This Wonderful Creation of Ours - Swami Radhamadhavananda Saraswati

What is Creation?

Our creation consists of Jiva, Jagat and Isvara. Jiva is the individual soul which takes different embodiments birth after birth by the force of his Karmic influences of past lives, known as Samskaras.

Jagat is the vast cosmos spread before us. It is the field provided by Isvara in the form of a suitable environment for the Jiva to experience the fruits of his past actions.

Isvara is the overall controller and awards the fruits of actions to the Jivas and also provides a suitable environment for the Jiva to enjoy or suffer, as the case may be, the fruits of his past actions.

The three entities i.e., Jiva, Jagat and Isvara are interdependent. If Jiva could be eliminated, there would be no need of the field of experience (Jagat) and the controller (Isvara) because there would be no one to experience or be controlled or supervised.

Therefore the recipe for freedom or salvation (Mukti) is to eliminate the Jivahood by knowing one’s essential nature, which is the Self or the Pure Consciousness. Once this is done, Jagat and Isvara disappear automatically, leaving behind Pure Consciousness, one without a second. Hence the saying, "Know thyself and be free."

© `Kalyana-Kalpataru’ (October, 2000) published by Jagdish Prasad Jalan, Govind Bhawan Karyalaya, Gita Press, Gorakhpur. Reprinted with permission.

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