Chapter 42

‘Brahmana said, From Egoism were verily born the five great elements.They are earth, air, ether, water, and light numbering the fifth. Inthese five great elements, in the matter of the sound, touch, colour,taste, and smell, all creatures become deluded. When at the close of thedestruction of the great elements, the dissolution of the universeapproaches, ye that are possessed of wisdom, a great fear comes upon allliving creatures. Every existent object is dissolved into that from whichit is produced. The dissolution takes place in an order that is thereverse of that in which creation takes place. Indeed, as regards birth,they are born from one another. Then, when all existent objects, mobileand immobile, become dissolved, wise men endued with powerful memorynever dissolve. Sound, touch, colour, taste, and smell numbering thefifth, are effects. They are, however, inconstant, and called by the nameof delusion. Caused by the production of cupidity, not different from oneanother, without reality, connected with flesh and blood, and dependingupon one another, existing outside the soul, these are all helpless andpowerless. Prana and Apana, and Udana and Samana and Vyana,–these fivewinds are always closely attached to the soul. Together with speech,mind, and understanding, they constitute the universe of eightingredients. He whose skin, nose, ear, eyes, tongue, and speech arerestrained, whose mind is pure, and whose understanding deviates not(from the right path), and whose mind is never burnt by those eightfires, succeeds in attaining to that auspicious Brahman to which nothingsuperior exists. Those which have been called the eleven organs and whichhave sprung from Egoism, I shall now, ye regenerate ones, mentionparticularly. They are the ear, the skin, the two eyes, the tongue, thenose numbering the fifth, the two feet, the lower duct, the organ ofgeneration, the two hands, and speech forming the tenth. These constitutethe group of organs, with mind numbering as the eleventh. One shouldfirst subdue this group. Then will Brahman shine forth (in him). Fiveamongst these are called organs of knowledge, and five, organs of action.The five beginning with the ear are truly said to be connected withknowledge. The rest, however, that are connected with action, are withoutdistinction. The mind should be regarded as belonging to both. Theunderstanding is the twelfth in the top. Thus have been enumerated theeleven organs in due order. Learned men, having understood these, thinkthey have accomplished everything. I shall, after this, enumerate all thevarious organs. Space (or Ether) is the first entity. As connected withthe soul, it is called the ear. As connected with objects, that is sound.The presiding deity (of this) is the quarters. The Wind is the secondentity. As connected with the soul, it is known as the skin. As connectedwith objects, it is known as objects of touch; and the presiding deitythere is touch. The third is said to be Light. As connected with thesoul, it is known as the eye. As connected with objects, it is colour;and the sun is its deity. The fourth (entity) should be known as Water.As connected with the soul, it is said to be the tongue. As connectedwith objects, it is taste, and the presiding deity there is Soma. Thefifth entity is Earth. As connected with the soul, it is said to be thenose. As connected with objects, it is scent; and the presiding deitythere is the wind. Thus has the manner been declared of how the fiveentities are divided into sets of three. After this I shall declareeverything about the diverse (other) organs. Brahmanas conversant withthe truth say that the two feet are mentioned as connected with the soul.As connected with objects, it is motion; and Vishnu is there thepresiding deity. The Apana wind, whose motion is downward, as connectedwith the soul, is called the lower duct. As connected with objects, it isthe excreta that is ejected; and the presiding deity there is Mitra. Asconnected with the soul, the organ of generation is mentioned, theproducer of all beings. As connected with objects, it is the vital seed;and the presiding deity is Prajapati. The two hands are mentioned asconnected with the soul by persons conversant with the relations of thesoul. As connected with objects, it is actions; and the presiding deitythere is Indra. Next, connected with the soul is speech which relates toall the gods. As connected with objects, it is what is spoken. Thepresiding deity there is Agni. As connected with the soul, the mind ismentioned, which moves within the soul of the five elements.[113] Asconnected with objects, it is the mental operation; and the presidingdeity is Chandramas (moon). As connected with the soul is Egoism, whichis the cause of the whole course of worldly life. As connected withobjects, it is consciousness of self; and the presiding deity there isRudra. As connected with the soul is the understanding, which impels thesix senses. As connected with objects, it is that which is to beunderstood, and the presiding deity there is Brahma. Three are the seatsof all existent objects. A fourth is not possible. These are land, water,and ether. The mode of birth is fourfold. Some are born of eggs; some areborn of germs which spring upwards, penetrating through the earth; someare born of filth; and some are born of fleshy balls in wombs. Thus isthe mode of birth seen to be of four kinds, of all living creatures. Now,there are other inferior beings and likewise those that range the sky.These should be known to be born of eggs as also those which crawl ontheir breasts. Insects are said to be born of filth, as also othercreatures of a like description. This is said to be the second mode ofbirth and is inferior. Those living creatures that take birth after thelapse of some time, bursting through the earth, are said to be germ-bornbeings, ye foremost of regenerate persons. Creatures of two feet or ofmany feet and those which move crookedly, are the beings born of wombs.Among them are some that are deformed, ye best of men. The eternal wombof Brahma should be known to be of two kinds, viz., penance andmeritorious acts. Such is the doctrine of the learned.