Essay on Prakriti

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Prakriti or Cosmic Energy in the

Bhagavad-Gita

1. Energy more fundamental than matter

 

The concept of Prakriti is most fundamental to the understanding of

Indian philosophy and also to the central core of teaching in the

metaphysics of the Bhagavad-Gîtâ. The nearest English translation of

the word 'Prakriti' has to be 'Cosmic Energy', though the innocuous

word 'Nature' is very often used . The difference between the

connotation of Prakriti as used in Vedânta and the meaning of the word

Energy as used in modern science is actually at the root of the

matter. In modern Physics, Matter is fundamental and self-existent;

its motive power is Energy. In Vedânta on the other hand, Energy is

self-existent and Matter is the product of this ever-present Energy.

Consequently in any exposition about Cosmic Energy, it is not

advisable to use the words Matter and Energy in their scientific

connotations. Instead, we shall consistently use the word 'Prakriti'

itself.

2. Spiral method of teaching

 

As soon as He begins the exposition of the Gîtâ, the Lord makes clear

the rock bottom fundamentals of Hindu religion. What is not, can

never be; and what is, can never not be. (II-l6) Starting from

this foundation He develops the logic of Karma Yoga, the appeal of

Bhakti Yoga and finally the self-consistency and self-revealing nature

of Jnâna Yoga for Arjuna. In the process almost every facet of the

subject of Hindu philosophy -- metaphysics, psychology, swadharma,

Avatâra concept, dedication and surrender, matter and spirit, prakriti

and purusha -- everything in the complex labyrinth of Indian Vedânta

enters the discussion. And the Lord, in presenting these topics, uses

a spiral approach; that is, the same concept or idea comes up more

than once -- as would naturally happen in an extended conversational

discourse --but each time it appears, it is taken up with more depth,

broader context and wider application. This, we know, is a sound

strategy for effective communication. So also it happens with the

concept of Prakriti,.

3. Prakriti does everything

 

The first time the Lord mentions Prakriti is in the third chapter.

Nobody can live even for a moment without being engaged in some

action. (III - 5). It could be mental, if not physical. Even just

living is an action. This is natural for every human being. This

naturality is part of Prakriti. Man is almost a prisoner (Avasah )

of the qualities inherent in him as a human being. It is only later

in the same chapter that the Lord elaborates on Prakriti. The verses

27, 28, 29 are significant. All actions are being done by Prakriti;

the ego-centred person however thinks that he is the doer (III - 27).

The knower of the truth, on the other hand, who knows how to discern

the Gunas of Prakriti ( = modes of Nature) and their responsibility

for actions, knowing full well that it is the modes of nature which

are interacting with modes of nature, does not get attached. (III -

28). But those who are confounded by the Gunas of Prakriti get stuck

with the actions that arise out of the Gunas. (III - 29). They do not

know it, however, so those who know should not confound them!

4. Three primary strands of Prakriti

 

In these three verses the Lord makes use of the key technical words:

Prakriti and Her Gunas. The ordinary meanings of these words, namely

Nature and Modes of Nature may carry us through at this stage of the

discussion but as we already mentioned the Lord comes back to these

topics in later chapters and goes deeper into them. So we shall take

these later explanations to our advantage. It is in the seventh

chapter the Lord explains what His Prakriti is. It is the entire world

of inert matter comprising the five elemental sources, plus, Mind,

Intellect and the Ego. (VII - 4) God's creation starts with these. So

Prakriti is the material cause for all matter, creation and movement.

Everything that we see before us is nothing but a suitable

combination of the eight-fold contents of Prakriti and nothing else.

Later in the ninth chapter He says that Prakriti is His making, it

works out whatever it does, because of the power of His presence and

it is because of this that everything in the world happens the way it

does. (IX - 10). And in the fourteenth chapter He dissects the

Prakriti further. It has three strands: Sattva, Râjas and Tamas.

These may be called its Modes. They together constitute Prakriti.

The Samskrit word used is 'Guna' -- to be translated into 'attitudes'.

They are the primary bricks of Prakriti. They are like the 'bases'

of the DNA in modern science. They are the 'tendencies' making up

the twisted rope of Nature . Sattva is the tendency which takes one

upward towards enlightenment; Râjas is sanything that is dynamic and

aggressive; and Tamas is that of ignorance, indolence and inaction.

