namaste everyone.
Going by the creation account in shrImad bhAgavatam, there certainly is a hierarchy--at least in the chronological sense--in the creations of matter and life forms on earth by BrahmAdeva:
• Among insentient and sentient life, the usual view of bottom-up hierarchy is: mineral kingdom, vegetable kingdom, animal kingdom and human kingdom.
• shrImad bhAgavatam in verses 3.10.15-29 gives an account of nine kinds of creations on earth, of which six are done by ViShNu and the remaining three by BrahmA:
1. The first creation is of the mahat-tattva. In the first creation the modes of nature--guNa-vaiShamyam mix and give rise to false ego--ahamaH.
2. False ego or identification of the body, along with the material ingredients--dravya, material knowledge--jnAna and material activities--kriyA arise (working senses and knowledge acquiring senses).
3. Creation of matter--bhUta-sargaH is the third. The sense perceptions--tanmAtras are created and from these the material elements are generated.
01. sound - sky
02. touch - air
03. sight - fire
04. taste - water
05. smell - earth
4. The creation of knowledge-acquiring and working capacity.
5. In the fifth creation--vaikAriko deva-sargaH, controlling deities become manifest by the interaction of the mode of goodness.
6. The sixth creation is the ignorant darkness--tamasaH of the living entity, by which the master acts as a fool.
Now starts the three kinds of creations by BrahmA:
7. The seventh creation is that of the immovable entities--tasthuShAM, which are of six kinds: vanaspati--the fruit trees without flowers, oShadhi--trees and plants which exist until the fruit is ripe, lathA--creepers, tvaksArAH--pipe plants, viruddha--creepers which have no support, and drumAH--trees with flowers and fruits.
All the immovable trees and plants seek their subsistence upwards--utsrosaH. They are almost unconscious--tamaH-prAyaH but have feelings of pain within--antaH-sparshAH. They are manifested in variegatedness--visheShiNaH.
8. The eighth creation is that of the lower species of life--tirashchAm, and they are of different varieties, numbering twenty-eight--aShTAvimsat. They are all extensively foolish and ignorant--avido-bhUritamaso. They know their desirables by smell--ghrANa-jnAH, but are unable to remember anything within the heart--hRudi-avedinaH.
• The lower animals the cow, goat, buffalo, krishna (black) stag, hog, gavaya animal, deer, lamb and camel all have two hooves--dvi-shaphAH.
• The horse, mule, kharah or ass, gaura (white deer), sharabha and wild cow all have only one hoof--eka-shaphAH.
• The dog, jackal, tiger, fox, cat, rabbit, sajaaru (porcupine variety), lion, monkey, elephant, tortoise, alligator, gosaapa (iguana), etc., all have five nails--pancha-nakhAn in their claws.
• The heron, vulture, crane, hawk, bhaasa (a kind of vulture), bhallooka, peacock, swan, saarasa (Indian crane), cakravaaka, crow, owl and others are the birds--khagAH.
• The animals are typically tiryach--growing transversely, in nature, with lateral rather than upright backbone.
9. The creation of the human beings, who are of one species only and who stock their eatables in the belly, is the ninth in the rotation. In the human race, the mode of passion is very prominent. Humans are always busy in the midst of miserable life, but they think themselves happy in all respects.
The human beings--nRuNAm differ from all other life forms on earth as
• they are of a single species only;
• the food they eat passes downwards--Arvak-srotas;
• their prominent nature is rajaH--mode of passion;
• they are karma-parAH--interested in working;
• they think--mAninaH (and have their own opinions) about happiness and sorrow.
Thus, it seems to me, that there is a definite hierarchy in the creation of insentient and sentient life-forms on earth, and that a similar hierarchy is prevalent in the creation of entities of the subtle worlds. However, this does not mean that one species of life can rule over the other for its own selfish requirements--although it happens in practice, with humans trying to rule over all other kingdoms of life. Such domination would reduce when humans, who are the only species endowed with free will, use it for the realization of Atman as the common denominator of all life forms, both sentient and insentient.
