Perhaps, on this Earth, the only being that troubles itself with how it came here is the human being. All other creatures are busy struggling with just one concern — how to survive in this world!
In most religions, there are creation stories that explain that 'an all-powerful God' created this world. These stories take many forms. Humans imagine the creator to possess qualities similar to themselves — authority, compassion, generosity, and a sense of fatherhood.
In most religions, there are creation stories that explain that 'an all-powerful God' created this world. These stories take many forms. Humans imagine the creator to possess qualities similar to themselves — authority, compassion, generosity, and a sense of fatherhood.
In Chapter 49, Verse 13 of the Quran, Allah says:
A similar story appears in the Bible as well. There, God creates Adam and Eve, and it is said that all of humanity descends from this original pair. In Hinduism too, there is the story of Brahma, the creator of the world.
According to all these stories, the creator is different from the creation. The creator is the original source, and creation is something that has emerged from that source.
However, there is an interesting point to note in these stories — they portray only humans as the direct descendants of God. All other living beings in the world are described as if they exist merely to serve human beings!
But this simple view of creation, which resembles a human-like act, did not satisfy the ancient Sankhya philosophers of India. They proposed their own theory of evolution.
According to them, there is no creator for this world. Instead, the world has taken shape as a result of a continuous process of evolution.
They said that in the beginning, there existed a primordial state called 'Pradhana'. In reality, this 'Pradhana' is not a substance, but a state of equilibrium among three competing qualities — Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. Through processes of self-reproduction and recombination, this 'Pradhana' evolved into the entire physical world. The Sankhyas called it 'Prakriti'.
However, they then faced a fundamental question. What is the use of such a diverse and pleasure-giving Prakriti if there is no one to experience it? Therefore, they proposed the existence of 'Purusha' — a conscious principle that exists alongside Prakriti and is capable of experiencing it. Since Purusha is conscious, it can experience the world.
Thus, in Sankhya philosophy, the idea of a creator was rejected and replaced with the concepts of 'Bhoghya' (Object) and 'Bhoghi' (Subject). The physical world is the object to be experienced, while the embodied conscious beings — the Purushas — are the experiencers.
Yet, a deeper question remained unresolved. Where did this 'Pradhana' come from? Even though it does not possess the capacity to experience, what drove it to evolve into such a diverse world? Likewise, the origin of the Purushas remained a mystery. If there is no creator, how did they come into existence? Thus, the question remained unanswered.
The Vedanta philosophers of India rejected the Sankhya argument. They argued that an insentient and inert 'Pradhana' cannot, on its own, evolve into such a diverse world.
For such a profound process, there must be intelligence, an evolving intention, and a purpose. But none of these exist in inert 'Pradhana'. And the question of the origin of the Purushas still remained. Who created them?
The Vedic rishis deeply contemplated and debated these questions. Although they arrived at various answers, none gave them complete satisfaction. However, they knew that there existed a certain path that could answer all questions — that path was 'meditation'.
So, they entered into deep meditation. As expected, they found the answer. But this answer came only when they transcended the boundaries of the mind. After all, what is meditation if not going beyond the limits of the mind?
When they emerged from meditation, they found no adequate means to express the truth they had realized. They exclaimed:
But in this world, every experience must somehow be communicated to another — that is human nature. How can that be done?
In the Chandogya Upanishad, the father Uhddaalaka explains this to his son Shvetaketu and says:
This means that both the inert world and all conscious beings are different expressions of the same Atman. In other words, each one of us is the very form of that Atman.
From here arises the famous Upanishadic statement — "Tut-twum-Uh-see — You are That."
Before making this final declaration, Uhddaalaka had tried to explain in detail how the world came into existence, using long experiments and reasoning.
Therefore, no one created this world. It was not created by any God. The simple truth here is that there is no distinction between creator and creation. That one reality itself has transformed into the world we see everywhere. However, the subtle point to note is this — even after this transformation, the original reality remains unchanged!
This is echoed in an Upanishadic mantra:
Thus, the question now is no longer about the origin of the world — but about who we truly are!
