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III ADHYAYA, I PÂDA, 1.
585
when moving from one body into another, is enveloped by those subtle rudiments of the elements from which the new body is produced, or not. The Parvapakshin maintains the latter alternative ; for, he says, wherever the soul goes it can easily provide itself there with those rudiments. Other reasons supporting this prima facie view will be mentioned and refuted further on.— The Satra states the view finally accepted, 'In obtaining another “of that" it goes enveloped.' The of that' refers back to the form, i.e. body, mentioned in II, 4, 17. The soul when moving towards another embodiment goes enveloped by the rudi. ments of the elements. This is known from question and explanation,' i.c. answer. Ouestion and answer are recorded in the Knowledge of the five fires' (Kh. Up. V, 3-10), where Praváhana, after having addressed to Svetaketu several other questions, finally asks 'Do you know why in the fifth libation water is called man?' In answer to this last question the text then explains how the Devas, i.e. the pranas attached to the soul, offer into the heavenly world, imagined as a sacrificial fire, the oblation called sraddha ; how this sraddha changes itself into a body consisting of amrita, which body is called moon; how the same pranas offer this body of amrita in Parganya, imagined as a fire, whereupon the body so offered becomes rain ; how the same pranas throw that rain on to the earth, also imagined as a sacrificial fire, whereupon it becomes food; how this food is then offered into man, also compared to fire, where it becomes seed; and how, finally, this seed is offered into woman, also compared to a fire, and there becomes an embryo. The text then goes on, 'Thus in the fifth oblation water becomes purushavakas,' i.e. to be designated by the term man. And this means that the water which, in a subtle form, was throughout present in the previous oblations also, now, in that fifth oblation, assumes the form of a man.-From this question and answer it thus appears that the soul moves towards a new embodiment, together with the subtle rudiments from which the new body springs.—But the words, 'water becomes purushavakas,' only intimate that water assumos
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