अविदो भूरितमसो घ्राणज्ञा हृद्यवेदिनः ॥२१॥
tiraÅ›cÄm aá¹£á¹amaḥ sargaḥ
so 'á¹£á¹ÄvimÅ›ad-vidho mataḥ
avido bhūri-tamaso
ghrÄṇa-jÃ±Ä há¹›dy avedinaḥ
tiraÅ›cÄm - species of lower animals; aá¹£á¹amaḥ - the eighth; sargaḥ - creation; saḥ - they are; aá¹£á¹ÄvimÅ›at - twenty-eight; vidhaḥ - varieties; mataḥ - considered; avidaḥ - without knowledge of tomorrow; bhÅ«ri - extensively; tamasaḥ - ignorant; ghrÄṇa-jñÄḥ - can know desirables by smell; há¹›di avedinaḥ - can remember very little in the heart.
The eighth creation is that of the lower species of life, and they are of different varieties, numbering twenty-eight. They are all extensively foolish and ignorant. They know their desirables by smell, but are unable to remember anything within the heart.
In the Vedas the symptoms of the lower animals are described as follows: athetareá¹£Äá¹ paśūnÄḥ aÅ›anÄpipÄse evÄbhivijñÄnaá¹ na vijñÄtaá¹ vadanti na vijñÄtaá¹ paÅ›yanti na viduḥ Å›vastanaá¹ na lokÄlokÄv iti; yad vÄ, bhÅ«ri-tamaso bahu-ruá¹£aḥ ghrÄṇenaiva jÄnanti há¹›dyaá¹ prati svapriyaá¹ vastv eva vindanti bhojana-Å›ayanÄdy-arthaá¹ gá¹›hṇanti. “Lower animals have knowledge only of their hunger and thirst. They have no acquired knowledge, no vision. Their behavior exhibits no dependence on formalities. Extensively ignorant, they can know their desirables only by smell, and by such intelligence only can they understand what is favorable and unfavorable. Their knowledge is concerned only with eating and sleeping.†Therefore, even the most ferocious lower animals, such as tigers, can be tamed simply by regularly supplying meals and accommodations for sleeping. Only snakes cannot be tamed by such an arrangement.
