As seen in the chart the unchanging Supreme Truth, the “Para Prakriti” is the Atman, The Lord and also termed as Sivatattva. The changing existence, the “As though” Supreme Truth, “Apara Prakriti” or Maya is the inherent strength of the Lord also known as the Shakti Tattva.
The Shrishti – creation (used for now) of the Lord is said to be like that of the spider weaving its net. The spider “designs” the web using its “intelligence” and “makes” the web using its saliva. The intelligence and instrument of making and the material for the same is inherent in the spider itself.
Similarly, the Lord, the EXISTENT (Sat) cause, is the intelligent cause, the instrumental cause and the material cause for the universe. He employs His inherent strength the Maya Shakti for “Shrishti” and “Pralaya”.
Shrishti is “projection” NOT CREATION. It is called projection because it comes from Himself. Pralaya is “withdrawal” or “dissolution” NOT DESTRUCTION as the projection from Himself is withdrawn INTO Himself.
How can He create and destroy Himself? This is a wrong interpretation due to a misunderstanding of the Truth. Not only the Lord projects and withdraws the universe, He also sustains it. Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva are the manifestations of the same Truth, the “Sat-Chit-Ananda” Atman manifesting as the Projector, Sustainer and Dissolver of the Jagat - universe.
This is why we do “namaskar” to another person, the mother, father, Guru are equated to God, a paper stamped is respected for by touching it and seeking forgiveness as it is a source of knowledge. Even Land walked on becomes the Divine Land. All this can be understood only with a complete “knowledge” or “VEDA”.
Hence the Lord Brahma, the projector has four faces representing the four Vedas and in using that knowledge he projects the universe. The Sustainer, Lord Vishnu sleeping as he is in “Ananda-sayanam” – sustains the projected phenomena of the universe “as though asleep” – Apara Prakriti. The Lord Shiva using his “Third Eye” – Eye of knowledge comes to dissolve the Universe from the sustaining principle by merging it with the One Truth of the Atman.
The Lord Nataraja dances to His own tune, the of “kala”-time as the five elements, space, fire, wind, water and earth which are the constituents of the Universe as we perceive it “here and now”.
Open your minds eye, the eye of knowledge and understand the knowledge of the Vedas in its full import. Where is Death? Where is hell? Where is heaven?
“Where his God? Show Him to me!” – screamed the atheist
“Where is God not to show Him to you. He is omnipresent” – said the Vedantin.
This is an open invitation to one and all to come and see the Lord Nataraja in His Omnipresence.
My salutations to my Guru who is in the form of Lord Sri Dakshinamurthy Himself.
Om Shantih Shantih Shantih
