"'Yudhishthira said, "Tell me, O grandsire, what is Adhyatma with respect
to man and whence it arises."
"'Bhishma said, "Aided by the science of Adhyatma one may know everything.
It is, again, superior to all things. I shall, with the help of my
intelligence, explain to thee that Adhyatma about which thou askest me.
Listen, O son, to my explanation. Earth, Wind, Space, Water, and Light
forming the fifth, are the great essences. These are (the causes of) the
origin and the destruction of all creatures. The bodies of living
creatures (both subtile and gross), O bull of Bharata's race, are the
result of the combination of the virtues of these five. Those virtues
(whose combinations produce the bodies of creatures) repeatedly start
into existence and repeatedly merge into the original cause of all
things, viz., the Supreme Soul.[1442] From those five primal essences are
created all creatures, and into those five great elements all creatures
resolve themselves, repeatedly, like the infinite waves of the Ocean
rising from the Ocean and subsiding into that which causes them. As a
tortoise stretches forth its legs and withdraws them again into itself,
even so the infinite number of creatures spring from (and enter) these
five great fixed essences. Verily, sound springs from Space, and all
dense matter is the attribute of earth. Life is from Wind. Taste is from
Water. Form is said to be the property of Light. The entire mobile and
immobile universe is thus these five great essences existing together in
various proportions. When Destruction comes, the infinite diversity of
creatures resolve themselves into those five, and once more, when
Creation begins, they spring from the same five. The Creator places in
all creatures the same five great essences in proportions that He thinks
proper. Sound, the ears, and all cavities,--these three,--have Space for
their producing cause. Taste, all watery or juicy substances, and the
tongue, are said to be the properties of water. Form, the eye, and the
digestive fire in the stomach, are said to partake of the nature of
Light. Scent, the organ of smelling, and the body, are the properties of
earth. Life, touch, and action are said to be the properties of Wind. I
have thus explained to thee, O king, all the properties of the five
primal essences. Having created these, the Supreme Deity, O Bharata,
united with them Sattwa, Rajas, Tamas, Time, Consciousness of functions,
and Mind forming the sixth.[1443] That which is called the Understanding
dwells in the interior of what thou seest above the soles of the feet and
below the crown of the head. In man the senses (of knowledge) are five.
The sixth (sense) is the Mind. The seventh is called the Understanding.
The Kshetrajna or Soul is the eighth. The senses and that which is the
Actor should be ascertained by apprehension of their respective
functions. The conditions or states called Sattwa, Rajas, and Tamas,
depend upon the senses for their refuge or formation. The senses exist
for simply seizing the impressions of their respective objects. The Mind
has doubt for its function. The Understanding is for ascertainment. The
Kshetrajna is said to be only an inactive witness (of the functions of
the others). Sattwa, Rajas, Tamas, Time, and Acts, O Bharata, these
attributes direct the Understanding. The Understanding is the senses and
the five fore-mentioned attributes.[1444] When the Understanding is
wanting, the senses with the mind, and the five other attributes (viz.,
Sattwa, Rajas, Tamas, Time, and Acts) cease to be. That by which the
Understanding sees is called the eye. When the Understanding hears, it is
called the ear. When she smells, she becomes the sense of scent; and when
she tastes the various objects of taste, she comes to be called by the
name of tongue. When again she feels the touch of the various objects of
touch, she becomes the sense of touch. It is the Understanding that
becomes modified diversely and frequently. When the Understanding desires
anything, she becomes Mind. The five senses with the Mind, which
separately constitute the foundations (of the Understanding), are the
creations of the Understanding. They are called Indriyas. When they
become stained, the Understanding also becomes stained.[1445] The
Understanding, dwelling in Jiva, exists in three states. Sometimes she
obtains joy; sometimes she indulges in grief; and sometimes she exists in
a state that is neither pleasure nor pain. Having for her essence these
conditions or states (viz., Sattwa, Rajas, and Tamas), the Understanding
resolves through these three states.[1446] As the lord of rivers, viz.,
the surging Ocean, always keeps within his continents, even so the
Understanding, which exists in connection with the (three) states, exists
in the Mind (including the senses). When the state of Rajas is awakened,
the Understanding becomes modified into Rajas. Transport of delight, joy,
gladness, happiness, and contentedness of heart, these, when somehow
excited, are the properties of Sattwa. Heart-burning, grief, sorrow,
discontentedness, and unforgivingness,[1447] arising from particular
causes, are the result of Rajas. Ignorance, attachment and error,
heedlessness, stupefaction, and terror, meanness, cheerlessness, sleep,
and procrastination,--these, when brought about by particular causes, are
the properties of Tamas. Whatever state of either body or mind, connected
with joy or happiness, arises, should be regarded as due to the state of
Sattwa. Whatever, again, is fraught with sorrow and is disagreeable to
oneself should be regarded as arising from Rajas. Without commencing any
such act, one should turn one's attention to it (for avoiding it).
