71 verses
The Lord said: Now I will describe the features of the elements one by one, knowing which, a person can be freed from the guṇas of prakṛti.
I will explain to you knowledge of the ātmā, the Supreme Lord, for attaining the highest goal, which they say cuts the knot of the heart.
What is the result of knowing the qualities of elements? This verse explains. From knowing the characteristics of elements, arises knowledge of the ātmā, separate from the body.
This ātmā is the puruṣa, who is eternal, without material qualities, since he is beyond prakṛti; who is beyond the senses; who has a spiritual abode; who is self-manifesting, and from whom this universe, owned by him, appears.
This verse describes the ātmā, the Supreme Lord. The Supreme person (ātmā) is eternal (anādiḥ), without material qualities (nirguṇaḥ), because he is beyond prakṛti. He is beyond all the material senses (praytak). He has an abode in the Causal Ocean. He is self manifesting, from whom the universe, which is owned by him, appears.
As a pastime, Paramātmā, the powerful Lord, accepted, prakṛti, composed of the guṇas, subtle in state, and belonging to the Lord, whom he contacted by his will.
Paramātmā, contacting prakṛti by his own will, since it is his energy, accepted prakṛti as a pastime, when he desired to create the universe for jīvas bound by karma. This means he glanced, impregnating prakṛti with the jīvas.
Seeing prakṛti, which creates the bodies of the living beings, similar to itself but with great variety through the guṇas, the jīva becomes immediately bewildered by avidyā.
The bewilderment of the jīvas is described. Seeing prakṛti, the jīva situated in prakṛti (iha), immediatelyat the time of contacting prakṛti--becomes bewilderedforgetting his svarūpasince he is connected to the function of avidyā belonging to prakṛti (jñāna-gūhayā). Though the jīva is eternally connected with avidyā, jīva was in some realization of his svarūpa at the time of destruction before the creation, just as the jīva when sleeping realizes his svarūpa a little. At the beginning of creation, however, he forgets that. What is this prakṛti? It creates the living beings of great variety by the three guṇas. Śruti says:
ajām ekāṁ lohita-śukla-kṛṣṇāṁ vahvīḥ prajā janayantīṁ sarūpāḥ ajo hy eko juṣamāṇo nuśete jahāty enāṁ bhukta-bhogām ajo nyaḥ
The jīva is situated by the side of prakṛti, red, white and black, which creates the living beings similar to itself, which he enjoys and follows. The Lord however rejects what has been enjoyed. Śvetāśvatara Upanisad 4.6
The jīva thinks himself the doer of activities which are done by the guṇas, by false identification with prakṛti.
Just as one imitates people who dance and sing, one identifies prakṛti as the body and the body as the self. By such identification (para abhidhyānena) one thinks oneself the doer of activities such as seeing which are done by the guṇas.
Because of the impossibility of identifying oneself without having a sense of I, identity as an śakty-aveśāvatāra of the Lord arises from a covering as well. However this is a special type of identity of I. Because that particular jīva is fixed in his pure svarūpa, it is not a cause of bondage. That should be understood in cases such as the Kumāras who identify themselves as I as āveśāvatāras.
That misconception leads to bondage for the jīva, who is actually not the doer, but only the witness. It leads to self-created dependence on material enjoyment, though he is an energy of the Lord, and it leads to birth and death, though he has a form of bliss.
The conception of being the doer by the jīva (asya), who actually is not the doer, since he is only a witness, becomes his bondage. Just as the kings associate is addressed as a king, so the jīva, belonging to the Lord, is called īśa. That jīva, though he is a śakti of the Lord, creates his bondage by actions, and becomes dependent on material enjoyment. Though he has a svarūpa of happiness (nirvṛtāmanaḥ) he is subject to birth and death (saṁsṛtiḥ).
They say that prakṛti is the cause of the jīvas actions, being the cause of the body, senses and sense devatās. They say that the Supreme Lord, superior to prakṛti, is the cause of enjoyment and suffering of the jīva.
