Cluster 0476 — BG-13.21 — *puruṣaḥ prakṛti-sthō hi bhunkte prakṛti-jān guṇān — kāraṇam guṇa-sangō'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu*

Sanskrit

पुरुषः प्रकृतिस्थो हि भुंक्ते प्रकृतिजान्गुणान । कारणं गुण संगोऽस्य सदसद्योनिजन्मसु ॥२१॥

Translation

The PURUṢA situated-in-PRAKṚTI indeed ENJOYS the PRAKṚTI-BORN GUṆAS — GUṆA-SAṄGA (attachment-to-guṇas) is the CAUSE of HIS births in SAD-ASAD-YONIS (good-and-evil wombs).

Function

BG-13.21 delivers the precise iconic BONDAGE-MECHANISM doctrine for the BG-13.19-20 PRAKṚTI-PURUṢA-DISTINCTION-block. The pedagogical-architecture is precise:

(i) FIRST hemistich — EXPERIENTIAL-FACT: the PURUṢA situated-in-PRAKṚTI ENJOYS the PRAKṚTI-BORN GUṆAS. The paradoxical-experiential-fact established.

(ii) SECOND hemistich — CAUSAL-MECHANISM: GUṆA-SAṄGA (attachment-to-guṇas, distinct from guṇa-experience) is the CAUSE of his SAD-ASAD-YONI-JANMAS. The bondage-mechanism precisely-named.

The iconic Gītā doctrinal-precision: bondage is not in EXPERIENCING the guṇas but in being-ATTACHED-to-them. The puruṣa's intrinsic asanga-svabhāva is lost in sanga.

Jñāneśvar's exceptional 41-ovi Treatment

Jñāneśvar's treatment (13.981-13.1021) renders the verse in four precise sub-blocks — among the LONGEST and most-architecturally-coherent single-sloka treatments in adhyāya-13.

(i) 13.981-13.986 — ANAṄGA-PURUṢA-PROFILE Block

The PURUṢA established as INTRINSICALLY ANAṄGA (sex-less) + 8-fold-faculty-less + non-categorial. Echoes Śvetāśvatara 3.19's classical apophatic-cascade. Then the iconic CORE-PARADOX (13.984): the NOTHING-puruṣa is yet PRAKṚTI's HUSBAND ENJOYING sukha-duḥkha. Resolved at 13.985 via the iconic PATIVRATĀ-PRAKṚTI domestic-marriage-metaphor: puruṣa is akartā-udāsīna-abhōktā BUT the devoted-wife PRAKṚTI FORCES him to ENJOY.

(ii) 13.987-13.998 — PRAKṚTI-as-GUṆAMAYĪ-MĀYĀ Block

PRAKṚTI named GUṆAMAYĪ + IDENTICAL with GUṆAS in embodied form (echoing BG 7.14). Then the iconic 12-IMAGE MĀYĀ-cascade: NITYA-NAVĪ (ever-fresh) + JAḌĀTĒ-MĀJAVĪ (intoxicates inert) + NĀMA-SNĒHA-INDRIYA (sources of names-affections-senses) + NAPUṀSAKA-MANA-3-WORLDS + BHRAMA-MAHĀDVĪPA + KĀMA-MĀṆḌAVĪ + MOHA-VANA-MĀDHAVĪ + EXPLICIT-DAIVĪ-MĀYĀ attestation + VĀṄMAYA-VṚDDHI + SĀKĀRATĀ-JOḌĪ + PRAPAÑCA-DHĀḌĪ + KALĀ-VIDYĀ-ICCHĀ-JÑĀNA-KRIYĀ + NĀDA-ṬĀKASĀḶA + CAMATKĀRA-VEḶĀUḶA + UTPATTI-PRALAYO-as-SĀYAṀ-PRĀTA + ADVAYA-S-DUSARĒṀ + SAUBHĀGYA-VYĀPTI closing.

(iii) 13.999-13.1014 — PURUṢA-IDENTIFIES-WITH-PRAKṚTI Block

Opens with iconic NOTHING-puruṣa-BECOMES-ALL paradox (13.999). Then the iconic 7-fold-paradox-IDENTIFICATION-cascade (13.1000-13.1006) precisely mirroring the 13.981-13.983 ananga-profile in inverted-acquisition register: SVAYAṀBHŪ-acquires-SAṀBHŪTI + AMŪRTA-acquires-MŪRTI + ANĀRTA-LONGING + AKULA-JĀTI + ACARCĀ-CIN̄HA + AMANASKA-MANA + NIRĀKĀRA-ĀKĀRA + NIRAHAṀKĀRA-AHAṀKĀRA + ANĀMA-NĀMA + AJA-JANMA + NIRGUṆA-GUṆA + ACARAṆA-CARAṆA + AŚRAVAṆA-ŚRAVAṆA + ACAKṢU-CAKṢU + BHĀVĀTĪTA-BHĀVA + NIRAVAYAVA-AVAYAVA — closing with iconic kimbahunā hōya sarva — puruṣācēm hē (ALL of puruṣa BECOMES). Then 13.1007 doctrinal-statement (AVIKĀRA-VIKṚTI-MĀJĪṀ-KĪJE) opens the iconic 9-simile-cascade: CHANDRA-AṀVASA + LOHA-PAÑCAKA-VALA + GŌNDHAḶĪ-SĀDHU + SUDINA-DURDINA + PAY-PAŚU + VAHNI-KĀṢṬHA + RATNA-DĪPA-PAṬA + RĀJĀ-PARĀDHĪNA + SIṀHA-ROGA + JĀGṚTA-SVAPNA-VAŚYU + UDĀSA-ANTRĪGUṆA closing simile that bridges back to the PATIVRATĀ-metaphor.

