Bhagavatapurana 3.26: atha ṣaḍviṃśo'dhyāyaḥ

3.26.1

/0 śrī-bhagavān uvāca
atha te sampravakṣyāmi tattvānāṃ lakṣaṇaṃ pṛthak /
yad viditvā vimucyeta puruṣaḥ prākṛtair guṇaiḥ //

The Lord said: / Now I shall explain to you the distinct characteristics of the principles of reality, / knowing which a person may be freed from the qualities of nature.

1. The Blessed Lord said:—Now I will tell thee separately of the characteristics (the distinguishing features) of the (several) Tattvas, knowing which man shall obtain Moksha (_i. e._, release from the influence of the gunas of Prakriti.)

3.26.2

jñānaṃ niḥśreyasārthāya puruṣasyātma-darśanam /
yad āhur varṇaye tat te hṛdaya-granthi-bhedanam //

Knowledge for the sake of the supreme good is the vision of the self by a person; / I shall describe to you that which they call the cutting of the knot in the heart.

2. And I will expound to thee that knowledge which, the wise say, by revealing the Atman tends towards the purpose viz., the highest good (Moksha), and which cuts the knot (of Ahankara) at the heart.

3.26.3

anādir ātmā puruṣo nirguṇaḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ /
pratyag-dhāmā svayaṃ-jyotir viśvaṃ yena samanvitam //

The spirit is the beginningless self, devoid of material qualities, beyond nature, / the inner light, self-luminous, by which the universe is pervaded.

3. The Purusha is the Atman who is eternal, destitute of gunas, distinct from, and superior to, Prakriti (unconnected with it). He is shining in the interior, and self-luminous; with Him the world is always associated (to Him it is eternally bound).

3.26.4

sa eṣa prakṛtiṃ sūkṣmāṃ daivīṃ guṇamayīṃ vibhuḥ /
yadṛcchayaivopagatām abhyapadyata līlayā //

That all-pervading spirit, through divine play, engaged with nature—subtle, / divine, composed of the three qualities—which approached of its own accord.

4. (By way of Leela) this Omnipresent Being accepted of His own accord the subtle divine Prakriti consisting of the three gunas, which by way of Leela waited upon him.

Verse 4. दैवीं *V.* Prakriti which exists only for the Leela (the sportful activity of Deva (Vishnu). लीलया *V.* Being the cause of Leela (contributing to His Leela's and so waiting upon Him of her own accord) *Note:*—By the attribute यदृच्छयोपगता is meant that the Jiva's relation to Prakriti is only occasional.

अभ्यपद्यत *V* Saw. *D* यदृच्छया By the will of Hari उपगतां always remaining near. प्रकृति Both the intelligent and the unintelligent Prakriti.

3.26.5

guṇair vicitrāḥ sṛjatīṃ sa-rūpāḥ prakṛtiṃ prajāḥ /
vilokya mumuhe sadyaḥ sa iha jñāna-gūhayā //

Beholding nature creating variegated offspring endowed with qualities resembling her own, / he was immediately deluded here by her concealment of knowledge.

Verse 5. *V.* *Note:*—This is taken as describing the state of the Jiva *D.* Having seen Prakriti produce various kinds of creatures having similar forms, by means of her three Gunas, Hari soon threw jivas into delusion by virtue of His own will and Prakriti which conceal or supress jivas' understanding while in Samsara.

3.26.6

evaṃ parābhidhyānena kartṛtvaṃ prakṛteḥ pumān /
karmasu kriyamāṇeṣu guṇair ātmani manyate //

Thus, through meditating upon the other, the spirit considers the agency of nature / in actions being performed by the qualities to belong to himself.

Verse 6. पराभिध्यानेन *V.* By forgetting the nature of his own self concealed by the force of Prakriti and by only thinking of Prakriti.—*D* only by the will of the Supreme Being.

3.26.7

tad asya saṃsṛtir bandhaḥ pāra-tantryaṃ ca tat-kṛtam /
bhavaty akartur īśasya sākṣiṇo nirvṛtātmanaḥ //

From that arises his transmigration, bondage, and dependence, caused by that [identification], / although he is non-acting, the master, the witness, and composed of bliss.

Verse 7. *V.* From the notion of being a doer induced by the association with the three gunas arises the Samsara or the bondage of jiva and to the same notion is due his dependent state *i.e.*, the state of being bound by karma; for in his essential nature the jiva is not the agent of the gross activities in Samsara and he is the lord *i.e.*, subject to no Karma and constituted of Gnana or consciousness and hence he is essentially of blissful nature *D.* Through his false supposition that he is a doer, jiva is subject to the bondage of Samsara and thereby comes to be a dependent even upon his inferiors, owing to the ruling power of the Lord who does everything without any effort who is the witness of every body's righteous and unrighteous conduct and who is of blissful nature. 8. Men of wisdom find that Prakriti is the cause of the *karya* (the body *i. e.*, of Purushas attaining to the embodied state), of the Karana (the organs of senses etc), and of agentship (the class of presiding deities); and that Purusha who is distinct from Prakriti is the cause of all pleasure and pain as being the subject of experiences or realisation.

3.26.8

kārya-kāraṇa-kartṛtve kāraṇaṃ prakṛtiṃ viduḥ /
bhoktṛtve sukha-duḥkhānāṃ puruṣaṃ prakṛteḥ param //

They know nature to be the cause in the agency of causes and effects; / they know the spirit, who is beyond nature, to be [the cause] in the experience of pleasures and pains.

Verse 8. *V.* In bringing about the activity or movements, observed in relation to the body, the Indriyas and the mind, Prakriti joined to Purusha and modified as his body, is said to be the cause; and in respect of being the subject of experience of pleasure and pain, Purusha who is of a different nature from Prakriti *i.e.*, the body, and who dwells in it, is said to be the cause (the Purusha or jiva is the subject of experience of pleasure and pain since he is the source of the bodily activity leading to pleasure and pain while he is in relation to it *D.* The wise know Prakriti *i.e.*, the principle of unintelligent matter and Lakshmi the deity presiding over it to be the cause of the body, the Indriyas and the mind (*i.e.*, the body, the organs etc., are produced by Prakriti ;) and they know that the Supreme Person higher than Prakriti is the cause of the Jiva's experience of pleasure and pain.

3.26.9

/0 devahūtir uvāca
prakṛteḥ puruṣasyāpi lakṣaṇaṃ puruṣottama /
brūhi kāraṇayor asya sad-asac ca yad-ātmakam //

Devahūti said: / Tell me, O Supreme Spirit, the characteristics of both nature and the spirit, / the two causes of this [universe], and of that which consists of the manifest and unmanifest.

Verse 9. *V. Note* :—Here Prakriti and Purusha in their effected or gross form are required to be explained. सत् and असत् are explained as fathers and sons etc. who are the cause and effect, both being constituted of Prakriti and Purusha सदसत् etc. *D.* The universe of subtle and gross things pervaded by both Prakriti and Purusha.

3.26.10

/0 śrī-bhagavān uvāca
yat tat tri-guṇam avyaktaṃ nityaṃ sad-asad-ātmakam /
pradhānaṃ prakṛtiṃ prāhur aviśeṣaṃ viśeṣavat //

The Lord said: / That which has the three qualities, unmanifest, eternal, consisting of the manifest and the unmanifest, / they call pradhāna, nature, unparticularized yet possessing particulars.

Verse 10. अव्यक्तं *V.* That was not in a fit state *i.e.* too subtle, to be spoken of by name and form. विशेषवत् having differenciated forms as earth, water and so on. सदसदात्मक *V.* existing in the form of Mahat and other products of matter and also as the bodies of creatures from Brahma down to a clump *i. e.* in the form of cause and effect *D.* *Note.*—The terms denoting Prakriti and its several products must be taken as denoting also the deities presiding over them.

3.26.11

pañcabhiḥ pañcabhir brahma caturbhir daśabhis tathā /
etac catur-viṃśatikaṃ gaṇaṃ prādhānikaṃ viduḥ //

Comprising five, five, four, and ten, / this aggregate of twenty-four is known as the group of material principles.

Verse 11. चतुर्भि: *V.* With the four namely the Manas, Ahankara, Mahat and Avyakta. ब्रह्म *D.* complete and exhaustive *i. e.* having no other Tattva to be added to the list. 12. There are only five Maha Bhutas, viz. earth, water, fire, air and ether (Akasa); the subtle objects, namely, smell, taste, colour, touch and sound are also in My opinion, of the same number.

3.26.12

mahā-bhūtāni pañcaiva bhūr āpo 'gnir marun nabhaḥ /
tan-mātrāṇi ca tāvanti gandhādīni matāni me //

The great elements are five: earth, water, fire, wind, and ether; / and the subtle elements are as many, beginning with smell, in My view.

3.26.13

indriyāṇi daśa śrotraṃ tvag dṛg rasana-nāsikāḥ /
vāk karau caraṇau meḍhraṃ pāyur daśama ucyate //

The senses are ten: hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell; / speech, hands, feet, the genitals, and the anus is said to be the tenth.

13. The Indriyas or organs are ten; the organs of sense are the ear, the skin, the eye, the tongue and, the nose; the organ of speech, the hands, the feet, the organ of generation, and the anus which forms the tenth (as it is said): (the latter five are the organs of physical action.)

3.26.14

mano buddhir ahaṅkāraś cittam ity antar-ātmakam /
caturdhā lakṣyate bhedo vṛttyā lakṣaṇa-rūpayā //

Mind, intellect, ego, and thought-faculty—thus the internal sense / is observed to be fourfold, differentiated by its characteristic function.

14. The internal organ has four aspects as *Manas*, *Buddhi*, *Ahankara* and *chitta*; and the fact of this four-fold distinction is observed through their characteristic functions.

3.26.15

etāvān eva saṅkhyāto brahmaṇaḥ sa-guṇasya ha /
sanniveśo mayā prokto yaḥ kālaḥ pañca-viṃśakaḥ //

Just this much is the enumeration of Brahman endowed with qualities; / and that disposition has been declared by Me in which Time is the twenty-fifth [principle].

15. This disposition or the abode of the conditioned Brahman now described has been reckoned by sages also to be only of this extent (*i.e.*, to consist of the afore-said twenty-four (principles), and Time is the twenty-fifth principle.

