Bhagavad Gita 13.19 Meaning: Prakritim purusham chaiva

Bhagavad Gita 13.19

प्रकृतिं पुरुषं चैव विद्ध्यनादी उभावपि ।विकारांश्च गुणांश्चैव विद्धि प्रकृतिसंभवान् ॥

Prakritim purusham chaiva viddhyanadi ubhavapiVikaranshcha gunanshchaiva viddhi prakritisambhavan

prakṛtiṃ puruṣaṃ caiva viddhyanādī ubhāvapi |vikārāṃśca guṇāṃścaiva viddhi prakṛtisaṃbhavān ||

How to read these English letters (IAST)

Our explanation Krishna tells Arjuna to know that nature (prakṛti) and spirit (puruṣa) are both without beginning, and that all changes (vikāras) and qualities (guṇas) are born of nature. The schools explain the “changes” and “qualities” differently (see the views).

हिंदी अर्थ कृष्ण अर्जुन से कहते हैं कि प्रकृति और पुरुष, दोनों को अनादि जानो, और यह जानो कि सब विकार और गुण प्रकृति से उत्पन्न होते हैं। “विकार” और “गुण” को परंपराएँ अलग-अलग ढंग से समझाती हैं।

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Word by word

प्रकृतिम् prakṛtim · nature (prakṛti) (noun (feminine), accusative singular) Dictionary: pra-kṛti, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 654, col. 1 “the original producer of (or rather passive power of creating) the material world”
पुरुषम् puruṣam · spirit (puruṣa) (noun (masculine), accusative singular) Dictionary: puruṣa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 637, col. 1 “the personal and animating principle in men and other beings, the soul or spirit”
च ca · and (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. ca, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 380, col. 1 “and, both, also, moreover, as well as”
एव eva · also (indeclinable) Dictionary: 1. eva, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 232, col. 2 “just, exactly, very, same, only, even, alone, merely”
विद्धि viddhi · know (imperative, 2nd person singular) Dictionary: 1. vid, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 963, col. 2 “to know, understand, perceive, learn”
अनादी anādī · without beginning (adjective (masculine), accusative dual) Dictionary: an-ādi, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 28, col. 1 “having no beginning, existing from eternity”
उभौ ubhau · both (pronoun (masculine), accusative dual) Dictionary: ubha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 216, col. 2 “both”
अपि api · also (indeclinable) Dictionary: api, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 55, col. 1 “in the sense of even, also, very”
विकारान् vikārān · the changes (noun (masculine), accusative plural) Dictionary: 2. vi-kāra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 954, col. 2 “change of form or nature, alteration or deviation from any natural state”
च ca · and (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. ca, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 380, col. 1 “and, both, also, moreover, as well as”
गुणान् guṇān · the qualities (guṇas) (noun (masculine), accusative plural) Dictionary: guṇa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 357, col. 1 “a quality, peculiarity, attribute or property”
च ca · and (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. ca, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 380, col. 1 “and, both, also, moreover, as well as”
एव eva · also (indeclinable) Dictionary: 1. eva, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 232, col. 2 “just, exactly, very, same, only, even, alone, merely”
विद्धि viddhi · know (imperative, 2nd person singular) Dictionary: 1. vid, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 963, col. 2 “to know, understand, perceive, learn”
प्रकृतिसंभवान् prakṛtisaṃbhavān · born of nature (compound (masculine), accusative plural) Dictionary: pra-kṛti, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 654, col. 1 “the original producer of (or rather passive power of creating) the material world”; sam-bhava, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1179, col. 1 “birth, production, origin, source”

1 printing differs

Edition differences. Another printing or text reads this place differently.

Spelling A digital text reads Same word. The e-text writes the class nasal (सम्भवान्); the 1922 edition writes anusvara (संभवान्).

Developments=body, senses, &c. Qualities=pleasure, pain, &c.; altogether the expression means the body and feelings and so forth. ↩

Bhagavad Gita 13.19: meaning and translation

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