Gita Rahasya -Tilak 187

Karma Yoga Sastra -Tilak

CHAPTER VIII THE CONSTRUCTIN AND THE DESTRUCTION OF THE COSMOS According to the Samkhya philosophy, after the eleven organic faculties or qualities, which are the basis of the organic world, and the five subtle elementary essences (tanmatras) which are the basis of the inorganic world have thus come into existence as a result of sattvilta and lamam Individuation respectively, the five gross primordial elements (which are also called visesa'), as also gross inorganic substances, come into existence out of the five fundamental subtle essences (tanmatras); and when these inorganic substances, come into contact with the eleven subtle organs, the organic universe comes into existence. The order in which the various Elements come out of fundamental matter according to Samkhya philosophy, and which has been so far described. Will be clear from the genealogical tree given below:- There are thus twenty-five elementary principles, counting the five gross primordial elements and Spirit. Out of these, the twenty-three elements including and after Mahan (Reason), are the evolutes (vikaras) of fundamental Matter. But even then, the subtle Tanmatras and the five gross primordial elements are substantial (dravyatmaka ) evolutes and Reason. Individuation, and the organs are merely faculties or qualities. The further distinction is that whereas these twenty-three elements aie perceptible, fundamental Matter is imperceptible. Out of these twenty-three elements, Cardinal Directions (east, west etc.,) and Time aie included by Samkhya philosophers in Ether (akaia), and instead of looking upon Vital Force ( prima ) as independent, they give the name of Vital Force to the various activities of the organs, when these activities have once started . But this opinion is not accepted by Vedantists, who consider Vital Force as an independent element . Similarly, as has been stated before, Vedantists do not look upon either Matter or Spirit as self-created and independent, but consider them to be two modifications (vibhuti) of one and the same Paramesvara. Except for this difference between the Samkhyas and the Vedantists, the other ideas about the order of creation of the Cosmos are common to both. For instance, the following description of the Brahmavrksa or Brahmavana, which has occurred twice in the Anugita in the Mahabharata is in accordance with the principles of Samkhya philosophy :- avyaktabijaprabhavo buddhiskandhamayo mahan I mahahamkaravitapah indriyantarakotarah II mahabhutavisakhas ca visesapratisakhavan I saduparnah sadapuspah subhasubhaphaldayah II ajivyah sarvabhutanam brahmavrksah sanatanah I enam chittva ca bhittva ca tattvajnanasina budhah I hitva samgamayan pasan mrtyujanmajarodayan nirmamo nirahamkaro mucyate natra samsayah II that is : " the Imperceptible (Matter) is its seed, Reason ( mahan ) is its trunk, Individuation ( ahamkara ) is its principal foliage, the Mind and the ten organs are the hollows inside the trunk, the (subtle) primordial elements (the five tanmatras ) are its five large branches, and the Visesas or the five Gross primordial elements are its sub-branches, and it is always covered by leaves, flowers, and auspicious or inauspicious fruit, and is i;he fundamental support of all living things; such is the ancient gigantic Brahmavrksa. By cutting it with the phi- losophical sword and chopping it up into bits, a scient should destroy the bonds of Attachment (samga) which cause life, old age, and death, and should abandon the feeling of mine-ness and individuality; in this way alone can he be released". In short, this Brahmavrksa is nothing but the ' dance of creation' or the 'diffusion' of Matter or of Illusion. The practice of referring to it as a ' tree ' is very ancient and dates from the time of the Rgveda, and it has been called by the name ' the ancient Pipal Tree ' (sanatana asvatthavrkAsa) in the Upanisads (Katha. 6. 1). But there, that is, in the Vedas, the root of this tree (Parabrahman) is stated to be above and the branches ( the development of the visible world ) to be below. That the description of the Pipal tree in the Gita has been made by harmonising the principles of Samkhya philoso- phy with the Vedic description has been made clear in my commentary on the 1st and 2nd stanzas of the 15th chapter of the Gita.