3.26.16

prabhāvaṃ pauruṣaṃ prāhuḥ kālam eke yato bhayam /
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhasya kartuḥ prakṛtim īyuṣaḥ //

Some speak of time as the power of the Puruṣa, from which arises fear / for the doer who is deluded by egoism and has resorted to material nature.

16. Some say that Time is but the power or energy of Purusha (Iswara), whence comes (all) fear to the active agent, *i. e.* the Jiva, who is engrossed by Prakriti and deluded with Ahankara in respect of the body.

3.26.17

prakṛter guṇa-sāmyasya nirviśeṣasya mānavi /
ceṣṭā yataḥ sa bhagavān kāla ity upalakṣitaḥ //

O daughter of Manu, that from which movement arises in material nature when its qualities are in balance and undifferentiated, / that Lord is characterized as time.

17. That glorious power is considered Kala or Time, O Manavi, which gives rise to activity in the undifferentiated gunas of Prakriti which is (at first) in a state of equilibrium.

3.26.18

antaḥ puruṣa-rūpeṇa kāla-rūpeṇa yo bahiḥ /
samanvety eṣa sattvānāṃ bhagavān ātma-māyayā //

This Lord, through his own creative power, pervades all living beings, / internally in the form of the Puruṣa, and externally in the form of time.

18. He is the Bhagavan (the Supreme power) abiding unaffected within (all) beings as Purusha (the ruler) and without them as Kala (Time)- [N.B. The Kala well-known as Purusha is the Twenty fifth Tattva; some say that Kala is the power of Purusha etc. In verses 17 and 18 the same position is reasoned out. Thus there are twenty four Tattvas of Prakriti and the twenty fifth is the intelligent Being or Purusha, *jiva* and Iswara being taken as identical]

Verse 18. *V.* The glorious Supreme Being is He who by virtue of His own will is in relation to all creatures abiding within them in the form of Purusha *i.e.* in the form called Jiva with whom love, hatred, pleasure, and pain and such other feelings are associated; and whom he sorrounds on the outside in the form of Kala.

3.26.19

daivāt kṣubhita-dharmiṇyāṃ svasyāṃ yonau paraḥ pumān /
ādhatta vīryaṃ sāsūta mahat-tattvaṃ hiraṇmayam //

When his own womb [nature] was stirred by destiny, the Supreme Person / deposited his seed; she brought forth the golden principle of the cosmic intellect.

Verse 19. दैवात् *V.* Through his own wish or will. वीर्यम् *V.* The power to evolve the gross products, Mahat and other things constituting the universe as well as the embodied beings taken all together. *D.* दैवात् Through the impulse given by Narayana who throws Prakriti into a state of activity.

3.26.20

viśvam ātma-gataṃ vyañjan kūṭa-stho jagad-aṅkuraḥ /
sva-tejasāpibat tīvram ātma-prasvāpanaṃ tamaḥ //

Manifesting the universe contained within itself, unmoving, the sprout of the cosmos, / by its own brilliance it swallowed the dense darkness that had put the self to sleep.

Verse 20. स्वतेजसा *V.* By his *gnana* in the form of His own will, आत्मप्रस्वापनं *V.* That which diminishes the range of Jivas' perception आत्मप्रस्वापनं तमः *D.* The gloom which is the occasion for the *yoganidra* of Paramatman (and which He destroys by the force of His own essential effulgence). जगदंकुरः is derived so as to give the following sense. Paramatman who caresses the world on His lap.

3.26.21

yat tat sattva-guṇaṃ svacchaṃ śāntaṃ bhagavataḥ padam /
yad āhur vāsudevākhyaṃ cittaṃ tan mahad-ātmakam //

That which is pure goodness, clear and tranquil, the abode of the Lord, / which is called Vāsudeva—that is the cosmic consciousness, whose nature is the cosmic intellect.

Verse. 21 शान्तं *V.* That which has overcome the gloom. वासुदेवाख्यं The abode of the Lord's Vyuha called Vasudeva. Note :—*V.* takes *chitta* here not as a phase of the mind but as the Mahat Tattva the root of it. Sridhar notes here that the same thing is spoken of as Mahat when considered as Adhibhuta passions, and which is the abode of the Supreme Being (where He may be realised) is the chitta which is called Vasudeva and constituted of the Mahat-Tattva.

3.26.22

svacchatvam avikāritvaṃ śāntatvam iti cetasaḥ /
vṛttibhir lakṣaṇaṃ proktaṃ yathāpāṃ prakṛtiḥ parā //

Clarity, changelessness, and tranquillity—these are declared to be the characteristics / of consciousness through its functions, just as pure state is of water.

22. Clearness, absence of change and serenity form the characteristics of chitta and thus the definition is given with reference to its states; and it is of the nature of water in its pure unmixed state (before coming in contact with earth and exhibiting changes such as foam, waves, and the like i. e. it is like the water sweet and soothing in its natural state.)

3.26.23

mahat-tattvād vikurvāṇād bhagavad-vīrya-sambhavāt /
kriyā-śaktir ahaṅkāras tri-vidhaḥ samapadyata //

From the cosmic intellect undergoing transformation, born from the potency of the Lord, / arose egoism, whose power is action, divided threefold:

23. Out of the Mahat-Tattva which originated from the energy of the Supreme Lord, when it began to undergo modification, was produced the Ahankara of three kinds endowed with power to do active work.

