Creation of the organs of sense.

Vedaanta paribhaashaa.Ch.7—These subtle elements have arisen from prakr.ti, which is made up of the three guNas, namely, sattva, rajas and tamas, (which can be described as serenity, activity and inertia respectively). These elements are also therefore constituted of the same three guNas. From the sattva part of space, air, fire, water and earth are produced, respectively, the indriyas, known as ear, sense of touch, eye, the sense of taste and the sense of smell. It must be noted that these are not the organs, such as eye, etc, in the physical body. These latter are called golaka. The indriyas are the subtle counterparts of the external organs and form part of the subtle body, which will be described later. The presiding deities of these five indriyas are, respectively, the devataas of the Quarters, Air, the sun, VaruNa (the god of the waters) and the two As’vini devas. (See also Panchadas’i.1.19).  

It may be noted that each sense-organ is produced from  the particular subtle element whose distinctive quality it has the power to reveal. For example, the organ of hearing reveals sound, which is the particular quality of aakaas’a, from the sattva part of which it is produced. The organ of smell is produced from the sattva part of pr.thivii, whose distinctive quality, smell, it reveals. S’rii S’ankara says in his commentary on Br.up.2.4.11—The s’ruti considers the organs to be of the same category as the objects, not of a different category. The organs are but modes of the objects they perceive.

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