The rational soul
The rational soul is an individual form which makes an individual human an individual; it is the first to rely upon a subtle body formed of the vapour emitted out of the four humours. The reason is that it is the requirement of the constitutions of the forms to rely upon the matter suitable to them by its proclivity, ready for their occurrence to it. As the rational soul is the most subtle, the most pure and the hardest of the forms, it is impossible for it to rely but upon a body which may be the subtlest of the bodies, subtle to its utmost and extremely balanced. What I mean is, that it may resemble to the Origin, a condition necessary for the occurrence of the rational soul to it. We name this subtle body, which penetrates the thick body, in relation to appearance of perfections of the rational soul in it, as nasama. You try to remember this technical term.
Nasama:
Nasama is a subtle body, is self connected, penetrates the thick body and bears the faculties as well as the functions. The way of its formation is as follows:
When food reaches the stomach, it is nicely cooked there up there. A subtle vapour emitted from it goes to the liver where it is finally cooked up. The cooked up matter is then divided into four humours. The subtle humour of the blood is attracted to the heart where it is collected in its cavity and turns into a subtle air. This subtle air is collected in the other cavity from where a portion of it ascends to the brain and there it is divided into ten portions. Five of them are in the outward, including the faculty of sight, the faculty of hearing, the faculty of smell and the faculty of taste. They have their particular places in which a portion of nasama bearing those faculties penetrates. The fifth one is the faculty of touch. A portion of nasama penetrates the whole or the most part of the body. The other five are inward, such as the faculty of the common sense, the faculty of imagination of the sensible objects, the estimative faculty and the faculty of retention of the meanings. The fifth one is the faculty of apprehension which combines with them but acts freely in them. According to us, they have predication in the whole of body.
One portion of nasama goes down to the liver and is distributed there by the distribution of the members and the faculties which penetrate the body for mediate casualty, growth, nutrition and shaping. The brain and the heart are subjects of the liver in relation to these faculties even though reverse are the case in relation to other faculties.
In short, some of the faculties of the liver and the brain are linked with others. A portion of nasama, however, remains in the heart which acts freely in these faculties, the faculty of brain and the faculty of liver.
The nasama is like the order of a city and the liver is like the governor of that city, responsible for keeping an account current; it is the investigator of faculties, functions and of members which are like the individuals of the city; it is the separator of the sound from unsound, and freely in them. The brain is like the wise person, a consultant of the king. Among its armies are the spies who inform it about the external and the secret thoughts which conceal in themselves love for the armies of constitution. Heart is like the leader, despotic in its decisive orders for execution. Whenever it gives a command and gives a directive, it does it freely, by its own power and vigour. The army has to obey it except when the order becomes corrupt and upsets the equilibrium.
The substance of all this is, that when the heart is compelled to seek aid of the assistants for the performance of its functions, when it receives instructions from the brain, food from the liver, and the predications differ on account of difference of the sciences and violence increases by the excess in food, then it feels obeying them (assistants) even though outwardly it had issued an order to them. It is just like the ruler being forced to refer to his assistants, he has a feeling to obey them even though apparently, the position is contrary. If the army of the constitution is strong, it shelters within itself an inclination to seek their cooperation in all matters. If the army of the brain is strong the heart is inclined towards them, whether they are spies or secret thoughts of it.
When an army from amongst them is compelled to do a certain thing, the heart feels disturbed at its compulsion, just as it feels disturbed in the case of hunger, thirst, indigestion and sleep, and as just as it feels disturbed when the senses are sluggish or up-set. When an army does a sinful act for an example, the army of the spies and the secret thoughts rise in revolt against it (the heart), and such as when the constitution revolts against the increase in birth and lust, then if the heart is despotic, it rebukes the army and exclaims against it, but if it is weak, it inclines towards that sinful act approves of it as well.
We are mentioning here some of the predications of the heart and they as follows:
- The will. When a thing of profit and of approval is approved before the brained philosopher, he procures it, but when a thing of loss and disapproval is proved before him, he repels it and points out to the heart for directing the faculties towards the desired object. The heart then issues an order to the armies of the constitution with the result that the sinews and the muscles are stimulated for what been ordered.
- The reason. The heart is sitting on its throne and the whole army is present before it. It turns to the philosopher and asks what knowledge he has about such and such matter. The philosopher submits the report of all he had understood. But the heart does not remain patient, and keeps on referring to the philosopher, asking him about the reason and reality of the report till the brain is satisfied either by the repeated reference or by the strength of evidence.
- The love. The semen is mixed up in abundance with the army of the constitution and desires out-flow itself. The secret thoughts of the brain feel the end of constitution towards the out flow. The brain then follows the order of the secret thoughts and accordingly sends the spies in search of the out-flow suitable to the constitution. Subsequently, when the out flow is found, the brain suggests to the heart to love it and seek its nearness. If the heart is despotic in its orders, it looks into the consequences of the affairs constrains itself and is not inclined to accept the advice of the brain. It rather issues a general order for the search of an out-flow without obeying the advice of the brain which had given it a suggestion.
- Pride and rejection. When the liver gives a strong and rich to the heart and the secret thoughts of the brain conceals both severity and settlement, the brain which is extremely broad and perceptive, inclines towards the sciences which resemble severity and broadness. It then inspires the heart with those sciences. The heart in return conceals in itself its inclination towards the sciences, and whenever it occurs it summons its armies, gathers them and consults the philosopher about those sciences. The armies agree with the heart, with the result that the heart then makes a firm determination. If the philosopher happens to be pious, or the firmness happens to be spiritual, the heart inclines towards the general, spiritual forces; if the philosopher happens to be stupid, the heart inclines towards an apparent, particular force. And if the heart is fed on little and poor food and the secret thoughts of the brain conceal the weakness, then his suggestion and the fulfilment of it by the heart will also be weak and rejective.
- Pleasure and displeasure. When the philosopher comes to know of any obstruction from anyone in its attempt to procure gain and repel loss, or when he finds anything against his liking, he refers it to the heart. The heart sits on its throne with armies present before it, and it refers that particular thing to the philosopher again, till it is fully satisfied. The heart then cries aloud saying “I am displeased with someone, so you also be displeased with him”.
- The joy and grief. The heart sits on its throne and the armies are present before it. If it refers to the philosopher repeatedly and gains from him what it want, it becomes increasingly inclined towards him.
