[Advaita-l] Tattvabodha of Adi Sankaracharya - 10

[S Jayanarayanan]

(Continued from previous post)
 
 
2.2.1 Organs of Perception (jnAna indriyas)
 
*  shrotra.n : Ear (hearing)
*  tvak : Skin (sense of touch)
*  chakShuH : Eye (sight)
*  rasanA : Tongue (taste)
*  ghrANam : Nose (smell)
 
The power of any faculty (hearing etc.) of any
individual is only limited, both in quality and
quantity. If one has a limited power, then one
can infer the possibility of a total power of
which he/she is a part.
 
* So, for each faculty there is a correspond-
ing total power.
* Power itself does not have an independent
function unless there is a wielder of that
power - for example , seeing power is
wielded by the seeing person (jIva) and so
on. Similarly, for the total power, the scrip-
tures visualized a total power wielder,
known as presiding deity for that total
power - the adhiShThAnadevatA - and the sum-
total of the power of all adhiShThAnadevatA's, is
the power wielded by the Lord, Iswara or
Parameswara. The author gives the list of
the adhiShThAnadevatA's and the faculty that each
of the devatas presides over.
 
  shrotrasya digdevatA .
  tvacho vAyuH .
  chakShuShaH sUryaH .
  rasanAyA varuNaH .
  ghrANasya ashvinau .
  iti j~nAnendriyadevatAH .
 
* shrotrasya digdevatA . The presiding deity of ear
(hearing) is "dik devata" - Quarters (Space).
* tvacho vAyuH . Of skin (touch) is Air.
* chakShuShaH sUryaH . Of eye (sight) is Surya.
* rasanAyA varuNaH . Of tongue (taste) is the Lord
of Waters.
* ghrANasya ashvinau . Of nose (smell) are the two
Aswins.
* iti j~nAnendriyadevatAH . Thus are the presiding
deities of the sense organs.
 
It should be pointed out that by Waters, Sun
etc., we don't mean the gross form of these,
but the subtle power behind. Having given the
presiding deity over each of the organs of per-
ception, the author gives the list of the func-
tions of each of these jnAnendriyas.
 
  shrotrasya viShayaH shabdagrahaNam .
  tvacho viShayaH sparshagrahaNam .
  chakShuSho viShayaH rUpagrahaNam .
  rasanAyA viShayaH rasagrahaNam .
  ghrANasya viShayaH gandhagrahaNam iti .
 
* shrotrasya viShayaH shabdagrahaNam . The function of
ear is grasping of sound
* tvacho viShayaH sparshagrahaNam . The function of
skin is perception of touch.
* chakShuSho viShayaH rUpagrahaNam . The function of
eyes is the perception of forms.
* rasanAyA viShayaH rasagrahaNam . The function of
tongue is the perception of taste.
* ghrANasya viShayaH gandhagrahaNam iti . The function
of nose is the perception of smell.
 
 
(Continued in next post)