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pancabhih—with the five (gross elements); pancabhih—the five (subtle elements); brahma—Brahman; caturbhih—the four (internal senses); dasabhih—the ten (five senses for gathering knowledge and five organs of action); tatha—in that way; etat—this; catuh-vimsatikam—consisting of twenty-four elements; ganam—aggregate; pradhanikam—comprising the pradhana; viduh—they know.

The aggregate elements, namely the five gross elements, the five subtle elements, the four internal senses, the five senses for gathering knowledge and the five outward organs of action, are known as the pradhana.

According to Bhagavad-gita, the sum total of the twenty-four elements described herein is called the yonir mahad brahma. The sum total of the living entities is impregnated into this yonir mahad brahma, and they are born in different forms, beginning from Brahma down to the insignificant ant. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam and other Vedic literatures, the sum total of the twenty-four elements, pradhana, is also described as yonir mahad brahma; it is the source of the birth and subsistence of all living entities.

SB3.26.12

TEXT 12

maha-bhutani pancaiva

bhur apo ’gnir marun nabhah

tan-matrani ca tavanti

gandhadini matani me

maha-bhutani—the gross elements; panca—five; eva—exactly; bhuh—earth; apah—water; agnih—fire; marut—air; nabhah—ether; tat-matrani—the subtle elements; ca—also; tavanti—so many; gandha-adini—smell and so on (taste, color, touch and sound); matani—considered; me—by Me.

There are five gross elements, namely earth, water, fire, air and ether. There are also five subtle elements: smell, taste, color, touch and sound.

SB3.26.13

TEXT 13

indriyani dasa srotram

tvag drg rasana-nasikah

vak karau caranau medhram

payur dasama ucyate

SYNONYMS

indriyani—the senses; dasa—ten; srotram—the sense of hearing; tvak—the sense of touch; drk—the sense of sight; rasana—the sense of taste; nasikah—the sense of smell; vak—the organ of speech; karau—two hands; caranau—the organs for traveling (legs); medhram—the generative organ; payuh—the evacuating organ; dasamah—the tenth; ucyate—is called.

TRANSLATION

The senses for acquiring knowledge and the organs for action number ten, namely the auditory sense, the sense of taste, the tactile sense, the sense of sight, the sense of smell, the active organ for speaking, the active organs for working, and those for traveling, generating and evacuating.

SB3.26.14

TEXT 14

mano buddhir ahankaras

cittam ity antar-atmakam

caturdha laksyate bhedo

vrttya laksana-rupaya

SYNONYMS

manah—the mind; buddhih—intelligence; ahankarah—ego; cittam—consciousness; iti—thus; antah-atmakam—the internal, subtle senses; catuh-dha—having four aspects; laksyate—is observed; bhedah—the distinction; vrttya—by their functions; laksana-rupaya—representing different characteristics.

TRANSLATION

The internal, subtle senses are experienced as having four aspects, in the shape of mind, intelligence, ego and contaminated consciousness. Distinctions between them can be made only by different functions, since they represent different characteristics.

PURPORT

The four internal senses, or subtle senses, described herein are defined by different characteristics. When pure consciousness is polluted by material contamination and when identification with the body becomes prominent, one is said to be situated under false ego. Consciousness is the function of the soul, and therefore behind consciousness there is soul. Consciousness polluted by material contamination is called ahankara.

SB3.26.15

TEXT 15

etavan eva sankhyato

brahmanah sa-gunasya ha

sanniveso maya prokto

yah kalah panca-vimsakah

etavan—so much; eva—just; sankhyatah—enumerated; brahmanah—of Brahman; sa-gunasya—with material qualities; ha—indeed; sannivesah—arrangement; maya—by Me; proktah—spoken; yah—which; kalah—time; panca-vimsakah—the twenty-fifth.

All these are considered the qualified Brahman. The mixing element, which is known as time, is counted as the twenty-fifth element.

According to the Vedic version there is no existence beyond Brahman. Sarvam khalv idam brahma (Chandogya Upanisad 3.14.1). It is stated also in the Visnu Purana that whatever we see is parasya brahmanah saktih; everything is an expansion of the energy of the Supreme Absolute Truth, Brahman. When Brahman is mixed with the three qualities goodness, passion and ignorance, there results the material expansion, which is sometimes called saguna Brahman and which consists of these twenty-five elements. In the nirguna Brahman, where there is no material contamination, or in the spiritual world, the three modes—goodness, passion and ignorance—are not present. Where nirguna Brahman is found, simple unalloyed goodness prevails. Saguna Brahman is described by the Sankhya system of philosophy as consisting of twenty-five elements, including the time factor (past, present and future).

