Dakshinamurthy Stotram - Post 13

Verse 2

(Like the future tree in a seed, this universe, before (creation), remained un-manifest.

Then, due to the illusory play of Maya, Her creations in Time and Space, project themselves in endless names and forms

Just as a juggler unrolls his magic, even so the “Great Yogi” (Brahman) manifests this universe by His own free will

To that “Great Yogi”, who is the form of the Guru, do I offer my salutations. He is the Revered Form of Sri Dakshinamurti.)

Let us take the first line for today’s contemplation

Like the future tree in a seed, this universe, before (creation), remained un-manifest

Before the creation, this world was undifferentiated. But then just as sprout comes from inside the seed, this world  has come forth.

Ancient rishi’s vision of creation is not the same as the modern scientists.  Scientist calls it singularity. We probably don’t have the right language or scientific concept to describe it. However, the world comes from something. It did not come from nothing. So, it is more of a transformation rather than the creation.

In the vision of Vedanta, the un-manifest becomes manifest. That is meant by creation.

Before here means logically before this world manifested. It does not refer to the time. Time itself began with the manifestation of this world (big bang).

Before does not refer to the time factor before the creation emerged but it refers to the state of Brahman prior to the emergence of creation.

Tree in a seed

If you open a seed, you don’t see the sprout. In fact, to your naked eyes, the seed seems undifferentiated. But from that undifferentiated seed, sprout comes forth (manifests). The seed is the cause for the sprout. This metaphor very appropriately explains the creation.

The seed represents the Un-manifest state of Creation, and the future tree represents the universe that emerges from that un-manifest state. To help us to accept this, we have this simile.

Everyone knows that it is possible for a tree to grow out of a small seed. All the potential to become a tree lies in the seed, but the seed is not the tree. 

Knowledge and Material  

Any active creation requires two basic qualities – Knowledge and Material.

The seed is the material for the sprout. Interestingly, from the brown seed, light green sprout comes out.  Also the seed must be intelligent enough to cause the creation. 

This metaphor is used for this world. The world is compared to sprout. Just as the sprout comes forth from the seed, this universe sprouted forth from its creator.

Ishvara is both, the material for this universe and the knowledge for the creation. This world is like a sprout which is within the seed. This world was at first featureless. 

But then we have cycles of manifest – creation and un-manifest. Just as the sprout comes forth from the seed, eventually that sprout will go away but will leave behind more seeds. There is cycle once again.

 

Swami Dayananda Saraswati explains,

“In the Dakshinamurthy Stotram we have this sentence- Like the sprout is there within the seed in an un-manifest form, so too, this world is in an un-manifest form before creation”. 

The un-manifest tree in the seed manifests under conducive situations. What is already there alone comes to manifest. The tree is there in the subtle form, in a programmed form in the seed. That is why only the mango tree comes from the mango seed; no other tree comes. Just as the whole tree is un-manifest in the seed, so also, this entire jagat is un-manifest before creation. 

Again it becomes manifest ‘as it was before’. The phrase ‘as it was before’ points to the previous manifest state that was there before the un-manifest condition. So, from this it is clear, it is cyclic.

The world has not come into being from total non-existence. If it is already existent, it need not come. So, from non-existence the jagat cannot come, and from existence also, the jagat cannot and need not come because it is already existent. The nonexistent pot can never come into being, and an existent pot does not require coming into being. 

We cannot say that the pot is both non-existent and existent. There is a self-contradiction in that statement. A thing cannot be both non-existent and existent at the same time. So, it is only the un-manifest pot that manifests, because of the intervention of the pot-maker in the form of his plan, skill, and effort. 

Pot is potentially there in the clay and that is brought into manifestation now. The intervening factor is called the intelligent cause accompanied by secondary or aiding causes like the wheel, the water, the sun and so on. This jagat was there before in an un-manifest form. From the un-manifest, it is manifest now.” 

In the panchadasi session, we learnt that the un-manifest creation was there in the 2nd stage, when the canvass was starched and then the third stage, when the outline of the drawing in the mind of the painter was drawn on the starched canvass.

The drawings have not yet emerged, but the will of the painter to draw various pictures has already come forth.

These 2 stages were understood by us as the mysterious will of Eswara to create this universe and the broad outline of the creation which emerges in the cosmic mind of the creator.

In the un-manifest (canvass), thus, the future upcoming manifest creation (drawings) has been willed. 

Love.