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XXI11] Nāradiya Purāņa
507 dhāna and purușa from within Himself and connected them both. The first entity that emerged from prakrti in this creative process was mahat, from which emerged ahamkāra, and from which again emerged sattva, rajas and tamas. From tamas came the five tanmātras and the five bhūtas; from rajas came the ten senses and the buddhi. From sattva came the presiding gods of the senses and the manas'. It is further said that Vāsudeva exists in the prakrti and the puruşas and all the effects, both as pervading through them and also separate from them, that is, He is both immanent and transcendent. Even when He exists as pervading through them, He is not in any way touched by their limitations and impurities. True knowledge is that which takes account of the nature of all those which have emanated from Vāsudeva in their specific forms as prakrti, purusa, etc., and also of Vāsudeva in His pure and transcendent forma.
It should be noted that in the Padma Purāņa there is a mention of brahma-bhakti, which is either kāyika, vācika and mānasika or laukiki, vaidikī and ādhyātmiki. This ādhyātmiki-bhakti is further subdivided into the sāmkhya-bhakti and yoga-bhakti?. The knowledge of twenty-four principles and of their distinction from the ultimate principle called puruṣa, as also of the relation among purusa and prakrti and the individual soul, is known as sāmkhyabhakti4. Practice of prānayāma and meditation upon the Lord Brahma constitute the yoga-bhakti". The term bhakti is here used in a very special sense.
In Nāradīya Purāņa Nārāyana is said to be the Ultimate Reality, that is, if seen in theological perspective it may be said to create from itself Brahmā the creator, Vişnu the protector and preserver, and Rudra the destroyer. This Ultimate Reality has also been called Mahā-vişnu?. It is through his characteristic power that the universe is created. This sakti or power is said to be both of the type of existence and non-existence, both vidyā and avidyā8. When the universe is seen as dissociated from Mahāvişnu, the vision is clearly due to avidyā ingrained in us; when, on the other hand, the consciousness of the distinction between the knower and the known disappears and only the consciousness of
1 Skanda Purāņa, It. 9. 24, verses 1-10. 3 Padma Purāna, I. 15, verses 164-177. 5 Ibid. verses 187-190. 7 Ibid. verse 9.
2 Ibid. verses 65-74. 4 Ibid. verses 177-186. 6 Nāradīya Purāna, I. 3. 4. 8 Ibid. verse 7.
