[Chaturamnaya] Tattvabodha of Adi Sankaracharya - 11

[S Jayanarayanan]

(Resending, as the format was off the first time)
 
 
(Continued from previous post)
 
 
2.2.2 Organs of Action (karmendriyas)
 
The five organs of action are:
*  vAk.h : organ of speech
*  prANi : hands
*  pAda : feet
*  pAyu : excretory organ
*  upasthAnam.h : genitals
 
  vAcho devatA vahniH .
  hastayorindraH .
  pAdayorviShNuH .
  pAyormR^ityuH .
  upasthasya prajApatiH .
  iti karmendriyadevatAH .
 
Similar to the discussion of jnanendriyas the
presiding deity for each of the organs of ac-
tion are as follows:
* vAcho devatA vahniH . The  presiding  deity  of
spec is Fire
* hastayorindraH . Of hands Indra
* pAdayorviShNuH . Of legs, Vishnu
* pAyormR^ityuH . Of excretory organ, Mrityu (Lord
of Death)
* upasthasya prajApatiH . Of genitals,
PrajApati
* iti karmendriyadevatAH . Thus the presiding deities
of the organs of action
 
  vAcho viShayaH bhAShaNam .
  pANyorviShayaH vastugrahaNam .
  pAdayorviShayaH gamanam .
  pAyorviShayaH malatyAgaH .
  upasthasya viShayaH Ananda iti .
 
Then, the function of each of the organs of
action is enumerated:
* vAcho viShayaH bhAShaNam . The function of the
organ of speech is to speak.
* pANyorviShayaH vastugrahaNam . Of the hands, is
to grasp things.
* pAdayorviShayaH gamanam . Of the feet, is move-
ment.
* pAyorviShayaH malatyAgaH . Of the excretorry
organ, is waste removal.
* upasthasya viShayaH Ananda iti . Of the geni-
tals, is pleasure of procreation.
 
The author concluded with the discussion of
only ten of the seventeen subtle bodies. Of the
missing seven, two of them, namely, mind and
intellect, are discussed as part of the inner
equipment (antaH karANi), and five of them, the
pancha prANAs, as part of the panca koSas, later.
For the sake of completion of this section, we
will briefly outline all these seven. The pancha
prANAs are responsible for the five-fold physi-
ological functions as follows:
 
* prANaH . Respiration
* apAnaH . Evacuation / Excretion
* vyAnaH . Circulation
* udAnaH . Reaction, Throwing out
* samAnaH . Digestion / Assimilation
 
Mind and Intellect are names of one and the
Same instrument, called antaHkaraNam.h (inner
equipment) based on the function. When there
is indecision and oscillation or doubting, it is
called mind - manaH, and is defined later as
sa~NkalpavikalpAtmakaM manaH .
 
When the same equipment does assertion than
oscillation, it is known as Intellect -buddhiH and
is defined as nishchayAtmikA buddhiH . The presid-
ing deity of Mind is Moon and that of Intellect
is BrahmA.
 
 
(Continued in next post)