युगपच्चतुष्टयस्य तु वृत्तिः क्रमशश्च तस्य निर्दिष्टा ।
दृष्टे तथाऽप्यदृष्टे त्रयस्य तत्पूर्विका वृत्तिः ॥ ३० ॥
yugapaccatuṣṭayasya tu vṛttiḥ kramaśaśca tasya nirdiṣṭā ।
dṛṣṭe tathā’pyadṛṣṭe trayasya tatpūrvikā vṛttiḥ ॥ 30 ॥
Yugapat=simultaneous; catuṣṭayasya=of the four; tu=indeed; vṛttiḥ=functioning; kramaśaḥ=sequential; ca=and; tasya=its; nirdiṣṭā=is said to be; dṛṣṭe=as for perceptible objects; tathā=same; api=too; adṛṣṭe=with regard to unseen (belonging to past or future); trayasya=of the three; tatpūrvikā=is preceded by; vṛttiḥ=function
Regarding the objects of the senses, the functioning of the four (three internal organs and one of the five outer sense organs) is said to be either simultaneous or successive. The functions of the three internal organs (mind, ego, intellect) in respect of an unseen object can also be simultaneous or successive and is preceded by the fourth (perception through one of the sense organs).
This karika presents functioning of the organs in two situations – one wherein an object is perceived through one of the five senses and the other when there is no direct perception. Even though the word “dṛṣṭe” used in the karika literally means objects seen through the eyes, here it is used to mean all the five senses.
In the first case, the three internal organs, mind (manas), ego (ahamkara) and intellect (buddhi) function in collaboration with an object perceived through one of the five sense organs – eyes, ears, nose, skin and the tongue. In the second case, the three internal organs function based on previous perceptions stored in the memory.
In the case of objects that are perceived through one of the five senses, simultaneous functioning of the four organs happens when we are confronted with a situation that demands instant action. For example, if I accidentally touch a burning piece of charcoal, I will instantly remove my hand away. Through the sense of touch, the mind (manas) perceives intense heat, the ego (ahamkara) determines that it is painful, and the intellect (buddhi) determines that the hand should be pulled away instantly. These actions happen in such a quick succession, that they appear to be simultaneous.
For most normal situations, the four organs function in a successive manner. If I am looking at a mango, the eyes bring an image of the fruit and present it to the mind (manas). The mind, based on previous experience, determines that it is a mango. The ego knows that it is fond of mangoes, and Intellect decides to eat the mango. A similar situation happens regarding each of the five sense organs.
The second part of the karika states that just as in the case of objects perceived through the five senses, the three internal organs – mind, ego and intellect – may function either simultaneously or successively in the case when there is no direct perception. This happens through memory of an object previously perceived by one of the five senses. For example, if a thought of a mango previously perceived arises in the mind, the mind, ego and the intellect may decide to eat the mango or postpone eating to a future time. Depending upon the urgency of the situation, this action can also occur either simultaneously or successively as explained earlier.
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