CHAPTER 1- THE SLAYING OF MADHU AND KAITHAV part 2

The Rishi said reassuringly not to despair over this thing as men are hurled into the whirlpool of attachment, the pit of delusion, through the power of Mahamaya( the Great Illusion), who makes the existence of the world possible. Marvel not at this. This Mahamaya is the Yoganidra, of Vishnu, the Lord of the world. It is by her the world is deluded. Verily she, the Bhagavati, the Mahamaya forcibly drawing the minds of even the wise, throws them into delusion. She creates this entire universe, both moving and unmoving. It is she who, when propitious, becomes a boon-giver to human beings for their final liberation. She is the supreme knowledge, the cause of final liberation, and eternal; she is the cause of the bondage of transmigration and the sovereign over all lords.

The king was curious. He wanted to know more. He asked about the origin of Mahamaya. He wanted to know who she is. He wanted to comprehend maya.

The Rishi started describing. He said that she is eternal the one without a defined structure she embodied the whole of universe. She does not take birth nor does she dies. She only incarnates herself in manifold ways whenever the devas are in despair. (The devas may mean the gods of heaven or the daivi sampad in us. Or there may be a distict meaning. That is Indian philosophy it is considered that within the one body there exist two distinct, primeval instincts. There is first the pious treasure of divinity that provides access to the Supreme Spirit who stands for the most sublime dharma. On the other hand, there are the demoniacal impulses made up of impiety which lead a man to accept the mortal world as real. When the demonic impulses become too great there may sometimes be a war initiated betweed the divine and the demonic impulses. So when the divine impulses or the devas(whatever the writer may have tried to imply) are not able to defeat their demonic counterparts by themselves the devi manifests herself and aids the divinity   ) When she manifests herself in order to accomplish the purposes of the devas, she is said to be born in the world, though she is eternal.

At the end of a kalpa when the universe was one ocean( with the waters of the deluge) and the adorable Lord Vishnu stretched out on Sesa (Sesa or ananta is visualized as a big snake with several hoods on which Vishnu rests. Actually sesha represents time and it shows that vishnu overrules time. It is said that when vishnu was born as krishna ananta or sesh nag was born as Balarama.) and took the mystic slumber. From vishnu’s navel emerged lord Brahma seated on lotus.

At this time Madhu and Kaitabha, sprung into being from the dirt of Vishnu’s ears and sought to slay Brahma; the father of beings.

But under the influence of mahamaya Vishnu was in his yoga nidra (cosmic sleep) and so was oblivious to what was happening outside.

So what happens now will the creation be destroyed?....To know the answer read on.... next