Bhagavad-gītā 13.22
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
पुरुषः प्रकृतिस्थो हि भुङ्क्ते प्रकृतिजान्गुणान्।कारणं गुणसङ्गोऽस्य सदसद्योनिजन्मसु।।13.22।।
puruṣhaḥ prakṛiti-stho hi bhuṅkte prakṛiti-jān guṇān kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo ’sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu
God, dwelling in the heart of Nature, experiences the qualities that Nature brings forth; and His affinity towards these qualities is the reason for His living in a good or evil body.
English rendering by Shri Purohit Swami. Each source voice remains named.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| puruṣhaḥ | the individual soul |
| prakṛiti-sthaḥ | seated in the material energy |
| hi | indeed |
| bhuṅkte | desires to enjoy |
| prakṛiti-jān | produced by the material energy |
| guṇān | the three modes of nature |
| kāraṇam | the cause |
| guṇa-saṅgaḥ | the attachment (to three guṇas) |
| asya | of its |
| sat-asat-yoni | in superior and inferior wombs |
| janmasu | of birth |
The soul residing in Nature and identifying itself with the body and the senses which are modifications of Nature acts through the alities of Nature and experiences pleasure and pain and delusion. It thinks, I am happy, I am miserable, I am deluded, I am wise.
Attributed explanatory witness: Swami Sivananda. Chapter lens: Distinguish field, individual knower, Supreme knower, knowledge and knowable while noting this edition’s 35-verse numbering.
Three named reading witnesses
Śaṅkara edition witness
Swami GambiranandaSince the soul is seated in Nature, therefore it experiences the qualities born of Nature. Contact with the qualities is the cause of its births in good and evil wombs.
Rāmānuja edition witness
Swami Adidevananda(a) Indeed, the self seated in Prakrti experiences the Gunas born of Prakrti. (b) Its attachment to these Gunas is the cause of birth in good and evil wombs.
Sivananda commentary witness
Swami SivanandaThe soul residing in Nature and identifying itself with the body and the senses which are modifications of Nature acts through the alities of Nature and experiences pleasure and pain and delusion. It thinks, I am happy, I am miserable, I am deluded, I am wise.
These are concise, attributed reading witnesses from identified editions. They are presented for comparison and are not merged into one anonymous interpretation.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
God, dwelling in the heart of Nature, experiences the qualities that Nature brings forth
- 2
and His affinity towards these qualities is the reason for His living in a good or evil body
- 3
puruṣhaḥ: the individual soul
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture field and knower.
Link
Use the line starts: puruṣhaḥ prakṛiti-stho / kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
Turn this reading into a study record
Save it, return from memory, and write one idea in your own words. Your record stays in this browser unless you export it.