Parikshit had other questions. "Narada Muni had the great fortune of
hearing the glories of the Lord directly from his father Brahma. In what
occasions did he transmit these teachings? I sincerely wish to hear more
about this deep knowledge. I have understood that the transcendental spirit
soul is different from the material body. How does it acquire a body, and
for what purpose?
You have said that the Supreme Lord manifests in the universal form, that
is made of matter; so what is the difference between the body of the Lord
and the body of the ordinary living being? I am also eager to hear more
about the Supreme Soul, who resides in every heart without being touched
by the external energy.
I have heard your explanation on how the planets of the universe and their
rulers are situated in the various part of the gigantic body of the Virat
Purusha. However, I do not understand their functional position: can you
explain better? I also want to understand the duration of time between the
creation and the destruction of the universe and the subsequent creations,
the nature of time constituted by past present and future, the duration and
measure of life on the various planets of the universe, and why they are
different.
I would also like to know about the process of accumulation of the karmic
reactions that cause the movements of the beings among the many species
of life, from the celestial beings to the most insignificant creatures. What is
the process of creation of the planets, of earth, of the mountains, rivers and
seas, and their inhabitants? How is the interplanetary space divided? What
are the characteristics of the various social categories? And what rules
should one observe in case of emergency?
I am also interested in hearing about the elementary principles of creation,
of the mystic powers of yoga, of the subjects of Vedic literature, and the
way in which the beings are born and develop. And above all, I want to
hear about the benefits of devotional service to the Lord, in relation to the
Vedic ritual, the procedures that enable one to attain success in dharma,
artha, kama and moksha - or ethical integrity, acquisition of valuable things,
satisfaction of the senses and liberation from material conditionings.
How do the living beings appear? And how the Asuras - the demonic
beings - come to existence? And how do liberated beings live?"
Sukadeva was very pleased by the sincerity of Parikshit, who was thirsty
with knowledge and asked so many questions. "It is only because of the
influence of the illusory energy," he said, "that one comes to believe he is
the material body. The idea of 'I' and 'mine' is simply a misconception, that
dissipates as soon we attain transcendental realization.
At the beginning of creation, Brahma was trying to understand how to
proceed in his work. While meditating, he heard the two syllable 'ta' and 'pa',
that form the Sanskrit word tapa ('austerity'), and although he could not
understand where the sound had come from, he decided to follow that
instruction and engaged in a very long meditation to control the self. The
Lord was very pleased by Brahma's sincere service and granted him the
vision of his wonderful spiritual abode, Vaikuntha, where Vishnu lives
surrounded by his devotees. Besides, he revealed that he had given him the
instruction to practice austerity, because the intensity in the engagement in
one's duty is non-different from the Lord himself.
On that occasion, Brahma asked the Lord questions that are similar to the
ones you asked me, and in reply he obtained the four verses that are
considered the heart of the Bhagavata. Vishnu told Brahma that his existence
is eternal - it exists before the manifestation of the universe, in the present
moment, and even after the destruction of the cosmos. Nothing exists
without the Lord, who is in every thing as well as beyond all created things,
just like the elements of the universe enter into the cosmos and at the same
time they remain distinct from it. Those who seek the Absolute Truth must
understand this secret knowledge in all circumstances, both directly and
indirectly."
Later, Brahma gave this knowledge to his son Narada, who taught it to his
disciple Vyasa in the form of the Bhagavata, that deals with ten subjects: the
creation of the universe, the secondary creation, the structure of the
planetary systems, the manner in which the Lord protects the universe, the
creative impulse, the series of the Manus, the science of God, how to go
back to God, and what is the most valuable treasure.
The fundamental or primary creation, called sarga, consists of the sixteen
elements of matter - the five gross elements called earth, water, fire, air and
space; the subtle elements called sound, form, taste, smell and touch; and
the senses that are eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin and mind. The secondary
creation follows, from the interaction of these sixteen primary elements,
and it is called visarga.
The Lord's protection is obtained by obeying his laws, and the succession
of the Manus has the purpose to express such laws to give the proper
direction to the life of human beings. The creative impulse consists in the
desire of obtaining the result of the action. The science of God describes
the avataras of the Lord and the various activities performed by these
incarnations together with his devotees.
The dissolution of the cosmic manifestation occurs when the Lord
withdraws all the universes into himself and the living beings merge again
into his body together with their conditioned tendencies, while liberation is
the permanent nature of the being when he leaves the subtle body besides
the gross body.
The Supreme is the source and the reservoir of the cosmic manifestation,
that gives shelter to the physical manifestation called adhibhautika, to the
archetypal manifestation called adhidaivika, and to the manifestation of the
individuals called adhyatmika. In other words, these are the material bodies,
the beings who control them and the beings that are controlled.
All beings are created by the Supreme Lord and receive a body according to
their past actions - including Brahma and his sons such as Daksha and the
other Prajapatis, the Manus, Indra, Chandra and Varuna, the Rishis, the
inhabitants of the higher planets such as Pitriloka, Siddhaloka, Charanaloka,
Gandharvaloka, Vidyadharaloka, Kinnaraloka, as well as the Apsaras,
Yakshas and Rakshasas, Kimpurushas, human beings, ghosts, animals,
plants and so on.
