Creationism in the hindu Dharma (Earth, tradition, soul, evolution)

[kiwimac]

What is / are the opinions of the Hindus on this board concerning the whole idea of creation versus evolution?

In Jewish/Christian/Muslim theology God created all that lives on the earth within a set period of time which the three religions variously describe as a period of days. Now not all believers in these three faith traditions agree that the texts mean 'literal days.' But I think all would agree that at some point in the universe's coming into being, God's creative act took place.

Does the Hindu Dharma have anything to teach on this matter and if so what is it?

Kiwimac

[Arkangel]

Long before the Big Bang theory was proposed, Hindu scholars believed in a much similar begining to the universe. There was an explosion of light and life everywhere. Ancient Indians also believed in four or multidimensional universe. Time is consider as the fourth demision beyond the control of the universe and its flow eternal.

I at present do not have enough time to elobrate on how humans came but if will do that once i can make some time. But one thing i will leave you all to ponder over. Hindus to belive in a Noha's Ark, I mean the great flood and the boot on which a pair every creature was stored as per the instruction of Lord Vishnu. This a very old stroy, goes back to Indus Valley civilisation.

[Moses the God Archetype*]

Oh kiwi every thing will be explain to you in the due course of time of the hindu position either by me or arkangel.......but to leave you with a idea thru vishnu's instructions brahma created the mundane plain in his time cycle of days, but in our reality it took billions of years, you must remember time for brahma is very different than for us jivas.

[Jyothi]

The story Before time began there was no heaven, no earth and no space between. A vast dark ocean washed upon the shores of nothingness and licked the edges of night. A giant cobra floated on the waters. Asleep within its endless coils lay the Lord Vishnu. He was watched over by the mighty serpent. Everything was so peaceful and silent that Vishnu slept undisturbed by dreams or motion.

From the depths a humming sound began to tremble, Om. It grew and spread, filling the emptiness and throbbing with energy. The night had ended. Vishnu awoke. As the dawn began to break, from Vishnu's navel grew a magnificent lotus flower. In the middle of the blossom sat Brahma. He awaited the Lord's command. Vishnu spoke : 'It is time to begin.'




A wind swept up the waters. Vishnu and the serpent vanished. Brahma remained in the lotus flower, floating and tossing on the sea. He lifted up his arms and calmed the wind and the ocean. Then Brahma split the lotus flower into three. He stretched one part into the heavens. He made another part into the earth. With the third part of the flower he created the skies.

The earth was bare. Brahma set to work. He created grass, flowers, trees and plants of all kinds. To these he gave feeling. Next he created the animals and the insects to live on the land. He made birds to fly in the air and many fish to swim in the sea. To all these creatures, he gave the senses of touch and smell. He gave them power to see, hear and move.

The world was soon bristling with life and the air was filled with the sounds of Brahma's creation.

[Jyothi]

According to the Samkhya philosophy, Prakriti is the unmanifest, primal resource, thesum total of the universal energy that manifests itself in various material forms in different planes. The creative process (Shristi) begins when Purusha, the individual soul enters and becomes established in it. Out of this process evolve 24 bases, which are:

1. Mahat: the great principle (1)
2. Buddhi:the discriminating, reasoning and causative intelligence (2)
3. Ahamkara:the ego-principle (3)
4. Manas:the mind (4)
5. Panchendiryas:the five sense organs (eg: eye, tongue etc9)
6. Five karmendriyas: the five organs of action (14
7. Five tanmatras: the five subtle elements (19)
8. Five Panchabhutas:the five gross elements (earth, water etc24)

These are the evolutes. The Mahat (the Great One), is the first to emerge in this process of evolution. The Mahat is Prakriti or the primordial nature in its dynamic aspect. From the Mahat evolves buddhi and Manas. Buddhi is the principle of intelligence or the discriminating awareness and Manas is the mind consisting of pure consciousness. From Buddhi evolves ahamkara (used interchangeably for arrogance – but the word means knowledge of the self or aham) or the feeling of individuality and separation and the five tanmatras of sound, touch smell, form or color and taste.

The rest of the principles arise from Manas, which are the five senses, the five organs of actions and the five gross elements. These are the 24 evolutes and together with the Purusha (individual soul) who joins with Prakriti to initiate this process, the number becomes 25.

The greatness of Samkyha lies in the fact that the evolution is depicted not as work of God, but as a process passing through different phases of change and transformation. Infact the original Samkhya did not accept the idea of an Absolute Principle or God behind creation. The individual soul or Purusha is the eternal principle which joins with Prakriti, another principle to establish its presence The individual soul is immortal It exists before emergence of other principles and will continue to exist even after all of the others disappear. dwaita and adwaita philosophies dwell on this distinction between aham and brahmam, the individual soul and universal soul, the former argues that both are mutually exclusive and the latter says that the former is the subset of the latter.

The Bhagavad gita picks up the basic aspects of Samkhya, but adds the principle of Supreme Self or Universal Purusha as the cause of all creation. According to the Bhagavad gita, the Purusha enters the Prakriti and manifests the entire creation. At the human level, the purusha is compared symbolically with a man and the Prakriti with a woman. At the microcosmic level a union between the two indeed leads to the creation of a new being, which can be compared to the Hiranyagarbha (the golden embryo) at the macrocosmic level. The concept of Prakriti as the source of material evolution, probably led to the popularity of the worship of Mother Goddess and led subsequently to the emergence of Tantricism during the post Gupta period.

[Jyothi]

these are from various sites and other sources, choose what you like and be happy - will be happy to answer if you have any questions..

you could find more on the topic in the various sites ppl have posted in other threads....

[Arkangel]

As the data is already made available by Joythi, i do not think i need to add any more but i do like to point out one thing. Ancient hindu scolars believed in evolution of the universe not one creator of all. It was a process set in motion by Brahma.