yadā sisṛkṣuḥ pura ātmanaḥ paro

yadā sisṛkṣuḥ pura ātmanaḥ paro

rajaḥ sṛjaty eṣa pṛthak sva-māyayā

sattvaṁ vicitrāsu riraṁsur īśvaraḥ

śayiṣyamāṇas tama īrayaty asau

When the Lord desires to create bodies of the jīva he manifests rajas by his energy. When he desires to have pastimes he manifests sattva. When he desires to destroy, he inspires tamas.

One should not worry that the Lord is dependent on the guṇas, since according to the guṇas he is visible to various degrees. His creation of the guṇas takes place without effort. When the Lord desires to create bodies for enjoyment of the jīva (ātmanaḥ), he manifests rajas separately, which was previously situated in equilibrium. When he desires to enjoy in various bodies of the living entities—to protect the righteous, he manifests sattva separately. When he desires to destroy, he inspires tamas separately.

|| 7.1.11 ||

kālaṁ carantaṁ sṛjatīśa āśrayaṁ

pradhāna-pumbhyāṁ nara-deva satya-kṛt

O King! The Supreme Lord, creator of a real universe, creates time, which acts as a cause, an assistant to the Lord, and which exists along with prakṛti and jīva.

 

The previous verse mentioned that when the Lord desires to create he manifested rajas. This would imply that the Lord is controlled by time. This verse rejects that idea. O King! The Lord creates time, which acts as the cause assisting the Lord, since time is a form of his action. The meaning is this. When the Lord desires to create, by his own will, the time for creation with increase of rajas appears. When the Lord desires to maintain, the time for protection with increase of sattva appears. When he desires to destroy, the time of destruction with increase of tamas appears. These particular times are created by the Lord. Thus the meaning should be “When the time of creation appears, then creation takes place.” “When” should mean “special time.” This is created by the Lord. 

 

It was also said that at the time of prominence of sattva, the devatās are favored. This again may indicate the Lord’s dependence on time. But this verse refutes that conception. Time exists along with māyā-śakti (pradhāna) and his expansions (pumbhyām).[101] Because he is their cause, he is independent. Because matter is the product, the whole universe is dependent on him. “But the universe, the product, is illusory. Some say that it is futile to argue about dependence or independence of illusory objects.” The Lord is the creator of real objects (satya-kṛt). Therefore one should not say that the universe, the product of his real śakti, is illusory. This false philosophy implies that if the effects are all illusory, the Supreme Lord to be inferred from the effects cannot be proved. Madhva quotes śruti to prove the point. Satyaṁ hy evedaṁ viśvam asrjata: the Lord created the real universe.

|| 7.1.12 ||