Verse 1.18

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

तदाविशन्ति भूतानि महान्ति सह कर्मभिः ।
मनश्चावयवैः सूक्ष्मैः सर्वभूतकृदव्ययम् ॥ १८ ॥

tadāviśanti bhūtāni mahānti saha karmabhiḥ |
manaścāvayavaiḥ sūkṣmaiḥ sarvabhūtakṛdavyayam || 18 || 

The great elemental substances, along with their functions, as also the mind, along with its subtile components, enter into that which (on that account) is the generator of all things and imperishable.—(18)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘That,’ ‘Primordial Matter—is ‘the generator of all things’:—it is ‘imperishable,’ i.e., in its original (causal) form it is indestructible.

“In what way does Primordial Matter generate all things?”

Because all these enter into it.

“What are all these that enter into it?”

First of all ‘the Mind along with its subtile components,’—i.e., along with the Rudimentary Substances, the Principle of Intelligence, the Principle of Egoism and the Sense-organs;—and then, the Great Elemental Substances—called ‘Earth,’ ‘Water,’ ‘Fire,’ ‘Wind,’ and ‘Ākāśa;’—‘along with their functions;—

1. sustaining,
2. conglutination,
3. cooking,
4. configuration
5. and making room (unobstruction) respectively are the ‘functions’ of Earth, &c.

Of these

1. ‘sustaining’ means upholding, keeping in their places, things that are prone to falling;
2. ‘conglutination’ means bringing together things that are loose and disjointed; e.g., loose and disjointed dust-particles are brought togther, cemented into, a mass by means of water;—
3. ‘Cooking’ is the well-known effect produced by fire upon such tilings as medicine and herbs, &c.;
4. ‘Configuration’ means conformation, shaping;—
5. ‘making room’ means non-obstruction by another body; in a point in space where one body is already present, there can be no room for another body; e.g., no object can find room within a piece of gold.

‘Mind’—is meant to indicate all the organs of sensation; and the term ‘Karma’ may be taken as referring to the organs of action; or again, in the first line of the text, the term ‘Karma’ may be taken to mean the ‘products’ of the elementary substances; the sense of the passage being that ‘subsequently the products of the elemental substances, along with the subtile components, enter into the great elemental substances’—‘as also do the organs of sensation,’ this latter being indicated by the word ‘Mind.’—(18)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

Buhler supplies the translation of the verse according to the five interpretations offered by the commentators.

1. The text here represents the explanation given by Medhātithi:—
2. According to Govinda and Kullūka the verse means—‘From Brahman are produced the gross elements, together with their functions, and the Mind, which is the producer of all beings through its minute portions, and imperishable’.—
3. According to Rāghavānanda—‘That gross body the gross elements enter, and the Mind, which is the producer of all beings and imperishable, together with the actions and with the limbs.’—
4. According to Nandana—‘As that body of Hiraṇyagarbha, though through its small portions it produces all beings, ye tis imperishable,—even thus the Great Beings and the Mind, with the actions enter it.’—
5. According to Nārāyana—‘That subtile body the gross elements enter, together with the Karma and the Mind, the producer of all beings and imperishable, together with its minute portions.’

Dr. Buhler’s rendering of this verse is not approved by Hopkins. The construction of the sentence is the same in all cases—mahānti bhūtāni karmabhiḥ saha—manaśca sūkṣmaiḥ avayavaiḥ.

Medhātithi himself offers a second explanation.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Mahābhārata, 12.232.12.—(First half is the same as Manu.)