tabe mahat-tattva haite trividha ahaá¹…kÄra
yÄhÄ haite devatendriya-bhÅ«tera pracÄra
tabe - thereafter; mahat-tattva haite - from the total material energy; tri-vidha - three kinds of; ahaá¹…kÄra - egotism; yÄhÄ haite - from which; devatÄ - of predominating deities; indriya - of the senses; bhÅ«tera - and of material elements; pracÄra - expansion.
“First the total material energy is manifested, and from this arise the three types of egotism, which are the original sources from which all demigods [controlling deities], senses and material elements expand.
The three types of egotism (ahaá¹…kÄra) are technically known as vaikÄrika, taijasa and tÄmasa. The mahat-tattva is situated within the heart, or citta, and the predominating Deity of the mahat-tattva is Lord VÄsudeva (BhÄg. 3.26.21). The mahat-tattva is transformed into three divisions: (1) vaikÄrika, egotism in goodness (sÄttvika-ahaá¹…kÄra), from which is manifested the eleventh sense organ, the mind, whose predominating Deity is Aniruddha (BhÄg. 3.26.27-28); (2) taijasa, or egotism in passion (rÄjasa-ahaá¹…kÄra), from which are manifested the active and knowledge-acquiring senses, along with the intelligence, whose predominating Deity is Lord Pradyumna (BhÄg. 3.26.29-31); and (3) tÄmasa, or egotism in ignorance, from which sound vibration (Å›abda-tanmÄtra) expands. From sound vibration, the sky (ÄkÄÅ›a) is manifested, and then the senses, beginning with the sense of hearing, are also manifested (BhÄg. 3.26.32). Of these three types of egotism, Lord Saá¹…kará¹£aṇa is the predominating Deity. In the philosophical discourse known as the SÄá¹…khya-kÄrikÄ, it is stated, sÄttvika ekÄdaÅ›akaḥ pravartate vaiká¹›tÄd ahaá¹…kÄrÄt — bhÅ«tÄdes tan-mÄtraá¹ tÄmasa-taijasÄdy-ubhayam.
