The Philosophy of the Panchadasi: 3. Swami Krishnananda.

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Sunday 05, January 2025, 11:20.
The Philosophy of the Panchadasi: 3. 
Swami Krishnananda.
Chapter 1: Discrimination of Reality-3.

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The Evolution of the Universe:

Prakriti or the matrix of the universe, animated by a reflection of Consciousness or Brahman, divides itself in the beginning into the cosmic forces called Sattva (equilibrium), Rajas (distraction) and Tamas (inertia). These three properties of Prakriti are really its very constituents, not merely qualifications or adjuncts, and stand to Prakriti in the relation of the three strands of a rope to the rope itself. Cosmic Sattva is called Maya. On account of its transparency and the absence of the property of Rajas in it, it is omnipresent and reflects in its essence Brahman in a universal manner. The cosmic reflection of Brahman in the Sattva aspect of Prakriti is called Isvara, the Sovereign of the universe. It is Isvara who is the Creator, Preserver and Destroyer of the universe. In Isvara the universe exists in a seed-form, and all the Jivas who had not the opportunity to attain Self-realisation at the time of Pralaya or cosmic dissolution, lie latent in Isvara prior to the subsequent creation. This condition may be compared to a cosmic sleep (Yoganidra), where everything lies dormant as the tree exists in a seed. When the cosmic seed slightly manifests itself, showing symptoms of creation, the faint outlines of the universe, it goes by the name of Hiranyagarbha. The fully manifested aspect of this universe as informed by the presence of Brahman, is called Virat. Thus, Isvara, Hiranyagarbha and Virat are manifestations in Cosmic Sattva, and are Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent.

The Cosmic Rajas creates variety in form and manifests the various individuals constituting the universe in the different stages of evolution. Each individual goes by the name of a Jiva, affected and conditioned by Avidya or nescience. Corresponding to the three cosmic states, the Jiva has also three states which are called Prajna, Taijasa and Visva, wherein it sleeps, dreams or wakes into world life. The Jiva stands in the status of an inverted reflection or image of Isvara and the highest in Isvara appears as the lowest in the Jiva, so that though the condition of cosmic sleep is the highest from the point of view of Isvara, the state of sleep is the lowest from the point of view of the Jiva, because in the state of sleep the Jiva is deprived of consciousness and is rendered incapable of any personal effort or understanding; the highest for the Jiva is the waking state in which it becomes possible for it to contemplate Reality in the form of Virat. While Isvara controlling Maya is omniscient, Jiva controlled by Avidya is ignorant and powerless.

The Cosmic Tamas, which is called Tamasi, divides itself into two powers called Avarana and Vikshepa, which respectively mean 'veiling' and 'projecting'. This power not only veils the existence and consciousness aspect of Brahman, through Avarana, but also projects the objective universe by Vikshepa. The Vikshepa-Sakti or the projecting power appears in five forms as Sabda, or the principle of sound, Sparsa, or the principle of touch, Rupa, or the principle of sight or colour, Rasa, or the principle of taste, and Gandha or the principle of smell. These principles have in them again the subsidiary qualities of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. The Sattva of Sabda becomes the sense of hearing; the Sattva of Sparsa, the sense of touch; the Sattva of Rupa, the sense of sight; the Sattva of Rasa, the sense of taste; and the Sattva of Gandha, the sense of smell. These Sattva properties taken together constitute the internal organ or the Antahkarana. The Antahkarana has four aspects, viz., Manas, Buddhi, Ahamkara and Chitta. Manas does the function of general indeterminate thinking; Buddhi functions as intellect with the character of determination and will; Ahamkara is the individual or ego which asserts and distinguishes itself from others. Chitta constitutes the conscience, and the subconscious level, and is the seat of memory.

The Rajas aspect of the five principles of Sabda, Sparsa, Rupa, Rasa and Gandha become the organs of action. The Rajas of Sabda becomes the organ of speech; of Sparsa the organ of grasping; of Rupa the organ of locomotion; of Rasa the organ of generation, and of Gandha the organ of excretion. These Rajas forms taken together constitute the Prana or the total energy of the system. The Prana has five main functional variations: Prana which causes expiration, Apana which causes inspiration, Udana which separates the physical and subtle bodies at death, Samana which digests the food taken in, and Vyana which causes circulation of blood in the body.

The Tamas aspect of these five principles becomes the gross universe consisting of the five elements, Akasa or ether, Vayu or air, Tejas or fire, Apas or water, and Prithvi or earth, by means of the process of Panchikarana or quintuplication of elements. This process is thus: Half of the Tamas of Sabda mixed with one-eighth of each of the other four principles in their Tamas states becomes ether. Half of the Tamas of Sparsa in combination with one-eighths of the Tamas of each of the other four principles is air. Similar is the way of the formation of the remaining elements.

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Continued

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