SECTION CCCXII
"Yajnavalkya said, Listen to me, O foremost of men, as I tell thee what
the duration of time is in respect to the Unmanifest (or the Supreme
Purusha). Ten thousand Kalpas are said to constitute a single day of his.
The duration of his night is equal. When his night expires, he awakes, O
monarch, and first creates herbs and plants which constitute the
sustenance of all embodied creatures. He then creates Brahman who springs
from a golden egg. That Brahman is the form of all created things, as has
been heard by us. Having dwelt for one whole year within that egg, the
great ascetic Brahman, called also Prajapati (Lord of all creatures),
came out of it and created the whole Earth, and the Heaven above. The
Lord then, it is read in the Vedas, O king, placed the sky between Heaven
and Earth separated from each other. Seven thousand and five hundred
Kalpas measure the day of Brahman. Persons conversant with the science of
Adhyatma say that his night also is of an equal duration. Brahmana,
called Mahan, then creates Consciousness called Bhuta and endued with
excellent essence.[1645] Before creating any physical bodies out of the
ingredients called the Great elements, Mahan or Brahma, endued with
penances, created four others called his sons. They are the sires of the
original sires, O Best of kings, as heard by us.[1646] It hath been also
heard by us, O monarch that the senses (of knowledge) along with the four
inner faculties, have sprung from the (five Great elements called)
Pitris, and that the entire universe of mobile and immobile Beings has
been filled with those Great elements.[1647] The puissant Consciousness
created the five Bhutas. These are Earth, Wind, Space, Water, and Light
numbering the fifth. This Consciousness (who is a Great Being and) from
whom springs the third creating, has five thousand Kalpas for his night,
and his day is of equal duration. Sound, Touch, Form, Taste, and
Scent,--these five are called Visesha. They inhere into the five great
Bhutas. All creatures, O king, incessantly pervaded by these five, desire
one another's companionship, become subservient to one another; and
challenging one another, transcend one another; and led by those
immutable and seductive principles, creatures kill one another and wander
in this world entering into numerous orders of Being.[1648] Three
thousands of Kalpas represent the duration of their day. The measure of
their night also is the same.[1649] The Mind roveth over all things, O
king, led on by the Senses. The Senses do not perceive anything. It is
the Mind that perceives through them. The Eye sees forms when aided by
the Mind but never by itself. When the Mind is distracted, the Eye fails
to perceive with even the objects fully before it. It is commonly said
that the Senses perceive. This is not true, for it is the Mind that
perceives through the Senses. When the cessation takes place of the
activity of the Mind, the cessation of the activity of the Senses
follows. That is the cessation of the activity of the Senses which is the
cessation of the activity of the Mind. One should thus regard the Senses
to be under the domination of the Mind. Indeed, the Mind is said to be
the Lord of all the Senses. O thou of great fame, these are all the
twenty Bhutas in the Universe.'"
