38
Sāṅkhya Kārikā / Verses 22–55, the world / 38
तन्मात्राण्यविशेषास् तेभ्यो भूतानि पञ्च पञ्चभ्यः एते स्मृता विशेषाः शान्ता घोराश् च मूढाश् च
tanmātrāṇy aviśeṣās tebhyo bhūtāni pañca pañcabhyaḥ ete smṛtā viśeṣāḥ śāntā ghorāś ca mūḍhāś ca
The line
The subtle elements are non-particulars. From those five come the five elements. These are called particulars: calm, violent, and dull.
नेपालीमा
सूक्ष्म भूत अविशेष हुन्। ती पाँचबाट पाँच भूत आउँछन्। यी विशेष भनिन्छन्: शान्त, घोर र मूढ।
Where it sits
The world a person meets is this last layer. The subtle body of verse 40 is made of everything above this layer, and it travels. The gross body does not.
Split: tanmātrāṇi (तन्मात्राणि) + aviśeṣāḥ (अविशेषाः) + tebhyaḥ (तेभ्यः) + bhūtāni (भूतानि) + pañca (पञ्च) + pañcabhyaḥ (पञ्चभ्यः) + ete (एते) + smṛtāḥ (स्मृताः) + viśeṣāḥ (विशेषाः) + śāntāḥ (शान्ताः) + ghorāḥ (घोराः) + ca (च) + mūḍhāḥ (मूढाः) + ca (च)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| tanmātrāṇi (तन्मात्राणि) | nominative plural, neuter | the subtle elements. |
| aviśeṣāḥ (अविशेषाः) | nominative plural, masculine | non-particulars. They are not yet the specific, enjoyable things. |
| tebhyaḥ pañcabhyaḥ (तेभ्यः पञ्चभ्यः) | ablative plural | from those five. |
| bhūtāni pañca (भूतानि पञ्च) | nominative plural, neuter | the five gross elements. |
| smṛtāḥ (स्मृताः) | nominative plural, masculine | remembered, traditionally called. |
| viśeṣāḥ (विशेषाः) | nominative plural, masculine | particulars. |
| śāntāḥ (शान्ताः) | nominative plural | calm. sattva (सत्त्व) showing in the element. |
| ghorāḥ (घोराः) | nominative plural | violent, fearful. rajas (रज). |
| mūḍhāḥ (मूढाः) | nominative plural | deluded, dull. tamas (तम). |
The phrases
Verse 22 said the elements come from five of the sixteen. This verse names those five as the tanmātras (तन्मात्र) and calls them aviśeṣa (अविशेष). The gross elements are viśeṣa (विशेष), particular enough to be pleasant, painful, or stupefying.
A stone, a burn, and a clear sky are not three substances outside the strands. They are particulars whose felt quality is one strand in front.
Sanskrit in this line
smṛtāḥ (स्मृताः) is a past participle, 'remembered as,' used as the verb. śāntāḥ (शान्ताः), ghorāḥ (घोराः), mūḍhāḥ (मूढाः) agree with viśeṣāḥ (विशेषाः).
Say it back
Which layer can be calm or violent, the subtle element or the gross?