Creation By and From the Self
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Posted by Fotopoulou Sophia in Culture section |
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Indian Creation Story
This story is from the second and fourth Brahmanas of the Brhad-arayaka Upanishad, which was written in India in the 700s or 600s B.C. The principal image in this story can be taken to be Praja-pati, the Lord of Creation, or Brahma the Creator. Like the original, however, this story uses "he" as its subject, because "he" may taken more metaphorically as any sentient being who creates by his or her own thought.
In the beginning there was absolutely nothing, and what existed was covered by death and hunger. He thought, “Let me have a self”, and he created the mind. As he moved about in worship, water was generated. Froth formed on the water, and the froth eventually solidified to become earth. He rested on the earth, and from his luminance came fire. After resting, he divided himself in three parts, and one is fire, one is the sun, and one is the air.
Thus in the beginning the world was only his self, his being or essence, which then took the shape of a person. At first he was afraid, but realizing that he was alone and had nothing of which to be afraid, his fear ceased. However, he had no happiness because he was alone, and he longed for another. He grew as large as two persons embracing, and he caused his self to split into two matching parts, like two halves of a split pea, and from them arose husband and wife.
They mated, and from their union arose the human beings of the earth. The female reflected on having mated with someone of whom she was once a part, and she resolved that she should hide so that it would not happen again. She changed to a cow to disguise herself, but he changed to a bull and mated with her, and from their union cows arose. She changed to the form of a mare, but he changed to that of a stallion and mated with her, and from that union came horses. She changed to the form of a donkey, but he did likewise, and from them arose the single-hoofed animals. She became a ewe, but he became a ram, and from their union came the sheep and goats. It continued thus, with her changing form to elude him but he finding her and mating with her, until they had created all the animals that live in pairs, from humans and horses to ants.
After all this work, he reflected that he was indeed Creation personified, for he had created all this. Rubbing back and forth, he made Fire, the god of fire, from his hands, and from his semen he made Soma, the god of the moon. This was his highest creation because, although mortal himself, he had created immortal gods.
Prajapati
Prajapati in Hindu mythology is the primordial lord of creatures, and is mentioned in Vedic, epic and Puranic literature. In Vedic legends he is described in various ways as the creator of the world, and the creator of heaven and earth. He is an androgynous being who impregnated himself by fusing elements of mind and speech. In later epics he is the guardian of the sex organ. Prajapati becomes the name for Brahma in later Hinduism.
Prajapati is linked to the sacrificial root of creation “either by continually creating living creatures out of the sacrifices to the gods ([I]Taittiriya Brahmana[/I] 1, 8; 2, 1), or as being himself the sacrifice from which life is sustained: ‘Prajapati is sacrifice, for he created it in his own self-expression’” ([I]Sarapatha Brahmana[/I] 11, 1; 8, 2) In relation to the thirty-three gods in the classical system, Prajapati was considered the thirty-fourth, embracing and including the others.
In the beginning, he arose as Hiranyagarbha. When born, he was the one Lord of all that exists. He supported the earth and this heaven. What God with our offering shall we worship?… O Prajapati, you alone have encompassed all these created things: may that for which with longing we have called upon you be ours; may we become lords of wealth. (Hymn to Prajapati, [I]Rg Veda[/I] 10, 121)
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