‘त्रीण्यात्मनेऽकुरुत’ इति मनो वाचं प्राणं, तान्यात्मनेऽकुरुत; ‘अन्यत्रमना अभूवम्, नादर्शम्,’ ‘अन्यत्रमना अभूवम्, नाश्रौषम्’ इति, मनसा ह्येव पश्यति, मनसा सृणोति । कामः संकल्पो विचिकित्सा श्रद्धाऽश्रद्धा धृतिरधृतिर्ह्रीर्धीर्भीरित्येतद्सर्वं मन एव; तस्मादपि पृष्ठत उपस्पृष्टो मनसा विजानाति; यः कश्च शब्दो वागेव सा । एषा ह्यन्तमायत्ता, एषा हि न; प्राणोऽपानो व्यान उदानः समनोऽन इत्येतत्सर्वं प्राण एव; एतन्मयो वा अयमात्मा, वाङ्मयो मनोमयः प्राणमयः ॥ ३ ॥
‘trīṇyātmane’kuruta’ iti mano vācaṃ prāṇaṃ, tānyātmane’kuruta; ‘anyatramanā abhūvam, nādarśam,’ ‘anyatramanā abhūvam, nāśrauṣam’ iti, manasā hyeva paśyati, manasā sṛṇoti | kāmaḥ saṃkalpo vicikitsā śraddhā’śraddhā dhṛtiradhṛtirhrīrdhīrbhīrityetadsarvaṃ mana eva; tasmādapi pṛṣṭhata upaspṛṣṭo manasā vijānāti; yaḥ kaśca śabdo vāgeva sā | eṣā hyantamāyattā, eṣā hi na; prāṇo’pāno vyāna udānaḥ samano’na ityetatsarvaṃ prāṇa eva; etanmayo vā ayamātmā, vāṅmayo manomayaḥ prāṇamayaḥ || 3 ||
3. ‘Three he designed for himself’ means: The mind, the organ of speech and the vital force; these he designed for himself. (They say), ‘I was absent-minded, I did not see it,’ ‘I was absent-minded, I did not hear it.’ It is through the mind that one sees and hears. Desire, resolve, doubt, faith, want of faith, steadiness, unsteadiness, shame, intelligence and fear—all these are but the mind. Even if one is touched from behind, one knows it through the mind; therefore (the mind exists). And any kind of sound is but the organ of speech, for it serves to determine a thing. but it cannot itself be revealed. Prāṇa, Apāna, Vyāna, Udāna, Samāna and Ana—all these are but the vital force. This body is identified with these—with the organ of speech, the mind and the vital force.
The three kinds of food—results of rites with five factors—which have been spoken of, being effects and extensive in scope, were kept separate from the previous ones. The succeeding portion up to the end of this section is devoted to the explanation of them. What is the meaning of, Three he designed for himself? It means:The mind, the organ of speechand vital force are the three kinds of food; these the father, after producing them at the beginning of the cycle, designed for himself. Of these, there is a doubt regarding the existence and nature of the mind. Hence the text says: There is a mind apart from the external
organs such as the ear. For it is a well-known fact that even when there is a connection between the external organ, the object and the self, a man does not perceive that object, which may be just in front, and when asked, ‘Have you seen this form?’ he says, ‘My mind was elsewhere—I was absent-minded, I did not see it.’ Similarly when asked, ‘Have you heard what I have said?’ he says, ‘I was absent-minded, 1did not hear it.’ Therefore it is understood that that something else, viz. the internal organ called mind, which joins itself to the objects of all the organs, exists, in the absence of which the eye and other organs fail to perceive their respective objects such as form and sound, although they have the capacity to do so, and in the presence of which they succeed in it. Hence it is through the mind that everybody sees and hears, for vision and the like are impossible when the mind is engaged.
After the existence of the mind has been proved, the text proceeds to describe its nature: Desire, sex-attraction and the like, resolve, deciding about a thing which is before us, that it is white or blue and so on, doubt, notion of uncertainty, faith, belief in the efficacy of rites directed to invisible ends (the hereafter) as well as in the existence of the gods and the like, want of faith, the opposite notion, steadiness, supporting the body etc. when they droop, unsteadiness, the opposite of that, shame, intelligence and fear—all these, all such, are but the mind. They are forms of the mind or the internal organ. Another reason for the existence of the mind is being stated: Because even if one is touched by anybody from behind invisibly, one knows it distinctly, that this is a touch of the hand, or that this is a touch of the knee, therefore the internal organ called mind exists. If there is no mind to distinguish them, how can the skin alone do this? That which helps us to ‘distinguish between perceptions is the mind.
The mind then exists, and its nature too has been known. Three kinds of food, which are the results of rites, viz. the mind, the organ of speech and the vital force, were sought to be explained here in their divisions according to the body, the elements and the gods. Of these, only the mind, out of the group consisting of the organ of speech, the mind and the vital force as relating to the body, has been explained. Now the organ of speech is to be described. Hence the text says: And any kind of sound in the world, whether it is of the articulate kind uttered by creatures with the help of the palate etc., or it is of the other kind produced by musical instruments or clouds etc., is but the organ of speech. So the nature of the organ of speech has been stated. Now its function is being described: For it, the organ of speech, serves to deter mine or reveal a thing, but it Cannot itself be revealed, like things; it only reveals them, for it is self-luminous like a lamp etc. The light of a lamp and so forth is not of course revealed by another light. Similarly the organ of speech only reveals things, but cannot itself be revealed by others (of the same category). Thus the Śruti avoids a regressus in infinitum by saying, ‘It cannot itself be revealed.’ That is to say, the very function of the organ of speech is to reveal.
Now the vital force is being described: Prana, the function of which is connected with the heart and is capable of moving to the mouth and nostrils, so called because it moves forward. Apāna, which functions below the he^rt and extends up to the navel; it is called Apāna, because it helps excretion. Vyāna, that which regulates the Prāṇa and Apāna and is the nexus between them, as also the cause of actions requiring strength. Udāna, that which causes nutrition, rising up, and so on; it extends from the sole of the feet to the head and functions upwards. Samāna, so called because of assimilating what we eat and drink; it has its seat in the belly and helps the digestion of food. Ana is the generalisation of these particular functions and is concerned with the general activities of the body. Thus all these functions of the Prāṇa and the rest, as described above, are but the vital force (Prāṇa)..
The Praṇa, which means the Ana (general nerve function) in the body with particular functions, has been described. And its activity also has been explained by a reference to its different functions. So the three kinds of food’called the mind, the organ of speech and the vital force as relating to the body, have been explained. Identified with these, i.e. their modifications, or composed of the mind, speech and vital force of Hiraṇyagarbha—what is it? this body including the organs, the microcosm, called ‘self’ because it is accepted as their self by ignorant people. That which has been described in a general way as ‘identified with these,’ is being elucidated by the specification with the organ of speech, the mind and the vital force.
The manifestations of those foods belonging to Hiraṇyagarbha as they relate to the elements are being described: