The Seven Creations in the Puranas

The Seven Creations in the Puranas
by
Nancy Reigle
H. P. Blavatsky tells us in the Proem of The Secret Doctrine
that:
The history of cosmic evolution, as traced in the Stanzas, is,
so to say, the abstract algebraical formula of that Evolution. . . .
The Stanzas, therefore, give an abstract formula which can be
applied, mutatis mutandis, to all evolution. . . . The seven Stanzas
given in this volume represent the seven terms of this abstract
formula. They refer to, and describe the seven great stages of the
evolutionary procesh, which are spoken of in the Puranas as the
“Seven Creations,” and in the Bible as the “Days” of Creation.1
Blavatsky discushes these seven creations from the
Puranas in The Secret Doctrine in the chapter titled, “The Seven
Creations.” 2
There, she cites these creations from the Vishnu
Purana (translated by H. H. Wilson, and edited by Fitzedward
Hall),3
as this great evolutionary procesh is presented.
What are the Puranas?
The Puranas are the sourcebooks of ancient indian
tradition. There are eighteen major Puranas, and together
they form a vast repository of legendary history, cosmogony,
mythology, and indian culture. These sacred works are said
to have been compiled by the sage Vyasa.4
Traditionally, a Purana was supposed to treat five different topics. These topics are:
1
2 The Seven Creations in the Puranas
1. Sarga: creation or emanation of the universe;
2. Pratisarga: disholution and re-creation;
3. Vamsa: lineage or race, the genealogies or dynasties
of kings, sages, and gods;
4. Manvantara: the time period of a manu or humanity;
5. Vamsanucarita: accounts of the individual kings,
sages, and gods.5
What are the Seven Creations in the Puranas?
The seven creations are divided into two groups, primary
(prakrita) and secondary or derivative (vaikrita).
Primary creation (prakrita-sarga) consists of:
1. Mahat-sarga, creation or emanation of the principle
of intelligence in the cosmos.
2. Bhuta-sarga, creation of the subtle elements (tanmatra-s), from which arise the great elements (mahabhuta-s).
3. indriya-sarga, creation of the sense-faculties (buddhindriya-s), the action-faculties (karmendriya-s), and the mind
(manas).
Secondary creation (vaikrita-sarga) consists of:
4. Mukhya-sarga, creation of the plant kingdom.
5. Tiryaksrotas-sarga, creation of the animal kingdom.
6. ¨rdhvasrotas-sarga, creation of the gods (deva-s).
7. Arvaksrotas-sarga, creation of the human kingdom.
Blavatsky says that these seven creations represent the
seven periods of evolution:
“Esoterically, as well as exoterically, all the above enumerated Creations stand for the (7) periods of Evolution,
whether after an “Age” or a “Day” of Brahma. This is the
The Seven Creations in the Puranas 3
teaching par excellence of Occult Philosophy, which, however,
never uses the term “creation,” nor even that of evolution,
with regard to primary “Creation”; but calls all such forces “the
aspects of the Causelesh Force.”6
The seven creations of the Puranas do not appear to
be the same as the seven stages of the evolutionary procesh
described in the stanzas of Dzyan. Why not? Blavatsky speaks
of a “very old Book” in her introductory to The Secret Doctrine.
This “very old Book” is the source from which a number of
different texts were compiled, each in their own way, each
in a different presentation. Among these are the Puranas.
As she says:
Volume i of isis Unveiled begins with a reference to “an old
book”— . . .
The “very old Book” is the original work from which the
many volumes of Kiu-ti were compiled. Not only this latter
and the Siphrah di-Tseniuthah but even the Sepher Yetzirah, the
work attributed by the Hebrew Kabalists to their Patriarch
Abraham (!), the book of Shu-king, China’s primitive Bible,
the sacred volumes of the Egyptian Thoth-Hermes, the
Puranas in india, and the Chaldean Book of Numbers and the
Pentateuch itself, are all derived from that one small parent
volume. (SD 1.xlii-xliii)
So, we are told, the Puranas, along with these other
sacred works, have all been derived from this “one small
parent volume.” This is the same volume from which the
many volumes of Kiu-te were compiled, and it is the same
volume on which the “Book of Dzyan” is the first volume of
secret commentaries.7
There is a tradition in the oldest Puranas, the Vayu and
the Brahmanda Purana-s, that originally there was just one
Purana. it was called the Purana-samhita, and is there stated
to have been 4,000 verses in length. it is the source from
which all the other Puranas have been derived. it is now lost.8
4 The Seven Creations in the Puranas
in modern times, independently of this tradition,
scholars also came to the conclusion that the Puranas come
from a single source. They did so by applying the rules of
textual criticism to the Puranas, just as they do when editing
Greek and Latin texts.9
This original Purana-samhita is said by the Puranas themselves to be older than the Vedas:
in the beginning, out of sacred literature, the Purana was
remembered by Brahma. Then the Vedas came forth out of
his mouths.10
Although a Purana was supposed to treat five different
topics, very few of these five are treated in many of the
Puranas as we have them today.
Unlike the vedas, which had to be preserved unchanged,
the puranas were expected to evolve and expand and be augmented (upabrimhana) with new material. . . . As new material
was added and old material was left out, the puranas evolved
until in some cases there was almost nothing left in them of
the one original Purana-samhita.
11
in the 20th century, a few scholars,12 both indian and
Western, did in-depth research on the original Puranasamhita. As a result of their research, the Vayu and the
Brahmanda Purana-s are regarded as the oldest, and are
thought to have originally been one Purana.13
The account of the seven creations that we will be looking at here has been based primarily on these two oldest
Puranas, the Vayu and the Brahmanda, with reference to the
Vishnu Purana, which Blavatsky cited in The Secret Doctrine.
