SOMATISM OF VEDIC PSYCHOLOGY

Manas is the buman faculty which is usually associated in the Veda with a variety of psychological activities. The considera tion of the genesis of the Vedic concept of manas brings forth a number of unique characteristics of that human faculty. Let us first approach the question of the origin of the concept of manas from the linguistic point of view. It is believed by some scholars that the words, manas, manus, manyu, mensch, mann, etc., are derived from the Indo-European (IE) root men- which has the sense of thinking’, ‘mental activity’, etc. The possibility is thereby suggested of the notion of man as a thinking being’, having been prevalent even in a very remote period. The anthro pological investigations have, however, led to a doubt as to whether the proposed etymology is correct. The idea of man as a thinking being’, as against beasts and other creatures who are supposed to have been denied the faculty of thinking, cannot possibly have prevailed in that age. The primitives generally did not believe in any kind of essential differentiation among the several aspects of creation, whose existence was, according to them, wholly dependent upon a universal all-penetrating magic fluid like Aronda or the Vedic asu.? It was the amount of such magic fluid, and not the possession or non-possession of any special mental or physical faculties, that determined the gradation among the beings io the universe. There is another fact to be noted in this connection. A fair kuowledge of the human anatomy on the part of the IE people has given rise to a large number of words denoting several parts of the human body, which are to be found in many IE languages and which are linguistically connected with one another. It may be further observed that the words, in several IE languages, de poting’ sensations’, ’emotions, and other such non-physical (or

1. Sec : DANDEKAR, DA vedische Mensch, p. 28. SOMATISM OF VEDIC PSYCHOLOGY 247 psychological) phenomena are connected with the names of bodily organs. Io Homeric language, for instance, zred, zreues, prapides (connected with diaphragm ) denote almost all the varieties of will, thought, understanding, ctc. Further it is not unlikely that the words khólos (anger), kérdos ( advice, gaio); and kerdosúne (cunning, will) are connected with hardla (heart). In later Greek, the entrails seem to be regarded as the seat of feelings and sensations (cf. dplankuizomai). The Latin words, vecors ( wrong-sensed ), recordari ( remember ), etc., indi cate that those faculties were again connected with cor, cordis (heart). In the Slavonic languages, particularly in Russian anger and excitement are associated with liver. These linguistic facts show that many words denoting non-physical or ‘psychod logical phenomena ‘were derived in most IE languages from the names of different bodily organs. They were not at all connected with manas or its linguistic counterparts in other languages. The association of manas with human psychology is, therefore, clearly an afterthought. How then are the words manas, manus, etc., to be derived, It may be suggested that these words can be regarded as having originally been loan-words in IE; they are the IE counterparts of the primitive word mana, which denoted the universally pero meating magic fluid which, according to the primitive notions, made all beings what they were. This fluid mana was further supposed to have been capable of bestowing upon beings some kind of Occult power which made them men’. It may, there. fore, be assumed that the words manas, manus, man, mensch, etc., have come into existence as the result of the influence of prim. tive thought. Those words did not originally denote exclusively psychological or non-material notions. Manas, for instance, did not originally denote what we today call “mind’ — that was a later modification of the original conception — but it denoted a comprehensive all-penetrating fluid or magic potence like mana of the primitives. Manas was, therefore, regarded as being as much
2. Cf. DANDEKAR, Op dilu, p. 42. 248 EXERCISES IN INDOLOGY • material’ in nature as mana. This original notion about manas, as a form of matter, has becn preserved, to a considerable extent, in the Vedic literature, even after manas came to denote human mind. It is this phenomenon in Vedic psychology which I have called Somatism of Vedic Psychology IO RV II, 12. 1, Indra is called manasian. This cpithet does not indicate, in this context, the possession on the part of Indra of any special mental’ power, The poet presumably wants to counterbalance manasan Indra - Indra who possesses large quantity of manas-substance – with asura Varuṇa - Varuṇa who possesses large quantity of asu-substance’. The words nanasyu (as in RV X. 171.3) ( one desirous of manas-sub. stance’) and nianasaspati (as in AV VII. 97, 8) (one who com. mands any amount of manas-substance) are also to be explain ed as belongiog to the original’ mana-manas-conception’. Other significant passages, in this connection, are to be found in the funeral hymns, e. g., RV X. 57.3,5; AV VIII, 1, 7; 2.3. In all these passages, manas suggests a dualism with the physical body not in the sense of ‘cogitatio’ and ’extensio’, but in the sense of a. potence-bestowing substance and its substratum’. The loss of manas (not evidently in the sense of mind, but in its ori ginal sense of mana-potence) results in virtual death. It is, again, in its original sense, that the Vedic poet speaks of the bestowal of manas on beings (RV X. 57. 3-5). A critical comparison of such references to manas in the Rgveda (particularly as in X. 57 and 58 ) with the references to manas in its modified form us, for instance, in Vajasaneyi-Samhitā 34 would clearly bring out the distinction between the two notions denoted by the word manas in the Vedic literature. In the former we have the original mana-manas-concept’, while the latter passage consti. tutes one of the finest descriptions of the faculties of the human ‘minds
3. How the concept of manas as ‘mind’ evolved from the primitive * mana-manas concept’ is an interesting problem of Vedic psychology. Its consi. deration is, however, beyond the scope of this paper, SOMATISM OF VEDIC PSYCHOLOGY 249 The fact that manas originally represented some form of material substance is amply corroborated by the Vedic descrip tions of the several activities of manas. Manas is often repre sented as being capable of such modifications as are usually asso ciated with matter. Manas is, for instance, considered to be capable of movement in space. It is always said to be moving from place to place. No function of manas is possible without some movement on its part. There are prayers in the Rgveda for manas to move in a particular direction and come nearer to the poet : dejāsas cin manasā san hi jagmuh (III. 1. 13), prācinena manasa barkaņāvarā (1. 54, 5), anācinar su te mano grāvā krnotu vagnuna (I. 84.3). The idea of motion or movement implied in the functioning of manas can also be derived from such passages as mano dânāja codayan (VIII. 99, 4), blad. rar no api vātaja manah (X, 20.1), parā hi me vimanyavah patanti vasyaiṣtaye (I. 25. 4). Incidentally, it may be pointed out that the notion of manas leaving its substratum, viz., the physical body, and going forth to the object of comprehension has developed into a remarkable feature of the later Iodian epic stemology. Modern science holds that the external objects, in the form of light-rays etc. issuing from them, go up to the human senses. Some ladian theories of knowledge, on the other hand, maintain that manas and indriyas go forth to the objects of per ception and conception. This doctrine is known as indrlyäņām prāpyakārita.

