Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.20.13

rajaḥ-pradhānān mahatas

tri-lińgo daiva-coditāt

jātaḥ sasarja bhūtādir

viyad-ādīni pañcaśaḥ

SYNONYMS

rajaḥ-pradhānāt — in which the element of rajas, or passion, predominates; mahataḥ — from the mahat-tattva; tri-lińgaḥ — of three kinds; daiva-coditāt — impelled by superior authority; jātaḥ — was born; sasarja — evolved; bhūta-ādiḥ — the false ego (origin of the material elements); viyat — the ether; ādīni — beginning with; pañcaśaḥ — in groups of five.

TRANSLATION

As impelled by the destiny of the jīva, the false ego, which is of three kinds, evolved from the mahat-tattva, in which the element of rajas predominates. From the ego, in turn, evolved many groups of five principles.

PURPORT

The primordial matter, or prakṛti, material nature, consisting of three modes, generates four groups of five. The first group is called elementary and consists of earth, water, fire, air and ether. The second group of five is called tan-mātra, referring to the subtle elements (sense objects): sound, touch, form, taste and smell. The third group is the five sense organs for acquiring knowledge: eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin. The fourth group is the five working senses: speech, hands, feet, anus and genitals. Some say that there are five groups of five. One group is the sense objects, one is the five elements, one is the five sense organs for acquiring knowledge, another is the senses for working, and the fifth group is the five deities who control these divisions.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness