Manava Dharmashastra 1.55

1.55

idānīṃ saṃsāriṇaḥ puruṣasya maraṇaṃ dehāntaraprāptiśvābhyāṃ ślokābhyāṃ kathyate | tamo jñānanivṛttistāṃ samāśritya ciraṃ tiṣṭhatyāste sendriyaḥ | na ca svaṃ kurute karma śvāsapraśvāsādikam | tadā mūrtitaḥ śarīrādutkrāmati gacchati | nanu ca sarvagata ātmā''kāśavadvibhustasya kīdṛśyutkrāntiḥ ? karmopārjitaśarīratyāga evotkrāntiḥ, na punarmūrtasyevārthasya deśāddeśāntaragamanam | athavā kaiścidiṣyate-astyanyadantarābhavaṃ śarīraṃ sūkṣmaṃ yasyeyamutkrāntiḥ | anyaistvantarābhavadeho neṣyate | yathāha bhagavānvyāsaḥ | "asmindehe vyatīte tu dehamanyannarādhipa | indriyāṇi basantyeva tasmānnāstyantarābhavaḥ |" sāṅkhyā api kecinnāntarābhavamicchanti vindhyavāsiprabhṛtayaḥ | "ko'yamantarābhavo nāma" asmiñcharīre naṣṭe mātṛkukṣyādisthānaṃ dvitīyaśarīragrahaṇārthaṃ yāvanna prāptaṃ, tāvadantarā nirupabhogaṃ śarīramupajāyate sūkṣmaṃ, yasya na kvacitsaṃyogo nāgnyādidāho na mahābhūtaiḥ pratibandhaḥ | anye tu mūrti paramātmānamāhuḥ | sarvātmarūpaḥ paramātmā samudrasthānīyastataḥ prādurbhavavanti jīvā avidyāvaśādbha damabhyupayanti, mahodadherivormayaḥ | tasya ca tato niṣkrāmataḥ puryaṣṭākākhyaṃ liṅgamabhyupagamyate, pūrvakṛtadharmādharmavaśātpratyekasya jīvasya vāsaḥsthānīyaṃ sūkṣmaṃ śarīram | yathā purāṇe uktam "puryaṣṭakena liṅgena prāṇākhyena sa yujyate | tena baddhasya vai bandho mokṣo muktasya tena tu ||" te ca prāṇāpānavyānodānasamānāḥ pañca buddhīndriyavarga evaṃ karmendriyavargo'ṣṭamaṃ mana ityetatpuryaṣṭakam | taccharīraṃ na naśyati āmokṣāvasthāyāḥ | taduktaṃ "saṃsarati nirupabhogaṃ bhāvairadhivāsitaṃ liṅgam" |

Others explain the ‘mūrti’ of the text as the Supreme Self. The Supreme Self, which is the Soul of all things, is like the Ocean; out of that emerge the Jīvas (Individual Souls) under the influence of nescience, just in the same manner as waves emerge from the Ocean; and when the Individual Soul thus emerges out of the Supreme Soul, it assumes, by virtue of its past Virtue and Vice, a form known by the name ‘Puryaṣṭaka’; and this is the ‘subtle body,’ which serves as the clothing of the Individual Soul. This has been thus declared in the Purāṇa—‘He becomes united with the Puryaṣṭaka- form, which is known as Prāṇa (Life); when bound up with this, he is in bondage, and when freed from it, he is released.’ The ‘puryaṣṭaka,’ ‘eight-fold’ frame consists of the five life-breaths,—Prāṇa, Apāna, Samāna, Udāna and Vyāna—the Group consisting of the five organs of sensation, the Group consisting of the five organs of action, and the Mind as the eighth. This body is not destroyed, until the condition of Final Release is attained. This is thus stated (in Sāṅkhyakārikā 40)—‘What migrates is the subtle body, which is devoid of feeling, but invested with tendencies.’—(55)