What is the Source of Creation according to the Vedic texts? Let us examine:
“From Ananda (bliss) certainly all these beings originate; they live by Ananda after being born, and towards Ananda, they proceed, and into Ananda, they get merged” (Taitiriya Upanishad 3.6).
The Vedas and Upanishads mention Brahman as the source of creation. What is the definition of Brahman? Brahman has been defined as Nirguna Brahman and Saguna Brahman, i.e. with attributes and without attributes.
“Brahman is Truth, Knowledge, Infinite".(Taitiriya Upanishad 2.1)“Brahman is consciousness and bliss". (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 3.9.28)
“That is the Infinite in which one does not see anything else, does not hear anything else, does not know anything else. And that is limited where one sees something else” (Chandogya Upanishad 23 -24)
Brahman has been defined as Nirguna Brahman and Saguna Brahman, i.e. without attributes as well as with attributes.
“Brahman has but two forms – gross and subtle, mortal and immortal, limited and unlimited, and defined and undefined” (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 2.3.1)
“It is not comprehended through the eyes nor through speech, nor through the other senses; nor is it attained through austerity or karma” (Mundaka Upanishad, 3.1.3)
Saguna Brahman is called Purusha, Hiranya Garbha, Mahat, etc. in the Vedas and Upanishads:
“Hiranyagarbha was born first, and having been born, he became the only lord of all beings. He held the earth and this heaven. That single deity we propitiate with oblation” (Rigveda X.CXX1.1)
While Brahman is omniscient and omnipotent why it had to create the Purusha? Because in the Nondual state of Brahman, which is pure Ananda, Consciousness, there cannot be any thoughts, mind, or perception of anything else (as it is merged with bliss alone). Why is it so? The Upanishads say:
“Because He (Nondual Brahman) is pure and without vital force and mind (Mundaka Upanishad 2.1.2)”.
“Because when there is duality, as it were, then one sees something” (Brihadaranyaka 2.4.14)
That is the very quality of Nirguna Brahman. When this non-dual status (of pure Bliss) gets altered due to sankalpam and the subsequent acts of creation, it can no longer be called Nirguna Brahman, because of the touch of qualities like thought, mind, intelligence, qualities (sattva, Raja, Tama), etc. Nirguna Brahman can have no such qualities, as it is a state of pure bliss, pure light, pure consciousness. So the Vedas introduce the concept of Saguna Brahman, of Purusha (the Cosmic Person) or that of ‘Superior and Inferior Brahman:
“When He that exists as the superior and inferior Brahman is known all the results of one’s actions get eradicated". (Mundaka Upanishad 2.2.8)While defining Brahman Sankaracharya mentions:
“That omniscient and omnipotent source must be Brahman from which occur the birth, continuance, and dissolution of this universe that is manifested through name and form, that is associated with diverse agents and experiences that provide the support for actions and results having well-regulated space-time and causation, and that defies all thoughts about the real nature of its creation”. (Brahma Sutra Bhashya II).
All the above actions related to creation cannot be done without a conceiving agent - a Karma-Dharma-Sakshi. Because of its non-dual nature, Nirguna Brahman transforms himself into a personified embodiment to perform the act of creation which involves thinking or ideation (Sankalpam) knowledge (Jnana Shakti), and the potential for action (Kriya Shakti). Sankaracharya says in Brahma Sutra Bhashya:
“Even though the gods are sentient and equipped with all kinds of power, still they can accomplish their respective duties only when they are in possession of bodies and organs in a physical context”.
Yaska’s Niruktha mentions six kinds of modification associated with creation– birth, continuance, growth, transformation, decay, and death, which Brahman remaining in its pure non-dual state cannot perform.
So the omniscient omnipotent non-dual Brahman with the power of Sankalpam transforms himself into a Purusha, into a qualitative embodiment. That very moment a transmutation happens and Nirguna Brahman manifests as Saguna Brahman for the purpose of creation:
“He wished, ‘Let me become many, let me be born”. He undertook a deliberation. Having deliberated, He created all this that exists (Taitiriya Upanishad, 2.6.1)“
He assumes one form, He assumes three forms” (Chandogya Upanishad, 8.26.2)
“From Him who is Omniscient in general and in detail, whose austerity (i.e. creative effort) is constituted by knowledge, emerged this Brahman (Viz. Purusha, Hiranyagarbha) as well as name, form and food” (Mundaka Upanishad 1.1.9)
“He made Himself by Himself (Taitiriya Upanishad 2.6.1)”
Who is this Cosmic Person (Purusha) of the Vedas and Upanishads? He has been called by various names in the Vedic texts such as Virat Purusha, Hiranya Garbha, Mahat, Ishwara, etc.
