Bhagavad Gita 13.21 meaningThe field and the knower
In simple wordsSo simple a child gets it
“Nature makes the body act. Spirit feels joy and pain.”
What it means
“Nature is the cause of the body and senses acting; the spirit is what experiences pleasure and pain.”
The original Sanskrit
कार्यकारणकर्तृत्वे हेतुः प्रकृतिरुच्यते । पुरुषः सुखदुःखानां भोक्तृत्वे हेतुरुच्यते ॥
kāryakāraṇakartṛtve hetuḥ prakṛtirucyate puruṣaḥ sukhaduḥkhānāṃ bhoktṛtve heturucyate
Translations
Literal translation
With regard to the source of body and organs, Nature is said to be the cause. The soul is the cause so far as enjoyership of happiness and sorrow is concerned.
Swami Gambhirananda
हिंदी अनुवाद
कार्य और कारण के उत्पन्न करने में हेतु प्रकृति कही जाती है और पुरुष सुख-दु:ख के भोक्तृत्व में हेतु कहा जाता है।
Swami Tejomayananda
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Commentaries
How great teachers across 1,200 years have explained this verse.
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Keep reading · 13.22“Spirit, resting in nature, experiences nature's qualities. Attachment to those qualities is why it is born into good or difficult circumstances.”