What is the Hindu concept of creation ?
Hinduism considers that the world is a manifestation of God. There is no concept of Creation and a Creator. The world came from God, exists in God and will return back to God, just like waves arise from the ocean, exist in the ocean and subside back into the ocean. And this happens in cycles, again and again. As there is no concept of creation in the literal sense, there can be no concept of destruction also. There is a concept of unmanifestation. God withdraws Himself and creation vanishes. Manifestion is instantaneous, if the word can be used, because even time is a part of manifestation only. Similarly unmanifestation is also instantaneous. It is like a dream. How was the world in your dream created ? The dream world, including its own timeline were created instantly. When you wake up, the world just vanishes. Same is the case with this world too. There are graphic and poetic descriptions about God creating the world, maintaining it and then destroying it. These are only figurative
From the Hindu body of literature there are several accounts which allude to creation 1) Rg Veda alludes to immortal Purusa who is divided and parts of him becomes the physical universe, living and non-living part of creation, man and his social order etc. 2) Union of the One who meets with the cosmic maiden and the resultant seed, which caused everything to be born on the earth. In the Upanishads and Brahmanas there are several references: 1) Prajapathi who approached his daughter; some say the sky, some say the dawn. She takes the form of a doe and he a stag.. The distribution of his seed turns into various life forms. 2) Prajapati gives birth to fire, wind, sun and moon. The fifth was (female) dawn. Out of the seed comes all the world . 3) From the Bhadranyaka Upanishad: The primeval Soul (atman) divided (pat) himself into man and woman (pati and patni). He united with her and all mankind was born. The woman reflected” How can he unite with me after engendering me from himself? For
