shabdAdi rUpam bhuvanam samastam

shabdAdisattendriya vRRitti bhAsyA

sattendriyANAmmanaso vashe syAt

manomayam tad bhuvanam vadAmaH

shabdAdi rUpam = of the form of sound etc;  bhuvanam = world; samastam = entire; 

shabdAdisatta = the existence of sound etc; indriya = organs;  vRRitti = functions;

bhAsyA = illumined;sattA = existence; indriyANAm = of the sense organs; manaso = of

the mind; vashe  = control; syAt = is; manomayam = made of mind;  tad = (here tad=

tasmAt) therefore;  bhuvanam = world;  vadAmaH = we say.

The entire world is of the form of sound etc. the existence of sound etc is illumined by the functions of the organs. The existence of sense organs is in the control of the mind. Therefore, we say that the world is made of the mind.

The entire world and the whole gambit of transactions that take place within it are but divided only into five categories viz. sound, sight, smell, taste and touch. There cannot be any transaction beyond these five divisions. The world is rightly called prapa~ncha – a division into five categories (pa~ncha means five). The world therefore is five -fold based on the five sense organs.

The five fold world is recognized as is, only by the organs. The sound sight etc in the world will not be perceived when the organs do not function. Hence, the existence of the world is dependent on the organs.

This does not mean that the organs are all powerful. Without the mind they are useless. The mind coupled with the organs, give rise to the resultant experiences/perceptions. Hence, they function in the presence of the mind medium, the mind-organs couplet interact with the world producing different perceptions.

One might take an example of a student sitting in a class. The words of the teacher might be audible to all students, except for one particular student who is keenly brooding over the previous evening’s basketball match. Though his ears are fully functional, the mind is elsewhere. The ears do not have the backing of the mind; hence the perception of sound (teacher’s words) does not take place.

Sense organs are insentient and cannot work by themselves. The sentiency is provided by the mind to the five organs to perceive the five-fold world. Hence, the whole world can broadly be called as made of the mind. In the absence of the mind there is no world (since in the absence of the mind the organs do not function).

Only when the objects of the world are impressed upon the mind through the organs do we have perceptions. We can take the everyday example of deep sleep. When in deep sleep, the mind is resolved and hence there is no world. In the waking and dream, where the mind is active and partially active respectively, there is the world and the dream world.

One important point to note is that the mind also is not the ultimate. It itself is jaDa (insentient). It is the Atma in whose presence the mind functions. The sentiency to the mind is due to the proximity of the self, which is all pervading.

The self illumines the objects that are registereed by the mind. Hence, though the perceptions do not take place without the mind, the perceptions, as such are known because of the Atma. It being all pervading, the self is one behind all the minds. Though the minds are many, the self is one behind them all. It illumines all by being all-pervasive. It is the knower.

Also, the self does not have the impurities of the world  and mind. It is assoiciation-less. The self is eternal, while the world is unreal. The world and mind have dependent existence. The world is known in the mind due to the presence of Atma. The Atma here is not doing any action. Self is actionless. In its presence, the mind and organs work together to know the world.