3.26.24

vaikārikas taijasaś ca tāmasaś ca yato bhavaḥ /
manasaś cendriyāṇāṃ ca bhūtānāṃ mahatām api //

As sättvic, rājasic, and tāmasic, from which comes the origin / of the mind, the senses, and also the gross elements.

24. The three kinds of Ahankara are the Vaikarika, the Taijasa and Tamasa from which proceeds the evolution of the mind, of the organs of sense and action and also of the great Bhutas.

[From the Vaikarika Ahankara which is specially employed in the creation of the gods such as the Dig-Devatas, the deities presiding over the cardinal points and other deities were born; out of the Taijasa Ahankara are produced the principle of Buddhi, its presiding deity Uma and the Ahankarika Prana;

sound and other subtle principles were produced out of the Tamasa Ahankara (Tamasa Ahankara is the source or creator of sound, and other objects of the senses) ; thus the Ahankara Tattva is of three kinds in which the gunas are mixed up.]

3.26.25

sahasra-śirasaṃ sākṣād yam anantaṃ pracakṣate /
saṅkarṣaṇākhyaṃ puruṣaṃ bhūtendriya-manomayam //

They declare him directly to be the thousand-headed Ananta, / the person named Saṅkarṣaṇa, composed of elements, senses, and mind.

25. (And in these the Lord's form to be contemplated is) the Purusha called Sankarshana who has a thousand heads who presides over the Bhutas, the organs and the minds and whom they directly speak of as Ananta.

3.26.26

kartṛtvaṃ karaṇatvaṃ ca kāryatvaṃ ceti lakṣaṇam /
śānta-ghora-vimūḍhatvam iti vā syād ahaṅkṛteḥ //

The characteristics of egoism are agency, instrumentality, and effect-hood, / or otherwise tranquillity, fierceness, and delusion.

26 The definition of Ahankara comprises the characteristics of being the agent, the instrument and the effect (as the Devata the Indriyas and Bhutas), or it may comprise the characteristics of being gentle or serene, formidable and dull (according to the gunas entering into the composition),

3.26.27

vaikārikād vikurvāṇān manas-tattvam ajāyata /
yat-saṅkalpa-vikalpābhyāṃ vartate kāma-sambhavaḥ //

From the sāttvic egoism undergoing transformation, the principle of mind was born, / by whose resolve and doubt the arising of desire proceeds.

27. Out of the Vaikarika Ahankara undergoing modification was evolved the principle of the mind which is characterised by simple thought and reflection, and is hence the source of desire.

3.26.28

yad vidur hy aniruddhākhyaṃ hṛṣīkāṇām adhīśvaram /
śāradendīvara-śyāmaṃ saṃrādhyaṃ yogibhiḥ śanaiḥ //

They know that [mind] indeed as Aniruddha, the ruler of the senses, / dark like an autumn blue lotus, to be slowly propitiated by yogis.

28. And there the wise see the Lord called Aniruddha, the Supreme Ruler of all senses, who is of blue complexion like the blue lily growing in the Autumn and who is slowly (with difficulty) propitiated by Yogins.

3.26.29

taijasāt tu vikurvāṇād buddhi-tattvam abhūt sati /
dravya-sphuraṇa-vijñānam indriyāṇām anugrahaḥ //

From the rājasic egoism undergoing transformation, O virtuous lady, the principle of intellect arose: / the cognition that manifests objects, and the assistance of the senses.

29. O chaste lady, out of the Taijasa Ahankara undergoing modification was evolved the principle of Buddhi characterised by intelligence (i. e. the clear understanding the power of being the favourer of all the Indriyas (senses and organs).

3.26.30

saṃśayo 'tha viparyāso niścayaḥ smṛtir eva ca /
svāpa ity ucyate buddher lakṣaṇaṃ vṛttitaḥ pṛthak //

Doubt, error, certainty, memory, / and sleep are declared to be the characteristics of intellect, distinguished by their functions.

30. And again another definition of Buddhi is given with reference to its states or aspects which are doubt, misapprehension, correct preception, memory and sleep.

Verse 30. विपर्यासं V distinguishes two varieties of misapprehension: one when the attribute of one thing is predicated of a different thing and the second as mistaking one (concrete) thing for another. स्वाप D Absence of knowledge or the unconscious state. 31. All the Indriyas or organs falling under two divisions as those of sense and those of action, are only the products of the Taijasa Ahankara; for Prana who guides the organs of action is endowed with the power of action (and hence Taijasa by nature); and Buddhi having control over the Indriyas is endowed with the power of understanding and hence the Indriyas like Buddhi are also the product of the Taijasa Ahankara.

3.26.31

taijasānīndriyāṇy eva kriyā-jñāna-vibhāgaśaḥ /
prāṇasya hi kriyā-śaktir buddher vijñāna-śaktitā //

The senses themselves are born of rājasic egoism, divided according to action and knowledge; / for the power of action belongs to the vital breath, and the power of knowledge to the intellect.

3.26.32

tāmasāc ca vikurvāṇād bhagavad-vīrya-coditāt /
śabda-mātram abhūt tasmān nabhaḥ śrotraṃ tu śabdagam //

From the tāmasic egoism undergoing transformation, impelled by the potency of the Lord, / the sound-subtle-element arose; from that, space; and the ear, which perceives sound.

