Sixth Adhyaya, Third Khanda (4 mantras)

Mantra 6.3.1.

1. Of these beings verily there are three sources only (namely the Fire, the Water and the Earth). All living-beings are produced either from an egg, or are viviparous, or are produced by fission.—412.

Note.—This Khaṇḍa describes the greatness of the Triad of Light, Water and Earth (Śrī, Vāyu and Rudra) as the sources of all other beings.

Mantra 6.3.2.

2. That God thought “these three Devatās are well-created; now I shall enter into them, with that aspect of mine called the Living Spirit (Jīva-ātman, Aniruddha) and shall develop name and form.”—413.

Mantra 6.3.3.

3. Then that God said “I shall make these three tripartite, by making each of them enter into the other.” Then that God having entered into these three Devatās, with His Living Spirit, developed names and forms (like these of Indra, etc.)—414.

[Note.—Tṛvṛtam (Tṛvṛt)—trinary, tripartite. That is He made the three deities enter into each other, thus Fire and Water entered into the Earth, Water and Earth entered into the Fire, Fire and Earth entered into the Water.]

Mantra 6.3.4.

4. He made each of them tripartite. Learn now from me, O child, how each of these is tripartite.—415.

Madhva’s commentary called the Bhāṣya:

Having created these, the Lord Keśava thought within himself “1 shall create names and forms, by entering into Lakṣmī and the rest, with that form of mine which is called Jīva, and which is the name of Aniruddha aspect of mine. By entering into them I shall make them three-fold each.” Thus thinking, he entered into them and created the names and forms of Indra and the rest, and again by making them enter into each other he formed Agni, Soma and Sūrya.

Note.—In this passage occurs the description of the three-foldness of all creation and in it occurs the phrase Jīva Ātmā. This word Jīva Ātmā is generally understood to mean the human soul or the individual soul; but here it has not that meaning. It means the Living Lord. By this tripartite Lakṣmī, etc., are made to evolve other Devatās as Indra and the rest; who in their turn evolve Agni, Moon and Sūrya. The three Devatās Lakṣmī, Vāyu and Rudra entered into each other and by their combination evolved Indra, etc. They entered also into the Fire, the Sun and the Moon and thus gave them a three-fold nature.