SrI: SrImathE satakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavaramunayE nama:
sUthram 85
Having thus explained the nature of Sudhdha sathva, the commentator now proceeds to explain the nature of miSra sathva.
sUthram
மிஶ்ரஸத்வமாவது ஸத்வ ரஜஸ் தமஸ்ஸுக்கள் மூன்றோடுங் கூடி, ப3த்3த4சேதநருடைய ஜ்ஞாநாநந்தங்களுக்கு திரோதா4யகமாய், விபரீதஜ்ஞாநஜநகமாய், நித்யமாய், ஈஶ்வரனுக்கு க்ரீடா3பரிகரமாய், ப்ரதே3ஶபே4தத்தாலும் காலபே4த3த்தாலும் ஸத்3ருஶமாயும் விஸத்3ருஶமாயுமிருக்கும் விகாரங்களை உண்டாக்கக் கடவதாய், ‘ப்ரக்ருதி‘, ‘அவித்3யை‘, ‘மாயை‘ என்கிற பெயர்களை உடைத்தாயிருக்கும் அசித்3விஶேஷம்.
miSra sathvamAvadhu sathva, rajas, thamassukkaL mUnROdum kUdi badhdha chEthanarudaiya gyAnAnandhangaLukku thirOdhAyakamAy, viparItha gyAna janakamAy, nithyamAy, ISvaranukku krIdA parikaramAy, pradhESa bhEdhaththAlum kAla bhEdaththAlum sadhruSamAyum visadhruSamAyum irukkum vikArangaLai uNdAkkak kadavadhAy, prakruthi avidhyai, mAyai engiRa peyargaLai udaiththAyirukkum achithviSEsham.
Meaning
miSra sathva is a distinct category of non-sentient reality (achith). It is associated with the three guNas – sathva, rajas, and thamas. It veils the knowledge and bliss of bound souls, gives rise to erroneous knowledge, is eternal, serves as an instrument for the lord’s divine sport, undergoes both uniform and diverse transformations according to differences in place and time, and is known by the names prakruthi, avidhyA, and mAyA.
Explanation
What is miSra sathva?
The commentator begins by defining miSra sathva through its essential characteristics before explaining each of them in detail.
miSra sathva is a distinct category of achith. It is:
- associated with the three guNas – sathva, rajas, and thamas;
- an obstacle to the knowledge and bliss of bound souls;
- the source of viparItha gyAna (erroneous knowledge);
- eternal;
- an instrument employed by the supreme lord in his divine leelA;
- capable of producing both uniform and diverse modifications according to differences in place and time; and
- known by the names prakruthi, avidhyA, and mAyA.
The commentator now explains each of these characteristics in sequence.
Associated with the three guNas
The commentator first explains the expression:
“Associated with the three guNas – sathva, rajas, and thamas.”
miSra sathva is so called because it consists of sathva together with rajas and thamas. It is this combination of the three guNas that constitutes prakruthi.
This is affirmed in the scriptures.
त्रिगुणं तज्जगद्योनिरनादि प्रभवाप्ययम् ।
त्रिगुणं कर्मिणां क्षेत्रं प्रकृते रूपमुच्यते ॥ [vishNu purANam]
thriguNam thajjagadhyOnir anAdhi prabhavApyayam |
thriguNam karmiNAm kshEthram prakruthE rUpam uchyathE ||
“That three‑guNa prakruthi is the beginningless womb of the world, the source of creation and dissolution; and the three‑guNa field of agents is said to be its very form.”
सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसम्भवाः ॥ [SrI bhagavath gIthA 14.5]
sathvam rajas thama ithi guNA: prakruthi sambhavA: ||
“sathva, rajas, and thamas — these guNas arise from prakruthi.”
These passages declare that prakruthi, the material cause of the universe, is constituted by the three guNas – sathva, rajas, and thamas.
Accordingly, the commentator begins his definition of miSra sathva by identifying it as the thriguNAthmaka form of prakruthi.
