Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 8


Sanskrit:

अर्थस्तन्मात्रिकाज्जज्ञे तामसादिन्द्रियाणि च ।तैजसाद् देवता आसन्नेकादश च वैकृतात् ॥ ८ ॥

ITRANS:

arthas tan-mātrikāj jajñetāmasād indriyāṇi cataijasād devatā āsannekādaśa ca vaikṛtāt

Translation:

From false ego in the mode of ignorance came the subtle physical perceptions, from which the gross elements were generated. From false ego in the mode of passion came the senses, and from false ego in the mode of goodness arose the eleven demigods.

Purport:

From false ego in the mode of ignorance, sound is generated along with the sense of hearing to receive it and the sky as its medium. Next, the sensation of touch, air and the sense of touch are generated, and thus from subtle to gross all of the elements and their perceptions are generated. The senses, because they are busily engaged in activity, are created from false ego in the mode of passion. From false ego in goodness come eleven demigods: the deities of the directions, the wind and the sun, Varuṇa, the Aśvinī deities, Agni, Indra, Upendra, Mitra, Brahmā and Candra.