Creation

The mystery of Creation

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Hinduism c. 3000 BC
Nothing whatsoever exists without Me or beyond Me. The
atoms of the universe may be counted, but not so My
manifestations; for eternally I create innumerable worlds.
– Srimad Bhagavatam 11.10
I am the nucleus of every creature, Arjuna; for without Me
nothing can exist, neither animate nor inanimate....
Wherever you find strength, or beauty, or spiritual power,
you may be sure that these have sprung from a spark of
My essence.
– Bhagavad Gita 10.39, 41
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The Bahá'í Faith 1844 AD
O SON OF SPIRIT!
I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to
poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase
thyself? Out of the essence of knowledge I gave thee
being, why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone
beside Me? Out of the clay of love I molded thee, how
dost thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto
thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee,
mighty, powerful and self-subsisting.
O SON OF LOVE!
Thou art but one step away from the glorious heights
above and from the celestial tree of love. Take thou one
pace and with the next advance into the immortal realm
and enter the pavilion of eternity. Give ear then to that
which hath been revealed by the pen of glory.
– Bahá'u'lláh
The Hidden Words
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The Bahá'í Faith 1844 AD Judaism c. 1500 BC

All praise to the unity of God, and all honor to Him, the In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
sovereign Lord, the incomparable and all-glorious Ruler of
the universe, Who, out of utter nothingness, hath created – Genesis 1:1
the reality of all things, Who, from naught, hath brought
into being the most refined and subtle elements of His
creation, and Who, rescuing His creatures from the
abasement of remoteness and the perils of ultimate When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
extinction, hath received them into His kingdom of The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
incorruptible glory. Nothing short of His all-encompassing What is man that You take thought of him,
grace, His all-pervading mercy, could have possibly And the son of man that You care for him?
achieved it. How could it, otherwise, have been possible Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
for sheer nothingness to have acquired by itself the And You crown him with glory and majesty!
worthiness and capacity to emerge from its state of non- You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
existence into the realm of being? You have put all things under his feet,
All sheep and oxen,
Having created the world and all that liveth and moveth And also the beasts of the field,
therein, He, through the direct operation of His The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,
unconstrained and sovereign Will, chose to confer upon Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.
man the unique distinction and capacity to know Him and O Lord, our Lord,
to love Him—a capacity that must needs be regarded as How majestic is Your name in all the earth!
the generating impulse and the primary purpose
underlying the whole of creation…. Upon the inmost – Psalms 8:4-10
reality of each and every created thing He hath shed the
light of one of His names, and made it a recipient of the
glory of one of His attributes. Upon the reality of man,
however, He hath focused the radiance of all of His names
and attributes, and made it a mirror of His own Self. Alone
of all created things man hath been singled out for so
great a favor, so enduring a bounty.
– Bahá'u'lláh
Gleanings

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Zoroastrianism c. 900 BC
This do I ask, O Lord, reveal unto me the truth!
Who is the first begetter, father of the Cosmic Law?
Who assigned orbit to the sun and the stars?
Who causes the moon to wax and again to wane?
Who other than Thee? This and else I wish to know!
Who is the upholder of the earth and of the sky?
Who prevents them from falling down?
Who maintains the waters and also the plants?
Who yoked speed to winds and clouds?
Who is the creator of the creatures?
Who is the architect of light and darkness?
Who created sleep and wakefulness?
By whom exists dawn, mid-day and night,
Which monitor the duties of men?
– Avesta, Yana 44.3-5
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The Bahá'í Faith 1844 AD
O SON OF MAN!
I loved thy creation, hence I created thee. Wherefore, do
thou love Me, that I may name thy name and fill thy soul
with the spirit of life.
O CHILDREN OF MEN!
Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust?
That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at
all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We
have created you all from one same substance it is
incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the
same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the
same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds
and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of
detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to
you, O concourse of light! Heed ye this counsel that ye
may obtain the fruit of holiness from the tree of
wondrous glory.
– Bahá'u'lláh
The Hidden Words
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The Bahá'í Faith 1844 AD
The one true God hath everlastingly existed, and will
everlastingly continue to exist. His creation, likewise, hath
had no beginning, and will have no end. All that is created,
however, is preceded by a cause. This fact, in itself,
establisheth, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the unity of
the Creator.
Thou hast, moreover, asked Me concerning the nature of
the celestial spheres. To comprehend their nature, it
would be necessary to inquire into the meaning of the
allusions that have been made in the Books of old to the
celestial spheres and the heavens, and to discover the
character of their relationship to this physical world, and
the influence which they exert upon it. Every heart is filled
with wonder at so bewildering a theme, and every mind is
perplexed by its mystery. God, alone, can fathom its
import. The learned men, that have fixed at several
thousand years the life of this earth, have failed,
throughout the long period of their observation, to
consider either the number or the age of the other
planets. Consider, moreover, the manifold divergencies
that have resulted from the theories propounded by these
men. Know thou that every fixed star hath its own
planets, and every planet its own creatures, whose
number no man can compute.
– Bahá'u'lláh
Gleanings
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Buddhism c. 400 BC
And as all things originate from one essence, so they are
developing according to one law and they are destined to
one aim which is Nirvana. Nirvana comes to thee,
Kassapa, when thou understandest thoroughly, and when
thou livest according to thy understanding, that all things
are of one essence and that there is but one law. Hence,
there is but one Nirvana as there is but one truth, not two
or three.
– Lal, Dhammapada, p. 5
The Tathagata [Buddha] sees the universe face to face and
understands its nature. He proclaims the truth both in its
letter and in its spirit, and his doctrine is glorious in its
origin, glorious in its progress, glorious in its
consummation. The Tathagata reveals the higher life in its
purity and perfection.
The Tathagata lets his mind pervade the four quarters of
the world with thoughts of love. And thus the whole wide
world, above, below, around, and everywhere will
continue to be filled with love, far-reaching, grown great,
and beyond measure.
– Digha-niyaka, 1:235 (Tevijja Sutta),
Fozdar, Buddha p. 44
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Christianity 1 AD
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with
God. All things came into being through Him, and apart
from Him nothing came into being that has come into
being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
– John 1:1-4
“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the
end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always
was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”
– Revelation 1:8
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Islam c. 613 AD
God it is Who created the heavens and the earth, and that
which is between them, in six days.
– Qur'an 32.4-9
It is He Who sends down rain from the sky. From it ye
drink, and out of it (grows) the vegetation on which ye
feed your cattle. With it He produces for you corn, olives,
date-palms, grapes, and every kind of fruit: verily in this is
a Sign for those who give thought. He has made subject to
you the Night and the Day; the Sun and the Moon; and
the Stars are in subjection by His Command: verily in this
are Signs for those who are wise. And the things on this
earth which He has multiplied in varying colours (and
qualities); verily in this is a Sign for those who are mindful.
It is He Who has made the sea subject, that ye may eat
thereof flesh that is fresh and tender, and that ye may
extract therefrom ornaments to wear; and thou seest the
ships therein that plough the waves, that ye may seek
(thus) of the bounty of God and that ye may be grateful.
And He has set up on the earth mountains standing firm,
lest it should shake with you; and rivers and ways: that ye
may guide yourselves; and marks and sign-posts; and by
the stars (humans) guide themselves. Is then He Who
creates like one that creates not? Will ye not receive
admonition? If ye would count up the favours of God,
never would ye be able to number them: for God is Oft-
Forgiving, Most Merciful.
– Quran Surih XV1 v 10-19
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