Prakriti or Cosmic Energy in the
Bhagavad-Gita
1. Energy more fundamental than matter

The concept of Prakriti is most fundamental to the understanding of
Indian philosophy and also to the central core of teaching in the
metaphysics of the Bhagavad-Gītā. The nearest English translation of
the word 'Prakriti' has to be 'Cosmic Energy', though the innocuous
word 'Nature' is very often used . The difference between the
connotation of Prakriti as used in Vedānta and the meaning of the word
Energy as used in modern science is actually at the root of the
matter. In modern Physics, Matter is fundamental and self-existent;
its motive power is Energy. In Vedānta on the other hand, Energy is
self-existent and Matter is the product of this ever-present Energy.
Consequently in any exposition about Cosmic Energy, it is not
advisable to use the words Matter and Energy in their scientific
connotations. Instead, we shall consistently use the word 'Prakriti'
itself.
2. Spiral method of teaching

As soon as He begins the exposition of the Gītā, the Lord makes clear
the rock bottom fundamentals of Hindu religion. What is not, can
never be; and what is, can never not be. (II-l6) Starting from
this foundation He develops the logic of Karma Yoga, the appeal of
Bhakti Yoga and finally the self-consistency and self-revealing nature
of Jnāna Yoga for Arjuna. In the process almost every facet of the
subject of Hindu philosophy -- metaphysics, psychology, swadharma,
Avatāra concept, dedication and surrender, matter and spirit, prakriti
and purusha -- everything in the complex labyrinth of Indian Vedānta
enters the discussion. And the Lord, in presenting these topics, uses
a spiral approach; that is, the same concept or idea comes up more
than once -- as would naturally happen in an extended conversational
discourse --but each time it appears, it is taken up with more depth,
broader context and wider application. This, we know, is a sound
strategy for effective communication. So also it happens with the
concept of Prakriti,.
3. Prakriti does everything

The first time the Lord mentions Prakriti is in the third chapter.
Nobody can live even for a moment without being engaged in some
action. (III - 5). It could be mental, if not physical. Even just
living is an action. This is natural for every human being. This
naturality is part of Prakriti. Man is almost a prisoner (Avasah )
of the qualities inherent in him as a human being. It is only later
in the same chapter that the Lord elaborates on Prakriti. The verses
27, 28, 29 are significant. All actions are being done by Prakriti;
the ego-centred person however thinks that he is the doer (III - 27).
The knower of the truth, on the other hand, who knows how to discern
the Gunas of Prakriti ( = modes of Nature) and their responsibility
for actions, knowing full well that it is the modes of nature which
are interacting with modes of nature, does not get attached. (III -
28). But those who are confounded by the Gunas of Prakriti get stuck
with the actions that arise out of the Gunas. (III - 29). They do not
know it, however, so those who know should not confound them!
4. Three primary strands of Prakriti

In these three verses the Lord makes use of the key technical words:
Prakriti and Her Gunas. The ordinary meanings of these words, namely
Nature and Modes of Nature may carry us through at this stage of the
discussion but as we already mentioned the Lord comes back to these
topics in later chapters and goes deeper into them. So we shall take
these later explanations to our advantage. It is in the seventh
chapter the Lord explains what His Prakriti is. It is the entire world
of inert matter comprising the five elemental sources, plus, Mind,
Intellect and the Ego. (VII - 4) God's creation starts with these. So
Prakriti is the material cause for all matter, creation and movement.
Everything that we see before us is nothing but a suitable
combination of the eight-fold contents of Prakriti and nothing else.
Later in the ninth chapter He says that Prakriti is His making, it
works out whatever it does, because of the power of His presence and
it is because of this that everything in the world happens the way it
does. (IX - 10). And in the fourteenth chapter He dissects the
Prakriti further. It has three strands: Sattva, Rājas and Tamas.
These may be called its Modes. They together constitute Prakriti.
The Samskrit word used is 'Guna' -- to be translated into 'attitudes'.
They are the primary bricks of Prakriti. They are like the 'bases'
of the DNA in modern science. They are the 'tendencies' making up
the twisted rope of Nature . Sattva is the tendency which takes one
upward towards enlightenment; Rājas is sanything that is dynamic and
aggressive; and Tamas is that of ignorance, indolence and inaction.
(XIV - 9). Every creation of God is a combination of these three
strands of Nature. (VII - l3). Thus the handiwork of Prakriti covers
the entire universe of inert and inanimate matter. But all this is
His Lower Prakriti, says the Lord in the seventh chapter itself, as
soon as He mentions the eightfold macro-constituents of Prakriti (VII
- 5_ He says that there is another Prakriti of His, the Higher
Prakriti -- Parā-Prakriti -- this is the one which becomes
(jīva-bhutām) the multiplicity of souls in the world. It is by this
Prakriti the whol,e universe of men and matter is sustained. (VII -
6). This Higher Prakriti is the one spiritual current vibrating in
all living beings sas their life-force. It is the supreme womb from
which the whole world of beings is born. In that sense He is the
Father of the Universe. He is the Origin and in Him is the
Dissolution. It is at this point in the seventh chapter it becomes
clear that Prakriti is nothing but the Power, Sakti, of the Supreme
Godhead, namely, Brahman.
5.Advaitic Cosmology