SB3.26.16

TEXT 16

prabhavam paurusam prahuh

kalam eke yato bhayam

ahankara-vimudhasya

kartuh prakrtim iyusah

prabhavam—the influence; paurusam—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; prahuh—they have said; kalam—the time factor; eke—some; yatah—from which; bhayam—fear; ahankara-vimudhasya—deluded by false ego; kartuh—of the individual soul; prakrtim—material nature; iyusah—having contacted.

The influence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is felt in the time factor, which causes fear of death due to the false ego of the deluded soul who has contacted material nature.

The living entity’s fear of death is due to his false ego of identifying with the body. Everyone is afraid of death. Actually there is no death for the spirit soul, but due to our absorption in the identification of body as self, the fear of death develops. It is also stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.2.37), bhayam dvitiyabhinivesatah syat. Dvitiya refers to matter, which is beyond spirit. Matter is the secondary manifestation of spirit, for matter is produced from spirit. Just as the material elements described are caused by the Supreme Lord, or the Supreme Spirit, the body is also a product of the spirit soul. Therefore, the material body is called dvitiya, or “the second.” One who is absorbed in this second element or second exhibition of the spirit is afraid of death. When one is fully convinced that he is not his body, there is no question of fearing death, since the spirit soul does not die.

If the spirit soul engages in the spiritual activities of devotional service, he is completely freed from the platform of birth and death. His next position is complete spiritual freedom from a material body. The fear of death is the action of the kala, or the time factor, which represents the influence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In other words, time is destructive. Whatever is created is subject to destruction and dissolution, which is the action of time. Time is a representation of the Lord, and it reminds us also that we must surrender unto the Lord. The Lord speaks to every conditioned soul as time. He says in Bhagavad-gita that if someone surrenders unto Him, then there is no longer any problem of birth and death. We should therefore accept the time factor as the Supreme Personality of Godhead standing before us. This is further explained in the following verse.

SB3.26.17

TEXT 17

prakrter guna-samyasya

nirvisesasya manavi

cesta yatah sa bhagavan

kala ity upalaksitah

prakrteh—of material nature; guna-samyasya—without interaction of the three modes; nirvisesasya—without specific qualities; manavi—O daughter of Manu; cesta—movement; yatah—from whom; sah—He; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kalah—time; iti—thus; upalaksitah—is designated.

My dear mother, O daughter of Svayambhuva Manu, the time factor, as I have explained, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, from whom the creation begins as a result of the agitation of the neutral, unmanifested nature.

The unmanifested state of material nature, pradhana, is being explained. The Lord says that when the unmanifested material nature is agitated by the glance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it begins to manifest itself in different ways. Before this agitation, it remains in the neutral state, without interaction by the three modes of material nature. In other words, material nature cannot produce any variety of manifestations without the contact of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is very nicely explained in Bhagavad-gita. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the cause of the products of material nature. Without His contact, material nature cannot produce anything.

In the Caitanya-caritamrta also, a very suitable example is given in this connection. Although the nipples on a goat’s neck appear to be breast nipples, they do not give milk. Similarly, material nature appears to the material scientist to act and react in a wonderful manner, but in reality it cannot act without the agitator, time, who is the representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When time agitates the neutral state of material nature, material nature begins to produce varieties of manifestations. Ultimately it is said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the cause of creation. As a woman cannot produce children unless impregnated by a man, material nature cannot produce or manifest anything unless it is impregnated by the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of the time factor.

samanvety esa sattvanam

bhagavan atma-mayaya

antah—within; purusa-rupena—in the form of Supersoul; kala-rupena—in the form of time; yah—He who; bahih—without; samanveti—exists; esah—He; sattvanam—of all living entities; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; atma-mayaya—by His potencies.

