In the beginning there was no day or night, or earth or sky, or any living creatures. Only Brahma (the creator) existed. He decided to come into being and so gained a physical form, but one that you cannot see.

He created a golden egg, which gradually grew bigger and bigger. He went inside the egg. All of the elements to create the universe were within it: continents and seas and mountains, the planets and divisions of the universe, the gods, the demons, and mankind.

Brahma took on a new visible form, Vishnu (the maintainer), while looking after the world.

Humans and the gods experience time very differently. A long time for a human is a short time for the gods. They still need to sleep and have days and nights, but much longer ones than us. For Brahma, one day and night is hundreds of thousands of years for us.

Brahma’s mind makes the universe. So whenever Brahma goes to sleep it is destroyed, and whenever he wakes up it is created again.