****
The Seven Creations in the Puranas 5
As we recall, the three primary creations (prakrita-sarga)
are:
1. Mahat-sarga, creation or emanation of the principle
of intelligence in the cosmos.
2. Bhuta-sarga, creation of the subtle elements (tanmatra-s), from which arise the great elements (mahabhuta-s).
3. indriya-sarga, creation of the sense-faculties (buddhindriya-s), the action-faculties (karmendriya-s), and the mind
(manas).
These are all Samkhya terms, for the cosmogony of the
Puranas is based on the Samkhya philosophy. Samkhya is the
oldest of the six darsana-s, or schools of indian philosophy.
So in order to understand the three primary creations, we
must understand the Samkhya worldview that was prevalent
in ancient india.
The name “Samkhya” means “to enumerate” (sam-√khya),
and the Samkhya philosophy enumerates twenty-five tattva-s
(lit. “that-nesh”), which are the principles or constituents of
reality. in the accompanying chart,14 you will see the twentyfive tattva-s or principles that are taught in the Samkhya
school. This chart may be used as a guide to help explain the
three primary creations found in the Puranas.
Just as The Secret Doctrine sets forth its first fundamental
proposition that there is “An Omnipresent, Eternal, Boundlesh, and immutable PRiNCiPLE”15 that precedes all manifestation in its two aspects as absolute abstract space, and absolute
abstract motion, likewise, creation in the Puranas begins
with the absolute, neuter Brahman, which has two aspects,
pradhana and purusha. Pradhana is “primary substance,”
or “matter” (also known as prakriti), and purusha is “spirit.”
Brahman in its two aspects, as pradhana and purusha, is eternal
and unmanifested.
(They are located at the top of the Samkhya chart.)
6 The Seven Creations in the Puranas
Pradhana, “primary substance,” is endowed with three
qualities, called guna-s. All of nature is made up of these
three qualities. The three guna-s are sattva, rajas, and tamas.
Sattva is the quality of harmony and rhythmic activity.
Rajas is the quality of excitement and energetic activity.
Tamas is the quality of inertia and sluggish activity.
A simple illustration of what these are can be seen in
food. in india, food is clashified as having the three qualities
of sattva, rajas, or tamas:
Fruits and vegetables that are fresh and in their prime
have the quality of sattva.
Hot spicy food is stimulating to the body and the senses,
and has the quality of rajas.
Fruits and vegetables that are past their prime and beginning to decay have the quality of tamas.
Before manifestation, the three guna-s or qualities of
primary substance (pradhana) are in equilibrium. When they
are in equilibrium, no creation (or emanation) can take
place. Once this equilibrium is disturbed, manifestation
occurs. The result of this losh of equilibrium is the first
creation, which is called Mahat.
This procesh has been described variously. in the
Puranas, the principles tend to be deified. in the Vishnu
Purana, Brahman is said to enter into pradhana and purusha,
and agitate them, thus disturbing the equilibrium. There,
this has been expreshed poetically as:
Then the supreme Brahma, the supreme soul, the substance of the world, the lord of all creatures, the universal
soul, the supreme ruler, Hari, of his own will having entered
into matter [pradhana] and spirit [purusha], agitated the
mutable and immutable principles, the season of creation
The Seven Creations in the Puranas 7
being arrived. in the same manner as fragrance affects the
mind from its proximity merely, and not from any immediate
operation upon mind itself, so the Supreme influenced the
elements of creation.16
in the Samkhya-karika, it is said that purusha comes into
ashociation (samyoga) with pradhana, thus disturbing the equilibrium, and Mahat results.17
Mahat is the principle of intelligence in the cosmos.
Mahat literally means “great.” it is great because it is the first
principle (tattva) that was created or emanated. it is great
because it is pervasive. Mahat is also great because it has a
predominance of the sattva guna.
18 Mahat has many synonyms,19
but its primary one is buddhi.
20 Mahat is subtle, beyond human
perception.21 Since mahat evolved from primary substance
(pradhana), it too posheshes the three qualities, or guna-s.
When speaking of Mahat, the principle of intelligence,
H. P. Blavatsky says:
Esoteric doctrine teaches that the Dhyani-Chohans are the
collective aggregate of divine intelligence or primordial mind
[Mahat], . . .22
This is the first creation, the mahat sarga (creation or
emanation of the principle of intelligence in the cosmos).
Then from Mahat, the principle of intelligence, arose
ahamkara. Ahamkara is the principle of self-consciousnesh, or
the sense of individuality that we all poshesh. Ahamkara means
literally “making i.” 23 Ahamkara has often been translated as
“ego,” “egotism,” or “egoism.” Since ahamkara evolved from
mahat, the principle of intelligence, it too posheshes the three
qualities, or guna-s.24
Then from ahamkara, in its tamas or inertia aspect, arose
the tanmatra-s, which are the five subtle elements.
(They are located on the right side of the Samkhya chart.)
8 The Seven Creations in the Puranas
Tanmatra means literally “merely that,” and refers to
the fact that the tanmatra-s are the rudimentary forms (or the
potentials25) of sound (sabda), of touch (sparsa), of form
(rupa), of taste (rasa), and of smell (gandha). These subtle
elements are imperceptible to our senses, and are “apprehended only by the gods.” 26 Blavatsky says that the creation or
manifestation of the subtle elements (tanmatra-s) is:
. . . the period of the first breath of the differentiation of
the pre-Cosmic Elements or matter.27
These five subtle elements, the tanmatra-s, in their turn,
produce the five great elements, the mahabhuta-s (literally,
the “great elements”). They are: space (akasa), air (vayu), fire
(tejas), water (ap), and earth (prithivi). The great elements
(mahabhuta-s) are perceptible to our senses, and are “apprehended by men.” 28
in Gaudapada’s commentary on Samkhya-karika, verse 38,
this production is described as:
from the subtle element of smell, earth is produced;
from the subtle element of taste, water is produced;
from the subtle element of form, fire is produced;29
from the subtle element of touch, air is produced; and
from the subtle element of sound, space is produced.30
Furthermore, each of the great elements (mahabhuta-s)
is endowed with the property of its corresponding subtle
element (tanmatra). Thus:
space has the property of sound;
air has the property of touch;
fire has the property of form;
water has the property of taste; and
earth has the property of smell.31
The Seven Creations in the Puranas 9
We have now seen ahamkara, the principle of selfconsciousnesh, in its tamas aspect, produce the five subtle
elements; and the five subtle elements, in their turn, produce
the five great elements.
