Prakriti, purusha and the gunas and their importance to liberation

This is part two of an earlier excerpt from the Bhagavad Gita audio recordings (compare to the later video recordings). Swamiji explains why this fourteen fold creation (of prakṛti) and puruṣa, is soaked with supreme consciousness.

“That person who understand this way–what is puruṣa, what is prakṛti, and what is all these three dishes [the three guṇas**], no matter if he becomes the enjoyer of these three dishes, he will never come in this world. He will never be entangled in this field of repeated births and deaths. He’ll become jivan mukta.”

And that is catur daśa vidhaḥ sargaḥ, in this creation you get fourteen-fold creations [see footnote].

You know fourteen-fold creations?

Fourteen-fold creation is . . .

aṣṭa vikalpodaivya 
tariyat yonaśca pañcadā bhavatīmanuṣaścaika vidhā
samā sato bhāvatika sarga (quote from Samkhyā)

This Sāmkhyā admits that this creation of this world is fourteen-fold. Creation of this world is fourteen-fold.

Aṣṭa vikalpo daiva, devas, gods are created in six classes . . . eight classes: kinara, asura, rākṣasa, deva, etc, . . . all these. I’ll write down these classes*.

ERNIE:  Eight classes of gods.

SWAMIJI:  Eight classes of gods are created. This is eight–aṣṭa vikalpodaiva.

Taryat yonaśca pañcada bhavati, and the animals are created five-fold, taryakyonaśca panchada bhavati.

ERNIE:  Fish, bird . . .

SWAMIJI:  That I will tell you tomorrow.

. . . snakes.

ERNIE:  Bugs?

SWAMIJI:  All these.

DEVOTEE:  Insects?

SWAMIJI:  Yes.

Manuṣaścaika vidhaḥ, and the individuals, the manuṣya, human being, is created in one class. So these are fourteen classes of creation of prakṛti.

That is, caturdaśi vidaḥ sarga, fourteen-fold creation. And puruṣa, all these fourteen fold creation and puruṣa, is anādi nityaṁca it is eternal and without beginning.

brahmatattvācchuritatve sati tadananyatvāt //
(end of comm. verse 23)

Because it is soaked with the supreme consciousness. It is soaked with supreme consciousness; all this creation is soaked with supreme consciousness. — This is Śaivism. — Because, tadananyatvāt, it can’t be away from brahma tattvā, it can’t be away from God consciousness.

ya evaṁ vetti puruṣaṁ prakṛtiṁ ca guṇaiḥ saha  /
sarvathā vartamāno’pi na sa bhūyo’bhijāyate  //24//

That person who understand this way–what is puruṣa, what is prakṛti, and what are these three dishes [the three guṇas*], sarvathā vartamāno’pi, no matter if he enjoys, if he becomes the enjoyer of these three dishes, he will never come in this world. He will never be entangled in this field of repeated births and deaths. He’ll become jivan mukta.

evam – anena sarvābhedarūpeṇa brahmadarśanena (comm.)

When he finds and realized that this whole universe is one with God consciousness .  .  .

yo yogī (prakṛtiṁ, puruṣaṁ guṇāṁśca tadvikārān jānāti  / )

. . . that yogī who understands prakṛti, puruṣa, and these three dishes . . .

sarveṇa prakāreṇ yathātthābartamāno ‘pi, sa mukta evetyarthaḥ  //

. . . no matter if he enjoys, if he gets entangled in enjoyment of these three dishes, sa mukta eva, he is liberated, he is always liberated.

This is Śaivism!

_______

*The eight classes of gods: Brahma, prajāpati, saumya, aindra, gandharva, yakṣa, rākṣasa, piśāca.

Fourteen fold creation…

Eight sections of devas are:
1. Brahmas are bent upon reciting mantras of Vedas, and experiencing the secret points of śāstras.
2. Prajāpatis section is just for heavenly sex.
3. Saumyas are bent upon beautifying everything.
4. Aindris are those class of devas who just want to govern and rule. Indra is from that class.
5. Gandharvas are bent upon divine music.
6. Yakṣas are bent upon worshipping, rituals etc. They want to do pūjā, and worship
7. Rākṣasas crave for sex. They want to loot some girl and have sex with her.
8. Piśācas like collecting to much wealth. They don’t spend so much as they collect.
9. Manuśya is only one, that is human beings.
   Paśus, beasts are five-fold:
10. 1) four legged domestic animals;
11. 2) four legged wild animals;
12. 3) birds;
13. 4) snakes, fishes and crawling animals, insects and bugs;
14. 5) plants and minerals.
    (See: Tantrāloka 9.88.

**the three guṇas are sattva (purity), rajas (activity) and tamas (inertia).