The fivefold compounding

एतेषां पञ्चतत्त्वानां तामसांशात् पञ्चीकृतपञ्चतत्त्वानि भवन्ति । पञ्चीकरणं कथम् इति चेत् । एतेषां पञ्चमहाभूतानां तामसांशस्वरूपम् एकमेकं भूतं द्विधा विभज्य एकमेकमर्धं पृथक् तूष्णीं व्यवस्थाप्य अपरमपरमर्धं चतुर्धां विभज्य स्वार्धमन्येषु अर्धेषु स्वभागचतुष्टयसंयोजनं कार्यम् । तदा पञ्चीकरणं भवति । एतेभ्यः पञ्चीकृतपञ्चमहाभूतेभ्यः स्थूलशरीरं भवति । एवं पिण्डब्रह्माण्डयोरैक्यं सम्भूतम् ।

eteṣāṃ pañcatattvānāṃ tāmasāṃśāt pañcīkṛtapañcatattvāni bhavanti | pañcīkaraṇaṃ katham iti cet | eteṣāṃ pañcamahābhūtānāṃ tāmasāṃśasvarūpam ekamekaṃ bhūtaṃ dvidhā vibhajya ekamekamardhaṃ pṛthak tūṣṇīṃ vyavasthāpya aparamaparamardhaṃ caturdhāṃ vibhajya svārdhamanyeṣu ardheṣu svabhāgacatuṣṭayasaṃyojanaṃ kāryam | tadā pañcīkaraṇaṃ bhavati | etebhyaḥ pañcīkṛtapañcamahābhūtebhyaḥ sthūlaśarīraṃ bhavati | evaṃ piṇḍabrahmāṇḍayoraikyaṃ sambhūtam |

From the tamas part of these five elements, the five fivefold-compounded elements come to be. And how is the fivefold compounding done? Of these five great elements in their tamas aspect: divide each single element into two; set one half of each aside, kept apart; divide the remaining half of each into four; and join to its own half the four quarter-portions from the others. Then the fivefold compounding is done. From these five fivefold-compounded great elements the gross body comes to be. In this way the oneness of the single body and the whole cosmos came to be.

In plain words

From the tamas of these five elements come the five quintuplicated elements. How is quintuplication (pañcīkaraṇa) done? Take each of the five elements in its tamas aspect. Divide each element in half. Keep one half of each aside, untouched. Divide the other half of each into four parts. Then join to each element's own retained half one quarter-portion from each of the other four. This is quintuplication. From these five quintuplicated elements the gross body is formed. In this way the individual body and the whole universe are seen to be one.

The terms set down here

pañcīkaraṇa

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