The Avyakta Upanishad, a minor Upanishad associated with the Sama Veda, unfolds profound insights into the nature of the unmanifest reality, referred to as Avyakta, and the process of creation that emanates from it. This Upanishad, presented in prose across seven sections, delves into the origin of the manifested world, exploring the mystical transition from the formless to the manifest.
Before the advent of creation, the Avyakta, existing beyond
names, forms, and qualities, was the solitary existence. It then divided itself
into two aspects—one green and the other red. The red aspect assumed a male
form, while the green one took on the female form known as 'maya.' Through
their union, the golden egg, symbolic of creation, emerged, giving rise to
Parameshthi or Prajapati.
Prajapati, contemplating his identity and purpose, received
guidance from a divine voice emanating from an invisible source. The voice
revealed that he originated from the Avyakta and was tasked with creating the
vyakta, the manifest world. To fulfill this duty, Prajapati was instructed to
lead a life of brahmacarya, austere living, for a thousand years.
Upon completing this rigorous period, Prajapati was bestowed
with parama-vidya, the highest knowledge, in the form of riks set in the
anustubh meter. Singing these verses for another thousand years, he eventually
encountered Bhagavan in the formidable form of Narasimha, the Man-Lion
incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Prajapati offered hymns of praise to Narasimha,
who, pleased with his devotion, instructed him on a special meditation
technique.
This meditation involved Prajapati envisioning himself as an
offering into the divine fire of Lord Narasimha. Through this practice, he
gained comprehensive knowledge and divine powers essential for the act of
creation. Empowered by these insights, Prajapati utilized the revealed riks to
bring forth the three worlds, the gods including Indra, the Rudras, the
Adityas, the Vasus, day and night, the Vedas, various meters, the four varnas,
and all living beings.
The Avyakta Upanishad concludes with a phalashruti,
extolling the merits and benefits one attains through the understanding of the
revealed knowledge. It emphasizes the transformative nature of this vidya,
illustrating how the profound wisdom imparted in the Upanishad leads to
spiritual realization and the ability to participate in the cosmic act of
creation.