Only one who has arrived at wisdom can ascend to
the ethereal realms, O Lila, not others. This Lila does not possess such
wisdom; hence, she only fancied that she had reached the city where her husband
dwelt.
The enlightened Lila said:
Let that be as you say, O Goddess. But, please
tell me: how did the objects acquire their characteristics—like heat in fire,
coolness in ice, solidity of earth? How did the world order (niyati)
first arise, as also birth and death?
Sarasvati said:
Dear one, during the cosmic dissolution, the
entire universe having disappeared, only the infinite Brahman remains in peace.
This infinite being of the nature of consciousness feels 'I am' and then
'I am an atom of light'.
Thus it experiences the truth of that statement
within itself. It also fancies the existence within itself of the diverse
creatures: and since its nature is pure and absolute consciousness, that
fanciful creation appears to be a real creation, with objects of diverse
characteristics in strict accord with the fancy of the infinite
consciousness.
Whatever, wherever and however was conceived or
fancied by the infinite consciousness during that first creation, all that has
remained there and in that manner and with those characteristics even
now. Thus was a definite order brought into being here.
In fact, this order is inherent in infinite
consciousness. All these objects and their characteristics were potentially
present in it even during the cosmic dissolution: into what else could
they dissolve?
Moreover, how can something become nothing? Gold
that appears as bracelet cannot become formless entirely.
Thus, although all the elements of this creation
are utter emptiness, yet whatever element was conceived of in the beginning
with whatever characteristic, such order has persisted until now. All
this is only from the relative point of view: for, the universe has not been
created at all, and whatever is, is the infinite consciousness and naught
else. It is the nature of appearance to appear to be real, even though it is
unreal.
Such is the order (niyati) in the universe, that
nothing until now has been able to alter it. It was the infinite consciousness
itself that thought of all these elements within itself and it experienced
them within itself, and that experience appears to have materialised.
Continued..
Love
