पुराणे विश्वासटिप्पन्यः

Source: TW

A cosmogonic-theogony of the pA~ncharAtrika type interpreted from the sarga section of the brahma-purANa. While the account in the said text might be taken as a confused or corrupt account a theistic sAMkhyA, we believe that it has a genuine foundation.

Most notable is the role the place of sanatkumAra skanda in the emanation of the 7 rudra-s – this ties to the ancient motif of 7 marut-s (known as rudra-s in the early shruti) with the paurANika number of the seven-fold marut-s. It might also reflect the symbiosis between early vaiShNava-s& kaumAra-s in places like mathurA that we have presented earlier.

Such cosmogonic theogonies are reminiscent of Greek Platonic reflexes of the same. While the arrangement of deities & their generations are different, the overall concept is rather comparable. In the nirIshvara presentations of sAMkhyA, the evolutes of prakR^iti proceed by an evolutionary process after the initial contact with the puruSha. However, here, we see multiple contacts with the daiva world corresponding to the initial action of the demiurgic Zeus of the Greeks followed by multiple contacts between the daiva realm & matter – i.e., the evolutes of prakR^iti.

It seem the cosmo/theogony of the brahmapurANa has a certain ordering of the bhUta-s (ApaH etc) each of which has a certain contact with the daiva realm.

सनत्कुमारं च विभुं
पूर्वेषाम् अपि पूर्वजम् ।
सप्तस्व् एता अजायन्त
प्रजा रुद्राश् च भो द्विजाः ॥ ४६ ॥

स्कन्दः सनत्कुमारश् च
तेजः सङ्क्षिप्य तिष्ठतः ।
तेषां सप्त महावंशा
दिव्या देवगणान्विताः ॥ ४७ ॥