(XIV - 9). Every creation of God is a combination of these three

strands of Nature. (VII - l3). Thus the handiwork of Prakriti covers

the entire universe of inert and inanimate matter. But all this is

His Lower Prakriti, says the Lord in the seventh chapter itself, as

soon as He mentions the eightfold macro-constituents of Prakriti (VII

- 5_ He says that there is another Prakriti of His, the Higher

Prakriti -- Parâ-Prakriti -- this is the one which becomes

(jîva-bhutâm) the multiplicity of souls in the world. It is by this

Prakriti the whol,e universe of men and matter is sustained. (VII -

6). This Higher Prakriti is the one spiritual current vibrating in

all living beings sas their life-force. It is the supreme womb from

which the whole world of beings is born. In that sense He is the

Father of the Universe. He is the Origin and in Him is the

Dissolution. It is at this point in the seventh chapter it becomes

clear that Prakriti is nothing but the Power, Sakti, of the Supreme

Godhead, namely, Brahman.

5.Advaitic Cosmology

 

There are, as it were, two ZZaktis of Brahman, the Absolute Reality.

They are parâ (Superior) and aparâ (Inferior) Prakritis. Jîva, the

soul, the spiritual undercurrent vibrating in us, is matter viewed in

relation to spirit. Matter came from the aparâ Sakti or aparâ

Prakriti. This is where Vedânta differs from modern Physics. In the

latter, it is the quantitative matter, their weight, their substance,

their constituents that are fundamental. In Vedânta it is the

quality that is at the bottom -- the qualitative guna or Swabhâva from

which all the quantitative matter arises. It is the qualities

inherent in the Cosmic Energy that gives matter its substance. That is

why Prakriti is also called Pradhâna, the Fundamental. It is also

called Kshetra, the Field, because it is the base of all action. It

is Jada, because it is insentient. It is Avyakta, the unmanifest,

because it is not perceptible to the senses. It is Kshara, the

Perishable, because it alternates between manifestation and

non-manifestation. It is Mâyâ because it deceptively hides the Spirit

behind Matter and projects falsity. Jîva the spirit component is a

fragment of the Chit-Sakti of Brahman. Chit-Sakti functioning through

a matter envelopment becomes the living organism. 'That' dressed up in

matter becomes the egocentric 'Thou'. Man undressed of Matter is the

eternal and ineffable spirit. When spirit is thus enveloped by

matter it is called Jîva. He is the Purusha with all his

individuality. Without the interaction of the Purusha the

experiencer, and Prakriti that is, Spirit and Matter, there is no

expression, no experience. When man looks inward of his insentient

matter-layer he is nothing but sentient vital consciousness.

6. Vâsanâs

 

Mind itself is matter. It is the effect of the play of Prakriti. The

latter, individualised to each soul is the unmanifested factor,

which, in consequence of the good and bad performances in the previous

lives, has begun to give fruition in this life. That which rules the

functions of a given mind and intellect determines its reactions to

the world outside is the unmanifested factor, also referred to in the

literature, as the Vâsanâs. Incidentally, the Gîtâ never uses the

word Vâsanâ. It uses the word Avyakta for the unmanifested factor

standing for the totality of Vâsanâs, either individual or collective.

In its macrocosmic aspect, the total universe of men and things

spring from the aggregate of Vâsanâs of all living beings. This

totality is the source of the whole universe at the beginning of the

Kalpa (IX - 7, 8). It is because of this that Jîva is under the

spell of Mâyâ or Prakriti -- through whcih Brahman functions to bring

about the universe of men and things. The play of matter and spirit

in this manner is Samsâra.

7.Purusha, the canvas, untainted by the painting of Prakriti

 

All forms and qualities, changes and modifications belong to the realm

of matter. Aatman or Brahman is the changeless substratum in the

presence of which this interplay takes place. The cinema screen is

the only basic presence and inherent reality whereon all the turmoil

and turbulence of the actions of the movie take place. The screen by

itself is untainted by any of that action. The Purusha by himself has

no Samsâra. But when He identifies himself with the body and the

senses which are the effects of Prakriti, he becomes the experiencer.

