Shiva Mahimna Stotra

Shloka 6

Meaning:  O Supreme Lord! Can the universe made up of various parts be without birth or origin? Can creation happen without the creator? Without the Lord who else even attempts to create the world? Therefore, the people who doubt your existence are really dull-minded.  

(Note: There are two interpretations of the line, “Anisho va kuryat…”.

(1) “If someone else, other than the Lord, had created the universe, then what material that person had used to create it?.”

(2) “Without the Lord who else even attempts to create the world?”

I preferred the interpretation (2)).

Reflections: 

The scriptures teach us that whatever has a name and form is perishable. A thing with name and form has a beginning and an end.

Upanishads clearly say that Brahman is the cause of the creation, preservation, and dissolution of the universe. There are various quotes from the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita stating that the world functions because of the power of Brahman.  

Kathopanishad (2.3.2-3) says:

“Whatever there is – the whole universe – vibrates because it has gone forth from Brahman, which exists as its Gound. That Brahman is a great terror, like a poised thunderbolt. Those who know It becomes immortal.” (Kahtopanishad 2.3.2)

“From the terror of Brahman, fire burns; from the terror of It, the sun shines; from the terror of It, Indra, Vayu, and Death, the fifth, function.” (Kathopanishad 2.3.3)

Kenopanishad Story:

There is a story in the Kenopanishad.  There was a fight between gods and demons. The gods became victorious. They said to themselves, “Verily, this victory is ours; verily, this glory is ours only.”

At that time a mysterious Being appeared at the door. The gods wanted to find out who that Being was. They sent Agni, the fire god, to find it out. The Being asked, “Who are you?”  The fire god said, “I am Agni”. The Being asked, “What power do you have?” Agni said, “I can burn everything.” The Being put a straw before him and said, “Burn this.” Agni tried all his power, but he could not burn it. He went back and said, “I could not find out who that Being is.”

The gods sent Vayu, the wind god, to find out who that mysterious Being was. Vayu went to the Being. The Being asked, “Who are you?”  The wind god said, “I am Vayu”. The Being asked, “What power do you have?” Vayu said, “I can blow away everything.” The Being put a straw before him and said, “Blow this.” Vayu tried all his power, but he could not even move the straw. He went back and said, “I could not find out who that Being is.”

The gods asked their king Indra to find it out. When Indra went to the Being, the Being disappeared, and Indra saw in the very region of the sky a glorious woman Uma. Indra asked her, “Who was that mysterious Being?” Uma said, “That was Brahman. By the victory of Brahman alone you have obtained glory.”

Uma is the Power of Brahman. She taught the gods that only because of the power of Brahman they had won the war. The gods were just the instruments of Brahman. Thus, through the power of Brahman alone, the world is functioning.

Sri Ramakrishna used to say in Hindi:

‘Without God’s will, not even a leaf moves.’

The Alternative:

If skeptical people think that there is no power working in the universe, then the other choice is to think that everything is happening by accident or by chance. For example, we have to accept that our eyes, ears, hands, legs, hearts, digestive systems, and other body functions are happening by chance or by accident. We have to assume that the functions of the sun, moon, earth, planets, etc. are happening accidentally.

Since everything in the universe is working so precisely, to think that it is happening by accident or by chance is really ridiculous.

Creation without the Creator:

The universe didn’t just fall from the sky – there is a creator. To say that there is no creator is like saying that there is a painting on a canvas without a painter, there is a song sung without a singer, there is a book published without a writer, etc. If someone says that a computer can do all of these, but behind the computer there is a human mind.   

Since the universe is working so precisely, nothing other than the Lord is capable of even thinking to create this universe.

Human brains have amazing power. Among them, the power of the brightest brains the world has ever produced and the ones that are going to come in the future are beyond our comprehension. How powerful must be the brain that has created all these brains? 

The Power of God:

Shri Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita that wherever you see a special power, that is My (Lord’s) Power. He said that the whole world is created by one small fraction of My Power.

“Whatever glorious, or attractive, or powerful thing exists anywhere, know that it is a manifestation of a spark of My (Lord’s) splendor.”  (Bhagavad Gita 10.41)

“Or, O Arjuna, what need is there for you to acquire this detailed knowledge? I support the whole universe with a fraction of Myself.” (Bhagavad Gita 10.42)

Pushpadanta states that those people who don’t think deeper, don’t study scriptures and reflect upon their sayings, but simply deny or doubt the existence of the Lord must be dull-minded.