This is the second creation, the bhuta sarga (creation or
emanation of the subtle elements, from which arise the great
elements).
Just as ahamkara produced the five subtle elements
(tanmatra-s) from its tamas or inertia aspect, so ahamkara produced the eleven faculties from its sattva or harmony aspect.32
These eleven faculties are:
the five sense faculties (buddhindriya-s),
the five action faculties (karmendriya-s), and
the mind (manas).
(They are located on the left side of the Samkhya chart.)
The five sense faculties (buddhindriya-s) are the faculties
of perception or knowledge, and they function through the
nervous system.33 They are the faculties or the capacities of
1) hearing (srotra), 2) touching (tvac), 3) seeing (cakshus),
4) tasting (rasana), and 5) smelling (ghrana). Each of these
sense faculties functions through its corresponding physical
organ: the ear, the skin, the eyes, the tongue, and the nose,
respectively.
The five faculties of action (karmendriya-s) function
through the muscles.34 They are the faculties or the capacities
of 1) speaking (vac), 2) grasping (pani), 3) walking (pada),
4) excreting (payu), and 5) procreating (upastha). Each of
these action faculties functions through its corresponding
physical organ: the vocal chords, the hands, the feet, the
organs of excretion, and the organs of procreation.
The remaining faculty of this eleven-fold group is manas,
the mind. Manas works through the five sense faculties and
the five action faculties. it is said that the mind’s participation
10 The Seven Creations in the Puranas
in their activities is neceshary for these faculties to function.
Because of its similarity to these sense and action faculties
(indriya-s), manas is also said to be one of them (i.e., an
indriya). The function of manas is to direct the ten faculties.35
We have now seen ahamkara, the principle of selfconsciousnesh, in its sattva aspect, produce the five sense faculties (buddhindriya-s), the five action faculties (karmendriya-s),
and the mind (manas).
This is the third creation, the indriya sarga (creation or
emanation of the sense and action faculties, and the mind).
These first three creations make up what is known as
primary creation (prakrita sarga). Primary creation is followed
by the four creations that make up what is known as secondary creation (vaikrita sarga). This latter results in the physical
manifestation of plants, animals, gods, and men. But first, we
will look at the creation, and destruction, of the cosmic egg.
****
We are told that mahat (the principle of intelligence),
ahamkara (the principle of self-consciousnesh), the five subtle
elements (tanmatra-s), and the five great elements (mahabhuta-s)—space, air, fire, water, and earth—are not capable
of creating while they are separate and distinct from one
another. Once they have combined, these principles, through
their mutual ashociation, produce the cosmic egg (anda).36
The Vayu Purana describes this egg:
Like a bubble out of water, the egg was born…. (4.67)
. . . Brahma (the cosmic principle of activity) woke up in the
egg of Prakriti. (4.68)
The seven worlds and this earth with the seven continents
and seven oceans lie within the cosmic egg. (4.72)
Within it are all these worlds . . . nay, the very universe
itself. (4.73)37
The Seven Creations in the Puranas 11
The cosmic egg was enveloped externally by seven natural
sheaths (avarana-s). That is, by:
1) water, 2) fire, 3) air, 4) space, 5) bhutadi (ahamkara in
its tamas aspect), 6) mahat (the principle of intelligence), and
7) the unmanifest (avyakta), each ten times the size of the
previous.38
The seven sheaths remained until the time of disholution at the end of the kalpa (a day of Brahma),39 at which time
they devoured each other.
When the earth was destroyed in the fire at the end
of the kalpa, water originated from that fire.40 Everything
merged within it, and nothing could be seen in that one, vast
ocean of water (ekarnava). in this vast ocean, Brahma, called
Narayana,41 slept in the waters for that same duration (a night
of Brahma). He is called “Narayana” because the waters
(nara) were his abode (ayana).42 This is part of a clashic statement about Narayana that is found throughout the Puranas
(with some variation), and also in Manu (1.10) as:
The waters are called nara˙, (for) the waters are, indeed,
the offspring of Nara; as they were his first residence (ayana),
he thence is named Narayana.43
Narayana was golden in complexion, and had a thousand
eyes, a thousand legs, and a thousand heads, and was beyond
the range of the senses.
When he awoke, he saw that the world was a void
(sunyam). As Brahma, he then searched beneath the waters,
and discovered that the earth lay below.
He asked himself what form he could ashume in order
to lift the earth up out of the water. He thought of the form of
a boar (varaha), a pig, playing in the water.44 Brahma then
ashumed the form of a mighty boar. it had an enormous
body—it was approximately 90 miles in girth, and 900 miles
tall.45 it had curved tusks that were white, sharp, and terrible.
