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382
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[DECEMBER, 1908,
348. I have told yon the word of Narayana as it was spoken to Nârada, and as I heard it from Vyasa. It was obtained by Nirada from Nârâyana Himself: It has once before been concisely told in the Harigitas (i. e., the Bhagavad Gita). (18441) The Sauti tells Saunaka that he has now told him the story (akhyana) entitled the Narayaniya. Praise of Narayann by the Santi, and list of His attributes. He is.... (13447) the Witness, of the Worlds (loka-s ikshin) (cf. 13743), the Unborn (aja), the Male (Purusha), the Ancient One (Purana). . . . . He is adored with their understanding (buddhi) by the Sâmkhya-yogins.
349. Saunaka asks why the Adorable appeared to Brahmâ with a horse's head (haya-siras), (see 13092 in Adhyays 342). The Sata tells how Vaisampayana explained the point to Janamêjaya. (13162) Description of the dissolution of things. The earth (dharani), becomes absorbed (lina) into water (apas), the water into light (jyotis), light into air (vayu), air into ether (úkás), ether into intelligence (manas), intelligence into the Discrete (vyakta), the Discrete into the Indiscrete (acy alt 1), the Indiscrete into the Male ( purusha), and the Male (pus) into the All (sarva ).77 Then the All become only inertia (tamas). Inertia is in its essence primevally immortal (múlámritatmaks). From it was sprung (sambhúta) Brahma (neat.). It had for its aim the conception of a universe, and so took a form evolved from the Male (paurushi tanum), (18466). As a male, this form is called Aniruddha, and, as a neuter, it is also called Pradhâna.79 It is indiscrete and possesses the three constituents (guna). He is the deity with Wisdom (vidyd, cf. 12935 and 18382) for his companion, Vishvaksêna, Hari, the Lord (prabhu). IIe became subject to Yoga-sleep, and lay upon the waters only. There he meditated upon creation, and while melitating remembered intelligence (mahat),79 which was his own self (almaguna, cf. 13036), and from it was born consciousness (ahankara), which is Brahmâ, also called Hiranyagarbha, sprung from Aniruddha in a lotus. Seated upon the lotus he saw the universe consisting of nothing but water. Adopting the constituent of Conscious Existence (sattca), as Paramêshthin (sic), he began to create the elements (bhulagana). Narayana had also created (krita) two drops of water on the leaf of the lotus. One became Madhu, born of the constituent of inertia (tamas). The other became Kaitabha, born of energy (rajas). They watch Brahma seated on the lotus and emitting (srijan) the four Védas. They seize the Védas, and carry them off to the bottom of the Ocean.80 Brahma appeals to the Lord (Isana), called Hari. (13486) Brahma's bymn. . . . (13487) Thou art the receptacle of Sâm khya-yoga.. Thou art the maker of the discrete and of the indiscrete... without source (ayonija). (13189) I was born from Thy grace (prasada). My first, or mental, birth was from Thee.81 My second, ancient, birth was from Thine eye. My third from Thy mouth, my fourth from Thine ear, my fifth from the nose (nasatya), my sixth from an egg, and this my seventh from a lotus. All these births were from Thee. The Védas are my eyes. They have been taken away, and I am blind. ..
(13496) The Adorable Male (Purush) resolves to rescue the Védas. Ile takes a form with the head of a horse (hayisiraз3). (18507) In this form He finds the Védas, and returns them to Brahmâ. (13520) He slays Madbu and Kaisabha. Aided by Hari, Brahmâ creates the universe. (13524) Hari subsequently, on another occasion, again assumed the same form for the sake of the religion (dharm) of action (pravritti, see Adhyaya 342). The Horse's Hend is a primeval (paurdz) form, Benefits arising from the recitation of the story.
The Discrete is Aniruddha of the Bhagavata single-ryûha system of evolution. But it is Aniruddha in process of evolution, combined in turn with Pralhana, Mahat or Manas (3ainkhya Buddhi), and Ahamkara. Cf. 18032, and note thereon.
Ts This is, of course, once more another name for Prakriti. With the reference to tamas, above, we may note that this word is also used in Sah'chya as a synonym, or rather epithet, of Prakriti. See Garbe, Die Sakhya Philosophie, p. 205.
Intelligence (mahat or manas) is the second of the Bhagavata principles, and Consciousness (ahankara) is the third. The evolution described here, with Aniruddha alone, is the same as that described in note ce, above, to 13034 ff.
80 Compare the parallel account in Bhagavata Purana, viii, 24.
1 According to 13559, below, this birth was from Narayana's mouth.
