Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.26.11
Sarga· CreationPradhāna Comprises Twenty-Four Material Elements
“The aggregate elements, namely the five gross elements, the five subtle elements, the four internal senses, the five senses for gathering knowledge and the five outward organs of action, are known as the pradhāna.”
What the purport teaches
- The aggregate called pradhāna includes five gross elements, five subtle elements and four internal senses. It also includes five knowledge-gathering senses and five organs of action.
- These twenty-four elements together are called yonir mahad brahma. The living entities are placed within this aggregate and are born in different forms.
- Pradhāna is described as the source of the birth and subsistence of living entities. Their forms range from Brahmā down to the insignificant ant.
Try this today
Write the five groups of elements and their counts, then add them to confirm the total of twenty-four.
Ask yourself
How does this account help me distinguish living entities from the material elements in which they take birth?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.