Chapter 194

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Tell me, O grandsire, what and of what nature isthat which is called by the name of Adhyatma and which is laid down forevery person.[600] O thou that art acquainted with Brahma, whence hasthis universe consisting of mobile and immobile things, been created?When universal destruction sets in, to whom does it go? It behoveth theeto discourse to me upon this topic.'[601]

“Bhishma said ‘This, Adhyatma, O son of Pritha, that thou askest meabout, I will presently discourse upon. It is highly agreeable andproductive of great felicity. Great teachers have (before this) show thetruths about Creation and the Destruction (of the universe). Knowingthose truths, a person may obtain, even in this world, great satisfactionand felicity. Such knowledge may lead also to the acquisition of greatfruits, and it is highly beneficial to all creatures. Earth, air, space,water, and light numbered as the fifth, are regarded as Great Creatures.These constitute both the origin and the destruction of all createdobjects. Unto him from whom these great primal elements take theirorigin, they return repeatedly, severing themselves from all creatures(into whose compositions they enter), even like the waves of the ocean(subsiding into that from which they seem to take their rise). As thetortoise stretches its limbs and withdraws them again, even so theSupreme Soul creates all objects and again withdraws into Himself. TheCreator places the five primal elements in all created objects indifferent proportions. The living creature, however, does not see it(through ignorance). Sound, the organs of hearing, and all holes,–thesethree,–spring from Space as their progenitor. Touch, action, and skinare the triple attributes of the Wind. Form, eye, and digestion are thetriple attributes of Fire or Energy. Taste, all liquid secretions, andthe tongue represent the three attributes of Water. Scents, the nose, andthe body are the triple properties of Earth. The great (primal) elementsare five. The mind is the sixth. The senses and the mind, O Bharata, are(the sources of all) the perceptions of a living creature.[602] Theseventh is called the understanding; and the eighth is the soul.[603] Thesenses are for perceiving; the mind (unable to deal with thoseperceptions) produces uncertainty. The understanding reduces allperceptions to certainty. The Soul exists as a witness (without acting).All that is above the two feet, all that is behind, and all that isabove, are seen by the Soul. Know that the Soul pervades the entire beingwithout any space being left unoccupied. All men should know the senses,the mind, and the understanding fully. The three states or qualitiescalled Darkness, Passion, and Goodness, exist, dependent on the senses,the mind, and the understanding.[604] Man, by apprehending with the aidof his intelligence, the manner in which creatures come and leave theworld, is sure to gradually attain to steadfast tranquillity. The threequalities (already mentioned, viz., Darkness, Passion, and Goodness),lead the understanding (to worldly attachments). In this respect, theUnderstanding (or Intelligence) is identical with the Senses and theMind. The Understanding, therefore, is identical with the six (the fivesenses and the mind), and also with the objects comprehended by it. When,however, the Understanding is destroyed, the three qualities (ofDarkness, Passion, and Goodness) are incapable of leading to action.[605]This universe of immobile and mobile things consists of thatintelligence. It is from that Intelligence that everything arises and itis into it that everything subsides. For this reason, the scripturesindicate that everything is a manifestation of Intelligence. That bywhich one hears is the ear. That by which one smells is called the organof smell, and that by which one distinguishes the tastes is called thetongue. By the coat that covers the body one acquires perception oftouch. That which is called the Intelligence undergoesmodifications.[606] When the Intelligence desires anything it comes to becalled Mind. The foundations upon which the Intelligence rests are fivein number, each serving a different purpose. They are called the senses.The invisible principle, viz., Intelligence rests on them. TheIntelligence that exists in a living creature concerns itself with thethree states (called Passion, Darkness, and Goodness). Sometimes itobtains joy and sometimes misery. Sometimes it becomes divested of bothjoy and misery. Even thus the Intelligence exists in the minds of allmen. Sometimes the Intelligence which is made up of the triple states(already mentioned), transcends those three states (by yoga), like thelord of rivers, viz., the Ocean, with his surges, transgressing his highcontinents.[607] That Intelligence which transcends the three qualitiesexist in the mind in a pure state of (unmodified) existence: alone. Thequality of Darkness, however, that impels to action, soon pursues it. Atthat time, the Intelligence sets all the senses to action. The propertiesof the three are even thus: joy dwells in Goodness; sorrow in Passion;delusion in Darkness. All the states that exist (of the mind) areincluded in the three (that have been named). I have now, O Bharata, toldthee about the course of the Understanding. An intelligent man shouldsubdue all his senses.. The three qualities of Goodness, Passion, andDarkness, are always attached to living creatures. Three kinds ofintelligence also are noticeable in every creature, viz., that whichdepends upon Goodness, that upon Passion, and that upon Darkness, OBharata. The quality of Goodness brings happiness; the quality of Passionproduces sorrow; and if these two combine with the quality of Darkness,then neither happiness nor sorrow is produced (but, instead, onlydelusion or error). Every state of happiness that appears in the body orthe mind is said to be due to the quality of Goodness. A state of sorrow,disagreeable to oneself’, that comes, is due to nothing but the qualityof Passion. One should never think of it with fear.[608] That state,again, which is allied with delusion and error, and in consequence ofwhich one knows not what to do, which is unascertainable and unknown,should be regarded as belonging to the quality of Darkness.