As the all-pervading space is not tainted because of its subtlety, so

also the âtman permeating the entire body, is not tainted by anything

that the body, mind or intellect does. The âtman is like the Sun

which illuminates the whole world but is at the same time

uncontaminated by anything of the world. Every action of the world as

well as of the body, mind and intellect is dominated by Prakriti. By

coercing it and suppressing it violently you cannot win over it.

This is the meaning of the famous verse III - 33 of the Gîtâ.

8. Coercion versus self-control

 

Usually the common man and the unwise interpret this verse to mean

that whatever we do is according to Prakriti and so there is nothing

under our control. And one stretches the meaning to conclude that we

are total slaves of our Fate -- and this verse is very often cited to

condemn Hinduism as a fatalist religion. The verse simply means: All

beings, even the wise men, follow their own nature; what can coercing

or restraint do? This means that a coercion, or suppression or

violent resistance to one's Swabhâva ( = own nature and becoming) will

be of no avail. But this is not a cry of despair. We do not have

to resign ourselves to the wayward tendencies of our mind, inherited

by its Vâsanâs. The use of the word 'nigraha' is significant. What

is decried is'nigraha', coercion, violent resistance and suppression.

In the very next verse and in scores of other places Lord Krishna

extols 'samyama' , self-control, disciplined restraint and practice in

controlling the senses. We have to give due respect to the devil of

our own Swabhâva, which is our own speciality of a Prakriti, go along

with it and in due time control it, as much as possible. This sloka

is an excellent example of how Hinduism, instead of being a fatalistic

and pessimistic religion, is actually very realistic and constructive.

9. Two Purushas

 

We said of the Purusha that when he identifies himself with the body

and the senses he is the experiencer. He it is that enjoys and

suffers, he it is that is subject to pleasure and pain and he it is

that thinks he is the doer and the experiencer. But deep within him,

within this Purusha, there is another Purusha, the changeless,

non-participating witness, the Sakshi. Krishna takes great care to

distinguish between these two Purushas. In Chapter l5 of the Gîtâ,

this is elaborated with perfect clarity. (XV - 16). First of all,

Purusha and Prakriti are not two separate entities. Prakriti is only

the Power (ZZakti) of the Purusha. It is simply the executive power

of the soul. The soul manifest in nature and bound up with its action

is the kshara (Perishable) Purusha. It is He who is under the

constant spell of Mâyâ. Beyond him there is the silent, immutable,

all-pervading motionless self-existent Self -- sarvagatam achalam. He

is the Akshara Purusha -- Purusha, the Imperishable. The kshara

Purusha is involved in the actions of Nature. He reflects the varied

workings of the Gunas of Prakriti. He is saguna, personal. He

associates himself with the doings of Prakriti and thinks he is the

doer. He identifies himself with the play of personality and clouds

his self-knowledge with the ego-sense in nature so that he thinks

himself as the ego-doer of works (III - 27). On the other hand when

the Purusha takes the poise of Akshara, he is nriguna, impersonal.

The gunas have fallen into a state of equilibrium. He is dissociated

from the doings of the gunas. He is the inactive non-doer and

witness. He is aware that Prakriti is the doer and himself only the

witnessing self (XIII - 29).

10. The pot-space and the water-space

 

The concept of the two Purushas -- or two poises or roles of the one

Purusha -- and a consequent grand design of a triple Purusha, is an

essential contribution of the Gîtâ to the understanding of the eternal

Upanishads. In order to explain this grand design to ordinary people

different masters give different illustrations. Vidyâranya's

Panchadasi has a whole chapter on this subject. The analogy that

Vidyâranya gives and sustains throughout his work is so graphic that

no presentation of Prakriti and Purusha as adumbrated in Advaita

Vedânta can be complete without mentioning Vidyâranya's analogy.

Imagine an empty pot. Even though empty, it encloses space ( =

âkâsa). We may call this enclosed space, the pot-space (= Ghatâkâsa).

