Krishna Explains the Nature of Prakriti and Purusha

What are *prakriti* and *purusha*?

Prakriti — often translated as “nature” or “matter” — denotes the dynamic, material principle: changeable phenomena, the three gunas (qualities) and the field of experience. Purusha — “consciousness” or the inner self — denotes the witnessing principle that is aware but by itself inactive. These Sanskrit terms are technical in many classical systems, and their meanings shift with context: in some schools they are metaphysical categories; in devotional readings they are also theological persons or powers.

Where Krishna speaks of them

In the Bhagavad Gītā, Krishna addresses the relation between the manifest world and the self across several chapters. Key places include:

• Chapter 2 — foundational teachings on the enduring self versus transient body and action without attachment.
• Chapter 13 — the distinction between kshetra (the field, akin to prakriti/body-mind) and kshetrajña (the knower of the field, akin to purusha), with a catalogue of qualities that enable discrimination.
• Chapter 14 — an account of the three gunas (sattva, rajas, tamas) that structure prakriti and condition action and temperament.
• Chapter 15 — the inverted banyan tree (aśvattha) metaphor, which locates the root of the world in the imperishable while acknowledging a transcendence called Purushottama (the supreme person) who lies beyond both prakriti and the individual self.

Krishna’s core teaching, in plain terms

Krishna presents a layered picture rather than a single philosophical system. At one level, prakriti is the changing matrix of body, mind, and inducements; purusha is the unchanging witness. Understanding this distinction is not merely metaphysical: it supports ethical and soteriological guidance. Know the field; act rightly; do not identify entirely with transient drives.

Three concise thrusts

• Discrimination (viveka): Recognise what is changeable and what is abiding; this clarity helps free one from compulsive identification with the body-mind.
• Non-attachment to outcome: Because the instruments of action lie within prakriti, one must act but avoid binding attachment to results.
• Transcendence: There is a dimension — variously called Purushottama or Brahman by commentators — that is beyond both prakriti and individual purusha.

Interpretive lines across Indian traditions

How Krishna’s remarks are read varies by school. Briefly:

• Classical Sāṃkhya: Presents a strict dualism: prakriti (material cause) and many purushas (passive, plural selves). Some scholars see the Gītā borrowing Sāṃkhya categories while inserting a theistic centre.
• Advaita Vedānta (e.g., Śaṅkara): Treats purusha as ultimately identical with Brahman; prakriti is māyā — empirically real but ontologically sublated. Liberation is realization of non-duality.
• Viśiṣṭādvaita (Rāmānuja): Emphasises a qualified non-duality: prakriti and individual purushas are real yet dependent on and inseparable from the supreme personal God.
• Dvaita (Madhva) and Bhakti schools: Tend to preserve a stronger distinction between the supreme Purusha (often identified with Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa) and individual selves and nature; devotion becomes the primary means of liberation.
• Śaiva and Śākta readings: Often interpret prakriti in terms of Śakti (the feminine power) and integrate the interplay of Śiva (pure consciousness) and Śakti (creative energy) as central.

Key metaphors Krishna uses

• Field and knower (kshetra / kshetrajña): A diagnostic tool to cultivate self-reflection — learn the inventory of the field to awaken the knower.
• Three gunas: Sattva (clarity, harmony), rajas (activity, passion), tamas (inertia, ignorance). Behaviour and temperament arise from their interplay; spiritual practice alters the balance.
• Aśvattha tree: The world grows from an imperishable root yet appears upside-down; spiritual practice uproots the illusion and points to a transcendent reality.

Practical implications for practice

Krishna’s philosophy is practical: discernment, disciplined action, and devotion are complementary routes to freedom. Practices that arise from this teaching include study and reflection (jñāna), disciplined action without attachment (karma-yoga), and devotion (bhakti). Meditation and breath practices are common supportive methods — if you practise them, do so with proper guidance, especially when there are health concerns.

Ongoing debates and open questions

Scholars and practitioners continue to debate several matters:

• Is the Gītā endorsing Sāṃkhya metaphysics wholesale or reworking it within a theistic frame?
• Does Krishna’s “knower” point to an individual eternal soul or to an impersonal Brahman, or both? Different commentators answer differently.
• How should the concept of prakriti be reconciled with contemporary scientific descriptions of nature? Most traditions treat doctrinal categories and empirical science as addressing different kinds of questions.

Living relevance

Across temples, study groups and household rituals, the distinction between prakriti and purusha continues to shape ethics and devotion. For some, it is an invitation to inner detachment and disciplined action; for others, a metaphysical scaffold for devotion to a personal God or Goddess. The strength of Krishna’s approach in the Gītā lies less in settling philosophical disputes than in offering practical directions to live with clarity amid the play of nature.

Note: If you are exploring traditional practices such as prolonged fasting or intensive breathwork (prāṇāyāma), consult a qualified teacher and, where relevant, a health professional.