As in the germination of a seed two lobes, called cotyledons, which form part of the seed, come out prior to the appearance of the stem which shoots forth between them, so out of the navel of Nārāyan (Aniruddha) first appear two cotyledons, called "Lotus" in the figurative language of the Veda, and between the cotyledons, sprouts forth the stem in the shape of Brahmā, who is the miniature embodiment of the universe.
Before Brahmā was born, Nārāyan created Universal Consciousness, which was but the manifestation of his own Consciousness (called Mahat, which means Immeasureable). Out of Consciousness sprang Ego (Ahankāra). Out of Ego sprang Mind. Out of Mind sprang Ether (Akasha). From Ether sprang Water. Out of the friction of Ether and Water sprang Air. This Air, rising up from the ocean of Water with great noise, created, by its friction with Water, flames of Fire, illumining all space. This Fire became mixed up, by the cohesive attribute of Air, with Water and Ether, and all four elements became one thickened, molten mass; and as it rose upward the liquid substance which issued from it became solidified and cooled in process of time and formed into Earth.
Then the Lotus (cotyledons) sprang forth from the navel (Sanscrit, Nāvee, middle) of Nārāyan, and within them Brahmā (the stem) shot forth. His body was made of the Five Elements and Consciousness, Mind and Ego. He is also said to be the central form-embodiment of Ego (Ahankāra).
Brahmā is but the creative form-potency of Nārāyan. When Nārāyan bade him to meditate upon his former creation, and told him also that the moment that memory of former creation would awake within him creation would begin, Brahmā meditated as he was told, and creation began as that memory of the past creation flashed within him.
Thus it will be seen that Nārāyan (Aniruddha) is the real Creator. He creates at first the eight main, abstract and concrete principles; viz., Consciousness, Ego, Mind, and the five elements—Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth, After the creation of these was created the first concrete form, Brahmā, who was to create the details of Creation. But even these creations were not the product of the arbitrary will of Nārāyan, though their expressions were subject to his will or mediumship. The seed-bud of creation dwelt in the most mysteriously abstract state within Krishna (Absolute Love), a state so similar to that First Principle that it would enter and merge itself in it If we cut a seed in halves, we find in it not even a suggestion of the tree of which it is the seed; but if we plant it in the soil, the rudimentary form of the tree's organism, called the germ, asserts itself and creates its state of differentiation from its original state of homogeneity. So from the tendency of the least inequilibrium of the forces of the three Cardinal Attributes, Sattwa, Rāja, Tama (which, having formerly attained equality of force, have lost their different individualities and have become merged and transformed into Pure Sattwa—Illumination) springs the germ-state of Creation, and, passing through its three stages; viz., Vāsudeva, Sankarsana and Pradyumna, reaches its fourth stage, called Aniruddha, where, having attained further development, it sprouts forth into Brahmā, the first visible miniature embodiment of the universe.
As out of the tiny but potent shoot of the plant from the seed, the details of the tree, viz., trunk, branches, leaves, flowers and fruit, spring forth to attain its full-grown state, so out of its minute but potent shoot, the details of the universe, viz., earth, heaven, sun, moon, stars, day, night, mountains, rivers, vegetation, spiritual beings, animals, men, etc., spring forth to attain its complete form.
The manifestation of Universal Consciousness (Mahat) is called the First Step of Creation. The birth of Ego (Ahankāra) out of Consciousness is called the Second Step of Creation; that of Mind from Ego is the Third Step; that of the Five Elements—Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth from Mind is the Fourth Step; that of the Five Attributes of the Elements—Sound, Touch, Form, Taste and Smell—from the Elements is the Fifth Step; that of the Five Cognizing Senses—Seeing, Hearing, Smelling, Tasting, Feeling—out of these Five Attributes (also called Objects) is the Sixth Step; that of the Five Working Senses—Speaking, Holding, Moving, Excreting, Generating—from the Five Elements is the Seventh Step; that of gods and aerial, invisible beings is the Eighth Step; that of trees and plants and shrubs and grass and all other vegetation, as also that of the wild animals and birds, is the Ninth Step; that of domestic animals and men and women is the Tenth Step.
These steps or series of Creation have developed between long intervals. These are called purely Natural Creations through the instrumentality of the mind-force of Aniruddha (Nārāyan) and Brahmā.
SECTION IV. THE CYCLIC MOTION OF CHANGES.
The Veda says that when the three Cardinal Attributes, by losing this equipoise of force, sprang into being, and leaving the bosom of Krishna (Absolute Love) passed through the three stages of their development, viz., Vāsudeva, Sankarsana and Pradyumna, they brought with them a vibration from Krishna which found expression in Aniruddha, who exclaimed as he awoke from trance-sleep, as it were: "I am One, I wish to be the Many." This Divine Will manifested itself into the Universe in the manner described in the previous section.