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I, 77.
THE CREATION.
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Brahman, indeed, ends after (the completion of) one thousand ages (of the gods) and that his night lasts as long, (are really) men acquainted with the length of) days and nights.
74. At the end of that day and night he who was asleep, awakes and, after awaking, creates mind, which is both real and unreal.
75. Mind, impelled by (Brahman's) desire to create, performs the work of creation by modifying itself, thence ether is produced; they declare that sound is the quality of the latter,
76. But from ether, modifying itself; springs the pure, powerful wind, the vehicle of all perfumes; that is held to possess the quality of touch.
77. Next from wind, modifying itself, proceeds the brilliant light, which illuminates and dispels
used in order to indicate that the knowledge of the duration of Brahman's day is 'meritorious.'
74. Two explanations of the second half of the verse are offered by the commentators. It may mean either that Brahman on awaking from his sleep first creates the great principle (mahat), which here, as elsewhere, is called manas, mind,' or that he appoints (srigati) his own internal organ or mind (manas), which at an intermediate destruction (avântara or antaralapralaya) remains in existence, to create the world. Medh. and Kull. give both explanations, and prefer the former. Gov. gives the second alone, while Nâr. and Nand. adhere to the first. The latter takes manas as denoting the three principles, the great one, egoism, and mind, and explains sadasadâtmakam, which is both real and unreal,' as in verse 14, by prakritivikrityâtmakam, being both an evolvent and an evolute.'
75. Thence,' i.e. from mind changed to egoism,' Nár. (similarly Kull.), or from Brahman.'
76. As the Sâmkhya doctrine (Sâmkhyakârikâ, ver. 25) makes all the rudimentary elements proceed from egoism, Medh. takes the first words of the verse to mean, But from egoism which modifies itself, wind springs next after ether. He, of course, adopts the same trick of interpretation in the following three verses.
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