Mokshadharma Parva — How this universe is destroyed. That which was never destroyed and will never be destroyed

What is that which is called Undecaying and by acquiring which no one has to return? What, again, is that which is called Decaying, and by acquiring which one has to return once more?

O destroyer of enemies, I ask you the distinction that exists, O you of mighty arms, between the Decaying and the Undecaying ones for understanding them both truly, O delighter of the Kurus.

Brahmans conversant with the Vedas, speak of you as on Ocean of knowledge. Highly blessed Rishis and Yatis of great souls do the Salme.

You have very few days to live. When the Sun turns from his southern solstice for entering into the northern, you will attain to your high end.

When you will leave us, from whom shall we hear of all that is wholesome for us? You are the lamp of Kuru's race. Indeed, you are always shining with the light of knowledge.

O perpetuator of Kuru's race, I wish, therefore, to hear all this from you. Listening to your discourses which are always sweet like nectar, my curiosity, without being satiated, is always increasing.

Bhishma said I shall, regarding it, relate to you the old discourse that took place between Vashishtha and king Karala of Janaka's race.

Once on a time when that foremost of Rishis, viz., Vashishtha, effulgent like the Sun, was seated at his ease, king Janaka asked him about that highest knowledge which is for our supreme behoof.

A perfect adept in that department of knowledge which is about the Soul and gifted with sure conclusions about all branches of that science, as Mairtravaruni, that foremost of Rishis, was seated, the king, approaching him with joined hands, asked him in humble words, well said and sweet and shorn of all controversial spirit, this question,-O holy one, I wish to hear of Supreme and Eternal Brahma by attaining to which men of wisdom have not to return.

I wish also to know that which is called Destructible and That into which this universe goes when destroyed. Indeed, what is That which is said to be indestructible. Auspicious, wholesome and free from all sorts of evil.

Hear, O king, 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 make a cycle. Four such cycles, taken a thousand times, make a Kalpa which measures one day of Brahman.

Brahman's night also, O king, is of the same measure. When Brahman himself is destroyed, Shambhu of formless soul and to whom the Yoga attributes of lightness, heaviness, etc., naturally stick, awakes, and once more creates that First of all creatures, possessed of huge proportions, of infinite deeds, endued with form, and at one with the universe. That Shambhu is otherwise called Ishana. He is pure Effulgence, and is above all decay, having his hands and feet stretching on all sides with eyes and head and mouth cverywhere, and with ears also in every place. That Being exists, possessing the entire universe.

The eldest-born Being is called Hiranyagarbha. This holy one has been called the Understanding. In the Yoga scriptures, He is called the Great, and Virinchi, and the Unborn.

In the Sankhya system, He is described by diverse names, and considered as having Infinity for his Soul. Of various forms and constituting the soul of the universe, He is considered as One and Indestructible.

The three worlds of numberless ingredients have been created by Him without help from any source and have been overwhelmed by him. On account of His manifold forins, He is said to be of universal form.

Undergoing changes He creates Himself. Gifted with great energy, He first creates Consciousness and that Great Being called Prajapati endued with Consciousness.

The Manifest is created from the Unmanifest. This is called by the learned the Creation of Knowledge. The creation of (Virat) and Consciousness, by Hiranyagarbha, is the Creation of Ignorance.

Allotment of attributes and the destruction thereof, called respectively by the names of Ignorance and Knowledge by persons learned in the Shrutis, then arose, referring to this, that, or the other of the three.

Know, O king, that the creation of the elements from Consciousness is the third. In all the kinds of Consciousness is the fourth creation which originates from modification of the third.

This fourth creation consists of Wind and Light and Ether and Water and Earth, with their properties of sound, touch, form, taste, and scent. arose

This aggregate of ten arose, forsooth, at the same time. The fifth creation, O king, is that which has originated, from combinations of the principal elements.

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 canal, and the organs of generation.

The first five of those form the organs of knowledge, and the last five the organs of action. All these, with mind, simultaneously, O king.

These form the twenty-four topics that exist in the forms of all living creatures. By understanding these properly. these properly. Brahmanas endued with insight into the truth have never to give way 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 gods and men and Danavas, in Yakshas and spirits and Gandharvas, and Kinnaras and great snakes, and Charanas and Pishachas, in celestial Rishis and Rakshasas, in biting flies, and worins, and gnats, and vermin born of filth and rats, and dogs and Shvapakas and Chaineyas and Chandalas and Pukkasas, in elephants and horse and asses and tigers, and trees, and kine. Whatever other creatures exist in water or ether or on earth, for there is on 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 begotten by union of these twenty-four are said to be destructible.

This then is the Indestructible. And since the universe, which is made up of Manifest and Unmanifest, is destroyed, therefore, it is said to be Destructible.

The Very Being called Mahan who is the first born is always spoken of as an instance of the Destructible. I have now told you, O king, all that you had asked me.

Above the twenty-four topics already referred to is the twenty-fifth called Vishnu. That Vishnu, on account of the absence of all qualities, is not a topic though as that which permeates 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 gifted with form. The twenty-fourth, which is Nature, is said to lord over all this. The twentyfifth, which is Vishnu, is formless and, therefore, cannot be said to lord over the universe.

It is that Unmanifest, which, when endued with body lives in the hearts of all creatures having body. As regards eternal Consciousness, although he is shorn of attributes and without form, yet he assumes all forins.

Uniting with Nature which has has the attributes of birth and death, he also assumes the attributes of birth and death. And on account of such union he becomes an object of perception and though in reality shorn of all attributes yet he coines to be invested therewith.

It is in this way that the Soul, becoming united with Nature and invested with Ignorance, undergoes changes and becomes conscious of Self.

Uniting with the qualities of Goodness, Darkness and Ignorance, he becomes at one with various creatures belonging to various orders of Being, on account of his forgetfulness and his waiting upon Ignorance.

On account of his birth and death originating from the fact of living in union with Nature, he thinks himself to be no other than what he apparently is, Knowing himself as this or that, he follows the qualities of Goodness, Darkness and Ignorance.

Under the influence of Ignorance, he comes by various kinds of conditions which are affected by Ignorance. Under the influences of Darkness and Goodness he attains likewise to conditions which are affected by Darkness and Goodness.

There are three colours in all viz., White, Red, and Dark. All those colours belong to Nature.

Through Ignorance one goes to hell. Through Darkness one attains to the status of humanity. Through Goodness people ascend to the regions of the gods and partake of great happiness.

By sticking to sin continuously one sinks into the intermediate order of beings. By acting both virtuously and sinfully one comes by the status of humanity. By acting only righteously, one attains to the status of the gods.

In this way the twenty-fifth, viz., (the Indestructible), the wise say, by union with the unmanifest, becomes changed into (destructible). By means of knowledge, however, the Indestructible appears in His true nature.