संत साहित्य
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Cluster 0474 — BG-13.19 — *prakṛtim puruṣam caiva viddhy anādī ubhāv api — vikārāmś ca guṇāmś caiva viddhi prakṛti-sambhavān*

BG-13.19

Sanskrit

प्रकृतिं पुरुषं चैव विद्ध्यनादी उभावपि । विकारांश्च गुणांश्चैव विद्धि प्रकृतिसंभवान ॥१९॥

Translation

KNOW prakṛti + puruṣa BOTH as BEGINNINGLESS (anādī ubhāv api) — and KNOW the vikāras (modifications) + guṇas (sattva-rajas-tamas) as PRAKṚTI-BORN (prakṛti-sambhavān).

Function

BG-13.19 OPENS THE PRAKṚTI-PURUṢA BLOCK (BG-13.19-23) — the chapter's CENTRAL Sānkhya-doctrinal-block after the JÑEYA-definition block (BG-13.12-17) closed at BG-13.17 and the TERMINAL-SUMMARY at BG-13.18. The verse delivers the foundational Sānkhya-anāditva declaration: BOTH prakṛti AND puruṣa are ANĀDI (beginningless) — neither is generated by the other, neither is generated by anything else; both are eternal-co-existent ontological-principles. The second hemistich delivers the iconic PRAKṚTI-SAMBHAVA doctrine: vikāras + guṇas are PRAKṚTI-BORN (NOT puruṣa-born) — the precise causal-asymmetry grounding the rest of the chapter.

The verse's pedagogical-architecture is precise:

(i) FIRST hemistich — ANĀDITVA-of-BOTH. prakṛtim puruṣam caiva viddhy anādī ubhāv api — BOTH prakṛti AND puruṣa are BEGINNINGLESS. The doubled viddhi imperative is the iconic Sānkhya-pedagogical-marker.

(ii) SECOND hemistich — PRAKṚTI-SAMBHAVA. vikārāmś ca guṇāmś caiva viddhi prakṛti-sambhavān — vikāras (buddhi + ahankāra + manas + indriyas + bhūtas) + guṇas (sattva + rajas + tamas) are PRAKṚTI-BORN. The precise causal-asymmetry: PURUṢA is the inactive-witness, PRAKṚTI is the active-generator.

Jñāneśvar's 11-ovi Treatment

Jñāneśvar's treatment (13.958-13.968) renders the verse in four precise sub-blocks:

(i) 13.958-13.959 — SĀṄKHYA-KAPILA-ĀDI-PURUṢA Disclosure-Frame

  • 13.958 — Krishna NAMES himself as KAPILA-the-Sānkhya-founder: jayā mārgātēm jagīm — sānkhya mhaṇatī yōgī — jayācīyē bhāṭivēlāgīm — mī kapila jāhalōm (the path YOGIS call SĀṄKHYA — for-its-praise I-became-KAPILA). Echoes BG 10.26 siddhānām kapilo muniḥ.

  • 13.959 — disclosure-frame: tō āika nirdōkhu — prakṛti-puruṣa-vivēku — mhaṇē ādi-purukhu — arjunātēm (LISTEN-to-this-NIRDOṢA — PRAKṚTI-PURUṢA-VIVEKA — said the ĀDI-PURUṢA — to Arjuna).

(ii) 13.960-13.962 — ANĀDITVA-Block via 3-Simile Cascade

  • 13.960 — the iconic DIVĀ-RĀTRĪ co-eternal-simile: tarī puruṣa anādi āthī — āṇi taim-ci lāgōni prakṛti — samsarisi divōrātī — dōnī jaisī (PURUṢA is BEGINNINGLESS — and FROM-the-same-time PRAKṚTI — they CO-RUN like DAY and NIGHT — both).

  • 13.961 — 2 further co-eternal-similes RŪPA-CHĀYĀ + KAṆA-KOṆḌĀ: kām rūpa nōhē vāyām — parī rūpā lāgalī chāyā — nikaṇu vāḍhē dhanañjayā — kaṇēmsīm kōṇḍā (FORM-not-without-consequence — SHADOW STUCK-TO-FORM — GRAIN GROWS O-Dhanañjaya — WITH-the-HUSK).

  • 13.962 — the JAVAṬĒ-ANĀDISIDDHA synthesis: taisīm jāṇa javaṭēm — dōnhīm iyēm ēkavaṭē — prakṛti-puruṣa pragaṭēm — anādisiddhēm (KNOW-THUS the YOKED-PAIR — TWO are ONE-yoked — PRAKṚTI-PURUṢA MANIFEST — ANĀDISIDDHA-eternally-established).

(iii) 13.963-13.965 — KṢETRA-PRAKṚTI + KṢETRAJÑA-PURUṢA Terminological-Bridge

  • 13.963 — KṢETRA = PRAKṚTI: paim kṣētra yēṇēm nāmvē — jēm sāngitalēm āghavēm — tēm-ci ēth jāṇāvēm — prakṛti hē gā (the THING called KṢETRA — all of it — KNOW-IT-NOW-HERE-AS — PRAKṚTI).

  • 13.964 — KṢETRAJÑA = PURUṢA: āṇi kṣētrajña aisēm — jayātēm mhaṇitalēm asē — tō puruṣa hēm anārisē — na bōlōm ghēīm (KṢETRAJÑA — THAT-IS-PURUṢA — NO-OTHER-WAY).

