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Tattva Bodhaतत्त्वबोधः
Tattva Bodha · passage 16

The subtle body

सूक्ष्मशरीरं किम्? अपञ्चीकृतपञ्चमहाभूतैः कृतं सत्कर्मजन्यं सुखदुःखादिभोगसाधनं पञ्चज्ञानेन्द्रियाणि पञ्चकर्मेन्द्रियाणि पञ्चप्राणादयः मनश्चैकं बुद्धिश्चैका एवं सप्तदशाकलाभिः सह यत्तिष्ठति तत्सूक्ष्मशरीरम् । श्रोत्रं त्वक् चक्षुः रसना घ्राणम् इति पञ्च ज्ञानेन्द्रियाणि । श्रोत्रस्य दिग्देवता । त्वचो वायुः । चक्षुषः सूर्यः । रसनाया वरुणः । घ्राणस्य अश्विनौ । इति ज्ञानेन्द्रियदेवताः । श्रोत्रस्य विषयः शब्दग्रहणम् । त्वचो विषयः स्पर्शग्रहणम् । चक्षुषो विषयः रूपग्रहणम् । रसनाया विषयः रसग्रहणम् । घ्राणस्य विषयः गन्धग्रहणम् इति । वाक्पाणिपादपायूपस्थानीति पञ्चकर्मेन्द्रियाणि । वाचो देवता वह्निः । हस्तयोरिन्द्रः । पादयोर्विष्णुः । पायोर्मृत्युः । उपस्थस्य प्रजापतिः । इति कर्मेन्द्रियदेवताः । वाचो विषयः भाषणम् । पाण्योर्विषयः वस्तुग्रहणम् । पादयोर्विषयः गमनम् । पायोर्विषयः मलत्यागः । उपस्थस्य विषयः आनन्द इति ।
sūkṣmaśarīraṃ kim? apañcīkṛtapañcamahābhūtaiḥ kṛtaṃ satkarmajanyaṃ sukhaduḥkhādibhogasādhanaṃ pañcajñānendriyāṇi pañcakarmendriyāṇi pañcaprāṇādayaḥ manaścaikaṃ buddhiścaikā evaṃ saptadaśākalābhiḥ saha yattiṣṭhati tatsūkṣmaśarīram | śrotraṃ tvak cakṣuḥ rasanā ghrāṇam iti pañca jñānendriyāṇi | śrotrasya digdevatā | tvaco vāyuḥ | cakṣuṣaḥ sūryaḥ | rasanāyā varuṇaḥ | ghrāṇasya aśvinau | iti jñānendriyadevatāḥ | śrotrasya viṣayaḥ śabdagrahaṇam | tvaco viṣayaḥ sparśagrahaṇam | cakṣuṣo viṣayaḥ rūpagrahaṇam | rasanāyā viṣayaḥ rasagrahaṇam | ghrāṇasya viṣayaḥ gandhagrahaṇam iti | vākpāṇipādapāyūpasthānīti pañcakarmendriyāṇi | vāco devatā vahniḥ | hastayorindraḥ | pādayorviṣṇuḥ | pāyormṛtyuḥ | upasthasya prajāpatiḥ | iti karmendriyadevatāḥ | vāco viṣayaḥ bhāṣaṇam | pāṇyorviṣayaḥ vastugrahaṇam | pādayorviṣayaḥ gamanam | pāyorviṣayaḥ malatyāgaḥ | upasthasya viṣayaḥ ānanda iti |

What is the subtle body? It is made from the five great elements before they are fivefold-compounded, born of past action, the instrument by which pleasure and pain are met. It is the five organs of knowing, the five organs of action, the five vital breaths, the mind as one and the intellect as one. That which abides with these seventeen parts is the subtle body. The ear, the skin, the eye, the tongue, the nose: these are the five organs of knowing. The deity of the ear is the quarters of space; of the skin, the wind; of the eye, the sun; of the tongue, Varuṇa; of the nose, the Aśvins. These are the deities of the organs of knowing. The work of the ear is the receiving of sound; of the skin, the receiving of touch; of the eye, the receiving of form; of the tongue, the receiving of taste; of the nose, the receiving of smell. Speech, the hands, the feet, the organ of excretion, the organ of generation: these are the five organs of action. The deity of speech is Fire; of the hands, Indra; of the feet, Viṣṇu; of the organ of excretion, Death; of the organ of generation, Prajāpati. These are the deities of the organs of action. The work of speech is speaking; of the hands, the holding of things; of the feet, going; of the organ of excretion, the letting go of waste; of the organ of generation, delight.

In plain words

What is the subtle body (sūkṣma-śarīra)? It is made from the five great elements before they are quintuplicated, is produced by past karma, and is the instrument for experiencing pleasure and pain. It consists of the five organs of knowledge, the five organs of action, the five vital airs, the mind, and the intellect. That which abides with these seventeen parts is the subtle body. The five organs of knowledge are the ear, skin, eye, tongue, and nose. Their presiding deities are: the directions of space for the ear, the wind for the skin, the sun for the eye, Varuṇa for the tongue, the Aśvins for the nose. Their objects are: sound for the ear, touch for the skin, form for the eye, taste for the tongue, smell for the nose. The five organs of action are speech, the hands, the feet, the organ of excretion, and the organ of generation. Their presiding deities are: Fire for speech, Indra for the hands, Viṣṇu for the feet, Death for the organ of excretion, Prajāpati for the organ of generation. Their functions are: speaking for speech, grasping for the hands, walking for the feet, excretion for the organ of excretion, and pleasure for the organ of generation.

The terms set down here
  • sūkṣma-śarīra
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