Devi Gita (Class 42): ”Generating the Five Elements” by Swami Bhajanananda

Scripture class by Rev. Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati on Devi Gita, chapter 2, verses 27-34, given to students of the Ramakrishna Seminary at Kali Mandir via Zoom on 18 June 2025.

The Goddess said:

तस्मादाकाश उत्पन्नः शब्दतन्मात्ररूपकः |
भवेत् स्पर्शात्मको वायुस्तेजोरूपात्मकं पुनः || २७ ||
tasmādākāśa utpannaḥ śabda-tanmātra-rūpakaḥ |
bhavet sparśātmako vāyus-tejo-rūpātmakaṃ punaḥ || 27 ||
27. "Out of that primal substance arose ether,  endowed with the subtle quality of sound. Then arose air, characterized by the quality of touch, followed by fire, characterized by visible form."

जलं रसात्मकं पशात् ततो गन्धात्मिका धरा |
शब्दैकगुण आकासो वायुः स्पर्शरवानितः || २८ ||
jalaṃ rasātmakaṃ paśāt tato gandhātmikā dharā |
śabdaika-guṇa ākāso vāyuḥ sparśa-ravānitaḥ || 28 ||
28. "Next arose water, characterized by taste; then earth, characterized by smell. Ether has the single quality of sound; air is endowed with touch and sound."

शब्दस्पर्शरूपगुणं तेज ईत्युच्यते बुधैः |
शब्दस्पर्शरूपरसैरापो वेदगुणाः स्मृताः || २९ ||
śabda-sparśa-rūpa-guṇaṃ teja ītyucyate budhaiḥ |
śabda-sparśa-rūpa-rasairāpo veda-guṇāḥ smṛtāḥ || 29 ||
29. "Fire has the qualities of sound, touch, and visible form, according to the wise; water has the four qualities of sound, touch, visible form, and taste, so they say."

शब्दस्पर्शरूपरसगन्धैः पञ्चगुणा धरा |
तेभ्योऽभवन् महत्सूत्रं यल्लिण्गं परिचक्षते || ३० ||
śabda-sparśa-rūpa-rasa-gandhaiḥ pañca-guṇā dharā |
tebhyo'bhavan mahat-sūtraṃ yal-liṇgaṃ paricakṣate || 30 ||
30. "Earth has the five qualities of sound, touch, visible form, taste, and smell. From those subtle elements came into being the great cosmic thread which is called the Subtle Body."

सर्वात्मकं तत्सम्प्रोक्तं सूक्ष्मदेहोऽयमात्मनः |
अव्यत्क्तं कारणो देहः स चोक्तः पूर्वमेव हि || ३१ ||
sarvātmakaṃ tat-samproktaṃ sūkṣma-deho’yamātmanaḥ |
avyatktaṃ kāraṇo dehaḥ sa coktaḥ pūrvameva hi || 31 ||
31. "It is proclaimed as all-pervading; this is the Subtle Body of the Self.The Unmanifest is the Causal Body, which I mentioned earlier."

यस्मिन् जगद्बीजरूपं स्थितं लिङ्गोद्भवो यथः |
ततः स्थूलानि भूतानिपञ्चिकरणमागतः || ३२ ||
yasmin jagad-bīja-rūpaṃ sthitaṃ liṅgodbhavo yathaḥ |
tataḥ sthūlāni bhūtāni-pañcikaraṇa-māgataḥ || 32 ||
32. "In that lies the world seed, from which evolves the Subtle Body. From that, by the process of fivefold generation, the gross elements,"

पञ्चसङ्ख्यानि जायन्ते तत्प्रकारस्त्वथोच्यते |
पूर्वोक्तानि च भूतानि प्रत्यकं विभजेद् द्विधा || ३३ ||
pañca-saṅkhyāni jāyante tat-prakāra-stvathocyate |
pūrvoktāni ca bhūtāni pratyakaṃ vibhajed dvidhā || 33 ||
33. "Five in number, arise. I shall now describe this process. Each of those elements previously mentioned shall be divided in half."

एकैकं भागमेकस्य चतुर्धा विभजेद् गिरे |
स्वस्वतरद्वितीयांशे योजनात् पञ्च ते || ३४ ||
ekaikaṃ bhāgamekasya caturdhā vibhajed gire |
svasvataradvitīyāṃśe yojanāt pañca te || 34 ||
34. "One half-part of each element shall be divided into four, O Mountain. By joining the undivided half of each element with one of the quartered fractions from each of the other four, each element becomes five-fold."

तत्कार्यं च विराड्देहः स्थूलदेहोऽयमात्मनः | 
tat-kāryaṃ ca virāḍ-dehaḥ sthūla-deho’yamātmanaḥ |
34. "And they produce the Cosmic Body, or Gross Body, of the Self."