How did Mankind come into existance? This has always been a a big mystery to all of us. Many scientists tried to probe into this but they were not able to deduce anything. Their say is that life has always been there on this Earth. There has to be a beginning somewhere isn't it? Like the silly but thought provoking question - chicken came first or egg. Do you wonder if the Earth came into existance along with humans. Like some kind of package deal. Mythology has an answer to that.
According to Bible, Adam and Eve were the first of the Humans on the face of Earth. We all know this from our school days don't we? Adam, was made from the dust while Eve was made from the rib of Adam. Hindu Mythology also has a very interesting story.
Before we go on with the story allow me to introduce you to Trimurti - Brahma The Creator, Vishnu The Protector and Shiva The Destroyer.
Trimurti - Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma
Brahma - The Creator of the Universe
Brahma is like the Human Resources Head. We are in this world because of him. So how did he come into being? To understand this we need to get some facts straight. Mahapralaya happens after 100 years of Brahma's life which is 311 Trillion and 40 million earth years (i have no idea how many zeros follow that figure) and this 100 years of Brahma equals one day of Maha Vishnu known as 1 Parama. So when Vishnu finishes his day and goes into sleep, the Mahapralaya happens and the next morning he wakes up and gives birth to Brahma. Interesting isn't it?
So after the Mahapralaya, the entire earth was submerged in water. So till Vishnu wakes up from his Yoganidra (a deepest state of relaxation while still maintaining consciousness), the entire universe is withdrawn within him. During this time the three gunas - Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are in equilibrium. But when they lose their balance its time for Vishnu to wake up.
So how was Brahma born? Vishnu created a lotus from his navel and out of that navel emerged Brahma. Brahma came out of the lotus and he saw the Lord and gained wisdom. He was well versed with all the Vedas. Narayana (Vishnu) gave him the responsibility of creation.
Vishnu - The Protector
Brahma and Shiva came into being because of Vishnu. Vishnu is the supreme and all pervading God of the entire cosmic world. He is the reason for the creation and the destruction of the universe. He is also known as Hari or Narayana.He is the protector of his devotees. The entire Bhagavatham is about his praise. The place he resides is called the Vaikuntam, the highest place for liberated souls after they attain Moksha.
Shiva - The Destroyer or The Transformer
The third of the Trimurti, Shiva destroys the universe when its time. thus ensuring the cycle of creation and destruction continues. Shiva is also known as Haran. Shiva, clad in tiger skin with serpents around his neck, a crescent moon on his head with Ganges flowing over it, resides in Mount Kailash with his wife Goddess Parvati and two sons Ganesha and Karthikeya. There is no particular story that revolves around how Shiva came into being. It is considered that just like Vishnu, Shiva has always been there. He and Brahma are considered the two halves of Narayana.
So now that we got an idea about the Trimurti lets move on to see how Brahma went on about achieving his responsibility of creation. It is said that out of the mind of Brahma were born the four rishis - Sanaka, Sananda, Sanatana and Sanathkumara. They were asked to continue the work of creation but they refused and instead took to attaining salvation at the feet of the almighty. Since they refused to go beyond the Brahmacharyam (celebacy) they remained children and hence they were popularly known as Kumaras. Since they refused to Brahma, he became very angry and this wrath gave birth to Rudra a crying child born out of his forehead. Rudra was assigned the heart, senses, life, sky, air, fire, water, the earth, the sun, the moon and tapas. He was asked to go and produce many in his image. Then Brahma went on with his creation. He created ten sons out of his body - Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhrigu, Daksha, Marichi, Vasishtha and Narada. Dharma and Adharma were also born out of Brahma. Out of his heart was born desire and out of his brows anger. His shadow took a form and was named Kardama. From his mind and body the whole world was created and from his four faces the four vedas - Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva. Brahma then divided his body into two, one male called Svayambhu Manu and one female called Shatarupa. These two were the first humans to be born on earth who went to create more and more humans. The first male was Manu, maybe that is why humans came to be called Manushya or Manav.
Source of Information : Srimad Bhagavatam by Kamala Subramaniam
No comments:
Post a Comment