Verse 15.7
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः | मनःषष्ठानीन्द्रियाणि प्रकृतिस्थानि कर्षति ||७||
Transliteration (IAST)
mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ | manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati ||7||
Word-by-Word Meanings
Translation
An eternal fragment of Myself, having become a living soul in the world of life, draws to itself the mind and the five senses which rest in Prakriti.
Commentary
Shankaracharya interprets 'aṁśa' (fragment) not as a literal part but as the reflection of Brahman in the limiting adjuncts of maya - like the sun reflected in water. Ramanuja takes it more literally: the jiva is an actual part of the Lord, eternally distinct yet dependent. Madhva agrees with Ramanuja that the jiva is a real part of God but emphasizes the eternal difference in nature between the two. This verse is central to understanding the jiva's relationship to Ishvara.