[114] Action shouldbe understood to be of various kinds, such as sacrifice, gifts made atsacrifices, and the meritorious duty of study for every one that is born;such is the teaching of the ancients. He who duly understands this, comesto be regarded as possessed of Yoga, ye chief of regenerate persons. Knowalso that such a man becomes freed too from all his sins. I have thusdeclared to you duly the doctrine of Adhyatma.[115] Ye Rishis conversantwith all duties, a knowledge of this is acquired by those who areregarded as persons of knowledge. Uniting all these together, viz., thesenses, the objects of the senses, and the five great entities, oneshould hold them in the mind.[116] When everything is attenuated (byabsorption) in the mind, one no longer esteems the pleasures of life.Learned men, whose understandings are furnished with knowledge, regardthat as true happiness.[117] I shall after this, tell thee ofrenunciation with respect to all entities by means, gentle and hard,which produces attachment to subtle topics and which is fraught withauspiciousness. That conduct which consists in treating the qualities isnot qualities, which is free from attachment, which is living alone,which does not recognise distinctions, and which is full of Brahman, isthe source of all happiness.[118] The learned man who absorbs all desiresinto himself from all sides like the tortoise withdrawing all its limbs,who is devoid of passion, and who is released from everything, becomesalways happy. Restraining all desires within the soul, destroying histhirst, concentrated in meditation, and becoming the friend of good hearttowards all creatures, he succeeds in becoming fit for assimilation withBrahman. Through repression of all the senses which always hanker aftertheir objects, and abandonment of inhabited places, the Adhyatma fireblazes forth in the man of contemplation. As a fire, fed with fuel,becomes bright in consequence of the blazing flames it puts forth, evenso, in consequence of the repression of the senses, the great soul putsforth its effulgence. When one with a tranquil soul beholds all entitiesin one’s own heart, then, lighted by one’s own effulgence, one attains tothat which is subtler than the subtle and which is unrivalled inexcellence. It is settled that the body has fire for colour, water forblood and other liquids, wind for sense of touch, earth for the hideousholder of mind (viz., flesh and bones, etc.), space (or ether) for sound;that it is pervaded by disease and sorrow; that it is overwhelmed by fivecurrents; that it is made up of the five elements; that it has nine doorsand two deities;[119] that it is full of passion; that it is unfit to beseen (owing to its unholy character); that it is made up of threequalities; that it has three constituent elements, (viz., wind, bile andphelgm); that it is delighted with attachments of every kind, that it isfull of delusions.[120] It is difficult of being moved in this mortalworld, and it rests on the understanding as its support. That body is, inthis world, the wheel of Time that is continually revolving.[121] That(body), indeed, is a terrible and unfathomable ocean and is calleddelusion. It is this body which stretches forth, contracts, and awakensthe (whole) universe with the (very) immortals.[122] By restraining thesenses, one casts off lust, wrath, fear, cupidity, enmity, and falsehood,which are eternal and, therefore, exceedingly difficult to cast off.[123]He who has subjugated these in this world, viz., the three qualities andthe five constituent elements of the body, has the Highest for his seatin Heaven. By him is Infinity attained. Crossing the river, that has thefive senses for its steep banks, the mental inclinations for its mightywaters, and delusion for its lake, one should subjugate both lust andwrath. Such a man freed from all faults, then beholds the Highest,concentrating the mind within the mind and seeing self in self.Understanding all things, he sees his self, with self, in all creatures,sometimes as one and sometimes as diverse, changing form from time totime.[124] Without doubt he can perceive numerous bodies like a hundredlights from one light. Verily he is Vishnu, and Mitra, and Varuna, andAgni, and Prajapati. He is the Creator and the ordainer: he is the Lordpossessed of puissance, with faces turned in all directions. In him, theheart of all creatures, the great soul, becomes resplendent. Him allconclaves of learned Brahmanas, deities and Asuras, and Yakshas, andPisachas, the Pitris, and birds, and bands of Rakshasas, and bands ofghostly beings, and all the great Rishis, praise.'”