Intellect (Buddhi) and Mind (Manas)

  "'Prakruti' (Nature), the first manifestation of Purusha as His svabhava, guna, is at the root of the manifest forms of Intellect and Mind. In fact, everything is in a subtle state in Space, Akasha. Akasha accommodates and holds all. Buddhi evolves from one of the three gunas- the Tamas or gross aspect.and forms the ego (ahankara). The five subtler aspects of the sense orgas, viz, touch, sound, sight, taste and smell that produce the five gross elements- earth, water, fire, air and space manifest here. These five sense objects are the tanmatra. These are thus the subtle aspects of the gross objects. These are also the root cause of creation of the organs like the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin- the jnyanendriyas, as well as, the five karmendriys- hands, legs, etc. The manas (Mind) is born out of this tamas along with ahankar.(ego)." (Ahir. Sam.,)

  Thus we have an account of creation as given in the Ahirbudhnya Samhita of the Pancharatra Agama Shastra. Otto F. Schraeder has given a very detailed Introduction to Pancharatra along with the Chapterization of Ahirbudhnya Samhita.  A brief account of these are also found in the History of Indian Philosophy by Prof. Surendranath Dasgupta, pub. MLBD.

   The modern scientific version of evolution as explained by Erasmus and Charles Darwins and the pundits of Neo-Darwinism are there to see. However, these are still under review and reconstruction. There is question of simultaneous origin of all the paraphernalia of the objective world and some argue that the evolution is a gradational sequential one. The Bhagavad-Gita and other scriptures emphatically state all that exist always exist as projection and withdrawal- a magical performance by the supreme Lord. Bhagavan Shree Krishna says, "As a power of His Nature, svabhava or prakruti, guna He projects the world and He withdraws it as Kaal."

  Hence it may be said, all that we see always exist and it is just a transitional event bound by Time, Kaal. In fact, we all, as humans, appear and disappear in a matter of hundred years just as our grand parents and parents! This world was there before I took birth and will be there even after my mortal remains are consigned to fire after what is called my 'death'. But my own replica as a son and daughter is there to carry on my genes, chromosomes and hormones, DNA and RNA! What is so strange if we say that my father only became my self! What entered my mother's womb as a sperm is the seed and what came out is my self in another form. Thus, the reality is that both my father and myself are one only. I only become two due to my desire to have a wife and become three, four, many due to expansion as a family. Hence all are one only, the product of desire and that desire is Brahman! This is what is difficult to understand by common man.

   At what stage this prana, prajnya, manas, buddhi, ahankara, and all such subtler aspects enter and cover the baby during its formative stage in the mother's womb is still a mystery. It is beyond the scope of medical science!