“In the beginning, this universe was but the Self (Virat Purusha) of the human form” (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, I.4.1)
The famous Purusha Suktha of Rig Veda mentions that the diverse creation is an act of the Purusha.
“The gods are the semen of Prajapati (Virat Purusha) (Aitereya Brahmana, 2.1.3.1)
“All the gods worship Vijnana, the eldest, as Brahman (Taitiriya Upanishad 2.5.1) and it is a well-known fact that the eldest, or the firstborn (identified with Hiranyagarbha) is the eldest, or the firstborn (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 5.4.1).
How the Purusha created the Solar system as an ecosystem for the origin and evolution of life on the earth plane is detailed in the scriptures. The created Jeevas are in a constant struggle to attain perfection and oneness with Purusha. So the Upanishads declare:
“There is nothing higher than Purusha; He is the culmination. He is the highest goal". (Katha Upanishad 1.3.2)
Over the ages, the Purusha or Hiranya Garbha of the Vedas and Upanishads were equated with Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Goddess, etc. in accordance with the views of different sects through the writers of Puranas and Smritis. Actually, the Purusha is Manu, because Rishis have calculated the age of Creation in terms of Manvantara after the name of Manu, and not after Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva.
If Brahma created the world, why the episodes of creation were not named after Brahma? The Manvantara time concept is related to Manu (the Purusha of the Vedas). The whole discourse of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru is based on Manu and Manvantara Time Order under which the spiritual evolution of humanity and all other created Jeevas take place.
Although the authors of Puranas and Smritis agree that the episodes of creation happen through 14 Manus they have demoted Manu below Brahma in order to show that the gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are supreme. They did this probably to integrate and bring the three main pre-existing ancient sects -Saiva, Vaishnava, Shakteya under one umbrella for the promotion of Vedic religion and ritualism under the suzerainty of Vaidikas.
This was an error against Manu Dharma and the Manvantara Time Cycle. The Manvantara Time Order is the Sankalpam of God for spiritual evolution through the course of Yugas, which happens through the medium of a chain of Kalanthara Gurus (Guru Parampara). A Jeeva has to evolve through ten spiritual stages or Avasthas to attain mukthi in Brahman; that is why this system of yugas is in place through the Manvantara Time Cycle.
The ancient Vaidikas torpedoed this system of Sanatana Dharma through the composition of Puranas in which Trimurti gods were extolled as the authority of creation, sustenance, and dissolution so that their worship can be perpetuated. They developed complex tantric rituals for this purpose over which they have a more or less total monopoly.
In Manu Dharma, Kalanthara Gurus or Trikala Jnani Gurus are the authorities of spiritual evolution in accordance with Manvantara Time Order. Manu Dharma is Ashram-centric and Guru-centric while the Trimurti system is Temple-centric and priest-centric. Friction exists between the two. Even Sri Krishna had to face resistance when he tried to revive Guru-centric spirituality. In the end, the clever Vaidikas brought Sri Krishna under the umbrella of Trimurti by portraying him as an avatar of Vishnu, which he was not. Sri Krishna had transcended name and form.
Recently, the Sankaracharya of Dwaraka objected to the worship of Shirdi Sai Baba saying that it was against the Vedic religion. The fear behind it is if all people start following a Guru Parampara, the Vedic religion will be weakened, and along with that the special status and privileges of Vaidikas will also be lost.
If Sanatana Dharma has to be protected, India should give value to Manu's system of spiritual evolution. The heart of Sanatana Dharma is Manu Dharma and spiritual evolution through the Manvantara Time Cycles. By the Will of Brahman, a fresh initiative for the restoration of the long-lost Manu Dharma or Sanatana Dharma has been started through Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru, the Kalanthara Guru of this age. There are the prophecies of Sri Buddha, Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammad, and many others that a Kalanthara Guru will be born in this age to establish the true Dharma of God. The followers of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru believe that the Guru is that great Soul in the prophecies.
