It is believed that creation (srishti) and dissolution (pralaya) are essential aspects of the creative process which is an eternal and recurring movement. It is against this backdrop that the beginning and end of life-cycles of created beings take place.
During pralaya, the Supreme Lord is in cosmic slumber and the entire manifested universe is absorbed in His being. At the close of pralaya, He is roused by Time and by His sankalpa or will, prakriti that was latent in Him is once again activated in the ordained stages.
Narayana Bhattatiri describes the cosmic creation and especially Brahma's penance when he was ordered by the Lord to go ahead with the creation of the inhabitants of the universe. The value of inward concentration to gain spiritual and mental powers is exemplified in Brahma's penance at this point, said Sri Jamadagni in a lecture.
Brahma was inside the stalk of a lotus bloom and meditated for long to discover his identity and the source of the lotus. After a long period of meditation, he was able to see the divine form of the Lord in his inner eye. Brahma then extolled the glory of the Lord. The Lord said that by engaging in tapas and by remaining devoted to Him, he would be able to proceed with the creation of the three worlds.
Brahma then created embodied beings — vegetation, birds, animals, men, gods, etc. Brahma also created both good and bad, the three Gunas, Satva, Rajas and Tamas.
While Satva is ennobling and spiritual, the other two are more world-centric and propagate ignorance rather than spiritual wisdom — such as wrong perceptions, ego-centeredness, attachment, anger and fear. It is said that Brahma once again meditated on the Lord to atone for this lapse.
It implies that we too have to engage in penance to gain higher knowledge and overcome ignorance.
The spiritual path is tread only with the help of penance. Spiritual wisdom is not easily gained and much effort — deep, concentrated and one-pointed thinking is advised in the scriptures. This effort is called penance and involves austerities.
