Prakriti(प्रकृति)
It is the immovable and unconscious element which is also called matter. This inert matter is called "Prakriti" from which the world is made. The word 'Prakriti' prevalent in the world is used for the creation(Srishti) which is not correct. The construction or creation of something is called 'Srishti'. Another name of Prakriti is 'Maya'. Prakriti is not a name for nature or the world but the very basic matter that forms it. This is the material cause of the world, i.e. the name of material from which the world was created is Prakriti. It is the smallest particle of the world, that is, the root of the whole world(raw material). It is divided into - Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Prakriti cannot act by itself, it moves through the conscious in every way and it is changeable. Having no realization of self, Prakriti is manifested in the form of the world through God from the non-living Sattva, Rajas, Tamas the fundamental particles.
The translation of the word Prakriti as Nature or Energy has been a major error of English translators. It's not magic or illusion. God is not a magician. Magic is the art of creating illusions. This cannot be an honorable word for God. This world is a separate entity from the conscious(souls and God), is made of matter. Power is a natural characteristic of the creator. The word Brahma is also used for Prakriti in the scriptures. Brahma also used for the Vedas and a qualitative name of God is also Brahma. The one who is great, vast and big is called Brahma. So because of being vast, the sky is also called Brahma. Nothing wrong in it. The smallest particles are called Prakriti, what is called atom in today's language is not the original Prakriti.
Prakriti is that in which there is no space, the final part of matter which cannot be fragmented. This is the fundamental state of the universe. it is also called Avyakt(invisible). The equilibrium state of the fundamental particles is Prakriti. Where Sattva, Rajas, Tamas, the fundamental particles of all three types remain the same.
Form of Prakriti (प्रकृति का स्वरूप)
Prakriti is the material cause of this visible and invisible material world i.e. the sun, the moon, land, constellations, trees, vegetation etc. It is eternal and unborn. But its form keeps changing, means it is changeable. It is small, eternal and atomic. It is inanimate, without origin, without destruction, incorporeal and eternal. It is various and numerous. Earth, water, fire, air, and sky(Panchabhutas) are generated by their mutual union/divisions. The bodies of living beings are then created from these Panchabhutas. This Prakriti is three-qualitative(Trigunatmak) means having Sattva, Rajas and Tamas qualities. Sattva means (light, sharpness, purity), Rajas means (mediocrity, speed, fluidity) and Tamas means (inertia, density, position, bulkiness). Due to the presence of these qualities, Prakriti is said to be three-qualitative(Trigunatmak). Being subtle, it is not visible to the senses, hence it is imperceptible and invisible. The earth etc. are expressed by the five gross elements, that is, they appear in the form of the visible world. Thus it takes on subtle form. The final result of its gradual development is this gross creation, this visible world.
The name of the seed state of the world is Pradhan or Prakriti. Some people consider God as the material cause of this world, but according to the Vedas, there is a separate existence of Prakriti or matter. The material cause of the world can only be any matter. Not God or the power of God. God is the cause of the world, the one who inspires Prakriti to create the world by creating disorder in it. Vicara means distortion i.e. a change in the original form. The world is visible only after that change/distortion. The name of the distortion of Prakriti is Srishti i.e. creation or work. Prakriti is the cause and Srishti is the action.
Now the next question is, what should be the form of Prakriti?, so that this Prakriti, the material cause of the world can become a raw material.
It is such a condition that a person is seeing many things, but is not able to see their original material, from which those things are made. It is natural that he will determine the nature of the material only from those things. The cause is known by the action. Suppose there is a glass shop. There are many types of items out there. Everything is made of a single material, but the size or shape is different according to its use.
🌷सत्वरजस्तमसां साम्यावस्था प्रकृति:। (Sankhya Darshan: Chapter-1 Sutra-61)
Meaning:- The name of the union of the three things i.e. Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas is Prakriti.
Difference between Purush and Prakriti / animate(Chetan) and inanimate(Achetan) (पुरुष और प्रकृति / चेतन और जड़ में अंतर)
The one who is intelligent or who can attain knowledge, such conscious power the Supreme Powerful God and all the living beings are called Animate/Chetan/Purusha.
🌷इच्छाद्वेषप्रयत्नसुखदुःख ज्ञानानि आत्मनो लिंगम् इति। (Nyay Darshan 1/10)
It should be understood that in which there is desire and hatred, those who try, in which there is happiness, sorrow and knowledge, there is consciousness or soul.
🌷न जायते म्रियते वा..
One who is neither born nor dies. It is neither made of anyone, nor is anyone made of it, nor is anyone going to create it. It is ancient, unborn, eternal. The death of the body does not lead to its death, this is the consciousness.
