CHAPTER 5 Preliminary stages of the origin of Cosmos

According to Vaidika Physics After Kāla Tattva, the next thing that is created is termed as ‘Mahat-Tattva’ in. In this cosmos, this is the first substance which is the root cause of the force and actions and its distortion creates various substances in this universe. The excited state of ‘Mahat’ is ‘Ahankāra’ and the exited state of ‘Ahankāra’ is ‘Mana’; just like a raw mango first converts into a half-ripe mango and later ripens fully.

5.1 Mahat-Tattva

            Mahat-Tattva too carries the properties of imperceptible Prakṛti and therefore is imperceptible but not completely. In ‘Sānkhya Darśana’, Maharṣi Kapila has considered the three Mahat, Ahankāra and Mana as distinct. The features of Mahat-Tattva are as below-

1. This substance too is infinitesimal but has extensive energy and a mild latent indistinct glow.
2. It is this Mahat-Tattva which has the properties to act and react and to creates various substances.
3. In view of Maharṣi Dayānanda Sarasvatī, it is the ‘Karana Vidyut’ (the subtlest form of Electricity) too, which is present in slightly distorted form of Prakṛti.
4. This substance has tendency to control all other substances, means minute forces originate in it for the first time.
5. From here, the visible macro particles begin to emerge, means the latent state of the Prakṛti is breached.
6. It has capacity to hold all other substances.
7. It is due to this only; all substances are conserved and remain in motion.

            In this substance the attractive and penetrative forces begin to generate resulting in activity.

5.2 Ahankāra

            In the view of Maharṣi Kapila, the highest or the advanced form of Mahat-Tattva is Ahankāra. Basis the dominance of the Sattva, Rajasa and Tamas attributes, the Ahankāra Tattva is termed as ‘Vaikārika’, Taijasa’ and ‘Bhūta’ names respectively. When Mahat-Tattva is in its second phase in the cosmos creation i.e., it is in visible form, then it is termed as Ahankāra.

            Various ‘Deva’ substances, like ‘Prāṇa’, Indriya’ and Mana; three forms of ‘Loka’ of ‘Vyāhṛti’ Chanda Raśmi-s and other Chanda Raśmi-s originate from it. This entire cosmos is in a way a form of Ahankāra and due to it, it possesses attractive forces.

            If we carefully analysis the features of the Ahankāra and Mahat-Tattva, it is evident that electrical charge, mass and vital and obvious motion are not evolved. In the language of modern science, it is neither matter nor energy and not even space. In Vaidika terms, it can be termed both as matter and energy, but in the language of modern science it is still beyond imagination.

            Let us delve about it in detail. As soon as the Kāla Tattva becomes active, subtle changes are initiated in the Triguṇa Prakṛti, and the ‘Parā’ state of Om Raśmi begins to flow in the latent state, means the Kāla Tattva begins to flow in the entire Prakṛti. This flow leads to the stimulation of Sattva etc. the three attributes; this is the ‘Mahat’ state. Alternatively, it can be understood as, when the ‘Parā’ Om Raśmi activates only the two- Sattva and Rajasa attributes, then the root Prakṛti takes the form of ‘Kāla Tattva’; and when the Parā Om Raśmi (Kāla Tattva) stimulates all the three attributes of the root Prakṛti, then it takes the form of ‘Mahat-Tattva’.

            This ‘Tattva’ is uniformly dispersed in the empty space (Avkāśa) and is normally without any disturbance. The Parā form of Om Raśmi is concurrently distributed in the entire matter, due to which the all the three attributes are stimulated and activated. This causes a very mild glow in it, which is not present anywhere else in the entire cosmos. ‘Mahat-Tattva’ has more profound darkness than the darkness we observe in the cosmos. The ‘Ahankāra’ which is the advanced state of the Mahat-Tattva also has intense darkness. At this stage, no small Raśmi except the ‘Parā’ form of Om Raśmi is able to emerge.

5.3 Manas-Tattva

            When the ‘Paśyantī’ form of ‘Om Chanda Raśmi’ flows into the pervading ‘Ahankāra Tattva’ then that state of ‘Ahankāra Tattva’ is known as ‘Manas–Tattva’. Mana too is pervading like Ahankāra. It pervades inside and outside of all the objects that originate from it. This matter combines with Paśyantī form of Om Raśmi and holds it.

            The essence of Manas–Tattva is Paśyantī form of Om Raśmi and all the ‘karma’ (actions) originate from this Vāk Tattva. In reality, it is due to this Om Raśmi, the Manas–Tattva gets activated or the Ahankāra Tattva gets transformed to Manas–Tattva. If Mahat-Tattva and Manas-Tattva are considered as subtle energy, then it seems that this invisible and imperceptible energy is of negligible strength which is homogeneously dispersed everywhere.

            Its Raśmi-s are roughly of zero or very subtle frequency and infinite wavelength. Hence, this Tattva too remains stationary and pervades everywhere. The actions and reactions in the Manas-Tattva are initiated due to this Raśmi. This Vāk Tattva form of Om Raśmi makes the Manas-Tattva capable to initiate the Creation or ‘Sarga’ process, means stimulates it.

            This way, the entire ‘Avkāśa’ form of space or emptiness gets filled with the combination of Manas-Tattva and Paśyantī form of ‘Om’. At this stage, some noticeable glow and minor disturbances are present but, technically they are imperceptible by humans. Now, the Manas-Tattva is capable to create the subsequent substances. In this the homogeneity is not disturbed but is situation is conducive for it. For example, an agricultural field is ploughed and is made ready to sow the seeds, similarly Manas-Tattva is ready to create next level of Paśyantī Raśmi-s and in future the process of creation of subsequent substances will begin.

5.4 The process of vibrations in Manas-Tattva

            At first in Manas Tattva, subtle vibrations of small magnitude originate which are divided into 7 parts like Daivī, Gāyatrī etc. Later the vibrations of higher magnitude originate These vibrations exist separately in imperceptible form even though they are swift and are mutually connected in extensive complex manner. Just like in a pond if many stones are thrown, they all generate individual waves but all these waves always exist independently even though they seem to crisscross and overlap each other.

Similarly, many types of electromagnetic radiations are generated in this universe which collide with each other and create a situation of ‘superposition’ for brief time; move in different directions with very high velocity, even then they exist independently. If this was not the case, then there would have been chaos in the entire universe and light, sound and telecommunications systems would have collapsed.

            Likewise, the various vibrations in form of Chanda Raśmi, produced in the Mahat-Tattva during the initial phases of the cosmos, are in swift motion and collide with each other, but still exists independently. If this was not the case then the vibrations would have destroyed each other and no ‘creation’ activity could have started or continued.

            There is a very small pause at the midpoint of various Chanda vibrations. Due to this pause, several ‘Marut Raśmi-s’ get generated. How are they generated is still to be explored? These Marut Raśmi-s have 4 types of motion. We can understand this pause by the structure of Ved Mantrā. Let us take the example of famous Gāyatrī Mantrā.

tatsaviturvareṇyaṁ. bhargo devasya dhīmahi.

dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt..

Here ‘.’ is a pause, where very subtle Marut Raśmi (Him and Vyāhṛti etc.) are generated.

            Later, many elementary particles are generated from these Chanda Raśmi-s which have 4 main attributes-

• Charge
• Mass
• Rotation
• Mobility

            These all originate in Manas-Tattva due to those vibrations. Which are those vibrations? What are their features? We will discuss about these in subsequent chapters.