Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

The five primal elements which enter into the composition of every creature or being differ in their measure of grossness ; Ether or Space being less gross than air and the rest. When Jiva attracts the material elements for forming his case, the order is from the less gross to the grosser ones. Even this is the order in which, after the period of universal dissolution, the Supreme Being evolves out the creation or the universe. First comes Ether and then the others in the order of their grossness.

* The three words used in the original are Pinda, Pad , and Arvuda The Commentators do not explain them clearly. Pinda is certainly a roundish lump, but how does it differ from Arvuda, unless the latter be taken as rounder, say, like a ball ? Gangadhara, in commenting upon the word Pinda uses the compound Granthyakara, i. e., of the form of a Grantki or knot. He does not indicate his authority.— T.

CHAR AKA SAM HIT A. ;4l

Amongst these, some of the organs and limbs have been duly spoken of before, distributing them under (the heads of) Motherborn and the rest. At present, however, we shall treat of those very limbs and some others according to another principle of classification i. e., the distribution according to the modifications of the (five) primal essences.*11

The organs and limbs of the foetus which are derived from riiother and the rest are as well modifications of the (five) primal essences. Amongst them those having Ether (or Space) for their essence are sound, the organ of hearing, lightness, subtility, and hollows (or all empty or vacant places in or within the body). f 2

Having the Air for their essence are touch, the organ of touch, roughness, respiration, the growth of the ingredients (of the body), and all exertions or movements of the body.18

Those which have Fire (or Light) for their essence are form, the sense of vision, visibility, digestion, and heat.14

Those which have Water for their essence are the juices, the organ of taste, coolness, softness, oiliness, and all liquid (and semi¬ liquid) secretions.15

Those which have Earth for their essence are scent, the organ of scent, weight (or heaviness), consistency (or compactness), and bulk.1'!

c In the previous Lesson, the organs and limbs of the fcetus have been treated of as mother-born, father-born, self-or soul-born , juice-born, and assimilation-born. Here the Rishi proposes to treat of the same and some other organs and limbs according to a different principle of classification, viz., that dependant on the five primal essences. Some organs and limbs are modifications of Ether or Space ; some are modifications of Air, &c. Vide the aphorisms that follow — T t The mother-born limbs, as laid down in the previous Lesson, are skin, blood, flesh, fat, navel, heart, &c, The father-born are hair, beard, nails, bristles, teeth, bones, ducts, sinews, nerves, etc. The self-or soul-born are tbe organs of sense, &c In every set of these, occur the attributes of sound lightness, and subtility. Wnen struck, skin and the rest yield a noise or sound, Sound is the attribute of Ether or Space, so is lightness ; and so subtility, and so are the pores and all hollows or vacaut places iu them. — T.

J It is difficult to understand what these aphorisms mean. Having said in the previous Lesson that sonu of the organs and limbs are derived from

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CHAR AKA SAM HIT A.

Thus, this one, i. e. Purusha (or Jiva), has the external world for his prototype. All those entities which are. in the external world occur also in Purusha. All those which are in Purusha occur in the external world.

They that are wise wish to regard Purusha and the external world in this light.17*

Even thus all the organs and limbs of the Jiva bom in the womb simultaneouely develop themselves.

The other organs and limbs, besides these, which Jiva obtains subsequently to birth (delivery from the womb) are these :

Teeth, breasts and hirsute appendages (such as hair, beard, mus¬ tache, &c.), all those which develope themselves gradually (such as understanding, form or shape, speech, vital seed, &c.), and other incidents of a like kind, (such as walking, running, &c.)

Even this (i. e., the appearance of these) is Jiva’s Nature.

The reverse of this is regarded as Abnormal.

In the foetus there are some incidents which are permanent. There are others that are not so, being transitory.