the bodies of all mobile things the five elements
occur. In each the proportions are different.
It is in consequence of these five elements that mobile
objects can move their bodies. Skin, flesh, bones,
marrow, and arteries and veins, that exist together
in the body are made of earth. Energy, wrath,
eyes, internal heat, and that other heat which digest
the food that is taken, these five, constitute the
fire that occurs in all embodied creatures.[556] The
ears, nostrils, mouth, heart, and stomach, these five,
constitute the element of space that occurs in the
bodies of living creatures. Phlegm, bile, sweat,
fat, blood, are the five kinds of water that occur
in mobile bodies. Through the breath called Prana
a living creature is enabled to move. Through
that called Vyana, they put forth strength for action.
That called Apana moves downwards. That called
Samana resides within the heart. Through that
called Udana one eructates and is enabled to speak
in consequence of its piercing through (the lungs,
the throat, and the mouth). These are the five
kinds of wind that cause an embodied creature to live
and move. The properties of scent an embodied
creature knows through the earth-element in him.
From the water-element he perceives taste. From
the fire-element represented by the eyes, he perceives
forms, and from the wind-element he obtains the perception
of touch. Scent, touch, taste, vision, and sound,
are regarded as the (general) properties of every
mobile and immobile object. I shall first speak
of the several kinds of scent. They are agreeable,
disagreeable, sweet, pungent, far-going, varied, dry,
indifferent. All these nine kinds of scent are
founded upon the earth-element. Light is seen
by the eyes and touch through the wind-element.
Sound, touch, vision and taste are the properties of
water. I shall speak (in detail) now of the perception
of taste. Listen to me. High-souled Rishis
have spoken of diverse kinds of taste. They are
sweet, saltish, bitter, astringent, sour, and pungent.
These are the six kinds of taste appertaining to the
water-element. Light contributes to the vision
of form. Form is of diverse kinds. Short,
tall, thick, four-cornered, round, white, black, red,
blue, yellow, reddish, hard, bright, smooth, oily,
soft, and terrible. These are the sixteen different
kinds of form which constitute the property of light
or vision. The property of the wind-element is
touch. Touch is of various kinds: warm,
cold, agreeable.. disagreeable, indifferent, burning,
mild, soft, light, and heavy. Both sound and
touch are the two properties of the wind-element.
These are the eleven properties that appertain to the
wind. Space has only one property. It is
called sound. I shall now tell thee the different
kinds of sound. They are the seven original notes
called Shadja, Rishabha, Gandhara, Mahdhyama, Panchama,
Dhaivata and Nishada. These are the seven kinds
of the property that appertains to space. Sound
inheres like the Supreme Being in all space though