Shloka 36
Vidura’s Questions on Devotion and Sarga; Maitreya Begins the Account of Creation
ज्योतिषाम्भोऽनुसंसृष्टं विकुर्वद्ब्रह्मवीक्षितम् । महीं गन्धगुणामाधात्कालमायांशयोगत: ॥ ३६ ॥
jyotiṣāmbho ’nusaṁsṛṣṭaṁ vikurvad brahma-vīkṣitam mahīṁ gandha-guṇām ādhāt kāla-māyāṁśa-yogataḥ
Thereafter the water born of jyoti, as it transformed and was glanced upon by Brahman—the Supreme Personality of Godhead—by the conjunction of eternal time and external energy became earth, whose foremost quality is fragrance (smell).
From the descriptions of the physical elements in the above verses it is clear that in all stages the glance of the Supreme is needed with the other additions and alterations. In every transformation, the last finishing touch is the glance of the Lord, who acts as a painter does when he mixes different colors to transform them into a particular color. When one element mixes with another, the number of its qualities increases. For example, the sky is the cause of air. The sky has only one quality, namely sound, but by the interaction of the sky with the glance of the Lord, mixed with eternal time and the external nature, the air is produced, which has two qualities: sound and touch. Similarly, after the air is created, the interaction of sky and air, touched by time, the external energy of the Lord, produces electricity. Next, the interaction of electricity with air and sky, mixed with time, the external energy and the Lord’s glance over them, produces water. In the final stage of sky there is one quality, namely sound; in the air two qualities, sound and touch; in the electricity three qualities, namely sound, touch and form; in the water four qualities: sound, touch, form and taste; and in the last stage of physical development the result is earth, which has all five qualities — sound, touch, form, taste and smell. Although they are different mixtures of different materials, such mixtures do not take place automatically, just as a mixture of colors does not take place automatically without the touch of the living painter. The automatic system is factually activated by the glancing touch of the Lord. Living consciousness is the final word in all physical changes. This fact is mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā (9.10) as follows:
FAQs
This verse states that earth manifests the specific sense-quality of fragrance (gandha) when it transforms in combination with water and fire under the divine glance, activated by time and māyā.
Here kāla is presented as the activating factor that, together with the Lord’s māyā potency, sets transformation in motion—so the elements develop their distinct qualities in sequence.
It reminds a devotee that material changes happen under higher control; recognizing the Lord behind nature helps cultivate detachment, humility, and steadiness in bhakti amid life’s transformations.