Creation

As a spider sends forth and draws in its thread, as plants grow on the earth, as hairs grow from the head and body of a living person, so from the Imperishable arises everything here.

यथोर्णनाभिः सृजते गृह्णते च यथा पृथिव्यामोषधयः संभवन्ति । यथा सतः पुरुषात्केशलोमानि तथाऽक्षरात्संभवतीह विश्वम् ॥ ७॥

This is that truth: as from a well-kindled fire thousands of sparks of the same form spring forth, so, my dear, various beings arise from the Imperishable, and into it they return.

तदेतत्सत्यं यथा सुदीप्तात्पावकाद्विस्फुलिङ्गाः सहस्रशः प्रभवन्ते सरूपाः । तथाऽक्षराद्विविधाः सोम्य भावाः प्रजायन्ते तत्र चैवापियन्ति ॥ १॥

he understood that bliss (ananda) is Brahman; for from bliss indeed are these beings born; by bliss, being born, they live; into bliss, when departing, they enter. This is the knowledge of Bhrigu and Varuna, established in the highest heaven. Whoever knows thus becomes established; he becomes possessed of food and an eater of food; he becomes great in offspring, cattle, and spiritual radiance, great in fame.

आनन्दो ब्रह्मेति व्यजानात् । आनन्दाध्येव खल्विमानि भूतानि जायन्ते । आनन्देन जातानि जीवन्ति । आनन्दं प्रयन्त्यभिसंविशन्तीति । सैषा भार्गवी वारुणी विद्या । परमे व्योमन्प्रतिष्ठिता । स य एवं वेद प्रतितिष्ठति । अन्नवानन्नादो भवति । महान्भवति प्रजया पशुभिर्ब्रह्मवर्चसेन । महान् कीर्त्या ॥ १॥

Om. The knower of Brahman attains the Supreme. On this it has been said: 'Brahman is the real, knowledge, the infinite. Whoever knows it as set down in the cave of the heart, in the highest heaven, attains all desires together, along with the wise Brahman.' From this Self, indeed, space arose; from space, wind; from wind, fire; from fire, water; from water, earth; from earth, plants; from plants, food; from food, the person. This person is made of the essence of food. This is his head; this the right side; this the left side; this the trunk; this the tail, the foundation. On this too there is this verse:

ॐ ब्रह्मविदाप्नोति परम् । तदेषाऽभ्युक्ता । सत्यं ज्ञानमनन्तं ब्रह्म । यो वेद निहितं गुहायां परमे व्योमन् । सोऽश्नुते सर्वान् कामान्सह । ब्रह्मणा विपश्चितेति ॥ तस्माद्वा एतस्मादात्मन आकाशः सम्भूतः । आकाशाद्वायुः । वायोरग्निः । अग्नेरापः । अद्भ्यः पृथिवी । पृथिव्या ओषधयः । ओषधीभ्योन्नम् । अन्नात्पुरुषः । स वा एष पुरुषोऽन्नरसमयः । तस्येदमेव शिरः । अयं दक्षिणः पक्षः । अयमुत्तरः पक्षः । अयमात्मा । इदं पुच्छं प्रतिष्ठा । तदप्येष श्लोको भवति ॥ १॥

Know then that Nature is māyā, and the wielder of māyā is the great Lord. This whole world is pervaded by beings that are parts of him.

मायां तु प्रकृतिं विद्यान्मायिनं च महेश्वरम् । तस्यवयवभूतैस्तु व्याप्तं सर्वमिदं जगत् ॥ १०॥

This is the lord of all; this is the knower of all; this is the inner controller; this is the source of all, the origin and dissolution of beings.

एष सर्वेश्वरः एष सर्वज्ञ एषोऽन्तर्याम्येष योनिः सर्वस्य प्रभवाप्ययौ हि भूतानाम् ॥ ६॥

There is no being, on earth or among the gods in heaven, that is free from these three gunas born of Prakriti.

न तदस्ति पृथिव्यां वा दिवि देवेषु वा पुनः | सत्त्वं प्रकृतिजैर्मुक्तं यदेभिः स्यात्त्रिभिर्गुणैः ||१८-४०||

The Blessed Lord said: They speak of an imperishable ashvattha tree with its root above and its branches below, whose leaves are the hymns; whoever knows it is a knower of the Vedas.

श्रीभगवानुवाच | ऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम् | छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित् ||१५-१||

Whatever being is born, moving or unmoving, know it to arise from the union of the field and the knower of the field, bull of the Bharatas.

यावत्सञ्जायते किञ्चित्सत्त्वं स्थावरजङ्गमम् | क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञसंयोगात्तद्विद्धि भरतर्षभ ||१३-२७||

And whatever is the seed of all beings, that too am I, Arjuna; there is no being, moving or unmoving, that can exist without me.

यच्चापि सर्वभूतानां बीजं तदहमर्जुन | न तदस्ति विना यत्स्यान्मया भूतं चराचरम् ||१०-३९||

I am the source of everything; from me all things proceed. Understanding this, the wise worship me, filled with devotion.

अहं सर्वस्य प्रभवो मत्तः सर्वं प्रवर्तते | इति मत्वा भजन्ते मां बुधा भावसमन्विताः ||१०-८||

As the mighty wind, moving everywhere, always dwells in space, so understand that all beings dwell in me.

यथाकाशस्थितो नित्यं वायुः सर्वत्रगो महान् | तथा सर्वाणि भूतानि मत्स्थानीत्युपधारय ||९-६||

By me, in my unmanifest form, all this world is pervaded. All beings dwell in me, but I do not dwell in them.

मया ततमिदं सर्वं जगदव्यक्तमूर्तिना | मत्स्थानि सर्वभूतानि न चाहं तेष्ववस्थितः ||९-४||

Whatever states of being there are — of purity, of passion, or of darkness — know that they all come from me alone. Yet I am not in them; they are in me.

ये चैव सात्त्विका भावा राजसास्तामसाश्च ये | मत्त एवेति तान्विद्धि न त्वहं तेषु ते मयि ||७-१२||

Understand that all beings have their source in these two natures. I am the origin of the entire universe, and its dissolution as well.

एतद्योनीनि भूतानि सर्वाणीत्युपधारय | अहं कृत्स्नस्य जगतः प्रभवः प्रलयस्तथा ||७-६||

This is my lower nature. But know, mighty-armed one, that I have another, higher nature: the living principle by which this world is sustained.

अपरेयमितस्त्वन्यां प्रकृतिं विद्धि मे पराम् | जीवभूतां महाबाहो ययेदं धार्यते जगत् ||७-५||

Earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect, and ego — this is my nature, divided eightfold.

भूमिरापोऽनलो वायुः खं मनो बुद्धिरेव च | अहंकार इतीयं मे भिन्ना प्रकृतिरष्टधा ||७-४||

The four social orders were created by me according to the distribution of qualities and actions. Though I am their maker, know me to be the eternal non-doer.

चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः | तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम् ||४-१३||

'In the beginning, my dear, this was Being alone, one only, without a second. Some say that in the beginning this was Non-being alone, one only, without a second, and that from Non-being Being was born.'

सदेव सोम्येदमग्र आसीदेकमेवाद्वितीयम् । तद्धैक आहुरसदेवेदमग्र आसीदेकमेवाद्वितीयं तस्मादसतः सज्जायत