Link to the Audio for chanting
https://www.dropbox.com/s/or9l7ulge5omyqm/5.2.mp3?dl=0
Introduction
In the first Sloka, Narayana Bhattahri brought out that before the Maha Pralaya (The great deluge/Big Bang), only Brahman exists.
The question that naturally follows this assertion is “what happened to all the existing things, living and non living entities at the gross and subtle levels?”.
Before finding answers to our question, let us watch an interesting Video.
Now let us come to the core issues on this video. From where did this gigantic Sequoia tree come from ? Well, it came from this simple looking seed.
Wow! How is it possible? The answer is explained by Narayana Bhattathri in Sloka 2. Now let us study the Sloka.
Sanskrit Verse
काल: कर्म गुणाश्च जीवनिवहा विश्वं च कार्यं विभो
चिल्लीलारतिमेयुषि त्वयि तदा निर्लीनतामाययु: ।
तेषां नैव वदन्त्यसत्त्वमयि भो: शक्त्यात्मना तिष्ठतां
नो चेत् किं गगनप्रसूनसदृशां भूयो भवेत्संभव: ॥२॥
Meaning in Tamil
பேரூழிக் காலமதில் காலமும் கர்மமும்,
வினைப்பலனும், முக்குணமும்
மாயையும், மாயைவிளை அண்டமும்,
உயிரினமும், உயிரிலா பொருட்களும்
உன்னிடத்தில் ஒன்றியம் அனைத்தும்!
இருப்பில்லை அவைகளுக்கு என்று
உரைக்கவில்லை மறை நான்கும்!
இருப்பிலா விண்மலர்கள் அவைகளெனில்
இயலுமோ அவைகள் வெளித்தோன்ற!! 5.2
குறிப்பு: வேதாந்தத்தில், இல்லாத விஷயங்கள் (அதாவது, மூன்று காலகட்டங்களில் எப்பொழுதும் இல்லாதவை அல்லது சாத்தியமற்றவை அல்லது உண்மையற்றவை) பொதுவாக மூன்று எடுத்துக்காட்டுகளுடன் விளக்கப்படுகின்றன, அதாவது விண் மலர்கள் (வானில் வளரும் மலர் செடி/மரம் இல்லாமல்), மலட்டுப் பெண்ணின் குழந்தை, முயலின் கொம்பு. மஹா பிரளயத்தின் போது தற்போதுள்ள அனைத்து பொருட்களும் வெளிப்படுத்தப்படாத/வேறுபடுத்தப்படாத நிலையில் இருந்ததை எடுத்துரைக்க பட்டத்திரி இங்கே விண்மலர்கள் உதாரணத்தைப் பயன்படுத்துகிறார்.
Meaning in English
O All pervading Lord! During the period of Maha Pralaya, You were absorbed in Yourself in Your Cosmic Slumber (Yoga Nidra). At that period, Time, Karmas (& effects of good and bad actions), Gunas (Satwa, Rajas and Tamas), all the Jivas and the entire universe (born out of Maayaa) were all merged in Thee and Thou were absorbed in Thy own nature of pure Consciousness Bliss. O Lord! Even the Srutis (Vedas) do not declare them as being non existent. They remained in causal form. If they have perished or non existent like the sky-flowers (which never existed) , how could they come into existence again?
Note 1: In Vedanta, the non-existent things (i.e, that which never exists in any of the three periods of time or an impossibility or unreal) are usually explained with three examples viz., sky-flower (flower which grows in the sky without any plant/tree), child of a barren woman, and the horn of a rabbit. Bhattathri is using the sky-flower example here to drive home the point all existing things were in unmanifested/undifferentiated state during Maha Pralaya.
Note 2:
Readers are advised to cross refer to Sloka 2 of Dakshinamurthy Stothram for an overview of the concepts of Vikalpa and Nirvikalpa. Ref:
https://prabhusponder.com/2021/06/30/அண்டமும்-ஆண்டவனும்-the-universe-the-lord/
English Transliteration
kaalaH karma guNaashcha jiivanivahaa vishvaM cha kaaryaM vibhO
chilliilaaratimeyuShi tvayi tadaa nirliinataamaayayuH |
teShaaM naiva vadantyasattvamayi bhOHshaktyaatmanaa tiShThataaM
nO chet kiM gaganaprasuunasadR^ishaaM bhuuyO bhavetsambhavaH ||2
Meaning of the Sanskrit Words
काल: - Time
कर्म - Karma (effects of actions of Jivas)
गुणा: - च - and the three Gunas
जीवनिवहा: - and all the Jivas, multitude of living beings
विश्वं च कार्यं - and the universe which is an effect (of Maya)
विभो - All pervading Lord!
चिल्लीलारतिं - in the sport of meditative sleep (Cosmic Slumber)
एयुषि त्वयि सति - When you were engrossed
तदा - at that time (of Maha Pralaya)
निर्लीनताम्-आययु: - had become completely merged (in Thee)
न-एव वदन्ति - of them (the Srutis) do not declare
असत्त्वम् - absolute non existence
अयि भो: तेषां तिष्ठतां - O Lord! For those entities which did exist
शक्त्यात्मना - in the form of your creative power (Maya) [as causal entities]
नो चेत् किं - otherwise how
गगन-प्रसून-सदृशां - like the sky flower
भूय: भवेत्-संभव: - is manifestation again possible (in the new creative cycle)
Prabhu's Ponder 