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This theory has mingled in its account with that of the sankhya and upanisads. Thus here it is stated that the purusa creates the world through pradhana which is avyakta, nitya and sadasadatmaka. Lord Brahma of immeasurable lustre is the purus蓹. He creates all the beings and is devoted to lord Narayana. From pradhana was produced Mahat and from Mahat the Ahamkara. From Ahamkara all the subtle beings were created. The account upto this resembles the samkhya theory developing itself into the upanisadic thought. Thus after the creation described above, lord Brahma created waters and 14 Ibid 15 For a full discussion of this problem, vide Kirfel, Das Purana-Pancala-ksanam.

i 813 deposited his powers (virya) in it. From that a big golden After living in that egg for an year, lord Brahma divided it into two parts, one half of it became heaven egg emerged. 3 and the other half became the earth. The middle portion became the sky. In all its ten directions was established the Then he created kala, manas, earth surrounded by waters. vaca, kama, krodha and Rati. Then he created the seven mind, born sages, lightening, clouds, rainbow, birds and rain. After that the Res, Yajus, Samans, Sadhyas and higher and lower types of beings were created. He then created the virat-purusa who became well-known as Manu (A.1). Let us now examine how cosmogonical speculations belonging to different periods have contributed to the develop, ment of the above theory represented in the Brahma-Purana. Thus the world according to the vedic notions, consists of three parts, viz. earth, air and sky or heaven. Again, the unity of godhead is expressed in the purusasukta X.90 and it is recognised and is directly expressed in others, viz. X.81,82, where he is called the one, the unborn and is placed above all the gods. The Brahmanas also contain many legends about Prajapati's creating the world. As regards the creation of waters, in the Brahmanas there are some passages in which the waters seem to have been believed to be coeval with him or to

814 have preceded him. 16 But the Brahma Purana presents a modification in stating that lord Brahma himself created the waters. The cosmic egg-theory is dealt with in the Satapatha Brahmana XI.1.6.1 ff. and the Chandogya upanisad iii.19. Again, the above account resembles to some extent that of the MS (1.5 ff). Another version of the cosmic egg, theory mingling with samkhya principles as represented in the Brahma Purana is as follows: Just as the seed of kapittha is covered on all the sides by its bark. Similarly the whole Brahmanda was covered on all the sides by Andakataha. the The andakatahtis covered by the coverings The Mahattattva ten times bigger than one another. The coverings were those of water, fire, wind, ether and Mahattattva. is covered by, pradhana or prakrti. Pradhana is endless and there is no number which can measure it. called ananta and asamkhyata. Therefore, it is It is the material cause of the whole world and is the Para prakrti. In it dwell a Koti Brahmandas. Just as the fire dwells in fuel and the sesamum oil in sesame similarly the cetana purusa resides in the Pradhana or prakrti. The prakrti and purusa depend on each other and sustain themselves by the power of lord Visnu. The power of lord Visnu is the cause of conjoining and disconnecting prakrti and purusa. The power of lord Visnu is the cause of disturbing the prakrti at the time of creation. Just as the 16 cf. Taittiriya Sanhita V.6.4.2 and vii. 1.5.1.

815 wind bears the coolness of the water-drops, similarly the power of lord Visnu bears this world constituted of prakrti and purusa. Just as from a seed, the trunk, branches and other seeds are produced, similarly from the unmodified prakrti first the Mahattattva and others are created, then gods are created and then their children and grand-children are created. Just as by the creation of the second tree, the first tree is not destroyed, similarly by new creations the old creations are not destroyed. Just as on account of the nearness, akasa, kala etc. are also the causes in the production of the tree, similarly lord Visnu, though himself remaining unmodified becomes the cause of the whole world. Just as in the seed of corn reside the mula, nala, patra, ankura, kanda, kosa, flower, milk, tandula, tusa and they sprout up as soon as they get the opportunity similarly the gods and other beings reside in the form of various karmans and manifest themselves taking the help of lord Visnu (23.22-40). The above theory shows that the Brahma-Purana has freely laid down the samkhya philosophy and has tried to improve upon it. According to samkhya philosophy, there are two principles entirely independent of each other.: (1) the souls, purusas and (2) Prakrti, original nature or pradhana which is

816 made up of three Gunas in the state of equipoise. When this equilibrium is disturbed through the presence of the purusa then from prakrti is developed Mahan or Buddhi which chiefly consists of sattva. From Buddhi is developed Ahamkara, a The function of which is to produce the conceit Ahamkara - produces the mind, the five organs a substance. of individuality of sense, the five organs of action and the five subtle elements The last combining with one another form the tanmatras. five gross elements: space, fire, wind, water and earth. In trying to reconcile vedic cosmogony with the principles of sankhya philosophy, the Brahma Purana has introduced some changes in the above theory. Thus the Brahma Purana establishes the belief in a first cause in the form of Visnu, which is radically opposed to the samkhya doctrine of the mutually independent principles, purusa and prakrti, yet both views had to be harmonised, somehow. It is interesting to note that the Santiparvan of the Mph. also admits the presence of Isvara as the twenty-sixth principle over the twenty-five principles and thus turning the atheistic sankhya into a theistic one. 17 The Brahma Purana gives another version of the philosophical theory introducing some changes of its own. Thus it is stated 路 that when all the mobile and immobile things were destroyed and 17 Deopurkar R.T., Op.Cit., PP.30-35, Dasgupta S.N., Op.Cit., Vol.1, P.217.

817 covered by darkness first of all Buddhi, the cause of Gunas, was created from prakrti. From Buddhi was manifested Ahamkara, the cause of the five Mahabhutas, viz. Akasa, Vayu, Agni, Jala and Earth. The samkhya doctrine which derived the elements from ahakhara through the interposition of the transcendent tanmatras, seems to have been modified by the Brahma-Purana in as much as it omits the tanmatras and makes the Mahabhutas the direct product of Ahankara, just as in the ups. the elements are said to have sprung directly from Brahman. This is in consonance with the epic view. Further it states that after the creation of the Mahabhutas, an egg was created in which the seven islands and the seven oceans were established and in it Visnu and Mahadeva resided. Then all the people were overpowered by Tamoguna and meditated on Paramesvara. Then a lustrous deity was created who removed darkness. That was lord Sun, (33.3-7). The account of the creation of the Sun resembles to some extent the account given in the Chandogya upanisad (III.19). From the above survey, it becomes clear that the cosmogony in the Brahma-Purana on the whole seems to be a later development. Here the evolutionary theory of Samkhya is so modified as to agree with the vedantic doctrine about the oneness of Brahman by assuming that purusa and prakrti are but two forms of the supreme deity, here identified with Visnu, according

818 to the sectarian character of the Purana.