Gita 13.20
प्रकृतिं पुरुषं चैव विद्ध्यनादी उभावपि |
विकारांश्च गुणांश्चैव विद्धि प्रकृतिसम्भवान् || 20||
prakṛitiṁ puruṣhaṁ chaiva viddhy anādī ubhāv api
vikārānśh cha guṇānśh chaiva viddhi prakṛiti-sambhavān
The material nature, called Maya or prakṛiti, is God’s energy and is eternal, just like God. The soul (puruṣh) is also eternal and a fragment of God’s jīva śhakti (soul energy), which is sentient, divine, and unchanging. In contrast, material nature is insentient energy, which brings about changes in the body. Throughout a lifetime, the body passes through six stages—existence in the womb, birth, growth, procreation, decline, and death—all governed by prakṛiti. Maya also manifests the three modes of nature—sattva (goodness), rajas (passion), and tamas (ignorance)—and their countless combinations.
Gita 13.21
कार्यकारणकर्तृत्वे हेतु: प्रकृतिरुच्यते |
पुरुष: सुखदु:खानां भोक्तृत्वे हेतुरुच्यते || 21||
kārya-kāraṇa-kartṛitve hetuḥ prakṛitir uchyate
puruṣhaḥ sukha-duḥkhānāṁ bhoktṛitve hetur uchyate
Material energy, directed by Brahma, creates all forms of life and the 8.4 million species described in the Vedas. These bodily forms are transformations of material nature, which governs cause and effect in the world. The soul receives a body based on past karmas and, identifying with the body, mind, and intellect, seeks pleasure through the senses. When the senses contact their objects, the mind experiences pleasure or pain, and the soul—through identification—feels those experiences. This illusory identification is compared to a dream state, where unreal events still cause suffering until one “wakes up.” Thus, the soul is held responsible for its own experiences of pleasure and pain, which arise from its karmas.
ehi bidhi jaga hari āśhrita rahaī, jadapi asatya deta duḥkha ahaī (Ramayan)
jauṅ sapaneṅ sira kāṭai koī, binu jāgeṅ na dūri dukh hoī (Ramayan)
“The world is sustained by God. It creates an illusion, which, although unreal, gives misery to the soul. This is just like if someone’s head gets cut off in a dream, the misery will continue until the person wakes up and stops dreaming.”
Gita 13.22
पुरुष: प्रकृतिस्थो हि भुङक्ते प्रकृतिजान्गुणान् |
कारणं गुणसङ्गोऽस्य सदसद्योनिजन्मसु || 22||
puruṣhaḥ prakṛiti-stho hi bhuṅkte prakṛiti-jān guṇān
kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo ’sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu
The soul experiences pleasure and pain because it identifies with the body as the self. Motivated by ego, it sees itself as the doer and enjoyer, though the body, mind, and intellect—composed of the three modes of Maya—actually perform the activities.
Like a driver being responsible for a bus accident, the soul is held accountable for actions carried out through the senses, mind, and intellect, which it energises.
Consequently, it accumulates karmas across lifetimes, leading to repeated births in higher or lower wombs based on those karmas.
Gita 13.23
उपद्रष्टानुमन्ता च भर्ता भोक्ता महेश्वर: |
परमात्मेति चाप्युक्तो देहेऽस्मिन्पुरुष: पर: || 23||
upadraṣhṭānumantā cha bhartā bhoktā maheśhvaraḥ
paramātmeti chāpy ukto dehe ’smin puruṣhaḥ paraḥ
Shree Krishna explains that along with the individual soul (jīvātmā), the Supreme Soul (Paramātmā) also resides in the body. The jīvātmā knows its own body, while the Paramātmā knows all bodies. The Paramātmā manifests as Lord Vishnu, who sustains creation and also dwells in the heart of every being. He observes all actions, keeps track of karma, and gives results accordingly, accompanying the soul through different lifetimes, regardless of the body it inhabits.
The Muṇḍakopaniṣhad describes the jīvātmā and Paramātmā as two birds on the same tree: the jīvātmā eats the fruits (experiences karmic results), while the Paramātmā only witnesses. The soul suffers or rejoices according to karma, but if it turns toward the Paramātmā, all miseries end. Since the jīvātmā has free will, using it wrongly keeps it bound, but using it rightly leads to eternal service of God and bliss.
Gita 13.24
य एवं वेत्ति पुरुषं प्रकृतिं च गुणै: सह |
सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि न स भूयोऽभिजायते || 24||
ya evaṁ vetti puruṣhaṁ prakṛitiṁ cha guṇaiḥ saha
sarvathā vartamāno ’pi na sa bhūyo ’bhijāyate
The soul suffers due to ignorance of its true nature as a part of God and becomes bound by material consciousness. The Śhvetāśhvatar Upaniṣhad explains that creation consists of three realities—material nature, the soul, and the Supreme Lord. Ignorance of these keeps the soul bound, while true knowledge frees it from Maya. Such knowledge is not mere theory but realised wisdom, gained through learning from the Guru and scriptures and practising spirituality. Shree Krishna next explains these practices.
Summary: JKYog India Online Class- Bhagavad Gita [English]- 23.8.2025
