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Prakrtitva-nirupanah—Matter
1 Now we will discuss material nature (prakrti). The material
nature is said to be the resting place of the three modes that begin with
goodness. In the Sruti-sastra (Culika Upanisad) it is said:
“Material nature is like a cow. She never had a beginning.
She is the mother of all living entities. She is black, white, and red. She is
a cow whose milk fulfils all of Lord Vishnu’s desires.”
In the Smrti-sastra it is said:
“Material nature consists of the three modes. She is the
mother of the material universes. She is never born and never dies. She is
eternal and unchanging. She is said to be field where the conditioned souls
perform their actions.”
2 Material nature manifests the three modes. The modes are
sattva (goodness), rajas (passion), which is the cause of passion and
suffering, and tamas (ignorance), which is cause of madness and laziness. As
death comes when the three elements bile, mucous and air are in perfect
equilibrium, so the material universe becomes destroyed when the three modes is
upset and some modes become more prominent than the others, the mahat-tattva
and the other ingredients of the material universe become manifest. When the
modes are in equilibrium the material universe is destroyed, and when the
equilibrium is broken, the material universe is created. These activities
repeatedly create and destroy the material universes. In this way the three
modes become the causes of various material transformations. In the Vishnu Purana it is said:
“The mahat tattva (primordial material nature) is divided
into the three modes goodness, passion and ignorance.”
3 In the material nature false ego (ahankara) is manifested.
False ego is the cause of the soul’s misidentification with the external
material body. False ego is manifested in three ways in goodness, passion and
ignorance. These three kinds of false ego are also called ‘vaikarika’
(goodness), ‘taijasa’ (passion) and ‘bhuta’ (ignorance).From the different
kinds of false ego in the different modes various things are manifest. From
false ego in the mode of goodness are manifest the mind and the demigods that
control the senses. From false ego in the mode of passion are manifest the ten
senses. From false ego in the mode of ignorance are manifest the five kinds of
sense objects, beginning with ether. This is described in the following words
of Shrimad Bhagavatam (11.24.6-8):
“From the mahat-tattva, the bewildering false ego is born.”
“The three kinds of false ego are vaikarika (false ego in
goodness), taijasa (false ego in passion) and tamasa (false ego in ignorance).
False ego is the cause of the mind, senses and sense-objects. False ego is
present in both spirit and matter.
“From false ego in the mode of ignorance the sense objects
were born. From false ego in the mode of passion the senses were born. From
false ego in the mode of goodness the mind and the eleven demigods were born.”
In Shrimad Bhagavatam (3.26.23-24) it is also said:
“The material ego springs up from the mahat-tattva, which
evolved from the Lord’s own energy. The material ego is endowed predominantly
with active power of three kinds: good, passionate, and ignorant. It is from
these three types of material ego that the mind, the senses of perception, the
organs of action, and the gross elements evolve.”*
In this verse the word ‘ca’ (and) means ‘all of them in the
same sequence.”
4 The gist is this: The senses are of two kinds: the internal
senses and the external senses. The
internal sense is the mind, which is composed of false ego in the mode of
goodness, performs the activities of accepting and rejecting and is situated in
the heart. According to the different
natures of its different thinking processes, this internal sense is called by
the names mind, intelligence, and false ego. When it is directed toward
material things the mind become the cause of material bondage. In the Sruti-sastra it is said:
“The mind is the cause of both bondage and liberation. An
impure mind is filled with material desires.
A pure mind is free of material desires.”
The mind is also the performer of remembering and other
like activities.
5 The external senses are composed of false ego in the mode of
passion. The external senses are of two kinds: the knowledge acquiring senses
and the active senses.The knowledge acquiring senses are five .They are the
ears, skin, eyes, tongue and nose.The sense that perceives sound is called the
ear. In human beings and other creatures
the sense of hearing resides in the ear. In snakes it resides in the eyes. The
sense that perceives touch is called the skin. The sense of touch is present in
every part of the body’s external covering, with the sole exceptions of the
nails and hair and other like places. To the degree life is present in the
body’s external covering, to that degree the sense of touch is present. The sense that perceives form is the eye. The
sense that perceives taste is the tongue. The sense that perceives smell is the
nose.
6 The ears and other knowledge acquiring senses perceive sense
objects in the ether and the other five elements. These senses and elements are
all material. The mind, life-air (prana), and speech are thus manifest in the
elements earth, water, and fire. They are described in these words of the Sruti sastra:
“O gentle one, mind is related to earth, breath is related
to water, and speech is related to fire.”
7 The second group of senses, the active senses, are also five
in number. They are the voice, hands, feet, genital and anus. The voice is the
sense that creates speech. It is
situated in the throat, chest, and related places. In the Veda-bhasya it is
said:
“The different syllables are created in eight places: the
chest, throat, head, tongue, teeth, nose, lips and palate.”
Because they do not have the same abilities to create a
variety of sounds in these eight places, cows and other creatures do not have
the power of speech. Another of these working senses is the sense that creates
various objects, like crafts or art. In human beings and many other creatures
this sense reposes in the hands and fingers. In elephants this sense reposes in
the trunk. The next sense is the sense of moving from one place to another. In
human beings and many other creatures this sense reposes in the feet. In snakes
this sense is in the chest, and in birds it is in the wings. The next sense is
the sense of removing impurities from the body, a sense that resides in the
anus. The last of these senses is the sense for providing a specific intense
pleasure. This sense resides in the genitals. The genitals also discharge
urine.