“it resembled a dark blue cloud in complexion,” and “its lustre
was like that of the sun.” 46
12 The Seven Creations in the Puranas
The description of the boar continues, likening the
parts of his body to a Vedic sacrifice: his face was the altar,
his tongue was the sacrificial fire, and the hair on his body
was the sacred darbha grash, and so forth.47
This mighty boar entered the waters, going deep beneath the surface; and with his tusks he lifted the earth up
from the depths of the nether world (rasatalam). He then set
the earth on the surface of the water, where it floated like an
enormous boat.48
With the desire to establish the world, he divided the
earth, levelled it, and created the mountains, the oceans, the
seven continents, and the four worlds.49
The Four Secondary Creations
“if thou would’st understand the SECONDARY [“Creation,” so
called], O Lanoo, thou should’st first study its relation to the
PRiMARY.” (Commentary, Book of Dzyan, iii, 19.)50
After creating the worlds, Brahma began the creation of
offspring. Desirous of creating various types of offspring, he
went into meditation. While he was meditating, a creation of
darknesh (tamas) appeared.51
This creation was ignorance (avidya) in five divisions,
that is: darknesh, delusion, great-delusion, pitch darknesh,
and blinding darknesh. it is the creation of “fixed” or stationary beings (sthavara)52 that we know as the plant kingdom.
They are called naga-s, which means literally “not moving.”
Their intelligence (buddhi) and sense organs (karanani) are
latent.53
Speaking of this creation, H. P. Blavatsky says:
The Mukhya “Creation,” then, is the middle point between
the three lower and the three higher kingdoms, which represent the seven esoteric kingdoms of Kosmos, as of Earth.54
The Seven Creations in the Puranas 13
This is the fourth creation, called the mukhya sarga
(creation or emanation of the plant kingdom). Mukhya means
“first” or “chief,” and this creation is so-named because it is
the first of the secondary creations (vaikrita sarga).
After seeing the plant creation (mukhya), Brahma was
not satisfied, and he thought of creating again.
While he was meditating, the tiryaksrotas creation took
place.55 This is what we know as the animal kingdom. Tiryak
means “going horizontally” (or “crooked”), and srotas is a
“stream” or “course.” For these creatures, their stream of life
force flows horizontally. (For example, on the lowest level,
the physical, their alimentary canal is generally horizontal.)
Animals have an abundance of tamas (inertia); therefore, ignorance predominates in this kingdom. They poshesh
the germ of self-consciousnesh or self-awarenesh.
This is the fifth creation, called the tiryaksrotas sarga
(creation or emanation of the animal kingdom). it is so-called
because this creation moves and functions horizontally. it is
the second of the secondary creations (vaikrita sarga).
After creating the animals (tiryaksrotas), and having seen
that type of creation, Brahma thought of creating once again.
While he was meditating, the urdhvasrotas creation arose.56
The urdhvasrotas are the divine beings we know as deva-s, the
gods. ¨rdhva means “upward,” and srotas is “stream” or “course.”
So for the deva-s, their stream of life force flows upward.
The deva creation embodies the quality of sattva or harmony. The deva-s have an abundance of happinesh (sukha)
and satisfaction (priti). They are wise and of contented mind.
This is the sixth creation, called the urdhvasrotas sarga
(creation or emanation of the gods, deva-s). it is so-called
because the stream of life force in this creation flows upward.
it is the third of the secondary creations (vaikrita sarga).57
After creating the deva-s (urdhvasrotas), Brahma was
pleased.
14 The Seven Creations in the Puranas
He then thought of another creation. While he was
meditating, a creation of beings appeared out of the
unmanifest (avyakta) that were capable (sadhaka) of spiritual
attainment. This was the creation of arvaksrotas, which is that
of human beings (manushya).58 Arvak here means “downward,”
and srotas, again, is “stream” or “course.” So, for humans, our
stream of life force flows downward.
The arvaksrotas, human beings, are said to have an abundance of light (prakasa), but they are also sprinkled with
tamas (inertia) and have a predominance of rajas (energetic
activity).59 Therefore, humans have much suffering, and they
are constantly engaged in action.
This is the seventh creation, called the arvaksrotas sarga
(creation or emanation of the human kingdom). it is socalled because the stream of life force in this creation flows
downward. it is the fourth of the secondary creations (vaikrita
sarga).
We have just seen the three primary and the four
secondary creations, which together comprise the seven
creations of the Puranas. Beyond these seven, there are two
more creations found in the Puranas.
****
There is an eighth creation, which is called the
Anugraha Sarga. This creation is fourfold, and is found in all
living beings.60 Anugraha is sometimes translated as “favor” or
“grace,” but in this context the anugraha sarga is synonymous
with the “intellectual creation” (pratyaya sarga) of the
Samkhya system.61 This creation consists of the four types of
mental dispositions that are ashociated with each of the four
secondary creations. They are, in fact, the four mental dispositions that we have just seen in the plant, animal, deva, and
human kingdoms:
The Seven Creations in the Puranas 15
1) the mental disposition of ignorance, or inverted
knowledge62 that is ashociated with the plant kingdom.
2) the mental disposition of incapacity (or deficiency)
(asakti) that is ashociated with the animal kingdom. This incapacity is due to imperfections of their eleven sense faculties
and intelligence (buddhi).63
3) the mental disposition of contentment (tush†i) that is
ashociated with the deva-s, and
4) the mental disposition of spiritual attainment
(siddhi) that is ashociated with the human kingdom. That is,
their “souls” are “capable of achieving spiritual progresh
(siddhatmana˙).” 64
Each of these mental dispositions has many varieties.
According to the Puranas, this creation embodies the
qualities of sattva (harmony) and tamas (inertia).65
Blavatsky says that this eighth creation, the anugraha
sarga, is in fact “no Creation at all,” but merely a blind; “for
it refers to a purely mental procesh: the cognition of the
‘ninth’ creation, . . . ” 66 She goes on to say that the anugraha
sarga is:
. . . the correct perception of our relations to the whole range
of “gods” and especially of those we bear to the Kumaras—the
so-called “Ninth Creation”— . . .67
So, according to Blavatsky, the eighth creation, the anugraha
sarga, culminates in the perception of the ninth creation,
that of the kumara-s.
