Scriptures state that Srishti is the result of the Supreme Brahman’s desire to engage in creation. Out of His Sankalpa creation unfolds and He is described as the sole cause, providing the necessary material as well as the expertise to bring forth this wonderful and mysterious creation. In the Devi Bhagavata Purana, from Brahma’s account to Narada, it is the Divine Mother’s Sankalpa Shakti or Iccha Shakti that brings about Srishti, pointed out Sri K. Srinivasan in a discourse. She is the very Brahma swaroopa and Maya swaroopa. Devi is described as the one beyond and above the Trimurtis and all Gods.
Brahma continues his narration of how after Madhu and Kaitabha are slain by Vishnu, Devi appears before the Trimurtis and commands them to get ahead with their respective duties of srishti, stiti and samhara. But they find that there is no earth and only a mass of infinite waters. Nor can they see the five elements or the five tanmatras, or the gunas, etc, and they are baffled. She then smilingly guides them and they find an aerial car into which they are asked to get in. The three of them are astonished by the sights they see as they are taken to different worlds. They see the earth, and in swarga loka they recognise Surabhi, the divine cow, the yakshas, gandharvas, and even Indra and Sachi, and so on. Then, in the twinkling of an eye, the aerial car takes them to Brahmaloka. What could be more astonishing than Brahma seeing another four-faced Brahma with all his paraphernalia? So also Siva and Vishnu are perplexed all the more when they are taken to Kailasa and Vaikunta respectively. Then the car travels further and in no time they find themselves outside the abode of Devi situated in the midst of Sudha Sagara on the wonderful island called Mani Dweepa.
