सर्वं प्रत्युपभोगं यस्मात् पुरुषस्य साधयति बुद्धिः ।
सैव च विशिनष्टि पुनः प्रधानपुरुषान्तरं सूक्ष्मम् ॥ ३७ ॥
sarvaṁ pratyupabhogaṁ yasmāt puruṣasya sādhayati buddhiḥ ।
saiva ca viśinaṣṭi punaḥ pradhānapuruṣāntaraṁ sūkṣmam ॥ 37 ॥
sarvaṁ=all; pratyupabhogaṁ=with regard to life experience; yasmāt=because; puruṣasya=of the Purusha; sādhayati=accomplishes; buddhiḥ=intellect; sā=it (intellect); eva=alone; ca=and; viśinaṣṭi=discriminates; punaḥ=again; pradhāna=prakriti; puruṣa=purusha; antaraṁ=difference; sūkṣmam=subtle
Because the buddhi (intellect) brings about the experiences regarding all objects for the enjoyment of Purusha, it is the same (buddhi) that discriminates the subtle difference between the Pradhana (Prakriti) and the Purusha.
In the previous karika we learned that all the sense organs work together to serve the purpose of the Purusha, which is to present experiences (bhoga) and liberation (apavarga) for the Purusha. To that end, they offer knowledge perceived through the sense organs to the buddhi (intellect). The present karika states that the buddhi presents these experiences to the Purusha. In that sense, buddhi is presented as the principal or the most important of the organs. Mishra offers this example: the Governor is considered superior to all the other chiefs, being the direct agent of the king. Others, like the village heads etc. play a subordinate role. They all work together to serve the purpose of the king; however, it is the Governor who interacts directly with the king. Similarly, it is the buddhi alone that is in direct connection with the Purusha.
It can be reiterated here that buddhi, having no consciousness of its own, functions based on the consciousness reflected from Purusha. Because of this reflected consciousness, buddhi appears to be conscious while Purusha appears to experience all joys and sorrows present in the buddhi.
The second part of the karika states that it is the same buddhi that also has the ability to eventually discriminate the difference between Purusha and Pradhana (Prakriti). This distinction between the two is very subtle. It needs to be understood that the buddhi does not “create” this distinction, it only “recognizes” this distinction.
The concept of liberation (apavarga) can be understood better when we look at the definition of yoga presented by Patanjali in the yoga sutras – “Yogash-chitta-vritti-nirodhah” (yoga is the state of the mind when there is complete cessation of the fluctuations in the mind). In the state of nirodha, there is no vritti in the mind, that is, the buddhi is not receiving any bhoga (experiences) through the sense organs. It is in that state that the buddhi is able to distinguish between the Purusha and itself as being two separate entities. This state is given the name “kaivalya” (final liberation).
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