Devanagari
रज:प्रधानान्महतस्त्रिलिङ्गो दैवचोदितात् ।
जात: ससर्ज भूतादिर्वियदादीनि पञ्चश: ॥ १३ ॥
Verse text
rajaḥ-pradhānān mahatas
tri-liṅgo daiva-coditāt
jātaḥ sasarja bhūtādir
viyad-ādīni paṣcaśaḥ
Synonyms
rajaḥ
—
pradhānāt — in which the element of rajas, or passion, predominates
;
mahataḥ
—
from the mahat-tattva
;
tri
—
liṅgaḥ — of three kinds
;
daiva
—
coditāt — impelled by superior authority
;
jātaḥ
—
was born
;
sasarja
—
evolved
;
bhūta
—
ādiḥ — the false ego (origin of the material elements)
;
viyat
—
the ether
;
ādīni
—
beginning with
;
paṣcaśaḥ
—
in groups of five .
Translation
As impelled by the destiny of the jīva, the false ego, which is of three kinds, evolved from the mahat-tattva, in which the element of rajas predominates. From the ego, in turn, evolved many groups of five principles.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
From mahat-tattva in the mode of rajoguṇa, arose ahaṅkāra with its three guṇas by the instigation of the Lord. From this arose the five gross elements, the five tan-mātras, the five action and five knowledge senses and their devatās.
Mahat-tattva is initially predominantly in sattva, but at the time of producing ahaṅkāra, it becomes predominated by rajas. This form of mahat-tattva is called sūtra. Ahaṅkāra (bhūtādiḥ) has three guṇas. Viyad-ādīni means gross elements, and then the subtle elements or tanmātras such as sound, the knowledge senses, the action senses, and their devatās, all in groups of five.
Purport
The primordial matter, or
prakṛti,
material nature, consisting of three modes, generates four groups of five. The first group is called elementary and consists of earth, water, fire, air and ether. The second group of five is called
tan-mātra,
referring to the subtle elements (sense objects): sound, touch, form, taste and smell. The third group is the five sense organs for acquiring knowledge: eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin. The fourth group is the five working senses: speech, hands, feet, anus and genitals. Some say that there are five groups of five. One group is the sense objects, one is the five elements, one is the five sense organs for acquiring knowledge, another is the senses for working, and the fifth group is the five deities who control these divisions.