Cosmology/Creation stories

[Uma]

I'm really interested in how people from ancient times explained how the universe and everything in it came into being. There is a lot of spiritual teaching in them (the ones that religious traditions are still associated with). If you'd like to share one, please do.

[sky]

The first writer to record the myth of Pangu was Xu Zheng during the Three Kingdoms period. Recently his name was found in a tomb dated 194 AD.[1]

In the beginning, there was nothing in the universe except a formless chaos. This chaos coalesced into a cosmic egg for about 18,000 years. Within it, the perfectly opposed principles of Yin and Yang became balanced, and Pangu emerged (or woke up) from the egg. Pangu is usually depicted as a primitive, hairy giant who has horns on his head and wears fur. Pangu began creating the world: he separated Yin from Yang with a swing of his giant axe, creating the Earth (murky Yin) and the Sky (clear Yang). To keep them separated, Pangu stood between them and pushed up the Sky. With each day, the sky grew ten feet (3 meters) higher, the Earth ten feet thicker, and Pangu ten feet taller. This task took yet another 18,000 years. In some versions of the story, Pangu is aided in this task by the four most prominent beasts, namely the Turtle, the Qilin, the Phoenix, and the Dragon.

After the 18,000 years had elapsed, Pangu died. His breath became the wind, mist and clouds; his voice, thunder; his left eye, the sun; his right eye, the moon; his head, the mountains and extremes of the world; his blood, rivers; his muscles, fertile land; his facial hair, the stars and Milky Way; his fur, bushes and forests; his bones, valuable minerals; his bone marrow, sacred diamonds; his sweat, rain; and the fleas on his fur carried by the wind became animals.

[Uma]

Thank you very much sky123

[Shivani Devi]

Originally Posted by Uma

I'm really interested in how people from ancient times explained how the universe and everything in it came into being. There is a lot of spiritual teaching in them (the ones that religious traditions are still associated with). If you'd like to share one, please do.

In the beginning, the universe was likened to an ocean of milk (it is why our visible galaxy is called the Milky Way).

The forces of good vs evil were in a constant battle to see who would prevail and become the Immortal Ones.

They knew that within the Milky Ocean, there was to be found Soma...The nectar of immortality, and so, to extract the soma from the ocean, it was decided they all would churn it up.

Creation resulted from doing so.

The initial personification of the creator of course, was Lord Brahma, who arose from the Lotus of the Manipura Chakra of Lord Vishnu, but things really started heating up creation-wise when the Milky Ocean was churned.

Many things came out of the churning...after Lord Vishnu became a giant turtoise to support the weight of Mount Meru while the cosmic serpent, Vasuki was used for the churning rope.

The Gods took one side of the rope, the Demons took the other and both co-operated to get the Soma because it was in the best interests for each party to do so...It is the only time such co-operation has ever happened.

Like I stated, the whole of matter and energy resulted from this...The seven Apsaras came out, the sacred cow came out, the most precious gems came out, the Goddess Saraswati issued forth...many things.

Then, a terrible poison emerged called Halahala because Vasuki had to spit in the ocean quite a few times due to the tremendous strain upon his midsection.

The poison was highly damaging and corrosive and nothing more would issue forth from the ocean until that poison was disposed of, so Lord Shiva drank it up, but the Goddess Shakti held her hands around Shiva's throat holding the poison in His neck and turning it blue.

The churning went on and eventually, the Soma Amrita came out...The Gods quickly seized the kumbh (vessel) full of the elixir before the demonic Asuras had the chance to notice it was gone....they were duped.

In the ensuing chase to swarga (heaven) four drops of the Soma fell upon a newly created Earth...It is at these places in India where the Kumbh Mela is celebrated every 12 years.

Of course, all this is totally metaphorical.

The milky ocean is the prem sagar - the ocean of love within the heart.
The churning is the result of thoughts and emotions, which produces either positive or negative emanations depending upon whether a God or Demon is pulling on the strings of it.
The poison is the bad things we do to hurt ourselves and others.
The nectar is the result of actions performed through love.
https://goo.gl/images/y153nQ

[Uma]

Beautiful retelling Shivani Devi, thank you.

[Shivani Devi]

You are very welcome, Uma.

