of the previous creation. The image of all that was remains in the mind of Brahma. Creation in Brahma Kalpa is not the same as creation in the succeeding Kalpas. In Brahma Kalpa, all the seven Lokas, and the dwellers of all the planes are created. In the succeeding Kalpas, the three Lokas and their dwellers only are created. The Naimittika Pralaya comes on, as Brahma sleeps. This Pralaya corresponds to our physical death. When we die, the body is destroyed. Just as when the universe bodied Brahma goes to sleep, His Triloki body is destroyed. Men go after death first to Bhuvar Loka, and then to Svarga Loka. At Pralaya, the Manasika Jivas first go to Mahar Loka and then to Jana Loka. The Naimittika Pralaya affords the greatest relief to Jivas. It makes up for all the ups and downs of manifested life, for all mis- 458 A Study of the Bhagavata Purana eries, all sorrows, all sufferings and all disappointments. [shvara can do more for Jivas in Pralaya, than in manifestation. He gives com- pany to those, who by their advancement reach Jana Loka, There is the Ishvara of our system or Brahmanda and there is the Ishvara of many systems. The Ishvara of many systems, "Bhagavan Himself" is the First Pu- rusha. He is the manifestor of the Tatvas, the first Principles, the Karan or causal creation, which enter into the constitution of all the solar systems or Brahmandas. When He wishes to become many, to appear through many manifestations, to bring up all unto Him- self and His own state, through ceons and ceons of cosmic manifes- tation, though it might be, the Tatvas start forth into activity and form an ocean by themselves. Many solar systems are evolved out of this Karan Samudra or the ocean of the causes and each system gets its Ishvara, the Second Purusha. That Second Purusha becomes three fold—Brahma, Vishnu and Siva, for the Creation, Preservation and Dissolution of His own Universe. He is Virat Purusha or the uni- verse bodied, Narayana seated on the waters of Karana Samudra, and Sahasra Sirsha Purusha or the thousand headed Purusha of the Up- anishads. "All this, the past, present and future is this Purusha. The universe is pervaded by Him As Prana (i.e. the sun, for Prana is the solar deity according to the Sruti. Sridhara) by illumining his own cir- cle illumines the outside as well, so Purusha by illumining his Virat body illumines the inside and outside of this Brahmanda as well. I (Brahma) create by His direction, Siva destroys, under His control, as Vishnu, He preserves this universe He is the primal Avatara." II. 6. "First of all, Bhagavan took form as Purusha for the creation of the Lokas form made by Mahat and others, having 16 parts. (Mahat and others— Mahat, Ahankara, and the Tanmatras. 16 parts the eleven In- driyas and the 5 elements. Though this is not the form of Bhagavan meaning the First Purusha still for the Upasana in Virat form of the Virat Purusha who indwells all Jivas, this is given. Sridhara). (In the Padma Kalpa), Brahma, the Lord of Prajapatis, appeared in the lotus that rose out of the navel of (this Purusha), who while lying down on the ocean, spread the sleep of Samadhi all round. The Lokas are but parts of His body. His form is pure and intensified Satva. The Yogins perceive Him by their vision of wisdom, as one looking won- Purnendu Narayana Sinha, M. A., B. L. 459 derful with a thousand feet, thighs, hands and mouths, with a thou- sand heads, ears, eyes and noses, glittering with a thousand crowns, and ornaments. This (Virat Purusha) is the immutable seed and final resort of the many Avataras. Brahma is His part. Marichi and other Prajapatis are parts of Brahma. So through parts of His part, Devas, animals and men are created. (He does not appear and disappear like other Avataras. He is the end not only of the Avataras, but of all beings. Sridhara.)" 1-3. Brahma appeared in the lotus, it is said, in the last Kalpa, which from this event is named Padma Kalpa. How Brahma appeared out of Narayana in the previous Kalpas is not given. That he appeared in our Kalpa in the same way as in the last Kalpa is evident, as no difference is noted. Brahma took up the creation, which was two-fold—direct or Manasa and indirect or through Prajapatis and Manu. The creation or bringing into manifestation of those that had been preserved at Pralaya is direct or Manasa. The mind born sons of Brahma took up positions in the universe of duty and responsibility and in this Kalpa they have not to look to themselves, but to others. Their own evolution is not a matter of their concern. The innumerable Monads were created through Manu and the real history of the Kalpa is the history of their evolution. First there was the process of involution. There was no form and forms had to be first brought forth. Limitation after limitation had to the imposed, to chain life in forms. For when set forms were arrived at with set organs, Jivas could be trusted with independent action. No energy is spent in vain in the economy of the universe. Each monadic flow as it appeared in the universe could he carried on to a certain stage, by one common guiding influence. This requires a little explanation. Each particle of each Tatva is alive. The Tatvic life is the life of the first Purusha. But the particles combine, and the power of com- bination proceeds from the life of the second Purusha, the Ishvara of our system. Every combination however large has the life of Ishvara in it and it is that life which keeps up the combination. Each combi- nation for the time being has its ruler, who is the viceroy of Ishvara, and who is called the Monad of that combination. Monad is Jivatma or Jiva Atm or Atm as limited by every Jiva. 460 A Study of the Bhagavata Purana The combination transforms, but the Monad remains constant. The vegetable becomes animal, and the animal becomes man, but one Monad runs through all these transformations. By rulership over higher and higher combinations the Monad or Jivatma, ultimately approaches the state of [shvara Himself and that is the goal of evolution in this universe. Whenever a combination is formed, there is one life governing that combination—the life of the ruler of that combination. Ail other lives have to surrender themselves completely and entirely to that one life. This is the law and we have to bow down our heads to the inevitable. There is life in every cell that composes the human body. But the cell lives are all subordinated to the life of the man, the Jivatma ruling the combination that forms the man. So long as the cell is attached to the human combination, it has no independence whatsoever. And this is to the immense benefit of the cells them- selves. They receive the impress of souls much more evolved than their own and are able to evolve themselves at a much more rapid rate, than if they had been left to themselves. This is the law of giv- ing and taking, the law of sacrifice, the Yajna which is the essence of creation. And even as men approach the state of Ishvara, they have to surrender themselves completely to Him and to merge themselves in His existence. The Jivic or Monadic flow first appears on the plane of Svarga, it comes down to Bhivar and then to Bhir, to appear finally in the mineral Kingdom of our Earth. This process of coming down does not require separate guidance for separate combinations. The downward flow is homogeneous. It is carried on under the guidance of the Pra- japatis. It is all involution during this process taking in grosser and grosser matter and not rejecting anything. Rudra had no work to do during the earliest stages of monadic life. The mineral Kingdom ap- peared and the Himalayan chain reared up its head. The legend says the sons of Himalaya had wings on and they could move about but the Devas cut down their wings and they became fixed. No doubt the mineral Kingdom hardened and became immobile in time. The immobility of the mineral Kingdom, the final reach of matter in its downward course was the turning point in the life history of Jivas. Their foetal stage was over and they were now born into the Kalpa, Purnendu Narayana Sinha, M. A., B. L. 461 as it were. There was need for separation now, for the rejection of particles and the drawing in of new ones, and Durga appeared as the daughter of Himalaya. She became wedded to Siva once more and since then there was change continually going on in all forms of life, that evolved out of the mineral Kingdom. There was continual adjustment of external and internal conditions, called life. The vegetable appeared, the animal appeared and the man appeared. The life process means continual transformation. Forms changed and dissolved. Change is continually going on all round and is called Nitya Pralaya. During the transformation that goes on, combinations are guided by rulers, who are the Pitris. They lead the combinations on till the human form is reached. When the human form is reached each com- bination is a man.