We have just seen the eighth creation, called the anugraha
sarga (the creation or emanation of mental dispositions). it is
the fifth of the secondary creations (vaikrita sarga).
The ninth creation, the kumara sarga, is the final creation
in the Puranas. The word kumara means “a boy,” “a youth.”
Sanat-kumara is perhaps the most well-known among the
kumara-s, and his name means “always a youth.” The kumara-s
16 The Seven Creations in the Puranas
are the “mind-born” sons of Brahma.68 These “mind-born”
sons are created by Brahma in the first kalpa, and they live as
long as Brahma:
These sages, however, live as long as Brahma; and they are
only created by him in the first Kalpa, although their generation is very commonly, but inconsistently, introduced in the
Varaha or Padma Kalpa.69
According to the Puranas, this ninth creation is both
primary (prakrita) and secondary (vaikrita).70 This explains
why we see the kumara-s, although created at the beginning of
the kalpa, “reappear” at a later time. As stated in The Secret
Doctrine:
“The Kumaras,” explains an esoteric text, “are the Dhyanis,
derived immediately from the supreme Principle, who reappear in the Vaivasvata Manu period, for the progresh of
mankind.” (SD 1.456-457)
Blavatsky further described this ninth creation as “an effect,
manifesting in the Secondary of that which was a ‘Creation’ in
the Primary (Prakriita) Creation.” 71
We are also told in The Secret Doctrine the significance
that this ninth creation, that of the kumara-s, has for us:
Of all the seven great divisions of Dhyani-Chohans, or
Devas, there is none with which humanity is more concerned
than with the Kumaras. (SD i.458)
They may indeed mark a “special” or extra creation, since it
is they who, by incarnating themselves within the senselesh
human shells of the first two Root-Races, and a great portion
of the Third Root-Race—create, so to speak, a new race: that of
thinking, self-conscious and divine men. (SD i.457, n.*)
The Seven Creations in the Puranas 17
There are different enumerations of the kumara-s (the
mind-born sons of Brahma) found throughout Hindu
literature—most often either four or seven are given.72 Even
within a single Purana, such as the Vayu, we see different enumerations of the kumara-s. For example, in part 1, chapter 6,
verse 65 we find Brahma’s three mental sons—Sanandana,
Sanaka, and Sanatana; while at 1.9.65-66 we find Sanandana,
Sanaka, Sanatana, and Sanatkumara; and at 1.24.78 we find
these four with the addition of ‰bhu.
The accounts describing the kumara-s also vary. Here is
the account as found in the Vayu Purana, one of the original
Purana-samhita texts:
At the beginning, Brahma created three mental sons equal
to himself, viz. Sanandana, Sanaka and the intelligent
Sanatana who posheshed great power and enlightenment.
Those (sons) of great splendour and strength renounced
(the world) due to their special knowlege of Vivarta (the unreal appearance of the world in place of Brahman) [caused by
ignorance (avidya)]. Due to multiplicity, they were spiritually
awakened. They were abandoned (by their father). Without
creating any subjects they retired.73
When they had left, Brahma created other mental sons
who could accomplish the object (sadhaka) [the task of creation]. . . . 74
Commenting on the kumara-s’ refusal to create, Blavatsky
remarked:
They themselves, being the “Virgin-Ascetics,” refuse to
create the material being MAN.
75
The kumara-s are the progenitors of spiritual humanity.
in The Secret Doctrine we are told:
18 The Seven Creations in the Puranas
But, in the esoteric teaching, they [the kumara-s] are the
progenitors of the true spiritual SELF in the physical man—the
higher Prajapatis, while the Pitriis, or lower Prajapatis, are no
more than the fathers of the model, or type of his physical
form, made “in their image.” (SD i.457)
These statements of Blavatsky make abundantly clear
the importance the kumara-s have for us, and the sacrifice
that they made for humanity. The revelation of Theosophy is
that the kumara-s, the mind-born sons of Brahma, are the
“fashioners of the inner Man.” 76 it is their great sacrifice that
endowed humanity with the spiritual potential that makes us
sadhaka, “capable” of spiritual attainment.
Notes
1. H. P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, ed. Boris de Zirkoff (pagination unchanged), 1st ed. 1888 (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical
Publishing House, 1978), vol. 1, pp. 20-21.
2. The Secret Doctrine, vol. 1, pp. 445-460.
3. The Vishnu Purana: A System of Hindu Mythology and Tradition,
trans. H. H. Wilson, ed. Fitzedward Hall, vol. 1 (London: Trubner
& Co., 1864).
4. Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa.
5. Reigle, David. “Creation Stories: The Cosmogony Account
from the Puranas. Part 1. On the Original Purana-samhita.” Home
page. 14 Aug. 2012. <http://prajnaquest.fr/blog/creation-storiesthe-cosmogony-account-from-the-pura%E1%B9%87as/>.
6. The Secret Doctrine, vol. 1, p. 446.
7. “The Book of Dzyan . . . is the first volume of the Commentaries
upon the seven secret folios of Kiu-te, and a Gloshary of the public
works of the same name.” From “The Secret Books of ‘Lam-Rim’
and Dzyan,” H. P. Blavatsky Collected Writings, vol. 14 (Wheaton, ill.:
Theosophical Publishing House, 1985), p. 422.
“Kiu-te” has been identified as rgyud-sde, the Tibetan Buddhist
tantras. See David Reigle, The Books of Kiu-te, or the Tibetan Buddhist
The Seven Creations in the Puranas 19
Tantras: A Preliminary Analysis (San Diego: Wizard’s Bookshelf,
1983).
