Imposing Limitations Precedes Creation

One important point is that what we have with us today is just a small part of the Vedas.
Whatever Creator Brahma was handed over by Parmatma, Parabrahma, is only that part of Veda which is relevant to our universe.
There are crores of other universes, with a separate Brahma for each one of them.
We don't know what they have been handed over.

Even from whatever our Brahma received, what Sage Vyasa compiled and gave to us in the form of the four Vedas is just a small part of what Brahma received, which can be called Yajna Veda — portions particularly relevant to performance of yajnas, and knowledge which is derived from the process of yajna, mainly.

I am not talking about the procedure. That is different.
Even Upanishads, if you see, they all have at their core the yajnas.
Yajna is not just homa.
Homa is part of yajna, but yajna is much, much more.

There are many more Vedas which we don't even know about.
The one that we have — we can say this is Yajna Matrika Veda.
There are so many others:
Brahma Nishwasita Veda,
Brahma Sweda Veda,
Vitana Veda,
Chhando Veda,
Upalabdhi Veda,
Uktha Mada Veda,
Mahaduktha Veda —
so many of them, which we don't even know about or talk about.
It is in fact endless.

What is Veda? All knowledge pertaining to everything existing in crores of universes.
Knowledge and the material in the form of vibrations together — they are not even two separate entities. The knowledge itself becomes the material.

World is not just physical objects.
It is also action, thought, emotions — everything.
You listen to a sad song and feel sad.
The sadness is built into the words and music of that song.
Listening to that song can create sadness in you.

In the same way, the mantras of Vedas — those vibrations — can manifest into whatever they are talking about or represent.
If it is a material object, then the vibrations of the mantras representing that object, when active, will condense themselves into dense energy, which is matter.
Matter is just dense energy. You know that, right?

Now we will look at what is that portion of the Veda which is Yajna Veda.
Only that portion.
What does it do, what all does it do?

Who has been handed over the Veda? Brahma, the Creator.
In the Veda, he is called Prajapati.
He is the original creator.
After getting the Veda, what all does he do with it?

Now he has both the knowledge and the raw material to create the universe — his own universe.
Now, this Brahma has become subject to maya.
What is maya? Limitation.

Without putting boundaries, you can't create anything.
What is a house? Space inside walls.
Unless the walls are built, you can't call it a house.
Walls are basically meant to mark a limited space which you can say is mine — this much space is mine.

Every created object has a boundary, a limit — in terms of both space and time.
This limitation is called maya.
The Prajapati himself has to be under maya, either self-imposed or imposed by someone above him — then only you can create.

Suppose you are on a raft in a turbulent, fast-flowing river.
Sitting in that, can you plant something — let's say a rose plant — will you be able to plant it on the shore?
No.
For that, you have to confine yourself to a particular place by getting down from the raft and limiting yourself to a particular place.

Like this, for creating objects and being with limitations, Prajapati has to make himself with limitations — impose limitation upon himself.
He has to become saguna.
Accept the sattva, rajas, and tamo gunas into himself.
Accept maya into himself.
Then only he will be able to create the universe out of Veda.

Then using the Veda — which is both knowledge of what to create, how to create, how much to create — he creates.
And the raw material itself — he creates.

He is called Prajapati because he is right at the beginning of the creator.
What is the meaning of praja? Whatever is created.
He is the pati — master, owner, protector — of whatever is created.
He derives this name and this function itself from the Veda.
Even creation of Prajapati is done by Veda.

It is like a book with ten chapters.
Chapter 2 to 10 are what Prajapati has to create.
Chapter 1 is about creation of Prajapati himself.
This is Veda.

There is much more. We will keep on exploring this.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi