WHAT HAPPENS DURING BRAHMA’S DAY AND NIGHT?
avyaktaadvyaktayah sarvaah prabhavantyaharaagame
raaatryaagame praleeyante tatraivaavyaktasamjnake // 8.18 //
At the approach of the day all manifest objects come forth from the unmanifested and at the approach of the night they merge again into that which is called the unamanifest.
bhootagraamah sa evaayaam bhootwaa bhootwaa praleeyate
raatryaagamevashah paartha prabhavatyaharaagame // 8.19 //
The same multitude of beings, coming forth again and again, merge in spite of themselves, O Partha, at the approach of the night and remanifest themselves at the approach of the day.
How the Creator keeps Himself occupied during His day and night each of which is of long duration is explained. It is indicated that the Creator creates during His day and the entire creation ends during His night by merging itself in the unmanifested. Creation is the crystallization of the unmanifested dormant existence into the manifested existence with names, forms and qualities. That is, creation is only the production of a name, form with some specific qualities, out of the raw material in which the same name, form and quality already exist in an unmanifested condition. When a pot is created out of the mud the potness is already prevalent in the mud because no other thing than a pot can be created out of mud.
The thought impressions in the mind (vasanas) which lie unmanifested to the sense-organs and the mental and intellectual perceptions become manifested as gross actions, thoughts and words making the life either tough or smooth depending on the quality of the thoughts manifested. A doctor, advocate and a criminal are all same as human beings while they are asleep which is their unmanifested state (Pralaya) but when they wake up their respective qualities as a doctor, advocate or criminal get manifested which in philosophy is called creation.
In the cosmic process of creation and dissolution the Creator or the total mind during the waking hours of long ages project out the already existing vasanas and at the night they merge into the unmanifested. The declaration that the very same beings are born again and again and merge in spite of themselves shows that Hinduism does not believe in a creation preceded by the condition of absolute non-existence.
The same multitude meant that which comprised of the moving and non-moving who existed in the preceding cycle or age and who did not attain liberation. They repeatedly come forth and dissolve by the effect of their own karma. “In spite of themselves” implies the law of karma is inexorable. In this world of Maya there is no freedom as long as one is caught in the wheel of karma. The only way of liberation is to free oneself from Maya.
parastasmaat tu bhavo'nyo'vyakto’vyaktaatsanaatanah
yah sa sarveshu bhooteshu nashyatsu na vinashyati // 8.20 //
But beyond this unmanifested, there is yet another Unmanifested Eternal Being, who does not perish when all beings perish.
This unmanifested means the seed state of the whole multitude of created things; the night of Brahma. Another unmanifested eternal Being refers to the imperishable Brahman, which is imperceptible to senses and which is altogether of a different kind. It is supra-cosmic and beyond ignorance. It does not perish because it is beyond time, space and causality. All beings perish implies that everything from Brahma downwards all beings.
That which is The Truth, the ignorance of which projects the manifested, is the factor that is changeless substratum. The idea is that the Ultimate Reality, the Self, is that which lies beyond the delusory experiences of creation, dissolution and repeated re-creations.
avyaktokshara ityuktastamaahuh paramaam gatim
yam praapya na nivartante taddhaama paramam mama // 8.21 //
The unmanifested is called the imperishable; It is said to be the ultimate Goal from which those who reach it never come back. That is My Supreme abode.
What has been indicated in the previous verse as `the other Unmanifest - which is the Eternal Existence - which does not persish’ is explained here as the Imperishable mentioned in Verses 3 & 13 of this Chapter. The Imperishable was defined therein as the Brahman, the substratum for the entire universe and that we should meditate on `OM' as the symbol of this Imperishable.
The Self which is Pure Awareness gives existence and dynamism to the unmanifested vasanas and makes them to project out to form the manifested world of activities and behaviors. This eternal Unmanifested Factor, the Imperishable Self, is the highest goal for man to achieve.
The knower of such Imperishable, Eternal Brahman never again falls under the spell of Maya or ignorance (never comes back). The abode of Brahman is called Supreme because the relative universe is the inferior manifestation of Brahman.
The ultimate goal referred to in the text does not indicate any state or condition but the Imperishable Brahman Itself, Existence-Knowledge-Bliss absolute, sat-chit-ananda.