Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 13, Verse 5

महाभूतान्यहङ्कारो बुद्धिरव्यक्तमेव च । इन्द्रियाणि दशैकं च पञ्च चेन्द्रियगोचराः

mahābhūtānyahaṅkāro buddhiravyaktameva ca | indriyāṇi daśaikaṃ ca pañca cendriyagocarāḥ

Translation

The Great Elements, Egoism, Reason, as also the Unmanifested, the ten senses and one, and the five objects of the senses;

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

mahābhūtāni

the great elements

ahaṅkāraḥ

individuality

buddhiḥ

reason

avyaktam

the Unmanifested

eva

even

ca

and

indriyāṇi

the senses

daśa

ten

ekam

one

ca

and

pañca

five

ca

and

indriyagocarāḥ

of the senses, the pastures

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

The Great Elements (Mahābhūtas) are so called because they pervade all vikāras, all modifications of matter. The elements here referred to are the subtle ones (sūkṣma), not the gross (sthūla) elements, which latter will be spoken of as "the objects of the senses." Egoism (ahaṃkāra): self-consciousness, the cause of 'the Great Elements.' Reason (Buddhi) is defined by determination and is the cause of ahaṃkāra. The cause of Reason is the Avyakta, the Unmanifested, the Avyākṛta or Undifferentiated, the Energy of the Lord. So much alone is Prakṛti, divided eightfold. The ten senses are made up of the five buddhi-indriyas (senses of knowledge, such as hearing) and the five karma-indriyas (senses of action, such as speech and hand). And the one: the manas, which is composed of thoughts and purposes (saṃkalpa), is the eleventh sense. The five objects of the senses are sound, etc. The Sāṅkhyas speak of these as the twenty-four principles (tattvas).