[Advaita-l] Creation in the upanishads

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

--- "S.N. Sastri" <sn.sastri at gmail.com> wrote:

> *The real object of the description of creation in
> the upanishads.*
> 
> * *    Different upanishads describe the creation,
> sustenance and
> dissolution of the universe differently. The taitt.
> up. describes the
> creation of five elements. The chandogya up. speaks
> only of three elements.
> The aitareya up. describes creation in an entirely
> different manner. These
> contradictions are not considered to be of any
> importance because the
> description of creation is not the intention of the
> upanishads. 

Shree Shastri garu - My PraNAms.

First I enjoyed the post.  Recently I was trying to
present these thoughts in some coherent fashion to a
group of scientists who are more intellectuals than
have any prior exposure to vedantic concepts.

The contradictions that you mentioned are inherent in
the very dichotomy of the description of a creation
which is beginningless.  'Creation' and
'beginningless' itself involves a self-contradiction. 
Yet, we see the universe as thermodynamically well
behaved and systematic system following universal laws
that are applicable to smallest of the smallest to the
largest of the largest, starting from sub atomic
particles to galaxies and cluster of galaxies that are
billians of light years away.  It cannot but be a
creation since supreme intellegence is required to
have a system that is well ordered and well behaved
with well governed physical laws.  

Krishna’s statement restating this contradiction
beautifully in the slokas ‘mayaa tatam idam sarvam
jagat avyakta muurtinaa, mastaani sarva bhuttani, na
ca aham teshu avasthitaH|| na ca masttani bhuutanni,
..They are all in me but I am not in them – 
How one becomes many without becoming many – a
transformationless transformation – like gold become
many ornaments – it is just ‘vaachaarambhanam vikaaro
naamadheyam’ Oh! what examples scripture provides to
give the taste of this creationless creation. 
The analogy of the dream world of creation and its
reality from the point of both dreamer and the waker
is mind-boggling.  Tears come out my eyes in the
appreciation of this wisdom in appreciating the
reality of the universe and present it for in cryptic
form for the benefit of the generations to come.  

My arrogant scientific mind gets humbled by these
absolute truths. I could not restrain myself than
expressing the joy and beauty of inheriting such
beautiful scriptures.  My humble praNAms to those
great scientific minds and for you sir for bringing
our attention to Bhagavat paada Shankara's elegant
perspective of the Vedic statements on 
Creation.


Hari Om!
Sadananda