Brahman has been called "four legged" or "chatushpaada" in the Maandookya Upanishad. The first leg is Vishva Viraata, the second leg is Taijasa-hiranyagarbha, third leg is Praajnya and that alone is said to be the all-Ishvara or sarveshvara, omniscient, inner controller and the womb of creation of allbeings. Also, the fourth leg is itself the self which is incorporated into the prior three legs, yet is distinct from those three.
The seed state of the world alone is pointed out here in the form of deep sleep. Like, there are three states of a tree : seed, sprout and tree. Similarly, the brahman essence indicated by the seed state of the tree in the form of the world is called praajnya or Ishvara, brahman indicated by the subtle sprout state is called Taijasa-Hiranyagarbha, and brahman indicated by the gross state is called Vishva Viraata.
The difference of various organs of the tree is present in the seed, but is not visible. The difference of various objects is present in the darkness of the night, yet is not visible, it looks like one entity. Similarly, everything has become one-formed in deep sleep, this is what is known after contemplation. In Ishvara also, the world is in a one-form state. The cause always is one.
Waking state and dream state are sparks of the mind. These are "prajnyaana", exceptional knowledge. In deep sleep, these sparks become one-formed - they become one mass. That is why, Ishvara is a mass of knowledge, and except knowledge, there is no other dissimilar inert object in it.
The effort in the form of creation-sustenance (or the mental effort of the subject-object in the waking and ream) is not found in the deep-sleep situated Ishvara. Therefore, it is the state of effortless happiness. There, we find a reality which is free from the infinite name-form differences, and the knowledge of this as well. This alone is happiness. Ishvara or praajnya is effortless happiness. Therefore, it is of the nature of bliss. In transactional language, Ishvara is the enjoyer of this bliss, this is said. But in reality, he is bliss alone.
Ishvara is the door to the awareness of waking and dream, in other words, Ishvara is their seed. The awareness of Vishva and Taijasa arises from Ishvara. Therefore, Ishvara is the mouth of awareness or "cheto mukha".
Ishvara is called praajnya because there is only the knowledge-alone, devoid of knower-known. The state devoid of knower-known in the microcosm is deep sleep, and in the macrocosm, that of great dissolution. Therefore, that awareness which remains in deep sleep, which is the witness of deep sleep, that alone will remain in the great dissolution and will be the witness of the great dissolution. After the end of deep sleep or of the great dissolution, when the eon (kalpa) begins, the entire gamut of beings will arise from that alone. Therefore, Ishvara alone is the door or womb of creation. That is why, the race of all beings in creation is the same as that of Ishvara. In other words, existence-consciousness-bliss and Ishvara alone are the material cause of all. Since it is aware, it is also the intelligent cause. And since it is all-formed (sarva roopa), it is also the enabling cause and general cause as well.
Ishvara is omniscient, that is why he is not an inert known but an aware knower. At the time when the creation lies in a seed form, he alone keeps it in that form. When it expands, then at that time, he alone is its inner-controller-formed coordinator and knower.
By being the knower of the three states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep, you are omniscient. By being the controller of the vital forces and other activities of deep sleep, and controller of activities of waking and dream states, you are the all-inner-controller.
Some philosophers accept Ishvara as indifferent (tatastha) to the world. But the Ishvara of the Vedas is not indifferent. He is the non-distinct-material-intelligent cause of all. Which means he is both the clay and the potter. Can clay ever be indifferent to the pot? No. Similarly, Ishvara cannot be indifferent to creation. Then, where does Ishvara stay? This question is wrong since Ishvara is there, here, everywhere.
The Taittireeya shruti says : "That Ishvara willed that I should become many, therefore he performed penance and whatever is created is out of that penance. He created all this and entered into it (Taittireeya 1.6.1)".
In the Aiteraya Upanishad also, it is said that "Prior to the manifestation of the names and forms of the world, there was the one self alone, and nothing else (Aitareya Upanishad 1.1.1)". That self alone willed that I should create all the worlds. After that, he created all the worlds. With this, the awareness of the self, or of Ishvara, or of brahman, is clear. It is also clear that the world is in the willing of Ishvara, therefore its state is like that of the dream: It is seen for sure, it is transactional also, but in the real nature of brahman, it is negated in all three states.
The Mundaka Upanishad shruti says: That imperishable brahman which is omniscient and all knowing, whose penance is knowledge-based, from that alone have these names, forms and gross beings created (Mundaka Upanishad 1.1.9). In this manner, in the all-knowing, all-powerful Ishvara or brahman, by the knowledge-based knower-formed penance of the names and forms, this world has been created, or is as-if created.
What is the process of the creation of the world? There is no single agreement of this in the Upanishads. The Mundaka Upanishad (2.1.3) says that the earth and all other elements were created simultaneously. In the Taittireeya, they were created sequentially: space from brahman, air from space, fire from air, water from fire, earth from water (2.1). In the Chhandogya, three elements - space, light and water - were created. In the Shvetaashvatara, the maaya-wielding Ishvara created the world out of maayaa (4.10). It is also said that there is no effect of maaya (6.8). So then, is this the crazy rambling of the shruti?
The secret here is that the shruti does not intend to reveal the process of creation. It intends, by first ascribing world causality upon brahman, and then negating it, to reveal the non-dual nature of the self. Here is the logic. The world is non-different than brahman, like dream is non-distinct from the witness of the dream, like snake etc. errors are non-distinct from their substratum, like clay objects are non-distinct than clay etc. Also, the self is non-distinct from brahman, since the world (prapancha) which is the differentiator between soul-awareness and Ishvara-awareness, is non-distinct from brahman to begin with. Therefore, there is the non-dual brahman alone. This is proved.
The Upanishads agree on the following points with regards to Ishvara:
1. Ishvara is the reverse (vivartee) non-distinct-intelligent-material cause of the world.
2. Ishvara is of the form of existence-consciousness-bliss, omniscient, omnipotent, all-controller, all-inner-controller, and all-pervading.
3. Ishvara alone is to be worshipped, and he stays in the intellect-formed cave of the soul.
4. Connecting to Ishvara alone is his worship. This connection is accomplished by emotion and thought alone.
5. Ishvara, in all forms, is the seedless brahman, and from the viewpoint of the world (for purpose of worship or ascribing) is the root cause of all , therefore he is the with-seed brahman.
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