Karika 30: Together or in turn: how the four work
The words
Translation
In regard to perceptible objects, the functioning of the four (the five knowledge senses, Mind, Ego and Intellect) is said to be simultaneous at times and in sequence at other times. In regard to imperceptible objects, the functioning of the three (Mind, Ego and Intellect) is preceded by the aforesaid perception, and is likewise [simultaneous at times and in sequence at other times].
From the senses to the Intellect
Perceptible objects: all four work, one after another or all at once, as at the sight of a tiger in a flash of lightning (karika 30). Imperceptible objects: the Mind, the Ego and the Intellect alone, resting on what was perceived before. Each hands its work to the next; the Intellect, closest to the soul, is the principal one (karikas 36, 37).
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