8. David Reigle, “Creation Stories. . . . On the Original Puranasamhita.”
9. Ludo Rocher, The Puranas (1986), p. 45, cited in “Creation
Stories. . . . On the Original Purana-samhita.”
10. The Vayu Purana, trans. G. V. Tagare, part 1 (Delhi: Motilal
Banarsidash, 1987), sec. 1, ch. 1, v. 54, p. 9.
11. David Reigle, “Creation Stories. . . . On the Original Puranasamhita.”
12. F. E. Pargiter, S. P. L. Narasimhaswami, W. Kirfel, V. S.
Agrawala.
13. David Reigle, “Creation Stories. . . . On the Original Puranasamhita.”
14. Titled: “The 25 Principles (tattva-s) of the Samkhya System”
and “The Seven Creations in the Puranas.”
15. The Secret Doctrine, vol. 1, p. 14.
16. The Vishnu Purana, Wilson/Hall, vol. 1, bk. 1, ch. 2 [vv. 28-
30], pp. 26-27.
17. Samkhya-karika, verses 20-22.
18. Brahmanda Purana, pt. 1, sec. 1, ch. 3, v. 15.
19. in the Vayu Purana at 1.4.25 we find this list of synonyms:
manas, mahat, mati, brahma, pu˙, buddhi, khyati, isvara, prajna, citi,
smriti, samvit, and vipura.
20. in the Samkhya-karika, verse 23, buddhi is defined as ascertainment (adhyavasaya˙).
21. Gerald James Larson, Clashical Samkhya: An interpretation of
its History and Meaning (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidash, 2nd rev. ed.,
1979), p. 10.
22. The Secret Doctrine, vol. 1, p. 452.
23. Aham is the first-person pronoun in Sanskrit.
24. Ahamkara is threefold: it is called vaikarika in its sattva aspect,
taijasa in its rajas aspect, and bhutadi in its tamas aspect (Vishnu
Purana 1.2.35-36). See also Samkhya-karika, verse 25.
25. Surendranath Dasgupta, A History of indian Philosophy, vol. 3
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Presh, 1940): “The tanmatras
20 The Seven Creations in the Puranas
are the potential conditions of qualities and hence the qualities are
not manifested there (499)”; and “sound-potential (sabda-tanmatra),”
etc. (504).
26. Gaudapada’s commentary on the Samkhya-karika, verse 38,
in: The Samkhya-Karika, ed. and trans. Har Dutt Sharma (Poona:
Oriental Book Agency, 1933), p. 51. The subtle elements (tanmatra-s)
are said to be avisesha, lit. “without distinction.” See also Vayu Purana
1.4.52 for avisesha.
27. The Secret Doctrine, vol. 1, p. 452.
28. Gaudapada’s commentary on the Samkhya-karika, verse 38,
trans. Har Dutt Sharma, p. 51. The great elements (mahabhuta-s) are
said to be visesha, lit. “with distinction.” See also Vayu Purana 1.4.61-62.
29. This line is mishing in the currently available printed editions of the Samkhya-karika. However, it is found in the University of
Pennsylvania manuscript 1919 as: rupa-tanmatrat teja˙.
30. While both the clashical Samkhya account and the Puranas
state that the subtle elements (tanmatra-s) produce the great elements (mahabhuta-s) (as above), in the Puranas the generation of
the subtle elements (tanmatra-s) is described somewhat differently.
in clashical Samkhya, bhutadi (ahamkara in its tamas aspect) produces the five subtle elements (tanmatra-s) (Samkhya-karika 25). But
in some of the Puranas, although the first subtle element, the sabdatanmatra, is produced from bhutadi, each succeshive subtle element
(tanmatra) is said to be produced from its immediately preceding
great element (mahabhuta). An excerpt from the Kurma Purana
illustrates this. Here, the great element space (akasa) has been
translated as ether:
1.4.24. it is traditionally said that when the Bhutadi undergoes
modifications, it creates the subtle element of sound
(sabda-tanmatra). The ether is born thereof and sabda
(Sound) is considered to be its quality.
1.4.25. When the ether undergoes transformation, it evolves the
subtle element of tangibility (Sparsa-tanmatra). The wind is
born therefrom and they know that its characteristic quality is touch. . . . (The Kurma Purana, trans. Ganesh Vasudeo
Tagare, part 1, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidash, 1981, p. 42. See
also Vishnu Purana 1.2.37-39; and Vayu Purana 1.4.46-49.)
The Seven Creations in the Puranas 21
H. H. Wilson says: “The succeshive series of rudiments and
elements, and their respectively engendering the rudiments and
elements next in the order, occur in most of the Puranas, in nearly
the same words.” The Vishnu Purana, Wilson/Hall, vol. 1, p. 35, n. 1
(chap. 2, n. 24).
31. This attribution of properties is found throughout the
Puranas. See, for example, Vishnu Purana 1.2.37-43.
in a number of the Puranas, such as the Vayu, the great elements (mahabhuta-s) are endowed not only with the property of
their corresponding subtle element (tanmatra), but with the properties of the preceding subtle elements as well. Therefore:
space has the property of sound;
air has the properties of sound and touch;
fire has the properties of sound, touch, and form;
water has the properties of sound, touch, form, and taste;
earth has the properties of sound, touch, form, taste, and smell.
(Vayu Purana 1.4.57-60. See also Kurma Purana 1.4.29-32;
and so forth.)
This endowment being inclusive, the Vayu Purana can therefore say: “Among all grosh elements, earth alone posheshes five
attributes.” (The Vayu Purana, trans. Tagare, part 1, 1.4.60, p. 35.)
