Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

Krishna will explain bhoktṛtve in next verse, this is one of the most important verses some acharys has called this as Maha Vakya and the Bija Vakya of BG.

Bg 13.22

puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi
bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān
kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo ’sya
sad-asad-yoni-janmasu

Synonyms: 

puruṣaḥ — the living entity; prakṛti–sthaḥ — being situated in the material energy; hi — certainly; bhuṅkte — enjoys; prakṛti–jān — produced by the material nature; guṇān — the modes of nature; kāraṇam — the cause; guṇa–saṅgaḥ — the association with the modes of nature; asya — of the living entity; sat–asat — in good and bad; yoni — species of life; janmasu — in births.

Translation: 

The living entity in material nature thus follows the ways of life, enjoying the three modes of nature. This is due to his association with that material nature. Thus he meets with good and evil among various species.

puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi, 

Purusha is soul 

prakṛti-stho hi, become situated in material nature

bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān

bhuṅkte, desires to enjoy 

prakṛti-jān guṇān, the modes that are born in material nature

kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo ’sya, 

kāraṇaṁ, is the cause

guṇa-saṅgo ’sya, because of the association of modes

sad-asad-yoni-janmasu

sad-asad, there is good and there is bad

yoni-janmasu, 

puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi, the purusha becomes situated, stho hi, in material nature because of bhuṅkte, the word bhuṅkte has more and less same meaning as bhoktṛtve, both means to enjoy 

prakṛti-jān guṇān, products of material nature

So the soul becomes situated in material nature because it wanted to enjoy products of material nature in the form of the three modes.

The material natures like earth, water, air, fire, ether are in themselves not very attractive but when these are made into beautiful objects e.g. Sun Rise (Satvik), Form of opposite gender (Rajasik), Alcohol (Tamsik)so all of these they become attractive 

When one wanted to enjoy material products, prakṛti-jān guṇān, the result is 

kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo ’sya, so first there is bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān, there is desire to enjoy and the there is Sangha, guṇa-saṅgah, because of that there is association of the three modes because of that what happens? sad-asad-yoni-janmasu, Yoni is wombs, or the species BG uses for both, Yoni, some species are not having wombs same may be having eggs also but in general it refers to species here, so one will take birth in different species.

This verse will be elaborated in 14.18, how is the sad-asad-yoni-janmasu? 

ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā
madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ
jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā
adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ

so this way depending on which modes people will move. 

So that is what Krishna hints here depending upon how we associated with three modes accordingly there will be sad-asad-yoni-janmasu, one will meet good and bad in various species. 

So the previous verse talks about because of enjoyment will have happiness and distress but it is not only limited to that in this verse it is mentioned that it leads to transmigration of species where there will be sometimes more misery and sometimes less misery.

SP Purport: As long as he is captivated by this false manifestation, he has to continue transmigrating from one body to another.

So which means as long as bhoktṛtve is there as long as bhuṅkte is there, one will have to continue in the material existence.

SP Purport: That change can be effected only by hearing from authoritative sources

What is the change? The change of giving up the bhoktṛtve and bhuṅkte

The living entity, if he submits to this hearing process, will lose his long-cherished desire to dominate material nature, and gradually and proportionately, as he reduces his long desire to dominate, he comes to enjoy spiritual happiness

So we can’t expect to get rid of our enjoying mentality it will take time but gradually and proportionately. Ye Yetha Mam Prapadyante.

Why this is called Bija Vakya or Bija? In 15th chapter Krishna gives the metaphor of upside down tree for material existence so material existence is like a tree and every tree is having a seed from which it grows up, so like the whole tree of material existence is because of the enjoying mentality of the soul. So bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān, that bhuṅkte is the seed. From that seed ultimately the whole tree grows. So this tree needs nourishment as water so this water is the three modes of material nature. This seed is introduced in 13th chapter the water which nourishes the seed is three modes which is explained in 14th chapter, the 15th chapter talks about the tree itself in terms of what its branches are how it has to be cut down by detachment in 15.3-4 Krishna will describe that (here it is sanga there it is asanga) because of attachment one become bound and because of detachment one becomes free which is talked in 15th chapter. Then in 16th chapter the upper and lower parts of the tree are described. The divine and demoniac natures so they are the two extremes of the tree, they are described in the 16th chapter. Then 17th chapter describes the intermediate parts, what are the people who are not explicitly devoted to God according to the scripture nor are they brazenly defined of God in scripture what about them that is talked in 17th chapter, and then the summary of everything is given in 18th chapter. 

So this verse will lead to development of thought in subsequent chapters and sections of BG hence it is Bija Vakya.

End of transcription.