Bhagavad-gītā 7.4
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
भूमिरापोऽनलो वायुः खं मनो बुद्धिरेव च। अहङ्कार इतीयं मे भिन्ना प्रकृतिरष्टधा।।7.4।।
bhūmir-āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva cha ahankāra itīyaṁ me bhinnā prakṛitir aṣhṭadhā
Bhumi (earth), Ap (water), Anala (fire), Vâyu (air), Kha (ether), mind, intellect, and egoism: thus is My Prakriti divided eight-fold.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| bhūmiḥ | earth |
| āpaḥ | water |
| analaḥ | fire |
| vāyuḥ | air |
| kham | space |
| manaḥ | mind |
| buddhiḥ | intellect |
| eva | certainly |
| cha | and |
| ahankāraḥ | ego |
| iti | thus |
| iyam | all these |
| me | my |
| bhinnā | divisions |
| prakṛitiḥ | material energy |
| aṣhṭadhā | eightfold |
Keep the verse in view while connecting bhūmiḥ (earth), cha (and), and aṣhṭadhā (eightfold). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to knowledge of Krishna and his energies. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 7.4.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Map material and conscious energies, knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, māyā, approaches to divinity and the rarity of full knowledge.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
Bhumi (earth), Ap (water), Anala (fire), Vâyu (air), Kha (ether), mind, intellect
- 2
thus is My Prakriti divided eight-fold
- 3
bhūmiḥ: earth
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Cover
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 7.4, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 7.4 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 7.4 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 7.4 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 7.4, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition