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So continuing the discussion on the draṣṭā and dṛśya, the subject and the object, the sutra number 19 is one of the most important sutra. Many of the commentators have an opinion that this particular sutra is direct and has strong roots in the sāṅkhya philosophy. The sutra number 19
वि॒शे॒षाविशेषलि॒ङ्ग॒मा॒त्रालिङ्गानि गुण॑पर्वा॒णि ॥ २.१९॥
Viśeṣāviśeṣa-liṅga-mātrāliṅgāni guṇa-parvāṇi ॥ 2.19 ॥
Vīśeṣa is defined, special, specific, unique. Avīśeṣa is not defined, not specific. Liṅga mātra, just a symbol. Aliṅgāni, not having a symbol. Guṇa is the gunas, the triguṇas. Parvāṇi, stages of development. Parva is the stage of development. Parvāṇi is the plural. So vīśeṣa is specific and defined. Avīśeṣa is non-specific and not defined. Liṅga is the symbol. Liṅga mātra is just a symbol. Aliṅgāni, not having a symbol. Then guṇa represents the triguṇas. Parvāṇi, stages of development. So the successive stages of development of these guṇas, that is the explanation in this particular sutra. How the guṇas develop, express, manifest, that is the importance of this particular sutra. The various changes and the process involved in the development of the guṇas and there are four stages are given. That is vīśeṣa, avīśeṣa, liṅga mātra and aliṅga. So the stages of the guṇas are specific, particular and defined. That is vīśeṣa. The second stage is avīśeṣa, not particular, that is universal. Then liṅga mātra and aliṅga. So the stages of the guṇas are the guṇa parva. And the four which were given are the stages — vīśeṣa, avīśeṣa, liṅga mātra and aliṅga stages.
It is a very important sutra as we have to understand the importance of this, Vīśeṣa is specified, specific, Avīśeṣa is non-specific, non-particular. From particular to the non-particular. From specific to the non-specific. That is from the particular to generalizations. From generalizations to the particular. From the non-specific to the specific. This is how it has to be understood. It has to be understood, it has to be analyzed and it has a very good, most important effect and use for our entire sādhana dimensions.
Guṇas, We know the three guṇas - sattva, rajas and tamas. And how these three guṇas express, develop into these four stages. That is the detailing is being done in this particular sutra. For this we should also remember the earlier sutras where there was a discussion on pañcabhūtas. pṛthvī is earth, āpaḥ is the water, tejas is the fire, vāyu is the air and ākāśa, the ether. Ether is the space. So these five which are expressive, which are visible, which are feelable, which are recognizable, which are experienceable, these five which are gross. And these gross which are specifications, these specified modifications, they have unspecified, specialized, general, subtle five tanmātras — śabda, sparśa, rūpa, rasa, gandha. So these five bhūtas have their corresponding tanmātras. So bhūtas are the vīśeṣa, tanmātras are the avīśeṣa. This is an important point.
The pañcabhūtas which are feelable, experienceable, recognizable, gross, defined — this is the vīśeṣa and the corresponding subtle, non-particular, non-defined, more general, more subtle, the unspecialized, the five tanmātras. So the vīśeṣa and avīśeṣa.
And these five karmendriyas, the five jñānendriyas, the mind, which is in all this, these are the special modifications, vīśeṣa of the unspecialized avīśeṣa of the ego or the ahaṅkāra, means the gross is an expression of the subtle. The gross is the five karmendriyas for jñānendriyas and the mind, which are the expressions of the subtle ego. So karmendriyas and jñānendriyas and the mind is the vīśeṣa, ego or ahaṅkāra is the avīśeṣa. So that is an important dimension. So what is avīśeṣa and what is vīśeṣa and what is liṅga and aliṅga is cleared. Gross is vīśeṣa and liṅga. Subtle is avīśeṣa and aliṅga.
So these combinations with the guṇas, that is a development in various stages of development. It is like a tree comes out of a seed, but that tree developing into a huge structure from a small seed has its stages. It's a gradual unfoldment. It's a gradual ordered appearance. In the beginning, from the seed, a gradual ordered expression of shoots come, then leaves, then the body, then the branches, then the flowers, then the fruit. But all this gradual expression and the manifestation brought out by the contact with the earth, the water, the heat, the air and the space — pañcabhūtas. That is how it is explained here — vīśeṣa, avīśeṣa, liṅga and the aliṅga. There is also an important dimension which is to be understood that the gross for transmission requires a gross medium. Subtle needs a subtle medium.