  • 13.965 — NIRŪPYA-IDENTITY principle: iyēm ānānēm nāmvēm — parī nirūpya āna nōhē — hēm lakṣaṇa na cukāvēm — puḍhata-puḍhatī (DIFFERENT NAMES — but NIRŪPYA NOT DIFFERENT — DO-NOT-MISS-this-LAKṢAṆA — again-and-again).

(iv) 13.966-13.968 — PRAKṚTI-SAMBHAVA Block

  • 13.966 — the iconic SATTĀ-vs-KRIYĀ doctrinal-formula: tarī kēvaḷa jē sattā — tō puruṣa gā pāṇḍusutā — prakṛtītēm samastām — kriyā nāma (PURE SATTĀ IS PURUṢA O PĀṆḌUSUTA — PRAKṚTI-S NAME is ALL-KRIYĀ). The Sānkhya causal-asymmetry in 2 precise Marathi terms.

  • 13.967 — vikāra-guṇa itemization: buddhi indriyēm antaḥkaraṇa — ityādi vikāra-bharaṇa — āṇi tē tinhī guṇa — sattvādika (BUDDHI INDRIYAS ANTAḤKARAṆA and rest — VIKĀRA-FILLING — THREE GUṆAS SATTVA etc).

  • 13.968 — the closing KARMA-HETU-SAṀBHAVA terminus: hā āghavā-ci mēḷāvā — prakṛtī jāhalā jāṇāvā — hē-ci hētu sambhavā — karmāciyā (THIS ENTIRE AGGREGATE — KNOW as PRAKṚTI — THIS is the CAUSE — of KARMA-S ARISING). Anticipates BG-13.20-21's causal-block.

Five precise Marathi elevations beyond the Sanskrit

  1. KAPILA-self-identification (13.958) — Krishna NAMES himself as KAPILA-the-Sānkhya-founder, echoing BG 10.26 siddhānām kapilo muniḥ — purely Marathi pedagogical-elevation grounding the PRAKṚTI-PURUṢA disclosure in scriptural-authority.

  2. 3-simile ANĀDITVA cascade (13.960-13.961) — DIVĀ-RĀTRĪ + RŪPA-CHĀYĀ + KAṆA-KOṆḌĀ — three precise iconic Marathi elemental-similes rendering the co-eternal-inseparability of prakṛti-puruṣa in 3 distinct registers (temporal/light-shadow/agricultural).

  3. KṢETRA-PRAKṚTI + KṢETRAJÑA-PURUṢA terminological-bridge (13.963-13.965) — the chapter's CENTRAL pedagogical move explicitly equating the chapter's opening KṢETRA-KṢETRAJÑA-VIBHĀGA (BG-13.1-2) with the PRAKṚTI-PURUṢA framework of BG-13.19+, grounded in the NIRŪPYA-IDENTITY principle. Among Jñāneśvar's most-iconic Marathi pedagogical-bridges.

  4. SATTĀ-vs-KRIYĀ doctrinal-formula (13.966) — the Sānkhya causal-asymmetry in 2 precise Marathi terms: PURUṢA = SATTĀ (pure-being) + PRAKṚTI = KRIYĀ (all-activity). Purely Marathi philosophical-elevation articulating the precise ground of the PRAKṚTI-SAMBHAVA doctrine.

  5. KARMA-HETU-SAṀBHAVA terminus (13.968) — the entire prakṛti-aggregate IS the CAUSE of KARMA-arising — purely Marathi pedagogical-anticipation of BG-13.20-21's causal-block extending the PRAKṚTI-PURUṢA distinction into kārya-karaṇa-kartṛtva + sukha-duḥkha-bhoktṛtva.

Arc-position

BG-13.19 OPENS the PRAKṚTI-PURUṢA block (BG-13.19-23) — the chapter's CENTRAL Sānkhya-doctrinal-block after the JÑEYA-definition (BG-13.12-17) closed at BG-13.17 and the TERMINAL-SUMMARY at BG-13.18. The chapter's argument: BG-13.1-2 = KṢETRA-KṢETRAJÑA-VIBHĀGA → BG-13.3-6 = KṢETRA-DEFINITION → BG-13.7-11 = JÑĀNA-19-VIRTUE-CATALOG → BG-13.12-17 = JÑEYA-DEFINITION → BG-13.18 = TERMINAL-SUMMARY → BG-13.19-23 = PRAKṚTI-PURUṢA + KARMA-HETU + BHOKTṚTVA + EQUANIMOUS-PURUṢA distinctions → BG-13.24-34 = SĀDHANA + JÑĀNA-CHAKṢU + KṢETRA-KṢETRAJÑA-FRUITION. Cluster 0474 contributes the foundational ANĀDITVA-of-BOTH doctrine + PRAKṚTI-SAMBHAVA doctrine + the precise iconic KṢETRA-PRAKṚTI + KṢETRAJÑA-PURUṢA terminological-bridge + SATTĀ-vs-KRIYĀ doctrinal-formula + KARMA-HETU-SAṀBHAVA terminus. The next cluster (0475) extends with BG-13.20's kārya-kāraṇa-kartṛtve hetuḥ prakṛtir ucyate — puruṣaḥ sukha-duḥkhānām bhoktṛtve hetur ucyate — the precise iconic BG continuation of the PRAKṚTI-PURUṢA causal-asymmetry.