SrI: SrImathE satakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavaramunayE nama:
sUthram 90
Having explained the various states through which prakruthi passes before creation begins, the commentator now proceeds to explain how the evolution of the universe actually commences. He identifies the immediate cause that transforms the quiescent state of prakruthi into the source of the manifest universe.
sUthram
இதில் நின்றும், கு3ணவைஷம்யத்தாலே மஹதாதி3 விகாரங்கள் பிறக்கும்.
idhil ninRum, guNa vaishamyaththAlE mahathAdhi vikArangaL piRakkum.
Meaning
From this state of prakruthi, the evolutes beginning with mahath arise when the equilibrium of the guNas is disturbed.
Explanation
Having described the subtle states of prakruthi—namely avibhaktha thamas, vibhaktha thamas, aksharam, and avyaktham – the commentator now turns to the next stage in the process of creation.
Until this point, prakruthi remains in a state of equilibrium. Although it possesses the potential to produce the universe, that potential remains dormant because the three guNas—sathva, rajas, and thamas—exist in perfect balance.
Creation begins only when this balance is disturbed.
The commentator therefore states that the evolutes beginning with mahath arise from this very prakruthi as a result of guNa-vaishamya.
Here, mahathAdhi vikArangaL (the evolutes beginning with mahath) refers to the entire chain of creation that follows, including mahath, ahamkAra, the thanmAthras, the mahAbhUthas, the organs, and the remaining thathvas that evolve from prakruthi.
Thus, the immediate cause of creation is not the production of a new substance, but a change in the condition of the existing prakruthi.
What is guNa-vaishamya?
The commentator himself explains:
குணங்களுக்கு வைஷம்யமாவது – பரஸ்பர உத்3ரேகம்.
guNangaLukku vaishamyamAvadhu – paraspara udhrEkam.
The disturbance of the guNas means that they no longer remain in perfect equilibrium. Instead, they begin to predominate over one another, each asserting its own characteristic influence.
In other words, paraspara udhrEkam means the mutual predominance or ascendancy of the three guNas. The state of perfect balance (guNa-sAmya) gives way to a state in which one guNa becomes more prominent than the others. This mutual disequilibrium initiates the process of evolution.
It is this transition from guNa-sAmya (equilibrium) to guNa-vaishamya (mutual predominance) that marks the beginning of creation.
The commentator therefore establishes that the entire manifest universe originates when the perfectly balanced prakruthi undergoes this change, giving rise first to mahath and then to all the subsequent vikAras.
adiyen vAsudhEva rAmAnuja dhAsan
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