Devanagari
मुखतस्तालु निर्भिन्नं जिह्वा तत्रोपजायते ।
ततो नानारसो जज्ञे जिह्वया योऽधिगम्यते ॥ १८ ॥
Verse text
mukhatas tālu nirbhinnaṁ
jihvā tatropajāyate
tato nānā-raso jajṣe
jihvayā yo ’dhigamyate
Synonyms
mukhataḥ
—
from the mouth
;
tālu
—
the palate
;
nirbhinnam
—
being generated
;
jihvā
—
the tongue
;
tatra
—
thereupon
;
upajāyate
—
becomes manifested
;
tataḥ
—
thereupon
;
nānā
—
rasaḥ — various tastes
;
jajṣe
—
became manifested
;
jihvayā
—
by the tongue
;
yaḥ
—
which
;
adhigamyate
—
become relished .
Translation
From the mouth the palate became manifested, and thereupon the tongue was also generated. After this all the different tastes came into existence so that the tongue can relish them.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
After the appearance of the mouth, the palate became differentiated, and on the palate the tongue appeared. From that various tastes which are experienced by the tongue were generated.
Purport
This gradual process of evolution suggests the explanation of the controlling deities (
adhidaiva
) because Varuṇa is the controlling deity for all relishable juices. Therefore the mouth becomes the resting place for the tongue, which tastes all the different juices, of which the controlling deity is Varuṇa. This suggests, therefore, that Varuṇa was also generated along with the development of the tongue. The tongue and the palate, being instrumental, are
adhibhūtam,
or forms of matter, but the functioning deity, who is a living entity, is
adhidaiva,
whereas the person undergoing the function is
adhyātma.
Thus the three categories are also explained as to their birth after the opening of the mouth of the
virāṭ-puruṣa.
The four principles mentioned in this verse serve to explain the three main principles, namely the
adhyātma, adhidaiva
and
adhibhutam,
as explained before.
Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
This verse elaborates on the adhidaiva, adhibhūta and adhyātma mentioned in verse 13. After the mouth appeared (mukhataḥ), the location of the sense organ, the palate (gross organ), became differentiated. In the palate, the subtle sense organ called the tongue appeared. From that, various tastes, the sense objects for the tongue, appeared. Also the presiding deity of the tongue, Varuṇa should be understood to have appeared. In this description, the gross palate and the sense object are the adhibhūta aspect. The subtle sense organ is adhyātma, and Varuṇa, the presiding deity, is the adhidaiva aspect. Though there are four elements (gross form, sense object, subtle sense organ and deity), they are classified as three in the above manner.