The imperishable and fast moving soul residing in the central part of the body is gaining momentum, becoming full of vitality. Being at the same place with the mortal body, the imperishable soul, due to its own actions roams in the middle of the mortal world.
God is one eternal among countless eternal. He is a conscious in many fields. He alone fulfills the wishes of many souls. The souls who experience happiness and sorrow are many, innumerable.
On the contrary, Prakriti/Inanimate/Achetan is without knowledge, is dependent, attains some other state through God, is consequential, changeable, mortal and corrosive. Prakriti is for the enjoyment of living beings and not for itself. Like saffron loaded on a camel, because of not being able to consume itself, Srishti is created only for the happiness and sorrow of the soul.
There is one Aj(unborn) i.e. God who is the Supreme Person. The second one is Aja(unborn) i.e. Prakriti. Aj does not enjoy Aja. The Mantra of Rigveda 1/164/20 "द्वा सुपर्णा.." says that the person enjoys, but the Supreme Person does not enjoy, only shows the path.
How to worship deities/devtas of nature? (जड़ देवों की पूजा कैसे करें?)
Worship means to honor or to respect. Now how to respect all the things of nature like the inanimate deva i.e. earth, fire, water, air etc.? It is a common thing that when we make good use of someone and protect it, it is his best honor to preserve his normal state and take advantage of it. But the reality is that we all enjoy this earth etc. from birth till death, spread dirt but do not return anything. That is why trees and plants should be planted, and the environment should be made good through Yajna and Havan. We should work for the cleanliness of all Air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution and all kinds of pollution, from soil to water, air etc., so that it is healthy and beneficial for us. For this we should take the best measures. This is their worship and respect.
The best is to do Yajna, plant trees, protect other organisms and make a simple life. Life full of luxury has spread all the filth.
Are body, mind, intellect, senses etc inanimate or animate? (शरीर, मन, बुद्धि, इंद्रियाँ आदि जड़ या चेतन?)
All this is inert, created by Prakriti. It is the closest means of conscious(the souls).
All this is attained by God by the system of KarmaFal( i.e action and result) according to different actions(karmas). That's why everyone's body is different. Everyone's mind, intellect and senses are different, because everyone's actions are also different. No two souls in the world have the same karma. That is why the thumb impression of any two human beings is not even same in the world. Face, mind, intellect and other things are completely different. No matter how many twins there may be, their face may be similar, but there is a slight difference between them. No two bodies, two intellects, two minds, two senses are alike in the world, because the mind, intellect, body, senses are the means of the soul and are inspired and actuated by the soul. Because of being active, we take them as conscious due to misconception. Whereas all this is like a machine or like a vehicle and the soul acts as the driver. The reality is that intellect is inert, no matter how intelligent one is, his intellect is also inert, not conscious. Therefore, in front of a vedic philosopher, these words should be used a little cautiously. Somewhere you could not prove your intellect to be animate and you will have to look down.
Age of the universe (सृष्टि की आयु)
According to Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati's vedic creation-catastrophe calculation, there is a creation period of 432 crore years and annihilation period of 432 crore years. That is one creation-catastrophe cycle lasts for 864 crore years. Like 1 day and 1 night together make 12+12=24 hours. Similarly, if the state of creation is considered as the state of day and the stage of destruction as the stage of night, then it will be of 432 + 432 = 864 crore years.
This is 432 crore years according to the calculations of today's year. That is, at this time the creation of earth, sun, moon etc. in the sky, all this lasts for 4 billion 32 crore years. After this, for the same number of years i.e. for 4 billion 32 crore years Mahapralay(devastation) happens. Whole space becomes zero.
Till now this creation is going on for one billion 96 crore 8 lakh 53 thousand 123 years, that is, this world will remain for about 236 crore years more.
Process of creation of the universe (सृष्टि उत्पत्ति की प्रक्रिया)
The state of God, the soul and the world after destruction of the universe(महाप्रलय के बाद ईश्वर, जीव व जगत की स्थिति)
In the catastrophic state of the world, all living beings/souls become unconscious, go to sleep. Only one God alone awakens. He is knowing everything. Along with God, the liberated souls enjoy the bliss of God and all other souls remain dormant. The whole world gets absorbed in its cause, that is, goes into sattva, rajas, tamas and the whole space remains in a state full of darkness and utterly incapable of knowing for 4 billion 32 crore years. After that, God again create another universe from Prakrit and provides the body, age and enjoyment i.e. means to all the dormant souls appropriately on the basis of the deeds of the previous creation.
In the same way, after the age of the universe the deluge and after the deluge the creation, just like day after night and night after day, in the same way, the eternal and infinite flow of construction and destruction of universe is going on, which will never stop.
