Part 1 — The Making of the Great Earth

From the earliest time, the whole of this world, being filled up and overflowed by a great rain, and being completely destroyed, was in darkness. There were neither men, nor living beings, nor anything whatever.

During the time while it was in this state, Great Vishnu thought, “In what manner, having lowered the water, should the earth be established?” Having thought this, Great Vishnu went to the God Saman. Having gone there, he asked at the hand of the God Saman, “What is the way to establish this earth?”

The God Saman replied, “There is no one among us [gods] who can establish this earth.”

Thereupon the God Great Vishnu asked, “Then who is able to do it?”

The God Saman said, “You must go to the residence of Rāhu; he can do it.”

Then Rāhu, the Asura Chief, said, “Countless beings having gone to the world of Brahmā (i.e., having been destroyed in the water), how can I descend into the water which is there?”

The God Great Vishnu asked, “In what way, then, can you make the earth?”

Rāhu told him to put a lotus seed into the water.

After that, the God Great Vishnu, having returned to this world, placed a lotus seed in the water. Having placed it there, in seven days the lotus seed sprouted.

Then the God Vishnu again went to the dwelling-place of Rāhu. Having gone there, he spoke to Rāhu, the Asura Chief: “The lotus plant has now sprouted.”

Afterwards Rāhu arose, and came with the God Vishnu to this world. Having made ready to descend into the water, he asked Great Vishnu, “What thing am I to bring up from the bottom of the water?”

Then Great Vishnu said, “I do not want any [special] thing; bring a handful of sand.”

Rāhu, having said “Hā” (Yes), descending along that lotus stalk proceeded until he met with the earth. Having descended to the earth in seven days, taking a handful of sand he returned to the surface again in seven days more. Having come there, he gave the handful of sand into the hand of the God Great Vishnu.

After it was given, taking it and squeezing it in his hand, the God Great Vishnu placed it on the water. Having placed it there the God Great Vishnu made the resolution: “This water having dried up, may the Earth be created.”

Afterwards, that small quantity of sand not going to the bottom, but turning and turning round on the surface of the water, the water began to diminish. Thus, in that manner, in three months and three-quarters of the moon, the water having diminished, the earth was made.

After it was formed, this world was there in darkness for a long time. [After the light had appeared], the God Great Vishnu thought: “We must make men.”

Having gone to the God Saman he said, “What is the use of being the owner of this world when it is in this state? We must make men.”

The God Saman said, “Let us two make them.”

Then those two spoke to each other: “Let us first of all make a Brāhmaṇa.”

Saying that, they made a Brāhmaṇa from that earth, and having given breath to the Brāhmaṇa those two told him to arise. Then the Brāhmaṇa arose by the power of those Gods; and having arisen, that Brāhmaṇa conversed with those Gods.

Then the God Vishnu said, “Brāhmaṇa, for thy assistance thou art to make for thyself a woman.”

Afterwards the Brāhmaṇa by the power of those very Gods made a woman, and from that time men began to increase in number up to to-day.

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, Trēta, Dwāpara, 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 Purāna, 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 Dwāpara.

The Vishnu Purāna, 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 Brahmā.

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

At the end of the Yuga, “the same mighty deity, Janārddana, 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 Brahmā, becomes the author of creation (V.P., p. 19).

In the Kathā Sarit Sāgara (Tawney), vol. ii, p. 583, there were two Dānavas, a form of Asura, “invincible even by gods,” who impeded Prajāpati 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 Dānavas 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. Rāhu 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 Rāhu’s assistance is based on the Indian notion that the Asuras were of more ancient date than the Gods. The Mahā Bhārata 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 Mahā Bhārata, 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 yōjanas), 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.

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 Śakra [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.