By exhibiting His potencies, the Supreme Personality of Godhead adjusts all these different elements, keeping Himself within as the Supersoul and without as time.

daivat ksubhita-dharminyam

Here it is stated that within the heart the Supreme Personality of Godhead resides as the Supersoul. This situation is also explained in Bhagavad-gita: the Supersoul rests beside the individual soul and acts as a witness. This is also confirmed elsewhere in the Vedic literature: two birds are sitting on the same tree of the body; one is witnessing, and the other is eating the fruits of the tree. This purusa, or Paramatma, who resides within the body of the individual soul, is described in Bhagavad-gita (13.23) as the upadrasta, witness, and the anumanta, sanctioning authority. The conditioned soul engages in the happiness and distress of the particular body given him by the arrangement of the external energy of the Supreme Lord. But the supreme living being, or the Paramatma, is different from the conditioned soul. He is described in Bhagavad-gita as mahesvara, or the Supreme Lord. He is Paramatma, not jivatma. Paramatma means the Supersoul, who is sitting by the side of the conditioned soul just to sanction his activities. The conditioned soul comes to this material world in order to lord it over material nature. Since one cannot do anything without the sanction of the Supreme Lord, He lives with the jiva soul as witness and sanction-giver. He is also bhokta; He gives maintenance and sustenance to the conditioned soul.

Since the living entity is constitutionally part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord is very affectionate to the living entities. Unfortunately, when the living entity is bewildered or illusioned by the external energy, he becomes forgetful of his eternal relationship with the Lord, but as soon as he becomes aware of his constitutional position, he is liberated. The minute independence of the conditioned soul is exhibited by his marginal position. If he likes, he can forget the Supreme Personality of Godhead and come into the material existence with a false ego to lord it over material nature, but if he likes he can turn his face to the service of the Lord. The individual living entity is given that independence. His conditional life is ended and his life becomes successful as soon as he turns his face to the Lord, but by misusing his independence he enters into material existence. Yet the Lord is so kind that, as Supersoul, He always remains with the conditioned soul. The concern of the Lord is neither to enjoy nor to suffer from the material body. He remains with the jiva simply as sanction-giver and witness so that the living entity can receive the results of his activities, good or bad.

Outside the body of the conditioned soul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead remains as the time factor. According to the Sankhya system of philosophy, there are twenty-five elements. The twenty-four elements already described plus the time factor make twenty-five. According to some learned philosophers, the Supersoul is included to make a total of twenty-six elements.

SB3.26.19

TEXT 19

svasyam yonau parah puman

adhatta viryam sasuta

mahat-tattvam hiranmayam

daivat—by the destiny of the conditioned souls; ksubhita—agitated; dharminyam—whose equilibrium of the modes; svasyam—His own; yonau—in the womb (material nature); parah puman—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; adhatta—impregnated; viryam—semen (His internal potency); sa—she (material nature); asuta—delivered; mahat-tattvam—the sum total of cosmic intelligence; hiranmayam—known as Hiranmaya.

After the Supreme Personality of Godhead impregnates material nature with His internal potency, material nature delivers the sum total of the cosmic intelligence, which is known as Hiranmaya. This takes place in material nature when she is agitated by the destinations of the conditioned souls.

This impregnation of material nature is described in Bhagavad-gita, Fourteenth Chapter, verse 3. Material nature’s primal factor is the mahat-tattva, or breeding source of all varieties. This part of material nature, which is called pradhana as well as Brahman, is impregnated by the Supreme Personality of Godhead and delivers varieties of living entities. Material nature in this connection is called Brahman because it is a perverted reflection of the spiritual nature.

It is described in the Visnu Purana that the living entities belong to the spiritual nature. The potency of the Supreme Lord is spiritual, and the living entities, although they are called marginal potency, are also spiritual. If the living entities were not spiritual, this description of impregnation by the Supreme Lord would not be applicable. The Supreme Lord does not put His semen into that which is not spiritual, but it is stated here that the Supreme Person puts His semen into material nature. This means that the living entities are spiritual by nature. After impregnation, material nature delivers all kinds of living entities, beginning from the greatest living creature, Lord Brahma, down to the insignificant ant, in all varieties of form. In Bhagavad-gita (14.4) material nature is clearly mentioned as sarva-yonisu. This means that of all varieties of species—demigods, human beings, animals, birds and beasts (whatever is manifested)—material nature is the mother, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the seed-giving father. Generally it is experienced that the father gives life to the child but the mother gives its body; although the seed of life is given by the father, the body develops within the womb of the mother. Similarly, the spiritual living entities are impregnated into the womb of material nature, but the body, being supplied by material nature, takes on many different species and forms of life. The theory that the symptoms of life are manifest by the interaction of the twenty-four material elements is not supported here. The living force comes directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is completely spiritual. Therefore, no material scientific advancement can produce life. The living force comes from the spiritual world and has nothing to do with the interaction of the material elements.

