SECTION CCXXXII

"'"Vyasa said, 'Brahma is the effulgent seed from which, existing as it
does by itself, hath sprung the whole universe consisting of two kinds of
being, viz., the mobile and the immobile.[877] At the dawn of His day,
waking up, He creates with the help of Avidya this universe. At first
springs up that which is called Mahat. That Mahat is speedily transformed
into Mind which is the soul of the Manifest.[878] Overwhelming the Chit,
which is effulgent, with Avidya, Mind creates seven great beings.[879]
Urged by the desire of creating, Mind, which is far-reaching, which has
many courses, and which has desire and doubt for its principal
indications, begins to create diverse kinds of objects by modifications
of itself. First springs from it Space. Know that its property is Sound.
From Space, by modification, arises the bearer of all scents, viz., the
pure and mighty Wind. It is said to possess the attribute of Touch. From
Wind also, by modification, springs Light endued with effulgence.
Displayed in beauty, and called also Sukram, it starts into existence,
thus possessing the attribute of Form. From Light, by modification,
arises Water having Taste for its attribute. From Water springs Earth
having Scent for its attribute. These are said to represent initial
creation.[880] These, one after another, acquire the attributes of the
immediately preceding ones from which they have sprung. Each has not only
its own special attribute but each succeeding one has the attributes of
all the preceding ones. (Thus Space has only Sound for its attribute.
After Space comes Wind, which has, therefore, both Sound and Touch for
its attributes. From Wind comes Light or Fire, which has Sound, Touch,
and Form for its attributes. From Light is Water, which has Sound, Touch,
Form, and Taste for its attributes. From Water is Earth, which has Sound,
Touch, Form, Taste, and Scent for its attributes). If anybody, perceiving
Scent in Water, were from ignorance to say that it belongs to Water, he
would fall into an error, for Scent is the attribute of Earth though it
may exist in a state of attachment with Water and also Wind. These seven
kinds of entities, possessing diverse kinds of energy, at first existed
separately from one another. They could not create objects without all of
them coming together into a state of commingling. All these great
entities coming together, and commingling with one another, form the
constituent parts of th