[609]Gladness, satisfaction, delight, happiness, tranquillity of heart, theseare the properties of the state of Goodness. Man sometimes obtains ameasure of them. Discontent, heart-burning, grief, cupidity,vindictiveness are all indications of the state of Passion. They are seenwith or without adequate causes for producing them. Disgrace, delusion,error, sleep and stupefaction, that overtake one through excess ofill-luck, are the various properties of the state of Darkness.[610] Thatperson whose mind is far-reaching, capable of extending in alldirections, mistrustful in respect of winning the objects it desires, andwell-restrained, is happy both here and hereafter.[611] Mark thedistinction between these two subtile things, viz., Intelligence andSoul. One of these (viz., intelligence), puts forth the qualities. Theother (viz., the Soul), does nothing of the kind. A gnat and a fig may beseen to be united with each other. Though united, each however isdistinct from the other. Similarly, Intelligence and Soul, thoughdistinguished from each other, by their respective natures, yet they mayalways be seen to exist in a state of union. A fish and water exist in astate of union, Each, however, is different from the other. The same isthe case with Intelligence and Soul. The qualities do not know the Soul,but the Soul knows them all. The Soul is the spectator of the qualitiesand regards them all as proceeding from itself. The soul, acting throughthe senses, the mind, and the understanding numbering as the seventh, allof which are inactive and have no self-consciousness, discovers theobjects (amid which it exists) like a (covered) lamp showing all objectsaround it by shedding its rays through an aperture in the covering. Theunderstanding or Intelligence creates all the qualities. The Soul onlybeholds them (as a witness). Even such is certainly the connectionbetween the intelligence and the Soul.[612] There is no refuge on whicheither Intelligence or Soul depends. The Understanding creates the mind,but never the qualities. When the soul, by means of the mind,sufficiently restrains the rays that emanate from the senses, it is thenthat it becomes manifest (to the Understanding) like a lamp burningwithin a vessel that covers it. That person who renounces all ordinaryacts, practises penances, devotes himself to study the Soul, taking adelight therein, and regards himself as the Soul of all creatures,acquires a high end. As an aquatic fowl, while moving over the waters, isnever drenched in that element, even thus does a person of wisdom move(in the world) among creatures. By the aid of one’s intelligence oneshould act in the world after this fashion, without grief, without joy,with an equal eye for all, and destitute of malice and envy. One livingin this way succeeds in creating the qualities (instead of being oneselfaffected by them), like a spider creating threads.[613] The qualitiesshould, indeed, be regarded as the threads of the spider. Some say thatthe qualities in respect of such men are not lost. Some say that they areall lost. Those who say that they are not lost rely upon the revealedscriptures (viz., the Srutis), which do not contain any declaration tothe contrary. They, on the other hand, who say that the qualities are alllost rely on the Smritis. Reflecting upon both these opinions, one shouldjudge oneself as to which of them is right. One should thus get over thishard and knotty question which is capable c f disturbing theunderstanding by doubt, and thereby win happiness. When that doubt willbe removed, one will no longer have to indulge in sorrow of any kind. Menof filthy hearts may by knowledge obtain success like persons plunging ina well-filled stream purifying themselves of all filth. One who has tocross a broad river does not feel happy at only seeing the other shore.If the case were otherwise (i.e., if by only beholding the other shoreone could reach it by a boat), then might one become happy. The matter isotherwise with one acquainted with the Truth. The mere knowledge of Truthwill bring him happiness. As soon as such knowledge begins to bearfruits, the person may be regarded to have reached the other shore. Theywho thus know the Soul as freed from all worldly objects and is but theOne, are said to obtain high and excellent knowledge.[614] A person byknowing the origin and the end of all creatures, which is even such, andby reflecting upon the matter, gradually obtains infinite happiness. Hethat has understood the triple aggregate (viz., that it is liable todestruction instead of being eternal), and reflecting upon it, casts itaway, succeeds by yoga to behold the Truth and obtain perfect felicity.The Soul is incapable of being seen unless the senses, which are employedon diverse objects and are difficult of being controlled, be all dulyrestrained. He that knows this is really wise. What other indication isthere of a wise man? Acquiring this knowledge, men possessed ofintelligence regard themselves to be crowned with success. That whichinspires the ignorant with fear can never inspire fear in persons ofKnowledge. There is no higher end for anybody (than Emancipation). Inconsequence, however, of the excess or otherwise of good qualities, thesages say that differences are observable in respect of the degree ofEmancipation. A person by acting without expectation of fruits succeeds(by those acts) in annihilating his sinful acts of a former period. Toone possessed of wisdom, the acts of a former period (thus washed off)and those of this life also (which are accomplished without expectationof fruit), do not become productive of any disagreeable consequence (suchas immurement in hell). But how can acts, if he continues to be engagedin accomplishing acts, bring about what is agreeable (viz.,Emancipation)?[615] People censure a person that is afflicted (with lust,envy, and other evil passions). Those vices hurl the person in his nextlife into diverse kinds of inferior orders.[616] Mark with closeattention the vicious in this world who grieve exceedingly for the lossof their possessions (such as sons and wives, etc.). Behold also thosethat are gifted with judgment and who never grieve when thrown intosimilar circumstances. Those that are conversant with both (i.e., withgradual Emancipation and immediate Emancipation), deserve to be calledtruly wise.'”[617]