Chapter 187

“Bhrigu said, ‘There is no destruction of the living creature, or of whatis given, or of our other acts. The creature that dies only goes intoanother form. The body along dissolves away. The living creature, thoughdepending upon the body, does not meet with destruction when the body isdestroyed. It is not seen after the destruction of the physical framejust as fire is not seen after the consumption of the fuel with which itwas ignited.’

“Bharadwaja said, ‘If there is no destruction of the living creature likethat of fire, I submit, fire itself is not seen after consumption of thefuel (that ignited it). When the supply of fuel is stopped, the firebecomes extinguished, and, as far as I know, becomes annihilated. Thatshould surely be regarded to have met with destruction which has nolonger any action, which furnishes no proof of its existence, and whichno longer occupies any space.’

“Bhrigu said, ‘It is true that upon the consumption of fuel fire is nolonger seen. It mingles with space because there is no longer any visibleobject in which to inhere, and hence it becomes incapable of perceptionby us. Similarly, upon leaving the body, the creature lives in space, andcannot be seen in consequence of its extreme subtility as is doubtlessthe case with fire. It is fire or heat that sustains the breaths calledPrana and the others. Know that that heat (thus existing) is called lifeor the living agent. That heat which is the sustainer of the breaths,becomes extinguished in consequence of the suppression of breath. Uponthat heat in the physical frame being extinguished, the frame itselfloses animation. Falling down, it is transformed into earth, for that isits ultimate destination. The breath that is in all mobile and immobileobjects mingles with space, and the heat that is in them follows thatbreath. These three (viz., space, air, and tire), mingle together. Theother two (viz., water and earth), exist together in the form of earth.There is wind where space is, and there is fire where wind is. They areformless, it should be known, and become endued with form only in respectof embodied creatures.’

“Bharadwaja said, ‘If in the physical frames of all living creaturesthere are heat, wind, earth, space and water, what, then, are theindications of living agent? Tell me these, O sinless one! I desire toknow the nature of the life that is in the bodies of livingbeings,–bodies made up of the five primal elements, engaged in the fiveacts, endued with the five senses and possessed of animation. Upon thedissolution of the body which is a union of flesh and blood, and a massof fat, sinews and bones, that which is the living agent cannot be seen.If this body, composed of the five elements, be destitute of what iscalled life, who or what then is that which feels misery upon theappearance of either bodily or mental pain? The living agent hears whatis said, with the aid of the ears. It, however, happens again, O greatRishi, that the same agent hears not when the Mind is otherwise engaged.It seems, therefore, that that which is called the living agent serves nopurpose. The whole scene that the living agent sees with eyes acting inconcert with the mind, the eye beholds not, even when lying before it, ifthe mind be otherwise engaged. Then again, when it is under the influenceof sleep, that agent neither sees nor smells, nor hears, nor speaks, norexperiences the perceptions of touch and taste. Who or what then is thatwhich feels joy, becomes angry, gives way to sorrow, and experiencestribulation? What is that which wishes, thinks, feels aversion, andutters words?’

“Bhrigu said, ‘The mind also is made of the five elements in common withthe body. For this reason it is of no consequence with respect to theacts mentioned by thee. Only the one internal Soul sustaineth the body.It is he that perceives smell, taste, sound, touch and form and otherproperties (that exist in external nature). That Soul, pervading all thelimbs, is the witness (of the acts) of the mind endued with fiveattributes and residing within the body composed of the five elements. Itis he who feels pleasure and pain, and when separated from him the bodyno longer experiences them. When there is no longer any perception ofform or of touch, when there is no heat in the fire that resides withinthe body,–indeed, when that animal heat becomes extinguished,–the body,in consequence of its abandonment by the Soul, meets with destruction.The whole universe is composed of water. Water is the form of allembodied creatures. In that water is the Soul which is displayed in themind. That Soul is the Creator Brahman who exists in all things. When theSoul becomes endued with vulgar attributes, it comes to be calledKshetrajna. When freed from those attributes, it comes to be calledParamatman or Supreme Soul. Know that Soul. He is inspired with universalbenevolence. He resides in the body like a drop of water in a lotus. Knowwell that which is called Kshetrajna and which has universal benevolence.Darkness, Passion, and Goodness are the attributes of the living agent.The learned say that the Soul has Consciousness and exists with theattributes of life. The soul exerts and causes everything to exert.Persons that have a knowledge of the Soul say that the Soul is differentfrom life. It is the Supreme Soul that has created the seven worlds andsets them agoing. There is no destruction of the living agent when thedissolution of the body takes place. Men destitute of intelligence saythat it dies. That is certainly untrue. All that the living agent does isto go from one unto another body. That which is called death is only thedissolution of the body. It is thus that the Soul, wrapped in diverseforms, migrates from form to form, unseen and unnoticed by others.Persons possessed of true Knowledge behold the Soul by their keen andsubtile intelligence. The man of wisdom, living on frugal fare, and withheart cleansed of all sins, devoting himself to yoga meditation, succeedsevery night, before sleep and after sleep, in beholding his Soul by theaid of his Soul.[561] In consequence of a contented heart, and byabandoning all acts good and bad, one can obtain infinite happiness bydepending upon one’s own Soul. The king, of fiery effulgence, residingwithin the mind is called the living agent. It is from that Lord ofeverything that this creation has sprung. Even this is the conclusion tobe arrived at in the enquiry into the origin of creatures and the soul.’