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← Chapter 13: The Yoga of the Field and the Knower of the Field

Verse 13.24

Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit

य एवं वेत्ति पुरुषं प्रकृतिं च गुणैः सह | सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि न स भूयोऽभिजायते ||२४||

Transliteration (IAST)

ya evaṁ vetti puruṣaṁ prakṛtiṁ ca guṇaiḥ saha | sarvathā vartamāno 'pi na sa bhūyo 'bhijāyate ||24||

Word-by-Word Meanings

yaḥ-who
evam-thus
vetti-knows
puruṣam-the soul
prakṛtim-material nature
guṇaiḥ saha-together with the gunas
sarvathā vartamānaḥ-though engaged in all activities
na abhijāyate-is not born again

Translation

One who thus knows the Purusha and Prakriti together with its gunas - regardless of their present condition of life - is not born again.

Commentary

This verse declares the liberating power of discriminative knowledge. One who truly understands the distinction between Purusha and Prakriti, and the role of the gunas, is freed from rebirth regardless of their current circumstances. Shankaracharya emphasizes that this knowledge alone is sufficient for liberation. The phrase 'sarvathā vartamānaḥ' indicates that external conditions do not determine spiritual realization.

Themes

jnanamoksha