"O mankind! We created you from a single male and a single female, and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another — not so that you may hate one another."
A similar story appears in the Bible as well. There, God creates Adam and Eve, and it is said that all of humanity descends from this original pair. In Hinduism too, there is the story of Brahma, the creator of the world.
According to all these stories, the creator is different from the creation. The creator is the original source, and creation is something that has emerged from that source.
However, there is an interesting point to note in these stories — they portray only humans as the direct descendants of God. All other living beings in the world are described as if they exist merely to serve human beings!
But this simple view of creation, which resembles a human-like act, did not satisfy the ancient Sankhya philosophers of India. They proposed their own theory of evolution.
According to them, there is no creator for this world. Instead, the world has taken shape as a result of a continuous process of evolution.
They said that in the beginning, there existed a primordial state called 'Pradhana'. In reality, this 'Pradhana' is not a substance, but a state of equilibrium among three competing qualities — Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. Through processes of self-reproduction and recombination, this 'Pradhana' evolved into the entire physical world. The Sankhyas called it 'Prakriti'.
However, they then faced a fundamental question. What is the use of such a diverse and pleasure-giving Prakriti if there is no one to experience it? Therefore, they proposed the existence of 'Purusha' — a conscious principle that exists alongside Prakriti and is capable of experiencing it. Since Purusha is conscious, it can experience the world.
Thus, in Sankhya philosophy, the idea of a creator was rejected and replaced with the concepts of 'Bhoghya' (Object) and 'Bhoghi' (Subject). The physical world is the object to be experienced, while the embodied conscious beings — the Purushas — are the experiencers.
Yet, a deeper question remained unresolved. Where did this 'Pradhana' come from? Even though it does not possess the capacity to experience, what drove it to evolve into such a diverse world? Likewise, the origin of the Purushas remained a mystery. If there is no creator, how did they come into existence? Thus, the question remained unanswered.
The Vedanta philosophers of India rejected the Sankhya argument. They argued that an insentient and inert 'Pradhana' cannot, on its own, evolve into such a diverse world.
For such a profound process, there must be intelligence, an evolving intention, and a purpose. But none of these exist in inert 'Pradhana'. And the question of the origin of the Purushas still remained. Who created them?
The Vedic rishis deeply contemplated and debated these questions. Although they arrived at various answers, none gave them complete satisfaction. However, they knew that there existed a certain path that could answer all questions — that path was 'meditation'.
So, they entered into deep meditation. As expected, they found the answer. But this answer came only when they transcended the boundaries of the mind. After all, what is meditation if not going beyond the limits of the mind?
When they emerged from meditation, they found no adequate means to express the truth they had realized. They exclaimed:
"That cannot be seen, heard, or experienced through any of our senses. Nor can it be grasped by the mind. It is different from what we know, and beyond what we do not know. We have not fully understood It, nor do we know how to explain It to others."
But in this world, every experience must somehow be communicated to another — that is human nature. How can that be done?
In the Chandogya Upanishad, the father Uhddaalaka explains this to his son Shvetaketu and says:
"That which pervades this entire universe, that which gives consciousness to everything — that indeed is the Atman. That is the ultimate reality."
This means that both the inert world and all conscious beings are different expressions of the same Atman. In other words, each one of us is the very form of that Atman.
From here arises the famous Upanishadic statement — "Tut-twum-Uh-see — You are That."
Before making this final declaration, Uhddaalaka had tried to explain in detail how the world came into existence, using long experiments and reasoning.
Therefore, no one created this world. It was not created by any God. The simple truth here is that there is no distinction between creator and creation. That one reality itself has transformed into the world we see everywhere. However, the subtle point to note is this — even after this transformation, the original reality remains unchanged!
This is echoed in an Upanishadic mantra:
"That is whole. This world is also whole. For this world has emerged from that wholeness. Even after this whole world has come out of that wholeness, that source remains as complete as before."
Thus, the question now is no longer about the origin of the world — but about who we truly are!
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© Dr. King, Swami Satyapriya 2026
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