"'"Bhrigu said, 'There is no destruction of the living creature, or of what
is given, or of our other acts. The creature that dies only goes into
another form. The body alone dissolves away. The living creature, though
depending upon the body, does not meet with destruction when the body is
destroyed. It is not seen after the destruction of the physical frame
just as fire is not seen after the consumption of the fuel with which it
was ignited.'
"'"Bharadwaja said, 'If there is no destruction of the living creature like
that of fire, I submit, fire itself is not seen after consumption of the
fuel (that ignited it). When the supply of fuel is stopped, the fire
becomes extinguished, and, as far as I know, becomes annihilated. That
should surely be regarded to have met with destruction which has no
longer any action, which furnishes no proof of its existence, and which
no longer occupies any space.'
"'"Bhrigu said, 'It is true that upon the consumption of fuel fire is no
longer seen. It mingles with space because there is no longer any visible
object in which to inhere, and hence it becomes incapable of perception
by us. Similarly, upon leaving the body, the creature lives in space, and
cannot be seen in consequence of its extreme subtility as is doubtless
the case with fire. It is fire or heat that sustains the breaths called
Prana and the others. Know that that heat (thus existing) is called life
or the living agent. That heat which is the sustainer of the breaths,
becomes extinguished in consequence of the suppression of breath. Upon
that heat in the physical frame being extinguished, the frame itself
loses animation. Falling down, it is transformed into earth, for that is
its ultimate destination. The breath that is in all mobile and immobile
objects mingles with space, and the heat that is in them follows that
breath. These three (viz., space, air, and fire), mingle together. The
other 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 are
formless, it should be known, and become endued with form only in respect
of embodied creatures.'
"'"Bharadwaja said, 'If in the physical frames of all living creatures
there are heat, wind, earth, space and water, what, then, are the
indications of living agent? Tell me these, O sinless one! I desire to
know the nature of the life that is in the bodies of living
beings,--bodies made up of the five primal elements, engaged in the five
acts, endued with the five senses and possessed of animation. Upon the
dissolution of the body which is a union of flesh and blood, and a mass
of 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 is
called life, who or what then is that which feels misery upon the
appearance of either bodily or mental pain? The living agent hears what
is said, with the aid of the ears. It, however, happens again, O great
Rishi, that the same agent hears not when the Mind is otherwise engaged.
It seems, therefore, that that which is called the living agent serves no
purpose. The whole scene that the living agent sees with eyes acting in
concert with the mind, the eye beholds not, even when lying before it, if
the mind be otherwise engaged. Then again, when it is under the influence
of sleep, that agent neither sees nor smells, nor hears, nor speaks, nor
experiences the perceptions of touch and taste. Who or what then is that
which feels joy, becomes angry, gives way to sorrow, and experiences
tribulation? What is that which wishes, thinks, feels aversion, and
utters words?'
"'"Bhrigu said, 'The mind also is made of the five elements in common with
the body. For this reason it is of no consequence with respect to the
acts mentioned by thee. Only the one internal Soul sustaineth the body.
It is he that perceives smell, taste, sound, touch and form and other
properties (that exist in external nature). That Soul, pervading all the
limbs, is the witness (of the acts) of the mind endued with five
attributes and residing within the body composed of the five elements. It
is he who feels pleasure and pain, and when separated from him the body
no longer experiences them. When there is no longer any perception of
form or of touch, when there is no heat in the fire that resides within
the 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 all
embodied creatures. In that water is the Soul which is displayed in the
mind. That Soul is the Creator Brahman who exists in all things. When the
Soul becomes endued with vulgar attributes, it comes to be called
Kshetrajna. When freed from those attributes, it comes to be called
Paramatman or Supreme Soul. Know that Soul. He is inspired with universal
benevolence. He resides in the body like a drop of water in a lotus. Know
well 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 the
attributes of life. The soul exerts and causes everything to exert.
Persons that have a knowledge of the Soul say that the Soul is different
from life. It is the Supreme Soul that has created the seven worlds and
sets them agoing. There is no destruction of the living agent when the
dissolution of the body takes place. Men destitute of intelligence say
that it dies. That is certainly untrue. All that the living agent does is
to go from one unto another body. That which is called death is only the
dissolution of the body. It is thus that the Soul, wrapped in diverse
forms, migrates from form to form, unseen and unnoticed by others.
Persons possessed of true Knowledge behold the Soul by their keen and
subtile intelligence. The man of wisdom, living on frugal fare, and with
heart cleansed of all sins, devoting himself to yoga meditation, succeeds
every night, before sleep and after sleep, in beholding his Soul by the
aid of his Soul.[561] In consequence of a contented heart, and by
abandoning all acts good and bad, one can obtain infinite happiness by
depending upon one's own Soul. The king, of fiery effulgence, residing
within the mind is called the living agent. It is from that Lord of
everything that this creation has sprung. Even this is the conclusion to
be arrived at in the enquiry into the origin of creatures and the soul.'"'"