32. Out of the Tāmasa Ahankara impelled by the Lord’s energy and undergoing modification was evolved the subtle principle of sound and out of this was evolved Akāsa; (thence) the sense of hearing which perceives sound.

3.26.33

arthāśrayatvaṃ śabdasya draṣṭur liṅgatvam eva ca /
tan-mātratvaṃ ca nabhaso lakṣaṇaṃ kavayo viduḥ //

Serving as the substratum of meaning, indicating the presence of the seer, / and being the subtle element of space—these the wise know as the characteristics of sound.

33. The learned understand the characteristics of sound to be the power of conveying objects or ideas, of being an indication of the seer or the speaker and of conferring on Akasa (the sky) its subtle character.

3.26.34

bhūtānāṃ chidra-dātṛtvaṃ bahir antaram eva ca /
prāṇendriyātma-dhiṣṇyatvaṃ nabhaso vṛtti-lakṣaṇam //

Giving room to beings, both outside and inside, / and serving as the vessel for the vital breaths, senses, and mind—these are the characteristics of space through its functions.

34. To afford room for beings, to be the object of thought as within and without (in and out) and to be the abode of Prana, the Indriyas and Manas are the characteristics of Akasa with reference to its effect.

3.26.35

nabhasaḥ śabda-tanmātrāt kāla-gatyā vikurvataḥ /
sparśo 'bhavat tato vāyus tvak sparśasya ca saṅgrahaḥ //

From space, through the sound-subtle-element undergoing transformation by the course of time, / touch arose; from that, air; and the skin, which grasps touch.

35. Out of Nabhas (Akasa) characterised by the subtle principle of sound (while undergoing modification by the force of Time) was evolved the subtle principle of Touch, and out of this Vayu; and Tvak (skin) is (the seat of) the sense-organ (through which) the apprehension of Touch arises.

3.26.36

mṛdutvaṃ kaṭhinatvaṃ ca śaityam uṣṇatvam eva ca /
etat sparśasya sparśatvaṃ tan-mātratvaṃ nabhasvataḥ //

Softness, hardness, coldness, and heat— / this is the tangible nature of touch, the subtle element of air.

36. Softness, hardness, cold and heat form the essential characteristics of Sparsa (Touch); and their subtle principle forms the essential (distinguishing) attribute of Vayu (air).

3.26.37

cālanaṃ vyūhanaṃ prāptir netṛtvaṃ dravya-śabdayoḥ /
sarvendriyāṇām ātmatvaṃ vāyoḥ karmābhilakṣaṇam //

Moving, gathering together, reaching, conveying objects and sound, / and being the life-breath of all senses—these are the defining actions of air.

37. To set things in motion, to make things gather into heaps, to reach things, to bear (the particles of fragrant) substance (to the sense of smell) and sound (to the sense of hearing) and to be the giver of strength or vitality to all the organs—these form the characteristics or properties of Vāyu in its active aspect.

3.26.38

vāyoś ca sparśa-tanmātrād rūpaṃ daiveritād abhūt /
samutthitaṃ tatas tejaś cakṣū rūpopalambhanam //

From air and its touch-subtle-element, impelled by destiny, form arose; / from that, fire sprang forth, and the eye, which perceives form.

38. Out of Vāyu, characterised by the subtle principle of Touch and thrown into (modifying) activity was evolved colour (Form) and out of it Tejas (Fire) ; and the eye is the means of apprehending colour.

3.26.39

dravyākṛtitvaṃ guṇatā vyakti-saṃsthātvam eva ca /
tejastvaṃ tejasaḥ sādhvi rūpa-mātrasya vṛttayaḥ //

Providing shape to substances, quality, individual configuration, / and luminosity, O virtuous lady—these are the functions of fire, whose nature is the form-subtle-element.

39. To give a form to substance, to be an attribute of it, and to have the same spatial relation as the substance (in which it inheres) form the special properties as well as the functions of Tejas which is constituted of the subtle principle of colour. O virtuous mother ;

3.26.40

dyotanaṃ pacanaṃ pānam adanaṃ hima-mardanam /
tejaso vṛttayas tv etāḥ śoṣaṇaṃ kṣut tṛḍ eva ca //

Illumining, cooking, drinking, eating, dispelling cold, / drying up, and also hunger and thirst—these are the functions of fire.

40. These are the effects of Tejas *viz.*, to give light, to cook (food), to absorb, to intoxicate, to destroy cold, and to dry things, as well as to cause hunger and thirst.

3.26.41

rūpa-mātrād vikurvāṇāt tejaso daiva-coditāt /
rasa-mātram abhūt tasmād ambho jihvā rasa-grahaḥ //

From the form-subtle-element, as fire underwent transformation impelled by destiny, / the taste-subtle-element arose; from that, water; and the tongue, which grasps taste.

41. When urged by the Deity, it underwent modification, out of Tejas embodying the subtle principle of colour was evolved Ambhas or water endowed with the subtle principle of Rasa or taste ; the tongue is the organ for apprehending Rasa or taste ; and the only one Rasa or taste becomes differentiated into many on account of the change due to the combination of the products of the Bhutas, as astringent, sweet, pungent, bitter, sour and saltish.

