Bhagavad Gita · Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga YogaChapter 13, Shloka 21 (13.21)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
पुरुषः प्रकृतिस्थो हि भुङ्क्ते प्रकृतिजान् गुणान्
कारणं गुणसङ्गोऽस्य सदसद्योनिजन्मसु
॥ 13.21 ॥
puruṣaḥ prakṛtistho hi bhuṅkte prakṛtijān guṇān
kāraṇaṃ guṇasaṅgo'sya sadasadyonijanmasu
Translation
"It is purusha, abiding in prakriti, that experiences the gunas born of prakriti; attachment to the gunas is the cause of its birth in good and bad wombs."
Interpretation
Shankaracharya. prakṛtau avidyālakṣaṇāyāṃ kāryakaraṇarūpeṇa pariṇatāyāṃ sthitaḥ prakṛtisthaḥ, prakṛtim ātmatvena gataḥ ity etat — that is, taking prakriti to be "I"; sukhī, duḥkhī, mūḍhaḥ, paṇḍitaḥ aham ity evam — "I am happy, unhappy, foolish, learned."
Acharya Ramanuja. svataḥ svānubhavaikasukhaḥ puruṣaḥ prakṛtisthaḥ prakṛtisaṃsṛṣṭaḥ — by nature purusha is happy in its own experience alone; when joined with prakriti, prakṛtisaṃsargaupādhikān … sukhaduḥkhādīn bhuṅkte — it experiences the pleasures and pains that come from that union.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.