Verse 7.4
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
भूमिरापोऽनलो वायुः खं मनो बुद्धिरेव च | अहङ्कार इतीयं मे भिन्ना प्रकृतिरष्टधा ||४||
Transliteration (IAST)
bhūmirāpo'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhireva ca | ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me bhinnā prakṛtiraṣṭadhā ||4||
Word-by-Word Meanings
भूमिः-earth
आपः-water
अनलः-fire
वायुः-air
खम्-ether/space
मनः-mind
बुद्धिः-intellect
अहङ्कारः-ego
Translation
Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect, and ego - thus is My material nature divided eightfold.
Commentary
Krishna enumerates the eight components of His lower nature (apara prakriti). The five gross elements plus mind, intellect, and ego constitute the material world. Shankaracharya notes this is called 'lower' not because it is evil, but because it is insentient and dependent on the higher nature described next.
Themes
jnanaatman