20.276
tabe mahat-tattva haite trividha ahankara
yaha haite devatendriya-bhutera pracara
SYNONYMS
tabe—thereafter; mahat-tattva haite—from the total material energy; tri-vidha—three kinds of; ahankara—egotism; yaha haite—from which; devata—of predominating deities; indriya—of the senses; bhutera—and of material elements; pracara—expansion "First the total material energy is manifest, and from this arise the three types of egotism, which are the original sources from which all demigods (controlling deities), senses and material elements expand.
PURPORT
The three types of egotism (ahankara) are technically known as vaikarika, taijasa and tamasa.
The mahat-tattva is situated within the heart, or citta, and the predominating Deity of the mahat-tattva is Lord Vasudeva (Bhag.3.26.21).
The mahat-tattva is transformed into three divisions: (1) vaikarika, egotism in goodness (sattvika-ahankara), from which the eleventh sense organ, the mind, is manifest and whose predominating Deity is Aniruddha (Bhag.3.26.27-28); (2) taijasa, or egotism in passion (rajasa-ahankara), from which the senses and intelligence are manifest and whose predominating Deity is Lord Pradyumna (Bhag.3.26.29-31); (3) tamasa, or egotism in ignorance, from which sound vibration (sabda-tanmatra) expands.
From the sound vibration, the sky (akasa) is manifest and, the senses, beginning with the ear, are also manifest (Bhag.3.26.32).
Of these three types of egotism, Lord Sankarsana is the predominating Deity.
In the philosophical discourse known as the Sankhya-karika, it is stated:
sattvika ekadasakah pravartate vaikrtad ahankarat-bhutades tan-matram tamasa-taijasady-ubhayam.