CH 7, Verses 4 & 5

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Chapter 7

Verse 4

 

Bhuumir aapo'nalo vaayuh kham mano buddhir eva cha /

aha.nkaara itee'yam me bhinnaa prakritir ashhtadhaa //

 

The earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect

and egoism: thus is my Prakriti (nature) divided

eight-fold.

 

Verse 5

 

Apar'eyam itas tv anyaam prakriti.n viddhi me paraam /

jeeva-bhuutaam mahaa-baaho yay'endam dhaaryate jagat

//

 

This is the lower (Nature); but My higher Nature, know

to be different from it. That constitutes, O Arjuna,

the life-element by which the universe is upheld.

 

LESSONS FROM BHAGAVAD GITA – 68

As taught by Parama Pujya Sri Swamiji

 

"The earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect

and egoism: thus is my Prakriti (nature) divided

eight-fold" (Chapter 7, Verse 4).

 

"This is the lower (Nature); but My higher Nature,

know to be different from it. That constitutes, O

Arjuna, the life-element by which the universe is

upheld" (Chapter 7, Verse 5).

 

This whole cosmos is the manifestation of the power of

the Lord. It is created by His Cosmic Power called

Maya, the Primordial Nature. This Primordial Nature

has an eight-fold form and from this springs the

entire manifold created world. Out of the eight

constituent parts, the first five are the five great

elements called earth, water, fire, wind and ether and

they have smell, taste, form (or color), touch and

sound as their tanmatras, or subtle essences,

respectively.

 

These five elements and their subtle essences form the

sum and substance of the whole cosmos or the physical

universe. Behind all these gross elements and their

subtle essences is the cosmic Mind, which is the sum

total of all individual minds. This is the sixth

constituent of the Lord’s nature. The seventh is the

Mahat or the Cosmic Intelligence and the eighth is the

Ego-sense, which is the Unmanifest Primordial cause

associated with Cosmic Ignorance. As food mixed with

poison is called poison, even so, the Unmanifest

Primordial Nature with the impression of ego-sense is

called egoism. This egoism is the impelling cause of

all activity in the world. Thus earth, water, fire,

air, ether, mind, intellect and ego are the eight

categories from which the whole material universe is

evolved.

 

This eight-fold nature is the lower nature (Apara

Prakriti) of the Lord and it is material in character,

or, in other words, unconscious by nature. In contrast

to this the Lord speaks of His, higher nature (Para

Prakriti) which constitutes the life-element and which

has taken the form of individual souls. This

life-element (Jeeva) is the cause that leads to the

assumption of the vital force and the world is

sustained by it, by permeating it. This higher element

is the principle of the Lord Himself as it belongs to

the Lord’s essential nature. It works in a mysterious

way and makes the lifeless matter vibrant with life.

The whole world and its objects are all sustained and

supported by this very live energy of the Lord.

 

 

 

 

 

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