3.26.42

kaṣāyo madhuras tiktaḥ kaṭv amla iti naikadhā /
bhautikānāṃ vikāreṇa rasa eko vibhidyate //

Astringent, sweet, bitter, pungent, and sour—thus in many ways / single taste is diversified through the modification of physical substances.

3.26.43

kledanaṃ piṇḍanaṃ tṛptiḥ prāṇanāpyāyanondanam /
tāpāpanodo bhūyastvam ambhaso vṛttayas tv imāḥ //

Moistening, congealing, satisfying, sustaining life, refreshing, softening, / dispelling heat, and abundance—these are the functions of water.

43. These are the properties of water *viz.*, to moisten, to bring about adhesion, to give satisfaction, to support life, to be refreshing, to soften, to be abundant *i.e.*, to be in a state of incessant supply, and to mitigate sultriness (heat).

3.26.44

rasa-mātrād vikurvāṇād ambhaso daiva-coditāt /
gandha-mātram abhūt tasmāt pṛthvī ghrāṇas tu gandhagaḥ //

From the taste-subtle-element, as water underwent transformation impelled by destiny, / the smell-subtle-element arose; from that, earth; and the nose, which perceives smell.

44. Out of water embodying the subtle principle of taste impelled by the Deity and undergoing modification was evolved the subtle principle of smell out of which Prithivi (earth) was produced,—and Ghrana (or the sense of smell) apprehends smell.

3.26.45

karambha-pūti-saurabhya- śāntogrāmlādibhiḥ pṛthak /
dravyāvayava-vaiṣamyād gandha eko vibhidyate //

Mixed, putrid, fragrant, mild, pungent, sour, and so forth, / single smell is diversified according to the uneven distribution of substance-particles.

45. The one principle of smell becomes many on account of the different proportions in which the particles of substance mingle together,—as mixed smell, offensive smell, fragrance, suppressed or mild fragrance, strong smell, the acid smell, and so on.

3.26.46

bhāvanaṃ brahmaṇaḥ sthānaṃ dhāraṇaṃ sad-viśeṣaṇam /
sarva-sattva-guṇodbhedaḥ pṛthivī-vṛtti-lakṣaṇam //

Molding, being the dwelling place of Brahman, supporting, distinguishing reality, / and manifesting the qualities of all beings—these are the characteristics of earth through its functions.

46. The characteristic states and properties of Prithivi are to become the image (the consecrated symbol or shrine) of Brahman, to stand independently in position, to afford support to other things, to be a means of showing (noting) distinctions in Akasa and other things and to be a medium for the manifestation of all the living beings and their qualities (in gross forms).

3.26.47

nabho-guṇa-viśeṣo 'rtho yasya tac chrotram ucyate /
vāyor guṇa-viśeṣo 'rtho yasya tat sparśanaṃ viduḥ //

That whose object is the distinctive quality of space is called the ear; / that whose object is the distinctive quality of air they know as the organ of touch.

47-48 That is called the sense of hearing of which the object of perception is Sabda or sound, the characterising attribute of Nabhas or Akasa; the wise know that to be the sense of touch of which the object is (Touch), the special attribute of Vayu; that is called Chakshus or the eye of which the object is colour, the special attribute of Tejas; the wise know that to be Rasanā or the sense of taste of which the object is (taste), the special quality of water; and that is called Ghrāna or the sense of smell of which the object is (smell) the special property of earth.

3.26.48

tejo-guṇa-viśeṣo 'rtho yasya tac cakṣur ucyate /
ambho-guṇa-viśeṣo 'rtho yasya tad rasanaṃ viduḥ /
bhūmer guṇa-viśeṣo 'rtho yasya sa ghrāṇa ucyate //

That whose object is the distinctive quality of fire is called the eye; / that whose object is the distinctive quality of water they know as the tongue; / that whose object is the distinctive quality of earth is called the nose.

3.26.49

parasya dṛśyate dharmo hy aparasmin samanvayāt /
ato viśeṣo bhāvānāṃ bhūmāv evopalakṣyate //

For the property of the preceding element is seen in the succeeding one due to its inherence; / therefore, the distinctiveness of all entities is observed in earth alone.

49. Since the property of the cause inheres in the effect, all the peculiarities are seen together only in earth.

3.26.50

etāny asaṃhatya yadā mahad-ādīni sapta vai /
kāla-karma-guṇopeto jagad-ādir upāviśat //

When these seven, beginning with the cosmic intellect, were uncombined, / the Originator of the universe, accompanied by time, karma, and the qualities, entered into them.

50. When Mahat and other principles, seven in number, remained separate; and [they were not able to create properly the Brahmanda and the body of the Virat-Purusha];

3.26.51

tatas tenānuviddhebhyo yuktebhyo 'ṇḍam acetanam /
utthitaṃ puruṣo yasmād udatiṣṭhad asau virāṭ //

Then, from those elements permeated by him and joined together, arose an inanimate egg, / from which that person, the Virāṭ, stood forth.

51. Then out of those principles made to combine and thrown into a state of activity by Him, rose the unintelligent Anda (the Egg of the universe), from which the Virat-Purusha emerged.

