The word indriya has existed since the time of the Ṛg Veda. Initially, it was regarded as a descriptor for or quality of the god Indra 帝釋天. Since Indra possesses predominating power among the Vedic gods, he is regarded as the 'sovereign power.' 'having creative power.' The translation into Chinese as root 根 works well, as it is the creative power of the roots of plants and trees that implies their ability to grow and develop and instill life into their trunks and branches. The connotation of indriya as possessing creative power (機能,能力) tells us something about the way Buddhists, and especially Yogâcāras, understand the function of the five faculties. Rather than merely serving as passive receptors in the way that modern science understands the five senses, the five faculties actively project energy in seeking their objects of the external realm. The Sarvâstivādas and Yogâcāras, in discussing the function of the sense faculties, distinguished them into two aspects: that of the visible physical organs themselves 扶塵根, such as eyes, ears, nose, tongue, etc., and the actual spiritual/sensory ability 勝義根 that resides in the given organ.