BHAGAVAD-GITA 13:21

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 13:21

 

karya-karana-kartrtve

hetuh prakrtir ucyate

purusah sukha-duhkhanam

bhoktrtve hetur ucyate

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

karya--of effect; karana--and cause; kartrtve--in the matter of

creation; hetuh--the instrument; prakrtih--material nature; ucyate--is

said to be; purusah--the living entity; sukha--of happiness;

duhkhanam--and distress; bhoktrtve--in enjoyment; hetuh--the

instrument; ucyate--is said to be.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Nature is said to be the cause of all material causes and effects,

whereas the living entity is the cause of the various sufferings and

enjoyments in this world.

 

PURPORT

 

The different manifestations of body and senses among the living

entities are due to material nature. There are 8,400,000 different

species of life, and these varieties are creations of the material

nature. They arise from the different sensual pleasures of the living

entity, who thus desires to live in this body or that. When he is put

into different bodies, he enjoys different kinds of happiness and

distress. His material happiness and distress are due to his body, and

not to himself as he is. In his original state there is no doubt of

enjoyment; therefore that is his real state. Because of the desire to

lord it over material nature, he is in the material world. In the

spiritual world there is no such thing. The spiritual world is pure,

but in the material world everyone is struggling hard to acquire

different kinds of pleasures for the body. It might be more clear to

state that this body is the effect of the senses. The senses are

instruments for gratifying desire. Now, the sum total--body and

instrument senses--are offered by material nature, and as will be

clear in the next verse, the living entity is blessed or damned with

circumstances according to his past desire and activity. According to

one's desires and activities, material nature places one in various

residential quarters. The being himself is the cause of his attaining

such residential quarters and his attendant enjoyment or suffering.

Once placed in some particular kind of body, he comes under the

control of nature because the body, being matter, acts according to

the laws of nature. At that time, the living entity has no power to

change that law. Suppose an entity is put into the body of a dog. As

soon as he is put into the body of a dog, he must act like a dog. He

cannot act otherwise. And if the living entity is put into the body of

a hog, then he is forced to eat stool and act like a hog. Similarly,

if the living entity is put into the body of a demigod, he must act

according to his body. This is the law of nature. But in all

circumstances, the Supersoul is with the individual soul. That is

explained in the Vedas (Mundaka Upanisad 3.1.1) as follows: dva

suparna sayuja sakhayah. The Supreme Lord is so kind upon the living

entity that He always accompanies the individual soul and in all

circumstances is present as the Supersoul, or Paramatma.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.