Bondage is created by the jīvas actions. The cause of the actions and their results is prakṛti and the Supreme Lord. Because action is accomplished by the body, sense and presiding deities of the senses, prakṛti is said to be the cause since it is the cause of the body, senses and devatās. Because they come into existence through prakṛti alone, they are called the cause of the jīvas actions. They are dependent on māyā. The bestower of results of actions is the Supreme Lord alone. Thus it is said that the jīvas enjoyment of results of action is dependent on the Lord alone. The wise know that the Lord is the cause of the enjoyment of results of actions for the jīva (bhoktṛtve).
Devahūti said: O Supreme Lord! Please tell me the characteristics of prakṛti and the Supreme Lord as the causes of the universe which is composed of gross and subtle effects.
Devahūti inquires for more detail about prakṛti and the Supreme Lord. They are cause of the universe which is composed of gross and subtle effects (sad-asad).
The Lord said: Prakṛti is called avyakta because, though having variety, it has a state of invisibility when the three guṇas are in balance. It is called pradhāna because, manifesting variety, it is the best, being the shelter of all the visible elements. It is called prakṛti because it is the very cause of all causes and effects. It is eternal.
This verse gives the characteristics of prakṛti. The aggregate of the three guṇas is called avyaktam, pradhānam and prakṛti. It is called avyakta (the invisible) because it has an invisible state, though it still possesses particularity, due to the balance of the three guṇas. It is called pradhāna (the chief) because, manifesting variety, it is the best among all partial forms which are its effects, being the shelter of particular elements like mahat-tattva. It is called prakṛti (original form) because it is the cause of the other causes and effects (sad-asat) such as mahat-tattva, being the very svarūpa (ātmā) of what follows. It is eternal since it remains as the final cause, even after universal destruction.
Or, there is another meaning. What is indescribable, called pradhāna, because it is superior, is also called prakṛti. Its indescribable nature is given. Though consisting of three guṇas, it is invisible. It becomes visible with guṇas. Though it is composed of cause (asat) and effect (sat), it is eternal. Though it is seen as temporary things such as earth, and has variety such as mahat-tattva, it is also without variety when in the condition of balanced guṇas. What possesses variety as substance becomes invisible, without variety in another form.
The wise know the products of pradhāna, enumerated as five, five, four and ten, to be Brahman.
The other elements are first enumerated in order to speak of their characteristics. The wise know what is produced from pradhāna (prādhānikam) which are enumerated as five, five, and fourteen to be worshipped as Brahman. The products are enumerated.
The five great elements are earth, water, fire, air and ether. The sense objects are also considered to be five, starting with smell.
Three verses describe these elements. Tāvanti (as much) indicates five.
The senses are ten: the ear, skin, eye, tongue, nose, voice, hands, feet, penis and the tenth, the anus.
The internal sense organ is divided into four-- the mind, intelligence, ego and cittabecause of distinctive functions.1
Antar-ātmākam means the antaḥ-karaṇa, the internal sense organ. They are distinguished by separate functions (lakṣana-rūpayā vṛttyā).
What I have described as the situation of the Brahman as the material world, of which time is the twenty-fifth element, has thus been enumerated.
Sa-guṇasya means of the material world starting with mahat-tattva. Time is described in two ways. It is the twenty-fifth element, a particular condition of prakṛti.
Time is said to be the Lords power, by which fear arises in the jīva, having contacted prakrṭi and being bewildered by ego.
The first description of time is given. Time is called the power of the Supreme Lord (pauraṣam) from which the jīvas (kartuḥ) fears arise. Time is described as the instigator of the jīva.
O Devahūti! Powerful time is described as that which produces agitation in prakṛti, which was previously in a state of equilibrium of the guṇas, without distinctions.
In this verse, time is described as the instigator of prakṛti.
He who, by his own energy, exists internally as antaryāmī and externally as time for all beings, is the Supreme Lord.