SB3.26.20

TEXT 20

visvam atma-gatam vyanjan

kuta-stho jagad-ankurah

sva-tejasapibat tivram

atma-prasvapanam tamah

visvam—the universe; atma-gatam—contained within itself; vyanjan—manifesting; kuta-sthah—unchangeable; jagat-ankurah—the root of all cosmic manifestations; sva-tejasa—by its own effulgence; apibat—swallowed; tivram—dense; atma-prasvapanam—which had covered the mahat-tattva; tamah—darkness.

Thus, after manifesting variegatedness, the effulgent mahat-tattva, which contains all the universes within itself, which is the root of all cosmic manifestations and which is not destroyed at the time of annihilation, swallows the darkness that covered the effulgence at the time of dissolution.

Since the Supreme Personality of Godhead is ever existing, all-blissful and full of knowledge, His different energies are also ever existing in the dormant stage. Thus when the mahat-tattva was created, it manifested the material ego and swallowed up the darkness which covered the cosmic manifestation at the time of dissolution. This idea can be further explained. A person at night remains inactive, covered by the darkness of night, but when he is awakened in the morning, the covering of night, or the forgetfulness of the sleeping state, disappears. Similarly, when the mahat-tattva appears after the night of dissolution, the effulgence is manifested to exhibit the variegatedness of this material world.

SB3.26.21

TEXT 21

yat tat sattva-gunam svaccham

santam bhagavatah padam

yad ahur vasudevakhyam

cittam tan mahad-atmakam

yat—which; tat—that; sattva-gunam—the mode of goodness; svaccham—clear; santam—sober; bhagavatah—of the Personality of Godhead; padam—the status of understanding; yat—which; ahuh—is called; vasudeva-akhyam—by the name vasudeva; cittam—consciousness; tat—that; mahat-atmakam—manifest in the mahat-tattva.

The mode of goodness, which is the clear, sober status of understanding the Personality of Godhead and which is generally called vasudeva, or consciousness, becomes manifest in the mahat-tattva.

The vasudeva manifestation, or the status of understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is called pure goodness, or suddha-sattva. In the suddha-sattva status there is no infringement of the other qualities, namely passion and ignorance. In the Vedic literature there is mention of the Lord’s expansion as the four Personalities of Godhead—Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. Here in the reappearance of the mahat-tattva the four expansions of Godhead occur. He who is seated within as Supersoul expands first as Vasudeva.

The vasudeva stage is free from infringement by material desires and is the status in which one can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or the objective which is described in the Bhagavad-gita as adbhuta. This is another feature of the mahat-tattva. The vasudeva expansion is also called Krsna consciousness, for it is free from all tinges of material passion and ignorance. This clear state of understanding helps one to know the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The vasudeva status is also explained in Bhagavad-gita as ksetra-jna, which refers to the knower of the field of activities as well as the Superknower. The living being who has occupied a particular type of body knows that body, but the Superknower, Vasudeva, knows not only a particular type of body but also the field of activities in all the different varieties of bodies. In order to be situated in clear consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, one must worship Vasudeva. Vasudeva is Krsna alone. When Krsna, or Visnu, is alone, without the accompaniment of His internal energy, He is Vasudeva. When He is accompanied by His internal potency, He is called Dvarakadhisa. To have clear consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, one has to worship Vasudeva. It is also explained in Bhagavad-gita that after many, many births one surrenders to Vasudeva. Such a great soul is very rare.

In order to get release from the false ego, one has to worship Sankarsana. Sankarsana is also worshiped through Lord Siva; the snakes which cover the body of Lord Siva are representations of Sankarsana, and Lord Siva is always absorbed in meditation upon Sankarsana. One who is actually a worshiper of Lord Siva as a devotee of Sankarsana can be released from false, material ego. If one wants to get free from mental disturbances, one has to worship Aniruddha. For this purpose, worship of the moon planet is also recommended in the Vedic literature. Similarly, to be fixed in one’s intelligence one has to worship Pradyumna, who is reached through the worship of Brahma. These matters are explained in Vedic literature.