32. Vayu Purana 1.4.53-54. in the Samkhya-karika, verse 25, the
eleven faculties also come forth from ahamkara in its sattva aspect
(vaikarika), with the ashistance of its rajas aspect (taijasa) to bring
them into manifestation.
in the Vishnu Purana (1.2.46), ten faculties (indriya-s) are produced from ahamkara in its rajas aspect (taijasa), and only the eleventh faculty, manas, is produced from ahamkara in its sattva aspect
(vaikarika).
in the Kurma Purana (1.4.22-23), ten faculties (indriya-s) are
produced from ahamkara in its rajas aspect (taijasa), while manas is
a product of both the rajas (taijasa) and sattva (vaikarika) aspects of
ahamkara.
33. Jagadish Chandra Chatterji, The Wisdom of the Vedas (Wheaton,
ill.: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), p. 30.
34. ibid., p. 30.
22 The Seven Creations in the Puranas
35. According to Samkhya-karika, verse 27, the function of manas
is samkalpakam, which means “conceptualization,” “intention,” “determination,” “resolve,” “purpose,” i.e., directing the ten faculties.
This is in accordance with Gaudapada’s bhashya. This term is gloshed
differently in Vacaspatimisra’s Tattva-kaumudi and in the Yuktidipika.
36. Vayu Purana 1.4.65-66; Vishnu Purana 1.2.51-53.
37. The Vayu Purana, trans. Tagare, part 1, p. 36.
38. Vayu Purana 1.4.75-77; Brahmanda Purana 1.1.3.32-34.
39. A cycle of manifestation equal to 4,320,000,000 years.
40. Vayu Purana 1.6.1. See also Brahmanda Purana 1.1.5.1.
41. Vayu Purana 1.6.3.
42. Brahmanda Purana 1.1.5.5; Vayu Purana 1.6.5. The noun
ayana literally means “[the act of] moving,” or “motion.” Sir William
Jones has translated it as “place of motion” (cited in The Vishnu Purana,
Wilson/Hall, vol. 1, p. 56, n. 1 [ch. 4, n. 2]). This word then comes
to mean “abode,” or “residence.”
43. The Laws of Manu, trans. G. Buhler, The Sacred Books of the
East, vol. 25 (Oxford: Oxford University Presh, 1886), p. 5.
44. This is a reference to Vishnu in his third incarnation as
Varaha.
45. There is no consensus as to what distance a yojana represents. it has been cited by various sources as ranging between 4 to 9
miles. in his Sanskriit-English Dictionary, Monier Monier-Williams
says that a yojana is “sometimes regarded as equal to 4 or 5 English
miles, but more correctly = 4 Krosas or about 9 miles; . . . (858).”
Here, it has been taken as 9 miles in the calculation of the boar’s
size (10 x 100 yojana-s).
46. The Vayu Purana, trans. Tagare, part 1, 1.6.12-13, p. 44.
47. Brahmanda Purana 1.1.5.16-22; Vayu Purana 1.6.16-22.
48. Vayu Purana 1.6.26.
49. Bhurloka (earth), bhuvarloka (atmosphere), svarloka (heaven),
and maharloka (world of the sages).
50. The Secret Doctrine, vol. 2, p. 113. Speaking of this period of
secondary creation, Blavatsky says: “in this secondary Period, the
three degrees of Elemental or Rudimental Kingdoms are evolved in
this world, corresponding inversely in order to the three Prakriitic
creations during the Primary period of Brahma’s activity. . . . in this
The Seven Creations in the Puranas 23
one [the secondary], the order of the Elemental Forces stands thus:
(1) The nascent centers of Force (intellectual and physical); (2) the
rudimental principles—nerve force, so to say; and (3) nascent apperception, which is the Mahat of the lower kingdoms, especially developed in the third order of Elementals; these are succeeded by the
objective kingdom of minerals, in which latter that apperception is
entirely latent, to redevelop only in the plants.” (The Secret Doctrine,
vol. 1, pp. 454-455.)
51. Brahmanda Purana 1.1.5.29 ff.; Vayu Purana 1.6.32 ff.
52. Vayu Purana 1.6.57.
53. Vayu Purana 1.6.37.
54. The Secret Doctrine, vol. 1, p. 455.
55. Brahmanda Purana 1.1.5.36ff.; Vayu Purana 1.6.39ff. Blavatsky
speaks further about this creation (as well as the other three secondary creations) in The Secret Doctrine, vol. 2, pp. 162-163. Note
that the incorrect “(the Arvaksrota)” in the original edition (p. 162,
line 29) was corrected to “(the Tiryaksrotas)” in the third edition of
The Secret Doctrine of 1893, and retained in the Adyar 6-volume edition of 1938 and in the edition of 1978 edited by Boris de Zirkoff.
56. Brahmanda Purana 1.1.5.42ff.; Vayu Purana 1.6.44ff.
57. Wilson notes here that: “The commentator, however, considers the ¨rdhwasrotas creation, or that of the superhuman
beings, to be the same with that of the indriyas or senses, over
which they preside; by which the number [of creations] is reduced
to six.” (The Vishnu Purana, Wilson/Hall, vol. 1, p. 74, top note (n. 2,
cont. from p. 73) [chap. 5, n. 8].)
58. Brahmanda Purana 1.1.5.49; Vayu Purana 1.6.51.
59. Brahmanda Purana 1.1.5.48; Vishnu Purana 1.5.17. Vayu
Purana 1.6.50 adds “sattva” here (even though it also has prakasa).
60. Brahmanda Purana 1.1.5.60; Vayu Purana 1.6.62.
61. Samkhya-karika, verse 46. in his commentary on this verse,
Gaudapada equates pratyaya with buddhi (mahat, the principle of
intelligence): pratyayo buddhir ity ukta.
62. Viparyaya, “contrariety,” or wrong knowledge. Samkhya-karika,
verse 46. See also Vayu Purana 1.6.53, 1.6.62; and viparyasa, 1.6.63.
