Indriyam
By M. A. Alwar
The most popular usage of the word indriya refers to it as ‘sense- organs’. As against English, where the word sense-organ refers only to organs of sensation, the word ‘indriya’ has a wider range of meaning, covering the organs of knowledge, action and decision. Mind is said to control all other indriyas. There are a total of fourteen indriyas:
- Five organs of knowledge (jñānendriyas, including the Eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin)
- Five organs of action (karmendriyas, including the hands, legs, speech-organ, anus and generative organ)
- Four internal organs (mind, intellect, ego and reason)
Gender[edit]
Indriyam is a neutral form.
Origin[edit]
General[edit]
The word can be derived in three ways on a general note:
- "Indrasyātmano liṅgamanumāpakam" which means 'The aid to inference of Indra i.e. the self'.
- "Indraṇeśvareṇa sṛṣṭam" which means 'Created by Indra, the Lord'
- "Indreṇātmanā mama cakṣurmama śrotramityādi krameṇa jñātam" which means 'Known by Indra, the self, as ‘my eyes, my ears’ etc.'
Grammatical[edit]
Grammatically the word is derived from "indra+ghac" by nipātana which means ‘sacrificed by Indra’, etc. It has three different meanings as per the lexica. They are:
- The instrument of knowledge and action.
- Wisdom
- Semen virile[1]
Synonyms[edit]
In this sense, its synonyms are
Types of Indriyas[edit]
Jñānendriyas[edit]
Among these, the jñānendriyas (organs of knowledge) are five:
- Karṇaḥ - Ear
- Tvak - Skin
- Cakṣuh - Eye
- Jihvā - Tongue
- Nāsikā - Nose
Karmendriyas[edit]
There are five Karmendriyas (Organs of action):
- Vāk - Organ of Speech, the larynx
- Pāṇiḥ - Hand
- Pādaḥ - Foot
- Pāyuḥ - Anus
- Upasthā - Organ of generation
Internal Organs[edit]
The internal organs are four:
- Manaḥ - Mind
- Buddhiḥ - Intellect
- Ahaṅkāraḥ - Ego
- Cittam - Reasoning faculty
Viewpoints on Indriyam in shāstra[edit]
Ṛigveda[edit]
In the sense of wisdom, Ṛgveda opines that,[4]
“So that we may live (surrounded by) vigorous descendents, such wisdom do you confer upon us for our benefit”.
Vedanta[edit]
Mind is the controller of all organs. Fourteen deities govern the fourteen organs. They are:
- Dik - Direction, governs the Ear
- Vāyuḥ - Wind, governs the skin
- Sūryyaḥ - Sun, governs the Eye
- Pracetāḥ - Varuṇa, governs the tongue
- Aśvinau - The twin Aśvinis, govern the Nose
- Vahniḥ - Fire, governs speech
- Indraḥ - Indra, governs the hand
- Viṣṇuḥ - Viṣṇu, governs the foot
- Mitraḥ - Mitra, governs the anus
- Prajāpatiḥ - Prajāpati, governs the generative organ
- Candraḥ - Moon, governs the mind
- Caturmukhaḥ - Brahman, governs the intellect
- Śaṅkaraḥ - śaṅkara, governs the ego
- Acyutaḥ - Acyuta, governs reason
Nyāya[edit]
According to Nyāya:
- Nose is the organ of Prithivī (Earth)
- Tongue is the organ of Jala (Water)
- Eye is the organ of Tejas (fire)
- Skin is the organ of Vāyu (Wind)
- Ear is the organ of ākāśa (Space).
Suśruta[edit]
Suśruta says:
- Intellect supported by Brahman.
- Ego supported by īśvara.
- Mind supported by candra.
- Ears supported by diś.
- Skin supported by vāyu.
- Eyes supported by Sūrya.
- Tongue supported by Varuṇa.
- Nose supported by Prithivī.
- Speech supported by Fire.
- Hands supported by Indra.
- Feet supported by Viṣṇu.
- Anus supported by Mitra.
- Generative organ supported by Prajāpati.
Manu[edit]
In the matter of sense-organs, Manu opined that[5]
“As the sense-objects capture the wandering organs…”
Dayānanda Saraswati[edit]
Indriya is vijñāna (wisdom), says the commentary of Dayānanda.
References[edit]
- Shabdakalpadrumah by Raja Radhakantdev, Varadaprasada Vasu, Haricarana Vasu