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----- bhagap012.html
WHAT MEN ARE TO DO AND WHAT THEY ARE
NOT TO DO.
SKANDHA II. CHAP. 3.
This was the second part of Parikshit's question, and to this
general question, the answer is also general. Those that want divine
glory worship Brahma. Those that want their Indriyas to be power-
ful worship Indra and so on. But those that are desirous of Moksha
must practise Bhakti Yoga towards the supreme Purusha. Of all
Upasakas, this is the only means of attaining supreme bliss, unswerv-
ing Bhakti or devotion to Bhagavan and the company of Bhagavatas.
THE BHAGAVATA PURANA AS RELATED BY
BRAHMA TO NARADA.
SKANDHA II. CHAP. 4-6.
I. THE CREATION.
Parikshit next asked " How did Bhagavan create this Universe,
how does He preserve it, how will He draw it in? What are the
Saktis by which He manifests Himself directly and indirectly? What
are His actions?"
Suka replied, these were the very questions asked by N^rada of
his father Brahma.
Brahma replied: Wishing to become manifold, the Lord of
M ??y ??, influenced Kala, Karma and Svabhava, by his own Maya".
(Kala is the flow of Time and is, according to the Bhagavata Purana,
the Sakti of Purusha. Karma is the adrishta of Jiva or the Jiva re-
cord of the previous Kalpa. Svabhava is the essence of Prakriti).
Under the influence of Purusha, the first disturbance in the equili-
brium of the Gunas follows from Kala, transformation follows from
Svabhava and the development of Mahat Tatva follows from Karma.
When Rajas and Tamas manifest themselves in Mahat Tatva, it is
transformed into Ahankara Tatva, with predominant Tamas. Ahan-
kara Tatva by transformation becomes threefold. Satvika, Rajasika
and Tamasika, i.e., Jnana Sakti (potency to produce the Devas),
Kriya Sakti (potency to produce the Indriyas), and Dravya Sakti
(potency to produce the Bhutas), respectively.
Tamasa Ahankara was first transformed into Akasa, Akasa into
Vayu, Vayu into Agni, Agni into Apas, and Apas into Prithivi,
Satvika Ahankara was transformed into Manas and the ten Vaikarika
Devas,
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