Ishwa helper Reged: 03/03/02 Posts: 553

Re: PRAKRTI, MAYA and TIME [Re: vinaire] #14195 - 03/31/02 06:45 PM Edit Reply Quote

I believe, Vinaire, that Prakrti and Purusha are both the Cause, equally, in Saguna. They are both aspects of Brahman coming at the same 'time' in being. This Cause is called M�la or root in YogaSutra. The Nirguna is the starting point of Vedanta. (the ParaBrahman is beyond reasoning) Purusha = Paramachit or highest stage of consciousness and Prakrti is Paramanu or highest stage of subtle energy. (Paramatman or highest self-consciousness means to be Paramachit) This is the starting point of the Dvaita perspective of Sankhya. (Though for Sankhya: Purusha may be Nirguna-Cause and Prakrti is Saguna-Effect. It seems that you are maybe using this last perspective, Vinaire) This is where space-direction-time starts. And here we have the Hindu pair Brahma-Sarasvati or Vishnu-Lakshmi or Shiva-Shakti as equals, none existent before the other. When in the Effect stage, the two give three. Purusha-Chaitanya and Prakrti-Jiivanu and a fusion of Purusha and Prakrti, which is Jiivatman. This is the point where YogaSutra speaks of Ishvara or Purusha Vishesha, Mahat (mind) and Pr�krta (matter). (A friend of mine told me that this is where the followers of Svami Dayananda start, this is called a Traita perspective) This last is the case with the famous Vedic Rcha-Mantra: Dva suparna sayuja sakhaya......About the two birds on the tree, of which one observes and the other is eating the fruits of the tree. Note in simpler language for new readers: What is called Purusha by one tradition is called Brahman by another. But all traditions speak of a "dimension" Nirguna or Pralaya which is Absolute Potential and of another Srshti as being Created and Relative in which animated creatures and non-animated objects are swimming with all the pleasure and pain to reach the shore of eternity. ParaBrahman is called God and Srshti is God's World(play). In that world God needed an script (mind) and a stage (matter) , besides being Himself the source of information. The script named actors and actrices as heroes and actors and actrices as villains. All to make a balanced play. The stage was decorated with the most beautiful settings, to help with the development of the play. The climax is when God realizes that everything is just a play, and the play ceases to be.