This is not different from the universal space (= Mahâkâsa) which is

outside the pot -- except that the pot-space is space enclosed,

conditioned by the material of the pot, whereas the universal space

is unconditioned (= nirupâdhita). Now fill up the pot to the brim

with water. The pot-space seems to have disappeared. We only see

water now but in the water we see the universal space reflected. This

reflection shows the sky, he stars or whatever there is in the sky or

the space, like buildings, trees, clouds, etc. with all their

different shades of colour. This reflected presentation of the outside

space may be called water-space ( = jalâkâsa). Water-space shall not

mean 'the space occupied by water' but shall mean the reflection, in

the water, of the mahâkâsa, which is everywhere. Now the water-space

hides the real space, namely the pot-space within and projects a

falsity of an outer space, inside. This is the grand delusion in

which we are all in. The water-space corresponds to the Jîva (the

individual soul) or the Kshara-Purusha. It hides the presence of the

pot-space within. The pot-space is the Akshara Purusha. Without the

substratum of the pot-space there cannot be any water-space. We in

our delusion think that the water-space is all there is. We forget

that there is a pot-space within and it is the real space and that the

water-space is only a false projection of the reality. Without the

substratum of the imperishable Purusha within, the jîva or the kshara

Purusha or what we think as our personality has no existence. The

imperishable Purusha is also called Kûtastha, the immovable, or the

immutable, that which remains like the unchanging iron-piece (anvil)

on which the blacksmith does all his hammering. The water in the pot

is the mind or intellect. It is the reflection in our intellect of the

universal consciousness that generates the feeling, an individualised

feeling, in us, of 'I' and 'mine'.

11. 'Thou' is the pot-space and 'That' is the universal space

..

The mind of Man has two alternatives -- either to be bound by Prakriti

in the mutations of quality and personality or to be free from Her

workings in immutable impersonality. On one side there is the status

of the Akshara Purusha or Kûtastha and his immutability. On the

other there is the action of the Kshara Purusha or Jîva and its

mutability in Prakriti. Both these coexist. They coexist as two

contrary sides, aspects or facets of a supreme reality (Mahâkâsa)

which is limited by neither of them. This reality which is the

Ultimate, is the Uttama Purusha, different from the other two. (XV -

17 ). He is the Purushottama. That is His param bhâvam. (supreme

nature of existence). He is the sarva-bhûta-maheswara, the great

Lord of all beings. People foolishly think that the visual

manifestation is all there is. (IX - 11 ). They allow the

water-space to hide the real pot-space within and revel in the virtual

glory of the water-space. But deep within us, by clearing our minds

of all its 'contents', we must get to the pot-space, that is the

Akshara Purusha. It is the substratum which makes way for all the

actions of the individual Purusha. The actions themselves are because

of the Prakriti -- its three strands -- which in the analogy is the

reflecting capability of the water-mind. We should be able to

transcend the mind and the reflections that it carries with it and

delve deep into our real Self, the silent watching Self. This latter

is nothing but the all-pervading Space (Brahman) except for the

limitation by the material of the pot. Thou art That!

12. Purushottama is both 'This' and 'That'

 

The Purushottama of the Gîtâ is the controller of the other two

Purushas as well as the Prakriti. He is just the all-pervading space

of the analogy. It is He that appears as the other two Purushas and

it is He that creates, sustains and dissolves, through His Prakriti.

In the Kshara, He puts forth his own Prakriti and manifests himself in

the soul. And each soul works out its own nature (= swabhâva )

according to the law of the divine being in it. But it is worked out

in the egoistic nature by the bewildering play of the three gunas upon

each other (cf. gunâ guneshu vartante, III-28, meaning, the modes

are interacting with modes). The play of the gunas is like clouds

clashing against clouds, causing thunder and lightning, but still the

Space by itself is untainted. One can get beyond this play of the

gunas only by transcending the gunas. In the Akshara (Imperishable)

on the other hand, He is untouched, indifferent, regarding all

equally, extended within all, yet above all. In all these, He is the

Lord, the Supreme Iswara in the highest, the presiding and

all-pervading impersonality. While being the immanent Will and

present active Lord in the Kshara, He is free in the impersonality

even while working out the play of his personality. That is why He

is able to say: Actions do not fix themselves on me, nor have any

desire for the fruits of action (IV - 14). Works do not bind me, for

I m seated as if indifferent above, unattached to these actions. (IX -

9).. Therefore He declares: Whoever sees that all action is verily

done by Prakriti and that the Self is inactive Witness, he sees. (XIII

- 29). As Purushottama however, He is neither merely impersonal nor

merely personal. He is one and the same being in both aspects.