8 From false ego in the mode of goodness Candra and the other
demigods that control these 14 senses are manifested. Among these Deities
Brahma, Siva and Vishnu govern the intern senses of mind, intelligence and
false ego. In this way the living entities are able to make decisions, become
resolute, identify their identity, and think. The Dik-palas, Maruts, Surya,
Varuna, and the Asvini-kumaras govern the ears, skin, eyes, tongue and nose
respectively. In this way the living entities are able to perceive sound,
touch, form, taste, and fragrance. Agni, Indra, Upendra, Yama, and Prajapati
govern the voice, hands, feet, anus, and genitals respectively. In this way the
living entities are able to speak, grasp things, move about, defecate and enjoy
a specific intense pleasure.
9 From false ego in the mode of ignorance are manifest first
the five sense objects and then the five gross material elements. First the false ego in the mode of ignorance
and then the gross material elements are manifest. Then they are transformed
into the sense objects, which are called the tan-matras. As milk is transformed
into yoghurt, and as a newly conceived embryo is transformed into a child, so
the gross elements are transformed into the sense objects. The gross elements
are called bhutas. The sense objects are subtle, and the elements are gross.
10 The sequence in which the gross elements are manifest is
described in a number of different ways.
It is said that from the Supreme Lord ether was manifest. From ether air
was manifest. From air the next elements
was manifest, and so one. In this way
the Sruti-sastra describes the creation of the gross material elements. In the Subala Upanisad it is said:
“From false ego the five gross sense objects are
manifest. From the sense objects the
five gross elements are manifest.
This is also described in the Gopala-tapani Upanisad. From
false ego the five sense objects are manifest. From the sense objects are
manifest, one after another, the gross material elements. This is described in
the Gopala-tapani Upanisad. From false ego is manifest sound. From sound is
manifest ether. From ether are manifest sound and touch. From ether is manifest air. From air are
manifest sound, touch, and form. From air is manifest fire. From fire are
manifest sound, touch, form and taste. From fire is manifest water. From water are manifest sound, touch, form,
taste, and fragrance. From water is manifest earth.
11 The five elements have specific qualities. Ether has sound and
touch. It does not have any other sense objects. Air has coolness to the touch,
but it does not have fragrance or warmth. Fire had warmth and light. Water has
coolness to the touch but id does not have fragrance. Earth has fragrance.
12 After the gross elements were created, the sense objects were
manifested within them. After creating them, Lord Vishnu, the Personality of
Godhead, divided the five gross material elements into two parts. Then He
divided them again, so now there were four parts. In this way he divided the
gross material elements. In the scriptures it is said:
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead divided the five
material elements each into two parts.
Then each of those parts He divided again. Then He looked at how He had
divided the five elements.”
13 Then the fourteen planetary systems were manifested from the
five material elements. The seven upper planets, namely Bhur, Bhuvar, Svar,
Mahar, Janas, Tapas and Satya were manifested. The seven lower planets, namely
Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Rasatala, Talatala, Mahatala, and Patala were also
manifested. From them the four types of material bodies of the living entities,
bodies born from wombs, from eggs, from perspiration and from seeds, were
manifested. Human beings, cows, and other like creatures are born from wombs.
Birds, snakes, and other like creatures are born from eggs. Lice, mosquitoes,
and other like creatures are born from perspiration. Trees, bushes, and other
plants are born from seeds.
14 In this I have given a general description. It is not possible
here to give many details. Then the sun was placed in the sky and made to rise
in the east. Then the directions of outer space were created.
15 Prana (life-breath) is not a separate element. It is included within air (vayu). Prana is of
five kinds: prana, apana, samana, udyana, and vyana.
The different parts of material nature, from mahat-tattva
to the element earth may be considered a single whole. Still, when the
different activities of material nature are performed, they may be considered
separate units.
16 The eight elements are transformed into sixteen. By the Lord’s
potency the false ego is transformed into sound. From sound sky and touch are
manifest. From touch air and form are manifest. From form fire and taste are
manifest. From taste water and fragrance are manifest. From fragrance earth is
manifest. The five sense objects, namely sound, touch, form, taste and
fragrance are manifest before the eleven senses. he sense objects are manifest,
one after the other, in the gross material elements. In ether only one sense object, namely sound,
is manifest. In air sound and touch are manifest. In fire, sound, touch and form are manifest.
In water sound, touch, form and taste are manifest. In earth sound, touch,
form, taste and fragrance are manifest. In the Smrti-sastras the five sense
objects are sometimes considered collectively as a single unit. Then again they
are also considered separately. The sense objects are considered the origin of the
gross material elements. Therefore they
are different from the gross elements. Thus the material nature (prakrti),
mahat-tattva, false ego, eleven senses, five sense objects, and five gross
elements are said to be the 24 material elements.
17 Material nature, mahat-tattva, false ego and the five gross
material elements are the ingredients of the gross material body. The eleven
senses are like jewel ornaments placed on the gross material body. The five
sense objects, eleven senses, and prana are said to be the ingredient of the
subtle material body.
18 Controlled by consciousness, the material body is manifested,
performs actions, and finally comes to an end.
In the body are perceptions and activities, but, as the wife is
controlled by the husband, the perceptions and activities are under the control
of the consciousness. The material body is made of prakrti and the other
material elements. It has no other ingredients. The material body is like a
ball of earth. It is not different from a clay pot or other like thing. In this
way the components of the body are counted. It is not otherwise. Within the
body are both its cause and its effect. They are not different. he logicians
say cause and effect are different, are like the warp and woof of a loom. hat is
not true. They are not divided in that way. The sankhya philosophers say the
cause and effect are different and not different. That is not true either, for
it contradicts the statements of scripture.
Therefor the conclusion is that the cause and effect are not different.