Just for example, just for understanding, sound — śabda — is a gross and it can be transmitted through a comparatively heavy medium. Sound traveling from one place to the other place and the heavy medium is the air. But light, kānti, is more subtle. So it needs finer, subtle and that travels through the ether, ākāśa. So the light traveling, transporting, transmission requires a subtle medium than the sound. Because light is avīśeṣa and sound is the vīśeṣa, gross, from the point of the grossness. Similarly, a subtle medium requires a subtle vehicle. Between a vehicle and medium, one is the gross, one is the subtle. In the sense, light is subtler than medium in which travels. Sound is subtler than the medium in which it travels. So comparatively in that there is a vīśeṣa and avīśeṣa. Why so much of discussion is given by Maharishi Patanjali is, the gross and the subtle in us is a very important understanding for our own practical and the sādhana which we take up. The mental process whereby these qualities are isolated from particular objects and combined in a single abstract concept is the vicāra. That is, we say that trees are there and in that trees there are mangoes trees and in the mangoes there are specific varieties of mangoes. First classification is the trees. Still further within the trees there are the mango trees and then within the mangoes there is specification. So from generalization to specializations, that is an important dimension. But once that is taken, the expression is always as per the order. And this is an important dimension is presented in this particular sutra.
So guṇas as liṅga is the bhūtas and guṇas as aliṅga is the tanmātras. So vīśeṣa is liṅga, avīśeṣa is aliṅga. It is liṅga because it expresses, it can be seen. Aliṅga is not seen, that is a subtleness. So tanmātras are not seen. It is very important point again that the entire philosophy of temple worship, the entire philosophy of various rituals involved in the temple are based on this particular point.
Swami Vivekananda very beautifully says that "all of us, every being expresses, throws out, sprinkles out various tanmātras because our own body has five bhūtas, pañca bhūta ātmikam and within the body we have the tanmātras, the subtle dimensions of the pañca bhūtas. And these tanmātras are subtle and they are thrown out, they are expressed, may be invisible. The subtle dimensions, but there are various scientific proofs like the photography of the aura and the deep subtle vibrations of the sound. So worships in the temples, in religious places, rituals involved are all the places where tanmātras are felt. That is how when we go to a temple or a place of worship, though there is an object of worship, the environment, the atmosphere there makes the mind quiet and calm because of the power of the tanmātras, subtle vibrations.
Swami Vivekananda further explains that a place of worship is because of the quality of the people visit there. A tīrtha is a place where noble people stay and live and the power of the tīrtha or the pilgrim center or a temple gains its importance by the people who come and visit. Means that the subtle vibrations packed and preserved there is more important and that is the important expressions which we find in this particular sutra.
It is also an example to understand this vīśeṣa, avīśeṣa, liṅga and aliṅga is a gold ornaments are there. For a small baby it sees only the ornaments. A thief sees only the gold. Gold ornaments and each ornament has a specific role has a particular point to be adored on a particular body part. So the ornaments or vīśeṣa as a child sees just is defined but ornaments for adoring a body is avīśeṣa generalized and ornaments as a gold is a liṅga stage and only gold but hardly any ornaments a thief sees that is a liṅga stage. Take it only as an example for explanation. So generalizations and the particularizations and that is very important sutra. Guṇas as liṅga is the bhūta and the guṇas as aliṅga is the tanmātras.
So this particular important sutra number 19 is a detailed exposition of the expression manifestation and development of the stages of the guṇas, vīśeṣāviśeṣa liṅgamātrāliṅgāni guṇa-parvāṇi. Let us go to the other sutra which is more further discussion on the draṣṭā and the dṛśya.
Om śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः||
To Be Continued.. ----------------------------------------
These are transcription of session delivered by Vice-President of Vivekananda Rock Memorial & Vivekananda Kendra, Sri M. Hanumantha Rao Ji. Audio Link - https://youtu.be/tQX8WaDuS8A?si=jKDPvyahDlR2lFVPRead n Get Articles, Magazines, Books @ http://prakashan.vivekanandakendra.org
मुक्तसंग्ङोऽनहंवादी धृत्युत्साहसमन्वित:।
सिद्धयसिद्धयोर्निर्विकार: कर्ता सात्त्विक उच्यते ॥१८.२६॥
Freed from attachment, non-egoistic, endowed with courage and enthusiasm and unperturbed by success or failure, the worker is known as a pure (Sattvika) one. Four outstanding and essential qualities of a worker. - Bhagwad Gita : XVIII-26
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