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Once a Christian asked me this question that the Vedic deities did not create anything, because Hindu scriptures say that purusha(soul) and prakriti (matter) are eternal like god.

Mahrishi Dayand quoted in satyarth prakash chapter 8

Three – God, the soul, and the prakriti (matter).

Q.What are your authorities for this statement?

Yajurveda 40:8 “The Great God – the King – revealed all kinds of knowledge to the human soul – His eternal subjects – through the Veda.” YAJUR VEDA

Rig Veda 1:164:20 :-Both God and the soul are eternal, they are alike in consciousness and such other attributes. They are associated together – God pervading the soul – and are mutual companions. The prakriti (matter), which is likened to the trunk of a tree whose branches are the multiform universe which is resolved into tis elementary condition at the time of dissolution is also eternal. The natures, attributes and characters of these three are also eternal. Of the two – God and the soul – the latter alone reaps the fruits of this tree of the universe – good or evil – whilst the former does not. He is the All-glorious Being who shines within, without and all around."

Shwetshwatar Upanishad 4:5:-The prakriti, the soul and God, all of them, are uncreated. They are the cause of the whole universe. They have no cause of the whole universe. They have no cause and have been existing eternally. The eternal soul enjoys the eternal matter and is wrapped up in it whilst God neither enjoys it, nor, is He wrapped up in it."

The attributes of God and the soul have been described in the last chapter. Here we shall treat of the properties of prakriti (matter).

Sankhta shastra 1:61- “That condition of matter in which the intellect-promoting (satva – high), passion-exciting (rajas – medium) and stupidity producing tamas – low qualities) are found combined in equal proportions is called prakriti. From prakriti emanated the principle of wisdom (Mahaatava), and from the latter proceeded the principle of Individuality (Ahakaara) from which emanated the five subtle entities and the ten principles of sensation and action, and the manas, i.e., the principle of attention. From the five subtle entities issued forth the five gross entities, such as solids, liquids, etc. These twenty-four entities and the purush, i.e., the spirit – human and Divine – form a group of twenty-five noumena.”

Source:-http://satyarthprakash.in/english/chapter-eight/

Shwetshwatar Upanishad said clearly that they are uncreated. I am not Arya samaji so I can easily reject satyarth prakash. But I can't reject these verses. Can anyone answer my question that did god not create anything?

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  • You should have asked your Christian friend the following question - Did you go through Purusha Sukta of Rig Veda (10.90)? It talks about creation.@Harshit Gangwar
    – Srimannarayana K V
    Nov 21, 2019 at 3:22
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    Very good question with reference that basically its the core belif of advaita.. there is only one thing.. existed before creation.. almost all of the philosophy except madhvacharya rejects the above vedic statements.. there by rejecting vedas.. there by rejecting the foundation on which they standing.. and hence all of the philosophy are failing.. except madhvacharyas
    – Prasanna R
    Nov 21, 2019 at 4:55
  • He is the creator in one sense that he gave consicousness to the world, he became the consicousness of the world.. pragyanadam brahma..
    – Prasanna R
    Nov 21, 2019 at 4:57
  • The one appears as many - purusha, prakriti, parameshwara are all manifestations of the one brahman. Brahman is the creator in the sense that it is both the material and instrumental cause of creation. This appearance of one as many, is beginningless. Hence purusha, prakruti, Ishwara are all eternal, but all have their basis in brahman.
    – user16581
    Nov 22, 2019 at 8:51
  • en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_of_Jiva_and_Atman
    – user16530
    Nov 22, 2019 at 19:37

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If purusha, prakriti and parmeshwar are eternal, did god not create them?

He did not create Jivatmas or Prakriti (material elements) because they are both eternal, but he still created the universe, all its heavens, hells, underworlds, lifeforms, etc. by modifying Prakriti, and he put Jivatmas in those bodies based on their karma.

According to Vedanta, Brahman is both the efficient and material cause of the universe. Efficient cause means that he willed the creation of the universe, and material cause means that he transformed himself into the universe.

Brahma Sutra 1.4.23 according to Ramanujacharya says:

(Brahman is) the material cause on account of this not being in conflict with the promissory statements and the illustrative instances.

The difference is, before creation, achit and chit were in a subtle form as the body of Brahman, and after creation they manifest into gross forms as the universe consisting of heavens, hells, etc which form the body of Brahman.

Ramanujacharya's commentary on the sutra:

The highest Brahman, having the whole aggregate of non-sentient and sentient beings for its body, ever is the Self of all. Sometimes, however, names and forms are not evolved, not distinguished in Brahman; at other times they are evolved, distinct. In the latter state Brahman is called an effect and manifold; in the former it is called one, without a second, the cause.

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  • When god transform to material universe, why there is difference one is earth worm and another devatha? is there no qualities of God found in earthworm?? earth worm can be killed can god have the same defect in that case
    – Prasanna R
    Dec 16, 2019 at 9:55
  • @PrasannaR Brahman is still Brahman, only his body (Prakriti) modifies into the world we see during creation. Brahman himself doesn't experience pain and pleasure like Jivatmas, even though both are embodied, because he is not bound by karma: sacred-texts.com/hin/sbe48/sbe48074.htm
    – Ikshvaku
    Dec 16, 2019 at 15:44
  • Brahman doesn't undergo any changes if he his changing then he cannot be called Brahman If you accept Lord Krishna's deha is aprakrutha doesn't under go changes than how could Brahman change
    – Prasanna R
    Dec 19, 2019 at 1:58

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