SB 2.10.23 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

वस्तुनो मृदुकाठिन्यलघुगुर्वोष्णशीतताम् । जिघृक्षतस्त्वङ् निर्भिन्ना तस्यां रोममहीरुहा: । तत्र चान्तर्बहिर्वातस्त्वचा लब्धगुणो वृत: ॥ २३ ॥

Verse text

vastuno mṛdu-kāṭhinya- laghu-gurv-oṣṇa-śītatām jighṛkṣatas tvaṅ nirbhinnā tasyāṁ roma-mahī-ruhāḥ tatra cāntar bahir vātas tvacā labdha-guṇo vṛtaḥ

Synonyms

vastunaḥ — of all matter ; mṛdu — softness ; kāṭhinya — hardness ; laghu — lightness ; guru — heaviness ; oṣṇa — warmness ; śītatām — coldness ; jighṛkṣataḥ — desiring to perceive ; tvak — the touch sensation ; nirbhinnā — distributed ; tasyām — in the skin ; roma — hairs on the body ; mahī — ruhāḥ — as well as the trees, the controlling deities ; tatra — there ; ca — also ; antaḥ — within ; bahiḥ — outside ; vātaḥ tvacā — the sense of touch or the skin ; labdha — having been perceived ; guṇaḥ — objects of sense perception ; vṛtaḥ — generated .

Translation

When there was a desire to perceive the physical characteristics of matter, such as softness, hardness, warmth, cold, lightness and heaviness, the background of sensation, the skin, the skin pores, the hairs on the body and their controlling deities (the trees) were generated. Within and outside the skin is a covering of air through which sense perception became prominent.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

When the universal form desired to receive the sensations or qualities of softness, hardness, lightness, heaviness, warmth and coolness in objects, skin appeared. Oṣṇa stands for ā uṣṇa, which means slight heat. Since intense warmth is the sense object (which only arises after the desire), slight warmth is mentioned because of the desire for warmth in general. There is also a version without the prefix, gurv uṣṇa. The skin is the location of the sense organ. Because one understands the lightness or heaviness of objects by placing them in the hands, lightness and heaviness are the sense objects. This is according to the followers of the Purāṇas. In that location (adhibhūta) the devatā Vāyu (adhidaiva) is situated, extending internally and externally, by the sense organ (adhyātma) called skin which receives the sense object called touch (adhibhūta). In that location also, the hair is the sense organ, the herbs are the devatā and the sense object is itching. Thus in the skin there are two sense organs. The meaning is this. The sense organ skin is called hair when it receives touch sensation along with itching externally. The plants act as the presiding deity of that skin (hair). When the sense organ skin receives touch internally or externally it is called skin. Its deity is Vāyu or air. In the Third Canto it is said: nirbhinnāny asya carmāṇi loka-pālo ’nilo ’viśat | prāṇenāṁśena saṁsparśaṁ yenāsau pratipadyate || tvacam asya vinirbhinnāṁ viviśur dhiṣṇyam oṣadhīḥ | aṁśena lomabhiḥ kaṇḍūṁ yair asau pratipadyate || When there was a manifestation of skin separated from the gigantic form, Anila, the deity directing the wind, entered with the sense organ skin, and thus the living entities can realize tactile knowledge. When the gross skin of the universal form appeared, the presiding deities the plants (along with their portion subtle organ called body hair entered. By these body hairs, relief from itching appears. . SB 3.6.16, 18 Carmāṇi indicates skin. Prāṇena aṁśena means “with the sense organ called skin, which is spread with prāṇa-vāyu.” In the Bahvṛca-śruti this is partly described. tvaṅ nirabhidyata tvaco lomāni lomabhya oṣadhi-vanaspatayaḥ The skin differentiated. From that came hairs. From hairs came the plants and trees. Aitareya Upaniṣad 1.4

Purport

The physical characteristics of matter, such as softness, are subjects of sense perception, and thus physical knowledge is the subject matter of the touch sensation. One can measure the temperature of matter by touching with the hand, and one can measure the weight of an object by lifting it with the hand and thus estimate its heaviness or lightness. The skin, the skin pores and the hairs on the body are all interdependent with the touch sensation. The air blowing within and outside the skin is also an object of sense perception. This sense perception is also a source of knowledge, and therefore it is suggested here that physical or physiological knowledge is subordinate to the knowledge of the Self, as above mentioned. Knowledge of Self can expand to the knowledge of phenomena, but physical knowledge cannot lead to knowledge of the Self. There is, however, an intimate relation between the hairs on the body and the vegetation on the body of the earth. The vegetables are nourishment for the skin both as food and medicine, as stated in the Third Canto: tvacam asya vinirbhinnāṁ viviśur dhiṣṇyam oṣadhīḥ.