SB3.26.22

TEXT 22

svacchatvam avikaritvam

santatvam iti cetasah

vrttibhir laksanam proktam

yathapam prakrtih para

svacchatvam—clarity; avikaritvam—freedom from all distraction; santatvam—serenity; iti—thus; cetasah—of consciousness; vrttibhih—by characteristics; laksanam—traits; proktam—called; yatha—as; apam—of water; prakrtih—natural state; para—pure.

After the manifestation of the mahat-tattva, these features appear simultaneously. As water in its natural state, before coming in contact with earth, is clear, sweet and unruffled, so the characteristic traits of pure consciousness are complete serenity, clarity, and freedom from distraction.

The pure status of consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, exists in the beginning; just after creation, consciousness is not polluted. The more one becomes materially contaminated, however, the more consciousness becomes obscured. In pure consciousness one can perceive a slight reflection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As in clear, unagitated water, free from impurities, one can see everything clearly, so in pure consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, one can see things as they are. One can see the reflection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and one can see his own existence as well. This state of consciousness is very pleasing, transparent and sober. In the beginning, consciousness is pure.

SB3.26.23-24

TEXTS 23–24

mahat-tattvad vikurvanad

bhagavad-virya-sambhavat

kriya-saktir ahankaras

tri-vidhah samapadyata

vaikarikas taijasas ca

tamasas ca yato bhavah

manasas cendriyanam ca

bhutanam mahatam api

mahat-tattvat—from the mahat-tattva; vikurvanat—undergoing a change; bhagavat-virya-sambhavat—evolved from the Lord’s own energy; kriya-saktih—endowed with active power; ahankarah—the material ego; tri-vidhah—of the three kinds; samapadyata—sprang up; vaikarikah—material ego in transformed goodness; taijasah—material ego in passion; ca—and; tamasah—material ego in ignorance; ca—also; yatah—from which; bhavah—the origin; manasah—of the mind; ca—and; indriyanam—of the senses for perception and action; ca—and; bhutanam mahatam—of the five gross elements; api—also.

The material ego springs up from the mahat-tattva, which evolved from the Lord’s own energy. The material ego is endowed predominantly with active power of three kinds—good, passionate and ignorant. It is from these three types of material ego that the mind, the senses of perception, the organs of action, and the gross elements evolve.

In the beginning, from clear consciousness, or the pure state of Krsna consciousness, the first contamination sprang up. This is called false ego, or identification of the body as self. The living entity exists in the natural state of Krsna consciousness, but he has marginal independence, and this allows him to forget Krsna. Originally, pure Krsna consciousness exists, but because of misuse of marginal independence there is a chance of forgetting Krsna. This is exhibited in actual life; there are many instances in which someone acting in Krsna consciousness suddenly changes. In the Upanisads it is stated, therefore, that the path of spiritual realization is just like the sharp edge of a razor. The example is very appropriate. One shaves his cheeks with a sharp razor very nicely, but as soon as his attention is diverted from the activity, he immediately cuts his cheek because he mishandles the razor.

Not only must one come to the stage of pure Krsna consciousness, but one must also be very careful. Any inattentiveness or carelessness may cause falldown. This falldown is due to false ego. From the status of pure consciousness, the false ego is born because of misuse of independence. We cannot argue about why false ego arises from pure consciousness. Factually, there is always the chance that this will happen, and therefore one has to be very careful. False ego is the basic principle for all material activities, which are executed in the modes of material nature. As soon as one deviates from pure Krsna consciousness, he increases his entanglement in material reaction. The entanglement of materialism is the material mind, and from this material mind, the senses and material organs become manifest.

SB3.26.25

TEXT 25

sahasra-sirasam saksad

yam anantam pracaksate

sankarsanakhyam purusam

bhutendriya-manomayam

sahasra-sirasam—with a thousand heads; saksat—directly; yam—whom; anantam—Ananta; pracaksate—they all; sankarsana-akhyam—Sankarsana by name; purusam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; bhuta—the gross elements; indriya—the senses; manah-mayam—consisting of the mind.