Internally the Lord exists without change, continuously (samanveti) as the controller, in the form of antaryāmī. Externally, he exists as the controller in the form of time. Sattvānām means of the living beings. In this way there are twenty-four products of prakṛti. Adding time, the jīva, prakṛti and the Lord to this, there are twenty-eight items.
The Supreme Lord placed the jīvas into the womb of prakṛti, whose guṇas were agitated by time. Prakṛti gave birth to the brilliant mahat-tattva.
Now, in describing the characteristics of the elements, first the primordial quality, previous to the appearance of citta, is described. The Lord delivered the jīva into the manifest abode of the guṇas agitated by time. Prakṛti gave birth to the mahat-tattva. Hiraṇmayam means that it had great brilliance.
Mahat-tattva, the seed of the universe, without disturbance, manifesting the universe held within itself, swallowed up by its radiance the intense darkness which had covered it since the time of destruction.
The mahat-tattva manifests the material elements starting with ahaḍkāra (viśvam) which was situated within it in a subtle form. The words are in the masculine gender modifying the word mahān, rather than mahat-tattvam (neuter.) The mahat-tattva is fixed (kūṭasthaḥ) without agitation or inertness (unlike the mind). It was covered (prasvāpanam) by darkness, which, at the time of destruction, merged the mahat-tattva into prakṛti.
Mahat-tattva, which is represented by citta in the body, which is predominated by sattva, which is pure, peaceful, and the place to worship the Lord, is also called Vāsudeva.
What is well known as citta is composed of mahat-tattva. This means that mahat-tattva is present in the individual body in the form of citta. It is pure (svaccham) and devoid of passion or other symptoms (śāntam). It is the place for worshipping the Supreme Lord and is known as Vāsudeva. Citta, ahaḍkāra, intelligence and mind have the deities of Vāsudeva, Saḍkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha respectively, who are worshipped for purifying these elements. Their presiding deities are Viṣṇu, Rudra, Brahmā and Candra.
Citta is known to have purity, changelessness and peacefulness as its qualities by nature, just like the nature of pure water.
The qualities like purity are found everywhere in the citta of the body. Qualities of purity, since it is a reflection of the Lord, devoid of changes such as inaction or agitation, and devoid of passion and other emotions, are known as the natural modes of the citta. It is just like the original nature of water, which has an excellent quality. Pure water, without foam or waves, is sweet to the taste and peaceful. Just as water from contact with earth and other elements because impure, full of foam and waves, so citta attached to inferior objects becomes polluted from contact with lower consciousness (cetanā).
vaikārikas taijasaś ca tāmasaś ca yato bhavaḥ manasaś cendriyāṇāṁ ca bhūtānāṁ mahatām api
From the transformation of mahat-tattva, induced by the power of the Lord, ahaḍkāra endowed with jñāna, kriya, and dravya śaktis appeared in three forms, vaikārika (sattva), taijasa (rajas) and tāmas, from which the mind, senses and the five gross elements appeared.
This verse describes the characteristics before the appearance of ahaḍkāra. Kriya-śakti represents also jñāna-śakti and dravya-śakti, since ahaḍkāra possesses of these śaktis. From vaikārika, taijasa and tāmasa ahaḍkāra arise the mind, senses and elements respectively.
Situated in ahaḍkara is the Lord with a thousand heads known as Saḍkārṣaṇa and also called Ananta, the cause of the mind, senses and gross elements.
The deity to be worshiped is described. Yam means literally means which is Ananta but actually means in which Ananta is situated. The object and the person in the object are equated in the same manner that we say The stadium shouted when we mean the people in the stadium shouted.
The characteristics of ahaḍkāra are its capacity to serve as the presiding deities of the sense, the senses, and the gross senses made of gross elements, and to produce peace, passion and bewilderment.
