visasarjātmanaḥ kāyaṁ

visasarjātmanaḥ kāyaṁ

nābhinandaṁs tamomayam

jagṛhur yakṣa-rakṣāṁsi

rātriṁ kṣut-tṛṭ-samudbhavām

Not satisfied with his body which became full of ignorance, Brahmā gave up that body. This body transformed into night, which gives rise to hunger and thirst. Yakṣas and Rākṣasas respected the night.

He was not pleased with the shadow body. “Ah! I have been covered with ignorance at the beginning of creation!” Criticizing himself, he gave up that body. That rejected body became night. The demons, who had arisen from Brahmā at that time, accepted the night. This means that avidyā and adharma, āvaraṇa and vikṣepa, are superior to the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas. Then Brahmā gave up that body which produced hunger and thirst. Śruti says sā tamisrābhavat: that became tamisra. When it says that Brahmā gave up his body, it means that he gave up the mentality of that body, since Brahmā lives for a hundred years. The sequence is as follows. (First tamas arose). Anger and the rest, the mentality arising from tamas, appeared in the mind of Brahmā. From that, the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas appeared. That mentality of tamas (when Brahmā rejected it) then became the night. The Yakṣas and Rākṣasas accepted it.

 

Though Brahmā accepted and rejects different bodies by his power of yoga to carry out creation, this does not disrupt his life of a hundred years. Some also say that even the devatās like Indra accept and reject bodies for material enjoyment.

 

|| 3.20.20||

kṣut-tṛḍbhyām upasṛṣṭās te

taṁ jagdhum abhidudruvuḥ

mā rakṣatainaṁ jakṣadhvam

ity ūcuḥ kṣut-tṛḍ-arditāḥ

The Yakṣas and Rākṣasas, being afflicted with hunger and thirst, pursued Brahmā to devour him. Pained by hunger and thirst they said, “Do not protect him. Eat him!”

They ran after Brahmā (tam) to eat him (jagdhum). Some said, “Do not protect him out of compassion. Eat him.” Jakṣ means to eat or to laugh.

|| 3.20.21||