SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
SlOkam – Original
bhUmir ApO’nalO vAyu: kham manO budhdhir Eva cha |
ahankAra ithIyam mE bhinnA prakruthir ashtadhA ||
word-by-word meaning
(these five great elements)
bhUmi: – earth
Apa: – water
anala: – fire
vAyu: – air
kham – ether
mana: – mind (and other senses)
budhdhi: – mahAn (mahath thathvam – the great element)
ahankAra: cha – and ahankAram (ego indicating mUla prakruthi (primordial matter))
ithi – these
ashtadhA bhinnA – in eight categories
iyam prakruthi: – this material nature
mE Eva – is mine
(vidhdhi – know that)
Simple Translation
Know that this material nature which constitutes the following eight categories of elements viz the five great elements earth, water, fire, air and ether, mind (and other senses), mahAn (mahath thathvam – the great element) and ahankAram (ego indicating mUla prakruthi (primordial matter)), is mine.
Rendering based on ALkoNdavilli gOvindhAchArya swAmy’s English translation of gIthA bhAshyam
‘Earth, water, fire, air, and space, mind (manas), buddhi and egotism thus constitute My Nature, differentiated eightfold[2. Cp. XIII-5, and XIV-3 (mahad-brahma).].’
Know that this primeval matter-stuff (mūla-prakṛiti—) is the basis (or matrix) of this infinite and marvellous Universe, ministering (to sentient creatures=souls) in a variety of ways, as objects of enjoyment, instruments (or organs) to enjoy with, and regions of enjoyment, and it is of Me. It is divisible into the (chief) eight categories of (1) earth (solids), water (liquids), (3) fire (light and heat), (4) air (gases), (5) space (ether), with their distinguishing qualities, viz., odour (for earth etc., respectively), (6) of mind (manas), with its train of senses, (7) of buddhi or mahat and (8) of egotism (ahaṇkāra)[2. For an explanation as to what these terms are intended to denote, vide Table at end of this Lecture, and explanations of the Table.].
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