Bhagavatgita a detailed study chapter13.The field and the knower

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19.prakrthm purusham chaiva vidDhi

anaadhi ubhou api

 

Vikaaraan cha guNaan chaiva vidDhi prakrthisambhavaan

 

Know

both Prkrthi, the primordial nature and purusha, the individual self to be

beginningless. The modifications and the gunas are born out of prkrthi.

 

20.kaaryakaaraNa karthrthve hethuH

prakrthiH uchyathe

 

purushaH sukha duhkhaanaam bhokthrthve hethuH uchyathe

 

Prkrthi

is the cause of its evolutes which are its effects. Purusha is the cause of the experiencing of sukha and duhkha.

 

21. purushaH prkrthisThaH hi bunkthe

prakrthijaan guNaan

 

kaaraNam guNa sangah asya sadhasathyonijanmasu

 

Purusha

in association in prakrthi experiences the gunasa of prakrthi. This is the

cause of his being born in the good and evil wombs.

 

The

self , purusha of sankhya, and prkrthi

, the primordial nature are both beginningless and all the modifications and

attributes are those of prkrthi only, as purusha is changeless

and without gunas. The modifications of the body, and the sense organs

are the effect of prkrthi and its three gunas. while the

experience of pleasure and pain is due to the action of purusha who associates himself with

prkrthi.

 

The

term purusha refers to the indiviual

self , jeeva, while the term prakrthi

represents all that is anathman, non-self. The question may arise as to

how the jiva, individual soul and the prkrthi are both said to be

without beginning which goes contrary to the upanishadic statement 'sath alone

was in the beginning , one only without a second.' Let us see how this is explained from the view point of advaita and

visishtadvaita.

 

According

to advaita Brahman alone is real and the world, including the jiva

is unreal, being the effect of avidhya , which is anadhi,

beginningless. Hence purusha , the individual self and prkrthi

the world are beginningless. According to visishtadvaita there are three reals,

namely, Isvara, jiva and jagat, Isvara the inner self

of all, jiva, the individual self and

the world, jagat. This is not contrary to the upanishad because Brahman or

Narayana is the cause of everything, all-pervading and imminent, being the inner Self. When the

cause is real the effect is also real as a real thing cannot give rise to

something which is unreal. Hence the world and the jiva are all modifications

of the cause and form the sarira of Isvara the inner self..

 

Krishna now proceeds to explain how the individual self , who is of the

nature of pure bliss experiences the joy and sorrow when it is associated with

the body.. The self when embodied,

becomes identified with the body which is the effect of prkrthi

constituted of the three gunas and as a result, experiences the joy ,

sorrow etc which are the effects of the three gunas. This attachment to

the gunas and its effects is the cause of the birth of the individual

soul in different bodies. Acting through the body, influenced by the gunas,

the jiva has to experience the results of the actions induced by the gunas,

sinful or meritorious depending on the respective gunas which propel the

actions.