3.26.52

etad aṇḍaṃ viśeṣākhyaṃ krama-vṛddhair daśottaraiḥ /
toyādibhiḥ parivṛtaṃ pradhānenāvṛtair bahiḥ /
yatra loka-vitāno 'yaṃ rūpaṃ bhagavato hareḥ //

This egg, called the diversified, surrounded by successive layers tenfold greater— / water and the rest—and enveloped from outside by the unmanifest nature, / contains this expanse of worlds, the form of the Lord Hari.

52. This Anda (Egg of the Universe) called Visesha is surrounded by (a number of) sheaths, viz. those of water and other Bhutas, themselves being surrounded on the outside by Pradhana; and thus this extensive world is a form (body) of the glorious Lord Hari.

3.26.53

hiraṇmayād aṇḍa-kośād utthāya salile śayāt /
tam āviśya mahā-devo bahudhā nirbibheda kham //

Rising from that golden egg-sheath lying in the waters, / the Great Deity entered it and separated the space into many parts.

53. Having risen (from a state of indifference or inactivity), from the golden egg lying on the waters, and having taken His seat in it, the great God divided the (vacant) space in several ways.

3.26.54

nirabhidyatāsya prathamaṃ mukhaṃ vāṇī tato 'bhavat /
vāṇyā vahnir atho nāse prāṇoto ghrāṇa etayoḥ //

First his mouth broke forth; from that came speech; / with speech came fire; then the nostrils, and breath; from them, the sense of smell.

54. First, His mouth was formed out of which speech issued forth; and along with speech (Vani) Vahni (Fire) came forth; then were formed the nostrils, out of which the sense of smell issued combined with Prana.

3.26.55

ghrāṇād vāyur abhidyetām akṣiṇī cakṣur etayoḥ /
tasmāt sūryo nyabhidyetāṃ karṇau śrotraṃ tato diśaḥ //

From smell came the wind; the two eyes broke forth; from them, sight; / from that, the sun; the two ears broke forth; from them, hearing; from that, the directions.

55. (And) next to the sense of smell was evolved Vayu woven with Prana; (then) the two eyes were formed, and the sense of seeing was then evolved, whence Surya (the sun) came forth; (next) the ears were formed; and then came forth the sense of hearing, where the directions (the Dig-devatas) entered.

3.26.56

nirbibheda virājas tvag- roma-śmaśrv-ādayas tataḥ /
tata oṣadhayaś cāsan śiśnaṃ nirbibhide tataḥ //

The skin of the Virāṭ broke forth; from that, body-hair, beard, and so on; / from them came herbs and plants; then the penis broke forth.

56. Then came forth the skin of Viraj, whence came forth Roma Smasru and (Kesa); and from these were evolved plants and herbs; thence the organ of generation was evolved.

3.26.57

retas tasmād āpa āsan nirabhidyata vai gudam /
gudād apāno 'pānāc ca mṛtyur loka-bhayaṅkaraḥ //

From that came semen, and water; indeed the anus broke forth; / from the anus came the downward breath, and from that breath, death, the terrifier of the world.

57. (Then) the seed; thence water was evolved; (then) was formed the anus, from which Apana came forth; and from Apana issued Mrityu (Death), the terror of the world.

3.26.58

hastau ca nirabhidyetāṃ balaṃ tābhyāṃ tataḥ svarāṭ /
pādau ca nirabhidyetāṃ gatis tābhyāṃ tato hariḥ //

The two hands broke forth; from them, power; then the independent king [Indra]; / the two feet broke forth; from them, motion; then Hari.

58. (Next) the hands were formed; out of them came forth strength; from there was Indra; and then the feet were formed and by means of them locomotion came to be; and from there was Hari.

3.26.59

nāḍyo 'sya nirabhidyanta tābhyo lohitam ābhṛtam /
nadyas tataḥ samabhavann udaraṃ nirabhidyata //

His channels of circulation were split open; from them, blood was supplied. / From that arose the rivers. The abdomen was split open.

59. (Then) the tubes (the blood vessels) were formed (in His body); from them blood came forth; and from them came forth Rivers, too; next was formed the stomach.

3.26.60

kṣut-pipāse tataḥ syātāṃ samudras tv etayor abhūt /
athāsya hṛdayaṃ bhinnaṃ hṛdayān mana utthitam //

Thence arose hunger and thirst, and the ocean became [their lord]. / Then his heart was split open; from the heart arose the mind.

60. And there appeared Hunger and Thirst, from which the sea took its origin. Next His heart was formed, out of which the mind issued forth.

3.26.61

manasaś candramā jāto buddhir buddher girāṃ patiḥ /
ahaṅkāras tato rudraś cittaṃ caityas tato 'bhavat //

From the mind the moon was born; intellect [arose], and from the intellect the Lord of Speech; / egoism arose from that, and from it Rudra; and citta [arose], and from it became the knower of consciousness.

61. From the mind was born Chandra (the moon); then Buddhi; and from Buddhi the Lord of speech (Brahma), came forth Ahankara, i. e., Rudra who became chitta; and then (there) arose the Kshetragna.

3.26.62

ete hy abhyutthitā devā naivāsyotthāpane 'śakan /
punar āviviśuḥ khāni tam utthāpayituṃ kramāt //

Indeed, these risen deities were not able to raise him up; / again they entered his apertures in order to awaken him one by one.

