The Making of the Great Earth

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North-western Province.



This is evidently a story of the last creation. In Hinduism there is
a series of four ages termed Yugas, each ended by a destruction of
the world by fire, which is quenched by cataclysmal rainfall. These
are the Krita, Treta, Dwapara, and Kali Yugas, their periods being
respectively 4,000, 3,000, 2,000, and 1,000 divine years. There are
also intermediate periods equal to one-tenth of each of the adjoining
Yugas. A divine year being 360 times as long as a human year, the
whole series, called a Maha Yuga, amounts to about 4,320,000 years
(Vishnu Purana, Wilson, p. 24). When a series is ended the order
is reversed, that is, the Kali Yuga, which is the present one, is
followed by the Dwapara.

The Vishnu Purana, p. 12, thus describes the state of things before
the original creation: "There was neither day nor night, nor sky
nor earth, nor darkness nor light, nor any other thing, save only
One"--"the Universal Soul," the All-God, Vishnu in the form of Brahma.

His action is thus summarised: "Affecting then the quality of activity
Hari [Vishnu], the Lord of all, himself becoming Brahma, engaged in
the creation of the universe."

At the end of the Yuga, "the same mighty deity, Janarddana, invested
with the quality of darkness, assumes the awful form of Rudra,
and swallows up the universe. Having thus devoured all things,
and converted the world into one vast ocean, the Supreme reposes on
his mighty serpent couch amidst the deep: he awakes after a season,
and again, as Brahma, becomes the author of creation (V.P., p. 19).

In the Katha Sarit Sagara (Tawney), vol. ii, p. 583, there were two
Danavas, a form of Asura, "invincible even by gods," who impeded
Prajapati in his work of creation. The only way which the Creator
could hit upon to destroy them was to create two lovely maidens, one
black and one white. Each of the Danavas wished to carry off both,
so they fought over them and killed each other.

It is only in the Sinhalese story that we find an Asura assisting
in the creation. Rahu is usually known as a dark planetary sign,
a dragon's head, which endeavours to swallow the sun and moon,
and thus causes eclipses, at which time, only, it is seen. In the
account of the great Churning of the Ocean, it is evident that he
was supposed originally to have, or to be able to assume, a figure
indistinguishable from those of the Gods.

The story of the application of Vishnu for Rahu's assistance is based
on the Indian notion that the Asuras were of more ancient date than
the Gods. The Maha Bharata states that they were the elder brothers
of the Gods, and were more powerful than the Gods, who were unable
to conquer them in their strongholds under the sea. The God Saman is
Indra, the elder brother of Vishnu.

According to the Maha Bharata, Vishnu assuming the form of a boar
raised the earth to the surface of the waters (which covered it to
the depth of one hundred yojanas), on his tusk, without the aid of
any other deity.



The following accounts of the state of things in very early times
are borrowed from The Orientalist, vol. iii., pp. 79 and 78, to which
they were contributed by Mr. D. A. Jayawardana.

"In the primitive good old days the sky was not so far off from the
earth as at present. The sun and moon in their course through the
heavens sometimes came in close contact with the house-tops. The
stars were stationed so close to the earth that they served as lamps
to the houses.

"Once upon a time, there was a servant-maid who was repeatedly
disturbed by the passing clouds when she was sweeping the compound [the
enclosure round the house], and this was to her a real nuisance. One
cloudy morning, when this naughty girl was sweeping the compound as
usual, the clouds came frequently in contact with the broom-stick
and interfered with her work.

"Losing all patience she gave a smart blow to the firmament with the
broom-stick, saying, 'Get away from hence.' The sky, as a matter of
course, was quite ashamed at the affront [8] thus offered to it by
a servant-girl, and flew away far, far out of human reach, in order
to avoid a similar catastrophe again."

The second account is as follows: "Till a long period after the
creation, man did not know the use of most of the vegetables now used
by him for food. His food at first consisted of some substance like
boiled milk, which then grew spontaneously upon the earth. This
substance since disappeared, and rice took its place, and grew
abundantly without the husk.

"The Jak fruit (Artocarpus integrifolia), one of the principal articles
of food of the Sinhalese, was not even touched, as it was thought to be
poisonous. The God Sakra [Indra] bethought himself of teaching mankind
that Jak was not a deadly fruit, but an article of wholesome food."

The story goes on to relate that, assuming the form of an old man,
he got a woman to boil some Jak seeds for him, with injunctions not
to eat them or she would die; but the smell being appetizing she
first tasted one, and then ate a quantity.