An obstacle to the knowledge and bliss of bound souls
The commentator next explains the phrase:
“An obstacle to the knowledge and bliss of bound souls.”
Since miSra sathva is constituted by the three guNas, its rajas and thamas aspects obscure the natural knowledge and bliss of the soul.
The commentator deliberately does not say merely that it obstructs the knowledge and bliss of souls. Instead, he specifically says that it obstructs the knowledge and bliss of bound souls (badhdha-chEthanas).
This qualification is significant.
If miSra sathva were an obstacle to the knowledge of all souls without exception, then even the nithyasUris (eternally free souls) and mukthas (liberated souls), who voluntarily assume bodies of prakruthi while carrying out the lord’s will, would also experience contraction of their knowledge. This, however, is not the case.
Although they may assume material bodies for the purpose of the lord’s service, miSra sathva never obscures their knowledge or bliss.
Therefore, the expression “bound souls” must be understood as referring exclusively to those souls who remain under the influence of beginningless karma.
To establish this, the commentator cites the following authority from the SrI rangarAja sthavam –
अहृतसहजदास्यास्सूरयः स्रस्तबन्धाः
विमलचरमदेहाः इत्यमी रङ्गधाम ।
महितमनुजतिर्यक्स्थावरत्व आश्रयन्ते ॥
ahrutha sahaja dhAsyA: sUraya: srastha bandhA:
vimala charama dhEhA: ithyamI ranga dhAma |
mahitham anuja thiryak sthAvarathva ASrayanthE ||
This verse describes the nithya and muktha souls who voluntarily assume various embodied forms solely for the purpose of rendering service to the supreme lord. Even while doing so, their intrinsic knowledge remains unaffected.
Hence, miSra sathva does not veil the knowledge of liberated or eternal souls.
Its obscuring power extends only to badhdha-jIvas, who are bound by karma.
The scriptures likewise declare:
अनीशया शोचति मुह्यमानः
anISayA SOchathi muhyamAna:
“Helpless, he grieves and remains deluded.”
अनादिमायया सुप्तः
anAdhi mAyayA suptha: – [mAndUkya kArikA – 2-21]
“The soul lies asleep under the influence of beginningless mAyA.”
भगवन्मायातिरोधितस्वप्रकाशः[SaraNAgathi gadhyam]
bhagavan mAyA thirodhitha sva-prakASa:
“Its innate self-luminosity is concealed by the lord’s mAyA.”
These scriptural statements affirm that the obscuring influence of miSra sathva belongs only to souls in bondage and never to those who are eternally free or liberated.
Generation of Erroneous Knowledge (viparItha-gyAna)
The commentator next explains the phrase:
“It gives rise to erroneous knowledge (viparItha gyAna).”
What is viparItha gyAna?
It is mistaking one thing for another अतस्मिन् तत्बुद्धि (athasmin thath budhdhi)—superimposing upon something a nature that does not truly belong to it.
miSra sathva not only conceals true knowledge but also produces various forms of erroneous understanding in bound souls. These include:
- Mistaking the body, which is non-self (anAthman), to be the self (Athman).
- Considering the dependent soul, whose very nature is to exist under the lord’s control, to be independent.
- Regarding oneself, who is by nature a servant (SEsha) of the lord, as an independent master (SEshi).
- Attributing lordship to those who are not the supreme lord.
- Mistaking worldly attainments, such as wealth, power, or heavenly enjoyments, for the highest goal of human life (purushArtha).
- Imagining that practices which are not true means (upAya) can themselves lead to the supreme goal.
These and similar misconceptions arise because miSra sathva generates viparItha gyAna.
Thus, its function is twofold. It not only obscures true knowledge (yathArtha-gyAna) but also actively gives rise to false knowledge.
For this reason, SrI rAmAnujAchArya (bhAshyakArar) describes mAyA as –
भगवत्स्वरूपतिरोधानकरीं विपरीतज्ञानजननीम्
bhagavath svarUpa thirodhAnakarIm viparItha gyAna jananIm [SaraNAgathi gadhyam chUrNai 12]
“That which conceals the true nature of the supreme lord and gives rise to erroneous knowledge.”
This statement succinctly captures the essential function of miSra sathva. By veiling reality and producing false notions, it binds the soul to samsAra and prevents it from perceiving its true nature, the true nature of the lord, and the true relationship between the two.
The eternity of miSra-sathva
The commentator next explains the expression:
“It is eternal.”
Here, eternal (nithya) means that miSra sathva is without beginning or end. It is neither created nor destroyed. Although it constantly undergoes transformation into different effects, its underlying substance continues to exist.
The scriptures declare this in various ways:
अजामेकाम्
ajAm EkAm
“The one unborn.”
गौरनाद्यन्तवती सा जनित्री भूतभाविनी [manthrika upanishadh]
gaur anAdhyanthavathI sA janithrI bhUtha bhAvinI
“She is beginningless and endless, the mother of all beings.”
अचेतना परार्था च नित्या सतत विक्रिया [parama samhithai]
achEthanA parArthA cha nithyA sathatha vikriyA
“She is insentient, existing for the sake of another, eternal, and ever subject to modification.”
विकारजननीमज्ञानामष्टरूपामजां ध्रुवाम् [manthrika upanishadh]
vikAra jananIm agyAnAm ashta rUpAm ajAm dhruvAm
“She is the source of all modifications, insentient, eightfold in form, unborn, and eternal.”
These scriptural passages establish that prakruthi – miSra sathva – is eternal. It is not produced at the time of creation, nor does it cease to exist during dissolution. Rather, it persists throughout, assuming different states according to the lord’s will.
An instrument for the lord’s divine sport
The commentator next explains the expression:
“It serves as an instrument for the lord’s divine sport.”
This means that miSra sathva functions as the principal instrument through which the supreme lord carries out his divine activities, such as creation, sustenance, and dissolution of the universe.
The lord performs these acts effortlessly, out of his own free will, not because of any necessity or external compulsion. miSra sathva serves as the material basis through which these divine sports (leelAs) are manifested.
The scriptures beautifully illustrate this truth.
क्रीडतो बालकस्येव चेष्टां तस्य निशामय ।
krIdathO bAlakasyEva chEshtAm thasya niSAmaya ।
“Behold his activities—they are like the play of a child.”
Another passage declares:
अप्रमेयोऽनियोज्यश्च यत्र कामगमो वशी ।
मोदते भगवान् भूतैर्बालः क्रीडनकैः इव ॥[vishNu purANam]
apramEyO’niyOjyaS cha yathra kAmagamO vaSI |
mOdhathE bhagavAn bhUthair bAla: krIdanakai: iva ||
“The immeasurable lord, subject to none and acting solely according to his own will, delights in beings just as a child delights in its toys.”
Similarly, it is said:
त्वं न्यञ्चद्भिरुदञ्चद्भिः कर्मसूत्रोपपादितैः ।
हरे विहरसि क्रीडाकन्दुकैरिव जन्तुभिः ॥
thvam nyanchadhbhir udhanchadhbhi: karma sUthrOpapAdhithai: |
harE viharasi krIdA kandhukair iva janthubhi: ||
“O hari! You sport with living beings, whose various conditions are brought about by the cords of karma, just as one plays with balls.”
These passages emphasize that prakruthi, constituted by the three guNas, is the principal material instrument employed by the supreme lord in his divine leelA.
The scriptures further describe these three guNas symbolically –
सितासिता च रक्ता च सर्वकामदुघा विभो ।
sithAsithA cha rakthA cha sarva kAma dhughA vibhO.
The three colours –
- white (sithA) representing sathva,
- red (rakthA) representing rajas, and
- black (asithA) representing thamas –
together fulfil all the purposes of the supreme lord.
The lord himself declares in the SrI bhagavath gIthA [7.14]
दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया ॥
dhaivI hyEshA guNamayI mama mAyA dhurathyayA.