Kartṛtvam or doership indicates the devatās of the senses. Karaṇatvam indicates the senses (subtle). Kāryatvam indicates the gross elements. Sānta-ghora- vimūòhatvam represent the three guṇas.
From the transformation of ahaḍkāra in sattva, appeared the mind. By the minds general desire for objects the desire for a particular object and notions concerning it appears.
From the minds (yat) general desire to possess objects (saḍkalpa), desire appears in the form of fantasies about and desire to possess a particular object
In the mind is situated the Lord known as Aniruddha, master of the senses, having the complexion of a blue lotus, worshipped quietly by the yogīs.
Yat means within which is situated.
O Devahūti! From the transformation of ahaḍkāra in rajas, buddhi, consciousness directed to manifestation of objects, appeared. It assists the senses.
To make a distinction from citta, buddhi is described as vijñāna, that which manifests an object. But because it is also awareness it is said to be a quality of citta. Buddhi shows favour to the senses: without buddhi, the five senses cannot operate. Even though citta, ahaḍkāra and mind also assist the senses, buddhi gives special assistance. When I hear a sound, first, it is registered by citta as simply awareness (cetanā). By buddhi I realize This is a sound. By the mind, I develop desire for the sound. By ahaḍkāra, it is related to ones identity. This is how the object becomes manifest to a person.
The characteristics of buddhi by its various functions are doubt, false knowledge, ascertaining correct knowledge, remembrance and sleep.
Viparyāsaḥ is incorrect knowledge. Niścayaḥ is correct knowledge. Svāpah is sleep.
Patañjali says pramāṇa viparyyaya vikalpa nidrā smṛtayaḥ: the functions of buddhi are correct knowledge, false knowledge, doubt, sleep and memory.
All the senses, both action and knowledge senses, arise from taijasa ahaḍkāra since the prāṇa impelling the action senses possesses taijasa kriya-śakti and buddhi impelling the knowledge senses possesses taijasa vijñāna-śakti.
The senses are produced from ahaḍkāra in rajas (taijasāni indriyāni). To remove the doubt that knowledge senses should arise from vaikārika (ahaḍkāra in sattva), the word eva is used. Ahaḍkāra in rajas gives rise to both knowledge and action senses. This is because the prāṇa has kriya-śakti, which is taijasa. Thus the action senses, which also have kriya-śakti, possess taijasa. Because of the predominance of rajas in buddhi when acting with knowledge of distinctions, it also is considered taijasa. Thus the knowledge senses are also considered taijasa.
From transformation of ahaḍkāra in tāmas, inspired by the Lords power as time, sound appeared, and from that, ether appeared. The ear is the receptacle of sound.
Inspired by the power of the Lord in the form of time (bhagavad-vīrya), sound appeared. What is it perceived by? The ear, arising from taijasa ahaḍkāra, attains sound.
The wise know the characteristics of sound as follows: expression of meaning, revelation of a seer of events, and the subtle form of ether.
The wise describe the qualities of sound. Sound expresses meaning and reveals the seer, such as Vyāsa or Sukadeva, who sees the pastimes or Rāma and Kṛṣṇa. Or it reveals the speaker who may be behind a wall. It is the subtle form (tan-mātratvam) of ether.
The characteristics of ether according to its actions are to provide space for the living entities internally and externally, and to act as a base for the prāṇa, senses and mind.
This verse describes the characteristics of ether. It gives space to the living entities, a place for internal and external actions. It is the shelter of the prāṇa, senses and mind, in the form of space for nāòis etc. These are the characteristics according to its conduct.
From transformation of ether, whose tan-mātrā is sound, by the influence of time, touch appeared, and then air. Skin is the sense organ to receive touch.
From the ether, whose tanmātrā is sound, arose touch. Skin receives (saḍgrahaḥ) the sensation of touch. It means the skin sense organ is the cause of receiving touch.
The main characteristics of touch are softness, hardness, cold and heat. It is the tan-mātrā of air.