A similar feature of manas is indicated when the poet speaks of turning the manas of the divinity : nū indra rāye varivas krdhi na ā te mano vavrtyāma maghāya ( VII, 27.5). Further, there are references to the placing’ of manas : Ive pito mahānan devānām mano hitam (I. 187.6), mano jatrā vı tad dadluh (VIII. 13, 20). There are also references to the yoking’ or directing’ of manas : yuñjate mano dīnāya (1, 48.4), inanaso na prayuktısu (1.151.8), apo acchā manaso na prayuktih (X, 30. 1). A more intensive form of such an idea, which is clearly indicative of the material nature of manas, is suggested by the grasping’ of and by manas: svene ‘ra dhiro manasā yad agrabhit (I. 145.2). Further, manas 3% 250 EXERCISES IN INDOLOGY is described as beiog controlled ‘, .bound down’, driven from afar’, etc. (VIII. 11.7). The Vedic poets further speak of the tcasion’ of manas – another feature which indicates that mianas was regarded as a material substance’. It could be " loosened" or “unyoked” like a horse which had been yoked : vi mrlikāja le mano rashir aśvani na sandutant / girbhir varuna simahl (I. 25. 3). Manas becomes hard and can be ‘softened’ : paneś cid vi mrada manah (VI. 53 3). In such passages, there is a clear indication of the Vedic conception of manas being capable of thickening’ or solidification Manas biods. down others (I. 164. 37) and can itself be bound down by external forces (1. 138. 1) Manas is said to shake through fear (X. 121.6). There is further a reference to the churning of manas : eva malhnami Te manah (AV II. 30, 1), as well as to controlling’ or ‘disci. plining’ it (VIII. 33. 17). The functions and the activities of manas are so described in the Veda that thereby manas is actually represented as being a ‘material substance’ and its activities as actual modifications in the nature and position of that sub. stance. The word päka employed in connection with manas (VII. 104, 8; X. 2. 5; 114.4) also brings forth prominently the somatic’ nature of manas, Manas was regarded as a kind of ‘matter’ which was subject to being ‘ripened’ or ‘cooked’. Such descriptions may not be explained away as mere imaginative or poetical representations of the activities of manas. They clearly betray the original somatic’ nature of manas. Manas must have been regarded as a kind of material substance’, and its activities were, therefore, necessarily described as mechanical and dynamic modifications of that substance’.

This feature of Vedic psychology is seen to have persisted even in later literature. The Chandogja-Upaniṣad declares that for its formation manas is dependent upon alimentation, Manas ‘is said to have originated out of the food that we eat : annamajam hi somya manah (Ch. Up. VI, 5. 4; 6. 1-2). Though most of the later Indian systems of philosopby, with the exception of the Carvãkas who believe that consciousness’ originates as the result of the gross material clements comiag together, regard citla or vijñana as somcthing peculiarly psychical, it must be remembered that the pature and thic activities of cilta are represented by themi a’s if it was a material substance. Even later Indian psychology is thus primarily somatic. in character. Such is the case parti cularly of the Buddhist and the Yoga psychological teachings. In Abhidhanıma, for example, all clements arc graded according to their grossness — from the grossest carth to the subtlest soul matter. The Buddhist psychologists speak of six dhātus and five skandlas, which terms again betray their somatic naturc. All consciousness-phenomena, like fechags, emotions, perception and conception, knowledge, etc., arc regarded in the Yoga merely as disturbances in or modifications of tlic psychical substancc. According to the Yoga-psychology, manas is parinām), that is to say, it is constantly suffering a thousand modifications. The teras vptti and prayiti arc cicarly indicative of this feature. Vitti means the activity of an object; praytii means the going forward of the citra towards its object. Dhirana means litcrally the binding of citta to the desired object; dhyāna is explained as the homogc. Deity of the stream of consciousness. The stream of consciousness is not a metaphorical imagery but it is a real slow of the waves of citla. The first type of disturbance’ in the psychical matter is, from the somatic’standpoint, that of movement, vibration or oscillation’. The second type is that of solidification or thickea. ing’, which is indicated by the gradation made by the Buddhists - yathaudārikam- of the four psychological skandhas, namely vijñana, samiskära, vedanā, and sarijñā. The third type of dis. turbances in the soul-matter is that of defilement or affliction’. This is indicated by the notions of klesa, asrava, and prasāda. According to the bhāṣya on Yogasūtra II. 11, cilla, when defiled and amicted through klesa, is to be treated in the same manncr as a dirty cloth. The Yogācåra school of Buddhism, represented by Maitreya Asanga, believes in the divisibility of citta. All these conceptions in later lodian psychology clearly remind one of the descriptions of manas and its activities in the early Vedic litc. rature,