Verse 8.19
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
भूतग्रामः स एवायं भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते | रात्र्यागमेऽवशः पार्थ प्रभवत्यहरागमे ||१९||
Transliteration (IAST)
bhūta-grāmaḥ sa evāyaṁ bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate | rātry-āgame 'vaśaḥ pārtha prabhavaty ahar-āgame ||19||
Word-by-Word Meanings
bhūta-grāmaḥ-the multitude of beings
saḥ eva ayam-that same
bhūtvā bhūtvā-being born again and again
pralīyate-dissolves
avaśaḥ-helplessly
prabhavati-comes into being
Translation
This same multitude of beings, coming into existence again and again, dissolves helplessly at the coming of night, O Partha, and manifests again at the coming of day.
Commentary
The word 'avasha' (helplessly) is key - beings are powerless in the face of cosmic cycles. Shankaracharya emphasizes that this helplessness underscores the need for liberation. Without spiritual effort, the jiva is swept along by the tide of creation and dissolution indefinitely, driven by accumulated karma.
Themes
karmatimemoksha