Infinity of the Spirit does not just mean infinite immensity; it also

implies infinitesimal littleness. Though impersonal in its vastness,

it has become personal also in creating individual beings. He is the

impersonal-personal, nirguno-guni. . Gunabrin-nirguno mahân, , says

the Vishnu-Sahasra-nâma.

13. Transcend the strands of Prakriti

 

Man as the individual self owing to his ignorant self-identification

with the work and the becoming is bewildered by his Ahamkâra or

egoism. (cf. ahamkâra-vimudhâtmâ --III-27). Ahamkâra is nothing but

the notion that this conglomeration of the senses and the mind which

are the cause for all the actions, is the Self ( âtman). This false

identification of the Self with the actions and the instruments of

action is the root cause of all the trouble, called Samsâra.

Consequently one is enslaved by the gunas, now hampered in the dull

ease of tamas,, now blown away by the strong winds and currents of

rajas, and now limited by the partial lights of satva. Man has to

distinguish and isolate himself from the Prakritic mind, by his

discretionary intelligence. If he allows himself to be mastered by

the gunas, then he will have to suffer pain and pleasure, grief and

happiness, desire and passion, attachment and disgust. Thus he has no

freedom. If he wants freedom, he must exist in oneness with the

Akshara Purusha, the immutable and impersonal Self, tranquilly

observing and impartially supporting the action, himself calm,

indifferent, untouched, motionless, pure, one with all beings in their

self, not one with Prakriti and Her works. This Self, though by its

presence authorises (cf. IX - 10 ) the works of Prakriti and supports

them by its all-pervading existence, does not itself create works or

the state of the doer or the linking of the works to their fruit. (V

- 14). It only watches Prakriti in the Kshara. It accepts neither

the sin nor the virtue of the living creatures born into this birth.

(V - 15). It always preserves its own spiritual purity.

14. Mental one-ness with the Purushottama

 

While Brahman in the Kshara supports wholly the action of Prakriti,

Brahman in the Akshara even while supporting dissociates itself from

the action and preserves its freedom. Therefore, the individual soul

has to mentally renounce (V - 13) all actions and unify itself with

the Purushottama. Thereby we hold the hand of the controller of

Prakriti and everything happens by His Will. By Him all has been

willed even before it is worked out (XI - 33). Vain is your resolve,

says the Lord, that in your egoism you think you will not fight. Your

Prakriti will take you to your work (XVIII - 59). The working out by

Prakriti is only the result of His Sankalpa (divine resolve). If

therefore we properly identify ourselves with the Purushottama, we are

no longer disturbed or disfigured by the ego-sense. Prakriti works out

the actions according to the Swabhâva. We should surrender to the

Purushottama and move in the world through His Will. He would control

our Prakriti for us and steer us through, irrespective of what it has

in store for us ( IX -22 & XVIII - 66). The individual soul thus

becomes the divinised natural being who is only an instrument

(nimitta-mâtram, cf. XI - 33) of the divine will. Even in Action one

gets into a state beyond the three gunas (trigunâtita, XIV - 20 to

27); he is also therefore free from the gunas ( nistraigunya, II -

42). However, one is still the enjoyer of the gunas (nirgunam

guna-bhoktr cha XIII - 14) ; unattached, yet all-supporting (asaktah

sarvabrit ). The play of the gunas within such a sthitha-prajna (man

of established wisdom) is quite different. It is lifted above their

usual egoistic character. Such a seer perceives that the gunas are

the whole agency and cause of all Action; he knows and turns to that

Supreme above the gunas and thus attains to the status and being of

the divine (XIV - 19). When the soul thus rises above the three

gunas one is freed from subjection to birth and death, decay, old age

and suffering and enjoys in the end the immortality of its

self-existence. (XIV - 20). This may be considered as the single

abstraction of the message of the Gîtâ.

[Guest guest]

Sri V. Krishnamurti

Thank you very much for posting such a nice SATSANGA of Geetamrit.

Namaste.

Raju

http://www.serenitywalks.com