(iv) 13.1015-13.1021 — GUṆA-SAṄGA-AS-CAUSE Terminus

Opens with the precise iconic BG-13.21 second-hemistich rendering (13.1015): ajā nityā hōye — angīm janma-mṛtyūce ghāye — vājatī jaim lāhē — guṇa-sangātēm (UN-BORN-ETERNAL — when-touches GUṆA-SAṄGA — BIRTH-DEATH BLOWS STRIKE). Then 4-image APPEARANCE-ONLY-cascade (13.1016-13.1018): TAPTA-LOHA-VAHNI-GHĀTA (heated-iron-struck-but-FIRE-receives-blow) + CANDRA-PRATIBIMBA-NĀNĀTVA (rippled-water-many-moons) + DARPAṆA-MUKHA-DUJEPAṆA (mirror-creates-second-face) + KUṄKUMA-SPHAṬIKA-LOHITATVA (KUṄKUMA-makes-CRYSTAL-appear-RED) — iconic classical Vedāntic PRATIBIMBA-VĀDA + UPĀDHI-VĀDA. Then the iconic core-doctrinal-statement (13.1019): guṇa-sangamēm — ajanmā hā janmē — pāvatu aisā gamē — ēṟhavīm nāhīm (by GUṆA-SAṄGA — UN-BORN is BORN — APPEARS so — otherwise NEVER). Then 13.1020 SAṀNYĀSĪ-SVAPNA-ANTYAJA dream-simile renders SAD-ASAD-YONI-JANMA. Then 13.1021 KEVALA-PURUṢA-NO-BHOGA + GUṆA-SAṄGUCI-AŚĒKHĀ-LĀGĪṀ-MŪLA closing terminus ring-composes with 13.981.

Four precise iconic-strategic moves

1. ANAṄGA-PURUṢA-PROFILE → KEVALA-PURUṢA-NO-BHOGA ring-composition (13.981 ↔ 13.1021) — bookending the 41-ovi cluster with the iconic asanga-puruṣa doctrinal-frame.

2. 8-fold-faculty-less-profile → NIRGUṆA-acquires-GUṆAS ring-composition (13.983 ↔ 13.1005) — the FACULTIES initially-absent in puruṣa are NOW ACQUIRED-via-sanga, the precise iconic Marathi pedagogical inversion.

3. PATIVRATĀ-PRAKṚTI → UDĀSA-ANTRĪGUṆA ring-composition (13.985 ↔ 13.1014) — bookending the SIMILE-CASCADE block with the DOMESTIC-MARRIAGE-METAPHOR.

4. AJANMĀ-HĀ-JANMĒ doctrinal-core (13.1019) — the iconic Marathi pedagogical-synthesis of CAUSAL-mechanism (guṇa-sangamēm) + APPEARANCE-ONLY character (pāvatu aisā gamē — ēṟhavīm nāhīm) in 4 lines — the cluster's doctrinal-core.

Arc-position

BG-13.21 continues the BG-13.19-20 PRAKṚTI-PURUṢA-DISTINCTION block with the precise iconic BONDAGE-MECHANISM doctrine. Doctrinal-progression from 0475 (BG-13.20 doer-vs-enjoyer): 0475 establishes prakṛti-as-doer-cause + puruṣa-as-experiencer-cause; 0476 delivers the PRECISE CAUSAL MECHANISM by which the puruṣa-enjoyer is ATTACHED to the prakṛti-doer — via GUṆA-SAṄGA. The next cluster (0477) will deliver BG-13.22's upadraṣṭā anumantā ca bhartā bhōktā maheśvaraḥ — paramātmeti cāpy uktō dehe'smin puruṣaḥ paraḥ — the higher-puruṣa as WITNESS-PERMITTER-SUSTAINER-ENJOYER-MAHEŚVARA-PARAMĀTMĀ. Together 0476-0477 constitute the BOUND-puruṣa → HIGHER-puruṣa pedagogical-progression of the BG-13.19-22 prakṛti-puruṣa-analysis sub-block.