Whatever is fraught with error or stupefaction in either body or mind,
and is inconceivable and mysterious, should be known as connected with
Tamas. Thus, have I explained to thee that things in this world dwell in
the Understanding. By knowing this one becomes wise. What else can be the
indication of wisdom? Know now the difference between these two subtile
things, viz., Understanding and Soul. One of these, viz., the
Understanding, creates attributes. The other, viz., the Soul, does not
create them. Although they are, by nature, distinct from each other, yet
they always exist in a state of union. A fish is different from the water
in which it dwells, but the fish and the water must exist together. The
attributes cannot know the Soul. The Soul, however, knows them. They that
are ignorant regard the Soul as existing in a state of union with the
attributes like qualities existing with their possessors. This, however,
is not the case, for the Soul is truly only an inactive Witness of
everything. The Understanding has no refuge.[1448] That which is called
life (involving the existence of the Understanding) arises from the
effects of the attributes coming together. Others (than these attributes
which are created by the Understanding), acting as causes, create the
Understanding that dwells in the body. No one can apprehend the
attributes in their real nature or form of existence. The Understanding,
as already said, creates the attributes. The Soul simply beholds them (as
an inactive Witness). This union that exists between the Understanding
and the Soul is eternal. The indwelling Understanding apprehends all
things through the Senses which are themselves inanimate and
unapprehending. Really the senses are only like lamps (that throw their
light for discovering objects to others without themselves being able to
see them). Even this is the nature (of the Senses, the Understanding, and
the Soul). Knowing this, one should live cheerfully, without yielding to
either grief or joy. Such a man is said to be beyond the influence of
pride. That the Understanding creates all these attributes is due to her
own nature,--even as a spider weaves threads in consequence of her own
nature. These attributes should be known as the threads the spider
weaves. When destroyed, the attributes do not cease to exist; their
existence ceases to be visible. When, however, a thing transcends the ken
of the senses, its existence (or otherwise) is affirmed by inference.
This is the opinion of one set of persons. Others affirm that with
destruction the attributes cease to be. Untying this knotty problem
addressed to the understanding and reflection, and dispelling all doubt,
one should cast off sorrow and live in happiness.[1449] As men
unacquainted with its bottom become distressed when they fall upon this
earth which is like a river filled with the waters of stupefaction, even
so is that man afflicted who falls away from that state in which there is
a union with the Understanding.[1450] Men of knowledge, however,
conversant with Adhyatma and armed with fortitude, are never afflicted,
because they are capable of crossing to the other shore of those waters.
Indeed, Knowledge is an efficient raft (in that river). Men of knowledge
have not to encounter those frightful terrors which alarm them that are
destitute of knowledge. As regards the righteous, none of them attains to
an end that is superior to that of any other person amongst them. Indeed,
the righteous show, in this respect, an equality. As regards the man of
Knowledge, whatever acts have been done by him in past times (while he
was steeped in Ignorance) and whatever acts fraught with great iniquity
he does (after attainment of Knowledge), he destroys both by Knowledge as
his sole means. Then again, upon the attainment of Knowledge he ceases to
perpetrate these two evils, viz., censuring the wicked acts of others and
doing any wicked acts himself under the influence of attachment."'"[1451]