I love telling tales from my religious tradition and delight whenever I get the opportunity to do so.

[pseudonymus]

I was initiated into an Afro-Cuban religion called "Las Reglas de Congo," or "Palo" for short, a while ago. It's a religion the slaves from the Congo and Angola brought with them to Cuba when they were captured.

The very ancient creation story goes that Nzambi [God] is a hermaphrodite: his Left side is female and his Right side is male. Kind of like the Indic Ardhanarishvara.

So, being both male and female, God impregnated himself and he gave birth to the world and everything in it. After the world was born, he made the first human being, a man, whom Nzambi named "Bantu," which means "Person."

It's interesting to note that the word "Nature," shares the same root with the words "Nativity," and "Nation." That Latin root "Nat-" means "That which is Born."

[Uma]

Originally Posted by pseudonymus

I was initiated into an Afro-Cuban religion called "Las Reglas de Congo," or "Palo" for short, a while ago. It's a religion the slaves from the Congo and Angola brought with them to Cuba when they were captured.

The very ancient creation story goes that Nzambi [God] is a hermaphrodite: his Left side is female and his Right side is male. Kind of like the Indic Ardhanarishvara.

So, being both male and female, God impregnated himself and he gave birth to the world and everything in it. After the world was born, he made the first human being, a man, whom Nzambi named "Bantu," which means "Person."

It's interesting to note that the word "Nature," shares the same root with the words "Nativity," and "Nation." That Latin root "Nat-" means "That which is Born."

Thank you pseudonymus - I found an image of Nzambi Mpungu and a little info on Wikipedia about it too.

[pseudonymus]

Originally Posted by Uma

Thank you pseudonymus - I found an image of Nzambi Mpungu and a little info on Wikipedia about it too.

You're welcome.

Sometimes, they make fetish statues of Nzambi with two heads, one male and one female:



Technically it's "Nzambi Ampungu" meaning God Most High. Mpungu is a noun, and with the /a/ prefix becomes an adjective meaning "Most High" or "Supreme." Nzambi has been the supreme deity in Kongo cosmology since before Christianity was introduced.

Incidently, the word "Zombie" via Haitain Vodou comes from the word "Nzambi."

[ajay00]

Originally Posted by Uma

I'm really interested in how people from ancient times explained how the universe and everything in it came into being. There is a lot of spiritual teaching in them (the ones that religious traditions are still associated with). If you'd like to share one, please do.

Here is my take on this....

Prajñānam brahma - Brahman is pure consciousness (Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda)

Paramahamsa Yogananda states in this regard, "The word 'God' means the manifested, transcendental Being beyond creation, but existing in relation to creation. Spirit existed before God. God is the Creator of the universe, but Spirit is the Creator of God."

Here Spirit means Nirguna Brahman or impersonal pure consciousness, while God indicates Saguna Brahman of a personalised pure consciousness.

The Shivalinga, as a cosmic pillar of light, is considered as the highest personification of Saguna Brahman or personalised Brahman in Hinduism.

The Prajapita Brahmakumaris consider Shivalinga to be a point of light, synonymous with Jehovah, Allah and Ahura Mazda of the other monotheistic religions. I have described this further in this thread of mine.

In the yogic philosophy, the Shivalinga as Saguna Brahman is considered the first form to arise when creation occurs, and also the last form before the dissolution of creation.

According to the scripture Linga Purana, Shivalinga is considered as the source of all creation.

Linga is so called because all phenomena are dissolved in Siva at the time of cosmic dissolution, and it emerges from Siva once again at the time of creation. (Ajitagama, 3, 16-17).


As per my understanding, Shiva as Saguna Brahman emerges from Nirguna Brahman, and in turn the creation emerges from Shiva and after a span of time, dissolves back in Shiva at the time of cosmic dissolution, with Shiva returning back to Nirguna Brahman.

Imo, the moment of creation and cosmic dissolution could be what is described as the Big Bang and Big Crunch respectively in physics.

Since the creation is 'anadi' (beginningless) and cyclical in nature, the Shivalingam would keep arising in every fresh cycle of creation.

The purpose of Shivalinga as God would be to guide souls trapped in bondage to matter back to Spirit again, endowing them with auspiciousness, prosperity through a higher state of consciousness.