“This divine mAyA of mine, constituted by the three guNas, is difficult to overcome.”
Thus, the three-guNa prakruthi, namely miSra sathva, serves as the material instrument through which the lord manifests his cosmic play.
Modifications according to differences in place and time
The commentator next explains the expression:
“It produces both uniform and diverse modifications according to differences in place and time.”
miSra sathva is continually subject to transformation. These transformations vary according to place (pradhESa) and time (kAla).
The commentator first explains the distinction based on place.
differences according to place
The expression “difference in place” refers to two states of prakruthi:
- where the three guNas remain in perfect equilibrium, and
- where that equilibrium is disturbed.
The inequality of the guNas arises only when prakruthi becomes oriented towards creation (kAryOnmukha). At all other times it remains in a state of equilibrium (guNa-sAmya).
When the guNas remain in equilibrium, the resulting modification is called sadhruSa vikAra (uniform transformation).
When the equilibrium is disturbed and one or more guNas predominate, the resulting modification is called visadhruSa vikAra (diverse transformation).
The commentator further explains these two kinds of transformation.
A sadhruSa vikAra is a subtle, undifferentiated state in which names and forms have not yet become manifest.
A visadhruSa vikAra is a gross, differentiated state in which distinct names and forms emerge and become perceptible.
The scriptures गुणसाम्य मनुद्रिक्त मन्यूनम् (guNasAmya manudhriktha manyUnam) describe the former as the condition in which the equilibrium of the guNas is neither increased nor diminished. In that unmanifest state (avyaktha), all transformations are uniform. From mahath onwards, however, the transformations become differentiated and diverse.
Modifications according to differences in time
The commentator next explains the expression:
“differences according to time (kAla-bhEdha).”
Here, difference in time refers to two distinct states of the universe:
- the time of dissolution (samhAra-kAla), and
- the time of creation (srushti-kAla).
during dissolution
At the time of cosmic dissolution, prakruthi remains in an undifferentiated condition.
The commentator describes this state as “undivided thamas” (avibhakta-thamas). Since the three guNas remain everywhere in perfect equilibrium, there is no inequality among them.
Consequently, throughout this period prakruthi exists only in the form of sadhruSa-vikAra (uniform transformation). In this subtle condition, names and forms remain unmanifest.
during creation
At the time of creation, however, the situation changes.
By the special will of the supreme lord, prakruthi becomes differentiated and turns towards manifestation (kAryOnmukha). With this differentiation, the equilibrium of the guNas is disturbed, and inequality among them arises.
As a result, prakruthi now assumes visadhruSa-vikAra (diverse transformation), giving rise to the differentiated universe with its countless names and forms.
Thus, the same prakruthi exists in two different modes according to the stage of cosmic time – uniform during dissolution and diverse during creation.
The commentator further observes that, since prakruthi is itself the basis of all modifications, transformation is inseparable from its very nature.
The distinction lies only in the degree of manifestation. In one state, the modifications remain subtle and undifferentiated; in the other, they become gross and fully differentiated.
In other words, there is never any state in which prakruthi is completely devoid of modification.
prakruthi, avidhyA, and mAyA
The commentator finally explains the concluding words of the sUthram –
“A special category of achith known by the names prakruthi, avidhyA, and mAyA.”
The names prakruthi, avidhyA, and mAyA do not refer to three different entities.
They are simply different names for the same non-sentient reality described throughout this sUthram.
It is called prakruthi because it is the material cause from which the universe evolves.
- It is called avidhyA because it obscures true knowledge and becomes the basis for ignorance in bound souls.
- It is called mAyA because it serves as the lord’s wonderful power in bringing about the manifestation of the universe.
Thus, miSra sathva is a distinct category of achith, known by these various names according to its different functions and characteristics.
adiyen vAsudhEva rAmAnuja dhAsan
archived in https://granthams.koyil.org
pramEyam (goal) – https://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – https://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – https://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava Education (Children) – https://pillai.koyil.org