BHAGAVAD-GITA 13:20

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 13:20

 

prakrtim purusam caiva

viddhy anadi ubhav api

vikarams ca gunams caiva

viddhi prakrti-sambhavan

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

prakrtim--material nature; purusam--the living entities; ca--also;

eva--certainly; viddhi--you must know; anadi--without beginning;

ubhau--both; api--also; vikaran--transformations; ca--also; gunan--the

three modes of nature; ca--also; eva--certainly; viddhi--know;

prakrti--material nature; sambhavan--produced of.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Material nature and the living entities should be understood to be

beginningless. Their transformations and the modes of matter are

products of material nature.

 

PURPORT

 

By the knowledge given in this chapter, one can understand the body

(the field of activities) and the knowers of the body (both the

individual soul and the Supersoul). The body is the field of activity

and is composed of material nature. The individual soul that is

embodied and enjoying the activities of the body is the purusa, or the

living entity. He is one knower, and the other is the Supersoul. Of

course, it is to be understood that both the Supersoul and the

individual entity are different manifestations of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. The living entity is in the category of His

energy, and the Supersoul is in the category of His personal

expansion.

 

Both material nature and the living entity are eternal. That is to say

that they existed before the creation. The material manifestation is

from the energy of the Supreme Lord, and so also are the living

entities, but the living entities are of the superior energy. Both the

living entities and material nature existed before this cosmos was

manifested. Material nature was absorbed in the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, Maha-Visnu, and when it was required, it was manifested by

the agency of mahat-tattva. Similarly, the living entities are also in

Him, and because they are conditioned, they are averse to serving the

Supreme Lord. Thus they are not allowed to enter into the spiritual

sky. But with the coming forth of material nature these living

entities are again given a chance to act in the material world and

prepare themselves to enter into the spiritual world. That is the

mystery of this material creation. Actually the living entity is

originally the spiritual part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, but due

to his rebellious nature, he is conditioned within material nature. It

really does not matter how these living entities or superior entities

of the Supreme Lord have come in contact with material nature. The

Supreme Personality of Godhead knows, however, how and why this

actually took place. In the scriptures the Lord says that those

attracted by this material nature are undergoing a hard struggle for

existence. But we should know it with certainty from the descriptions

of these few verses that all transformations and influences of

material nature by the three modes are also productions of material

nature. All transformations and variety in respect to living entities

are due to the body. As far as spirit is concerned, living entities

are all the same.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.