The characteristics of touch are described. The main characteristics (sparśatvam) of touch are softness, hardness, cold and heat. It is the tan-mātrā of air (nabhasvataḥ).
The distinctive qualities of air are its actions of moving, gathering, conjunction, leading sense objects to the sense organ and giving life to the senses.
The characteristics of air are described. It provides movement, as moving the branches of trees. It causes association, as in bringing grass together. It causes cohesion of an object as one unit. It brings the sense object such as sound, coldness or fragrance to the organ such as ear, skin or nose. It should be understood that movement, association and bringing the sense object to the sense are all particular types of conjunction (prapti). Air brings life to all the senses. These actions of air are its distinctive features (abhi lakṣaṇam).
From air, whose tan-mātrā is touch, under the influence of time, arose form. From form arose fire. The eye perceives form.
O Devahūti! The qualities of form are providing shape, allowing perception through qualities, and allowing perception of size. It is the tan-mātrā of fire.
The qualities of form are described. It provided shape for objects (ākṛtitvam). It is perceived by secondary aspects (qualities) of the object (guṇatā). Sound is perceived independently. Perception of an invisible substance by touch also shows independence. Form however is not independent of qualities for its perception. It allows perception of an objects size (vyakti-saṁsthātvam). It is the tan-mātrā of fire (tejastvam). These are its qualities (vṛttayaḥ).
Illumination, cooking, drinking, eating relief from cold, are the qualities of fire, as well as drying, hunger and thirst.
The qualities of fire are described. It provides illumination (dyotanam). It cooks things as in the case of rice. Hunger, thirst, eating and cooking take place by fire.
By transformation of fire whose tan-mātrā is form under the influence of time, taste appeared. From taste appeared water. The tongue perceives taste.
One taste divides into many by transformation in combined substances and becomes astringent, sweet, bitter, hot and sour.
The qualities of taste are described. Salty taste should be added to the list. Taste, which is actually only one, known as sweetness, by combination of material objects (bhautikānām) is divided into many.
The qualities of water are moistening, making balls, causing satisfaction, giving life, relieving thirst, softening, extinguishing heat, and being plentiful.
The qualities of water are described. It is moistening, causes formation of a globe, and gives satisfaction. It gives life (prāṇana). Śruti says āpomayaḥ prāṇāḥ: life consists of water. It relieves thirst (āpyāyana). It makes things soft (undanam or udanam). It is plentiful. One can go again and again to a well to take water.
From transformation of water whose tan-mātrā is taste, by the influence of time, arose smell. From smell arose earth. The nose perceives smell.
One smell is divided by combination of different substances it becomes distinguished as mixed, foul, fragrant, mild, strong, or acrid.
The qualities of smell are described. Karambha means mixed smell, as in cooking using hing and other spices. Pūti means foul odor.
The qualities of earth are its use in production of deity forms, its steadiness, its accommodating power, its ability to make other elements perceptible, and its power to manifest differences in all beings and their qualities.
The qualities of earth are described. It is used in creation of forms (bhāvanam) of the Lord. It remains in one condition, indifferent to the qualities of other objects such as water. It is the container for water. It is the cause of distinguishing other elements such as sky. We perceive ether because of contamination of earth or we perceive air because of contamination with dust. It causes manifestation with distinctions in all living beings and their qualities such as maleness etc.
The unique quality of ether is the sense object sound, the object of perception for the ear. The unique quality of air is the sense object touch, the object of perception of the skin.
The senses have already been mentioned in relation to the sense objects. Their qualities are now described. The unique quality of ether is sound, which is the sense object for the ear.
The unique quality of fire, form, is the sense object of the eye. The unique quality of water, taste, is the sense object for the tongue. The unique quality of earth, smell, is the sense object of the nose.
The previous quality is the cause of the succeeding element. Thus all qualities are perceived in earth alone.