62. These gods who were all up there were indeed unable to rouse Him (Virat Purusha) to activity; they again (and again) entered the openings (their own appointed organs etc.), regularly one after another in order to rouse Him.

3.26.63

vahnir vācā mukhaṃ bheje nodatiṣṭhat tadā virāṭ /
ghrāṇena nāsike vāyur nodatiṣṭhat tadā virāṭ //

Agni entered the mouth with speech; then the cosmic person did not rise. / Vāyu [entered] the nostrils with the sense of smell; then the cosmic person did not rise.

63. Agni entered the mouth through Vach (along with) (speech); but the Virat was not thereby roused; Vayu with the sense of smell entered the nostrils; but the Virat was not roused.

3.26.64

akṣiṇī cakṣuṣādityo nodatiṣṭhat tadā virāṭ /
śrotreṇa karṇau ca diśo nodatiṣṭhat tadā virāṭ //

The sun [entered] the two eyes with sight; then the cosmic person did not rise. / The directions [entered] the two ears with hearing; then the cosmic person did not rise.

64. Āditya (the sun) with the sense of seeing entered the eyes, but He was not roused even then; the Dig-devatas, along with the sense of hearing entered the ears; even then the Virat was not roused.

3.26.65

tvacaṃ romabhir oṣadhyo nodatiṣṭhat tadā virāṭ /
retasā śiśnam āpas tu nodatiṣṭhat tadā virāṭ //

The plants [entered] the skin with the body hairs; then the cosmic person did not rise. / The waters [entered] the penis with semen; then the cosmic person did not rise.

65. The Oshadhis (the gods) along with Romās entered the skin, but the Virat was not roused; Water (the gods) along with the seed entered the organ of generation, but the Virat was not roused even then.

3.26.66

gudaṃ mṛtyur apānena nodatiṣṭhat tadā virāṭ /
hastāv indro balenaiva nodatiṣṭhat tadā virāṭ //

Death [entered] the anus with the downward breath; then the cosmic person did not rise. / Indra [entered] the two hands with strength itself; then the cosmic person did not rise.

66. Mrityu (the god) along with Apana entered the anus, but the Virat was not roused; Indra along with strength entered the hands (arms), but the Virat was not roused even then.

3.26.67

viṣṇur gatyaiva caraṇau nodatiṣṭhat tadā virāṭ /
nāḍīr nadyo lohitena nodatiṣṭhat tadā virāṭ //

Viṣṇu [entered] the two feet with movement; then the cosmic person did not rise. / The rivers [entered] the channels with blood; then the cosmic person did not rise.

67. Vishnu along with motion entered the feet, the Virat was not roused even then; Rivers along with blood entered the tubes, but the Virat was not roused even then.

3.26.68

kṣut-tṛḍbhyām udaraṃ sindhur nodatiṣṭhat tadā virāṭ /
hṛdayaṃ manasā candro nodatiṣṭhat tadā virāṭ //

The ocean [entered] the abdomen with hunger and thirst; then the cosmic person did not rise. / The moon [entered] the heart with mind; then the cosmic person did not rise.

68. The sea along with Hunger and Thirst entered the stomach, but the Virat was not roused; Chandra (the moon) along with the mind entered the Heart, but the Virat was not roused.

3.26.69

buddhyā brahmāpi hṛdayaṃ nodatiṣṭhat tadā virāṭ /
rudro 'bhimatyā hṛdayaṃ nodatiṣṭhat tadā virāṭ //

Even Brahmā [entered] the heart with intellect; then the cosmic person did not rise. / Rudra [entered] the heart with egoism; then the cosmic person did not rise.

69. Also Brahma along with Buddhi entered the Heart, but the Virat was not roused; and Rudra along with Abhimana or Ahankara entered the Heart, but the Virat was not roused even then.

3.26.70

cittena hṛdayaṃ caityaḥ kṣetra-jñaḥ prāviśad yadā /
virāṭ tadaiva puruṣaḥ salilād udatiṣṭhata //

When the knower of consciousness, the knower of the field, entered the heart with citta, / only then did the cosmic person rise from the water.

70. When the Intelligent Kshatragna along with chitta (Thought) entered the Heart, the Virat Purusha at once rose (was roused) from the water.

3.26.71

yathā prasuptaṃ puruṣaṃ prāṇendriya-mano-dhiyaḥ /
prabhavanti vinā yena notthāpayitum ojasā //

Just as the vital breath, the senses, the mind, and the intellect / cannot by their own power awaken a sleeping person without [the self],

71. Just as Pranas, Indriyas, the mind and its ideas cannot except in conjunction with him (Kshetra-gna) rouse by their own force the body which is cast in sleep, (so it was the case with the Virat Purusha).

3.26.72

tam asmin pratyag-ātmānaṃ dhiyā yoga-pravṛttayā /
bhaktyā viraktyā jñānena vivicyātmani cintayet //

one should contemplate that inner self within the self, having discerned [it] / through an intellect engaged in yoga, through devotion, dispassion, and knowledge.

72. By devotion (to the Supreme Being), renunciation (of other things), concentration of the mind and the knowledge

gained thereby, one should contemplate the Pratyagatman (Kshetragna) in this body, but as distinct from it (from the body of cause and effect).