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Bhagavad Gita · 13.20 · Yoga through Distinguishing the Field and the Knower of the Field·20 of 35

प्रकृतिं पुरुषं चैव विद्ध्यनादी उभावपिविकारांश्च गुणांश्चैव विद्धि प्रकृतिसंभवान्

prakṛitiṁ puruṣhaṁ chaiva viddhy anādī ubhāv api

vikārānśh cha guṇānśh chaiva viddhi prakṛiti-sambhavān

Sanskrit recitation

Matter, spirit, and freedom · 13.19–13.35 · Teaching

Translation

Know that Nature (matter) and the Spirit are both beginningless, and know also that all modifications and qualities are born from Nature.

Meaning

Steps are necessary to reach the top floor of a building. Even so, steps are necessary to reach the summit of the knowledge of the Self. That is the reason why Lord Krishna took Arjuna to the summit of knowledge step by step. He first taught Arjuna the nature of the field, then knowledge, ignorance or nonwisdom, and ultimately the knowable. When a child is to be fed,the intelligent mother divides the food into small portions and feeds the child little by little. Even so Lord Krishna fed His spiritual child Arjuna with the spiritual food little by little.Lord Krishna says O Arjuna I will give you the same teaching in another form by the description of the Spirit and Nature.Till now the Lord expounded the knowledge of the field and the Self in accordance with the philosophy of the Upanishads. Now He explains the same knowledge in accordance with the Sankhya philosophy, but without accepting its dual nature in the form of discrimination between the Spirit and Nature.Vikaras Modifications from the MahatTattva or intellect down to the physical body the twentyfour principles of the Sankhyas. The Self within is changeless. All changes take place in Nature

After Swami Sivananda

Matter, spirit, and freedom· 13.19–13.35

Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.

Word-by-word
api
and
cha
and
eva
indeed
ubhau
both
viddhi
know
anādī
beginningless
guṇān
the three modes of nature
vikārān
transformations (of the body)
prakṛiti
material energy
puruṣham
the individual souls
sambhavān
produced by
prakṛitim
material nature

Related verses

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