This verse describes the additional qualities of the elements successively. The quality in higher cause, starting with sound, is seen in the succeeding effect, for instance the element air, since it is connected as a cause. In ether there is only one quality, sound, since there is no higher cause. In air there are two qualities, sound and touch. In fire there are three equalities, sound, touch and form. In water there are four qualities, sound, touch, form and taste. In earth there are five qualities, sound, touch, form, taste and smell. All the qualities (viśeṣaḥ) of all the elements are seen in earth alone.
When the seven elements starting with mahat-tattva did not combine, the Supreme Lord entered all the elements along with time, karma and prakṛti.
Having described the appearances of causes of creation (elements), Kapila now describes the appearance of the effects. When the elements remained in unmixed state, the Supreme Lord entered them. First, in order to combine all the elements by his compacting energy, he entered into the elements. This means that after a thousand years, he entered as antaryāmī, along with time (the agitator), karma (the fate of the jīvas) and prakṛti (guṇa). Mentioning seven elements indicates only the main ones. He entered into all of them.
By the Lords entrance into the elements, they combined together and formed an unconscious globe, from which the universal form composed of the mass of jīvas arose.
Being penetrated by his entrance, the elements became agitated and immediately combined to form an egg. From that, the universal form, composed of the mass of jīvas (hiraṇyagarbha) arose, as if waking up from sleep and coming to life.
The universal globe called viśeṣa, is surrounded by layers of elements such as water, each ten times thicker than the previous layer, covered by a layer of prakṛti on the outside. Within the universe are the variety of planets, which are a form of the Supreme Lord.
The globe is called viśeṣa (particular). It is surrounded by layers each ten times thicker than the next proceeding outwards to the final covering of prakṛti. This is a material form of the Lord.
Rising from the golden globe lying on the water, the Supreme Lord situated himself there and differentiated the apertures of his body.
The divisions within the universe are described. Situated himself there (āviśya), the great Lord created many apertures.
First his mouth became differentiated. Then the organ of speech (subtle organ) appeared. With the organ of speech, the fire devatā appeared, and entered the mouth. The two nostrils became differentiated. Penetrated by prāṇa, the sense organ called the nose (subtle) corresponding to the two nostrils (etayoḥ) appeared.
With the organ of speech, the fire devatā appeared and entered the organ. The two nostrils then appeared. The case is changed to the singular for all the senses.
After the appearance of the nose, the air devatā entered. Then the two eye balls and the subtle sense organ, the eyes, appeared. Then the sun devatā entered. The two ears appeared. Then the ear organ (subtle) and the direction devatās appeared.
After the appearance of the nose, air entered. In these verses the ablative case (eg. ghrāṇāt) is used to mean after the appearance of. Anubhidyetām is sometimes seen instead of nyabhidyetām
The skin, and then the hairs, and moustache of the universal form, appeared.2 Herbs, the devatās of the skin, appeared and then the genitals appeared.
The sex organ producing semen3 appeared and then the water devatā appeared. The anus appeared, and after that, the organ of excretion appeared. Then the devatā of the excretion organ, death, feared by all people, appeared.
The two hands appeared and from them the organ with grasping power appeared. Then the devatā of the hands, Indra appeared. The two feet appeared, and the organ of movement. Then the devatā of the feet, Hari, appeared.
Svarāṭ means Indra. Hari is a devatā (not Viṣṇu), in whom the Lord enters with his powers, according to Jīva Gosvāmī.
The veins of the universal form appeared and then sense organ which spreads blood and other substances. The devatās of the veins, rivers, appeared. Then the stomach appeared.
Lohitam means the sense organ which distributes blood and other substances. Ābhṛtam means appeared.
The organ of hunger and thirst appeared and then the ocean, their devatā, appeared. The heart of the universal form appeared and from the heart the mind appeared.
From the mind arose the presiding deity Candra. From the intelligence arose its presiding deity Brahmā. From ahaḍkāra arose the presiding deity Rudra. From the citta arose the presiding deity Vāsudeva.