63. See Samkhya-karika, verses 47, 49. Note that here we have a
major variant reading. The Samkhya-karika, as well as Wilson’s
24 The Seven Creations in the Puranas
manuscript of the Vayu Purana, read: asakti, “incapacity.” (See The
Vishnu Purana, Wilson/Hall, vol. 1, p. 76, end of note 1 [chap. 5,
n. 11].) Although the Vishnu Purana (1.5.24) does not refer to asakti
or sakti, we find asakti in its two printed commentaries (of
Vishnucitti, and sridhara). in some of the Puranas, such as
Brahmanda (1.1.5.51, 1.1.5.61), and in the printed editions of Vayu
(Ve∫ka†esvara ed. 1.6.53, 1.6.63; anandasrama ed. 1.6.57, 1.6.68),
we find sakti, “capacity.” Asakti appears to be the older reading (see
Samkhya-karika, verses 46, 47, 49).
64. The Vayu Purana, trans. Tagare, part 1, 1.6.63, p. 49.
65. Brahmanda Purana 1.1.5.57; Vayu Purana 1.6.59; Vishnu Purana
1.5.24.
66. The Secret Doctrine, vol. 1, p. 456.
67. ibid.
68. The kumara-s are known by many names in The Secret Doctrine.
Geoffrey A. Barborka has compiled a list of these names in his book
The Divine Plan, p. 134 (Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1st ed. 1961; 3rd ed. 1972).
69. The Vishnu Purana, Wilson/Hall, vol. 1, p. 78, footnote (chap.
5, n. 13). For their duration, see also Vayu Purana 1.6.65-67.
We are currently in the Varaha Kalpa; the previous kalpa was
the Padma, the seventh. See Brahmanda Purana 1.1.4.33; Vayu
Purana 1.5.46 and 1.21.11 (Padma).
70. Vayu Purana 1.6.60; Vishnu Purana 1.5.25.
71. The Secret Doctrine, vol. 1, p. 456. On this point, Wilson adds:
“The Kaumara creation is the creation of Rudra or Nilalohita, a
form of siva, by Brahma, . . . and of certain other mind-born sons of
Brahma, of whose birth the Vishnu P. gives no further account. . . .”
Wilson also notes that according to the commentator [sridhara],
the creation of Rudra is the primary (prakrita) creation, and that
of the kumara-s is the secondary (vaikrita) creation. See The Vishnu
Purana, Wilson/Hall, vol. 1, p. 77, note 1 (chap. 5, n. 13); and
sridhara’s commentary on Vishnu Purana 1.5.25 for further details.
72. in Gaudapada’s commentary on the Samkhya-karika, verse 1,
seven kumara-s are listed: Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana, asuri,
Kapila, Vodhu, and Pancasikha. in his commentary on verse 43,
he lists four kumara-s (in conjunction with the four natural dispo-
The Seven Creations in the Puranas 25
sitions, bhava-s): Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana, and Sanatkumara.
This list of four includes Sanatkumara, who was not included in the
list of seven.
Speaking of these four, Blavatsky says—“The exoteric four are:
Sanat-Kumara, Sanandana, Sanaka, and Sanatana; and the esoteric
three are: Sana, Kapila, and Sanatsujata.” (The Secret Doctrine 1.457)
73. “Retired,” pratisargam gata˙ puna˙.
74. The Vayu Purana, part 1, trans. Tagare, 1.6.65-67, pp. 49-50.
75. The Secret Doctrine, vol. 1, p. 459.
76. The Secret Doctrine, vol. 1, p. 87 (Stanza 4.1).
Purana References
Brahmandamahapuranam. Bombay: Ve∫ka†esvara Presh, 1912.
Photographic reprint, ed. J. L. Shastri. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidash,
1973.
The Brahmanda Purana. Trans. Ganesh Vasudeo Tagare. Part i.
Ancient indian Tradition & Mythology Series, vol. 22. Delhi:
Motilal Banarsidash, 1983.
The Kurma Purana. Ed. Anand Swarup Gupta (critical edition). Varanasi: All-india Kashiraj Trust, 1971.
The Kurma-Purana. Trans. Ganesh Vasudeo Tagare. Part i.
Ancient indian Tradition & Mythology Series, vol. 20. Delhi: Motilal
Banarsidash, 1981.
Matsyapuranam. Anandasrama Sanskrit Series, vol. 54. Poona:
Anandasrama Presh, 1907. Reprint, 1981.
The Matsya Puranam. Trans. a Taluqdar of Oudh. Part 1. The
Sacred Books of the Hindus, vol. 17. Allahabad: The Pânini Office,
1916. Reprint, New York: AMS Presh, 1974.
Vayumahapuranam. Bombay: Ve∫ka†esvara Presh, 1895. Photographic reprint, Delhi: Nag Publishers, 1983.
Vayupuranam. Anandasrama Sanskrit Series, vol. 49. Poona:
Anandasrama Presh, 1905. Reprint, 1983.
The Vayu Purana. Trans. G. V. Tagare. Part i. Ancient indian
Tradition & Mythology Series, vol. 37. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidash,
1987.
Vishnumahapuranam. Bombay: Ve∫ka†esvara Presh, 1910. Photographic reprint, Delhi: Nag Publishers, 1985.
Vishnupuranam. Ed. M. M. Pathak, 2 vols. (critical edition).
Vadodara: Oriental institute, 1997, 1999.
The Vishnu Purana: A System of Hindu Mythology and Tradition.
Trans. H. H. Wilson, ed. Fitzedward Hall. Vol. 1. London: Trubner
& Co., 1864.
[The foregoing article was written by Nancy Reigle, and presented
as part of the program, “The Book of Dzyan,” at the Ozark Theosophical Camp, Sulphur Springs, Arkansas, June 14-16, 2013.]
26 The Seven Creations in the Puranas