Mahabharatha - Adi Parva - #2

Hello there!! Hope everything is fine at your end. In continuation to my previous blog on Mahabharatha - Adi Parva - #1, I am continuing with the response of Ugrasrava Sauti which goes on about creation in detail…

Let's Proceed…

Prayer to Isana

Sauti then said, "Having bowed down to Isana (aka Lord Shiva), the primordial being; the one who has no beginning no end; who is the source of beginning and destruction of this universe; who is Vishnu and Hari, I declare the sacred thoughts of Sage Vyasa. This history has already been published by a few bards, some are teaching it now and others will promulgate it hereafter on this earth. It is a delight of the learned to reiterate it every time as it purifies both the narrator and the listener."

Golden Egg of Creation

Sauti continued, "Mahabharatha is not just the story of king Bharata and his clan, it is the history of universe and all that is created. Initially, when the world was completely enveloped in total darkness, there came into being a *mighty egg* as the primal cause of creation. It was one inexhaustible seed of all created beings. It is called **Mahadivya** (which literally translates to immense divine light) and it was formed at the beginning of the Yuga. From this egg came out the lord **Brahma**(the creator), the only *Prajapati*; with **Brihaspati**(aka Suraguru - the guru of the Devas or Angels) and **Sthanu**(aka Lord Shiva - Sthanu literally means the firm or immovable). Then appeared the twenty-one Prajapatis, viz., **Manu, Vasishtha and Parameshthi; ten Prachetas, Daksha, and the seven sons of Daksha**. Then appeared the human of inconceivable nature, the Rishis, the Viswe-devas, the Adityas, the Vasus, and the twin Aswins; the Yakshas, the Sadhyas, the Pisachas, the Guhyakas, and the Pitris. After these were produced the wise and most holy Brahmarshis, and the numerous Rajarshis distinguished by every noble quality. So the water, the heavens, the earth, the air, the sky, the points of the heavens, the years, the seasons, the months, the fortnights, called Pakshas, with day and night in due succession. And thus were produced all things which are known to mankind. Everything created in the universe, be it animate or inanimate will be confounded, bringing the world to an end at the expiration of the Yuga. At the commencement of the subsequent yuga, all things will be regenerated in succession, each of them in due order of their seasons. Thus continues perpetually without beginning and without end, like a wheel causing the construction and destruction of all things. "

@MyNote: According to ancient Hindu scriptures, there is neither beginning nor end to this world as it is cyclic in nature. We can easily relate to this as we are part of "Milky Way", the spiral galaxy. Our seasons and constellation patterns in the sky repeat themselves tirelessly and this has been happening for several millions of years now. I will come up with a separate article about the space-time calculations as per Bhagavatha purana, which was also authored by the great sage Veda Vyasa.

Devas and Adityas

Sauti continued, "The various generations of Devas was thirty-three thousand, thirty-three hundred and thirty-three(36,333) in count. The sons of Div (presumably the first deva) were Brihadbhanu, Chakshus, Atma Vibhavasu, Savita, Richika, Arka, Bhanu, Asavaha, and Ravi. Of the Vivaswans (aka Adityas), Mahya was the youngest. His son was Deva-vrata. Deva-vrata's son Su-vrata had three sons namely Dasa-jyoti, Sata-jyoti, and Sahasra-jyoti. The illustrious Dasa-jyoti had ten thousand offsprings, Sata-jyoti ten times that of Dasa-jyothi (100,000), and Sahasra-jyoti had ten times the number of Sata-jyoti's offspring (1,000,000). From these descended the family of the Kurus, of the Yadus, and of Bharata; the family of Yayati and of Ikshwaku; also of all the Kings on earth. The generations produced by them were numerous and abundant. The various topics of the Vedas, Yoga and Vignana Dharma, Artha and Kama, Dharma, Rules for the conduct of mankind, histories and discourses with various srutis etc,. have been discussed in length by the Rishi Vyasa here in due order."

To be continued….