The heart is the location (adhiṣṭhānam) of the four aspects of the antaḥkaraṇa: mind, intelligence, ego and citta. Girām patiḥ is Brahmā. Caityaḥ refers to Vāsudeva, the deity presiding over citta. He is also the form of the Lord to be worshipped for purification of citta. As Pradyumna he is the antaryāmī of the Hiraṇyagarbha, the mass of all jīvas. As Aniruddha he is the antaryāmī of the individual jīva. This is understood from Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta. One should not say that the individual jīva is the presiding deity of citta, since it is stated in many places that the jīva lacks independent ability to act and cannot supply the means of acting. Caitya refers to antaryāmī in the following statement. ācārya-caittya-vapuṣā svagatiṁ vyanakti: you appear in two featuresexternally as the ācārya and internally as the Supersoul to deliver the jīvas to you. (SB 11.29.6) Sometimes the jīva is designated as caitya as well, since he identifies himself in that role, not because he is the deity presiding over citta.
The devatās who had appeared were not able to awaken the universal form. They again one after the other entered the apertures to wake him up.
This is described to show that the antaryāmī possess all powers by their emerging from and entering into the Lord. Again all the devatās entered into the body of the universal form.
The fire devatā along with the organ of speech entered the mouth of the universal form, but the universal form did not arise. The air devatā along with the nose entered the nostrils, but the universal form did not arise.
The sun devatā long with the eyes entered into the eyeballs but the form did not arise. The direction devatās along with the ears entered the gross ears, but the universal form did not arise.
The herb devatās along with the hair sense organs entered the skin, but the form did not arise. The water devatā along with organ for sex4 entered the penis, but the form did not arise.
Death, the deity of the anus, along with evacuation organ, entered the anus, but the universal form did not awaken. Indra along with the organ for grasping entered the hands, but the universal form did not arise.
Viṣṇu along with the organ of locomotion entered the gross feet, but the form did not arise. The river devatās along with the circulation organ entered the veins, but the form did not arise.
The ocean devatā along with the hunger and thirst organ entered the stomach but the universal form did not arise. Candra along with the mind entered the heart, but the universal form did not arise.
Brahmā along with intelligence entered the heart, but the form did not arise. Rudra along with ego entered the heart, but the form did not arise.
When Vāsudeva, the antaryāmī, along with the citta, entered the heart, the universal form rose up from the water.
Caityaḥ is Vāsudeva, the antaryāmī (kṣetrjñaḥ), for as the Gītā says kṣetrajñañ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣv asthitam: know that I am the knower of the field situated in all bodies. (BG 13.13)
Similarly the prāṇas, senses, mind and intelligence by their own strength cannot awaken a sleeping individual without intervention of the Supreme Lord.
An example of the individual body is given illustrate the condition of the universal form. Just as the mind and intelligence cannot awaken a person sleeping without the Supreme Lord, the presiding deity of the citta, they cannot awaken the universal form without the Lord. The verse is connected with the previous verse.
One should ascertain and then contemplate the Supreme Lord within the body by unmotivated bhakti and knowledge, using the intelligence motivated by bhakti.
The goal of explaining the analysis of elements is given. One should contemplate the Supreme Lord), he who can be internally (pratyag) perceived, Paramātmā, in the body, which is a combination of cause and effect, or in the jīvātmā.
Thus ends the commentary on Twenty-sixth Chapter of the Third Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
In the Twenty-sixth Chapter, the manifestation and characteristics of the elements such as mahat-tattva, the universal form composed of those elements, and its being brought to life by the entrance of the Lord are described.
Being questioned by his mother about bhakti, jñāna and yoga, Kapila explained bhakti. His mother was fully satisfied with that. However, even persons engaged in bhakti, which reigns supreme everywhere with authority since without bhakti, karma, jñāna and yoga cannot give results of Svarga or liberation, should be inquisitive to know about karma, jñāna and yoga. Now jñāna will be discussed.