There are, as it were, two ZZaktis of Brahman, the Absolute Reality.
They are parā (Superior) and aparā (Inferior) Prakritis. Jīva, the
soul, the spiritual undercurrent vibrating in us, is matter viewed in
relation to spirit. Matter came from the aparā Sakti or aparā
Prakriti. This is where Vedānta differs from modern Physics. In the
latter, it is the quantitative matter, their weight, their substance,
their constituents that are fundamental. In Vedānta it is the
quality that is at the bottom -- the qualitative guna or Swabhāva from
which all the quantitative matter arises. It is the qualities
inherent in the Cosmic Energy that gives matter its substance. That is
why Prakriti is also called Pradhāna, the Fundamental. It is also
called Kshetra, the Field, because it is the base of all action. It
is Jada, because it is insentient. It is Avyakta, the unmanifest,
because it is not perceptible to the senses. It is Kshara, the
Perishable, because it alternates between manifestation and
non-manifestation. It is Māyā because it deceptively hides the Spirit
behind Matter and projects falsity. Jīva the spirit component is a
fragment of the Chit-Sakti of Brahman. Chit-Sakti functioning through
a matter envelopment becomes the living organism. 'That' dressed up in
matter becomes the egocentric 'Thou'. Man undressed of Matter is the
eternal and ineffable spirit. When spirit is thus enveloped by
matter it is called Jīva. He is the Purusha with all his
individuality. Without the interaction of the Purusha the
experiencer, and Prakriti that is, Spirit and Matter, there is no
expression, no experience. When man looks inward of his insentient
matter-layer he is nothing but sentient vital consciousness.
6. Vāsanās

Mind itself is matter. It is the effect of the play of Prakriti. The
latter, individualised to each soul is the unmanifested factor,
which, in consequence of the good and bad performances in the previous
lives, has begun to give fruition in this life. That which rules the
functions of a given mind and intellect determines its reactions to
the world outside is the unmanifested factor, also referred to in the
literature, as the Vāsanās. Incidentally, the Gītā never uses the
word Vāsanā. It uses the word Avyakta for the unmanifested factor
standing for the totality of Vāsanās, either individual or collective.
In its macrocosmic aspect, the total universe of men and things
spring from the aggregate of Vāsanās of all living beings. This
totality is the source of the whole universe at the beginning of the
Kalpa (IX - 7, 8). It is because of this that Jīva is under the
spell of Māyā or Prakriti -- through whcih Brahman functions to bring
about the universe of men and things. The play of matter and spirit
in this manner is Samsāra.
7.Purusha, the canvas, untainted by the painting of Prakriti

All forms and qualities, changes and modifications belong to the realm
of matter. Aatman or Brahman is the changeless substratum in the
presence of which this interplay takes place. The cinema screen is
the only basic presence and inherent reality whereon all the turmoil
and turbulence of the actions of the movie take place. The screen by
itself is untainted by any of that action. The Purusha by himself has
no Samsāra. But when He identifies himself with the body and the
senses which are the effects of Prakriti, he becomes the experiencer.
As the all-pervading space is not tainted because of its subtlety, so
also the ātman permeating the entire body, is not tainted by anything
that the body, mind or intellect does. The ātman is like the Sun
which illuminates the whole world but is at the same time
uncontaminated by anything of the world. Every action of the world as
well as of the body, mind and intellect is dominated by Prakriti. By
coercing it and suppressing it violently you cannot win over it.
This is the meaning of the famous verse III - 33 of the Gītā.
8. Coercion versus self-control

Usually the common man and the unwise interpret this verse to mean
that whatever we do is according to Prakriti and so there is nothing
under our control. And one stretches the meaning to conclude that we
are total slaves of our Fate -- and this verse is very often cited to
condemn Hinduism as a fatalist religion. The verse simply means: All
beings, even the wise men, follow their own nature; what can coercing
or restraint do? This means that a coercion, or suppression or
violent resistance to one's Swabhāva ( = own nature and becoming) will
be of no avail. But this is not a cry of despair. We do not have
to resign ourselves to the wayward tendencies of our mind, inherited
by its Vāsanās. The use of the word 'nigraha' is significant. What
is decried is'nigraha', coercion, violent resistance and suppression.
In the very next verse and in scores of other places Lord Krishna
extols 'samyama' , self-control, disciplined restraint and practice in
controlling the senses. We have to give due respect to the devil of
our own Swabhāva, which is our own speciality of a Prakriti, go along
with it and in due time control it, as much as possible. This sloka
is an excellent example of how Hinduism, instead of being a fatalistic
and pessimistic religion, is actually very realistic and constructive.
9. Two Purushas

We said of the Purusha that when he identifies himself with the body
and the senses he is the experiencer. He it is that enjoys and
suffers, he it is that is subject to pleasure and pain and he it is
that thinks he is the doer and the experiencer. But deep within him,
within this Purusha, there is another Purusha, the changeless,
non-participating witness, the Sakshi. Krishna takes great care to
distinguish between these two Purushas. In Chapter l5 of the Gītā,
this is elaborated with perfect clarity. (XV - 16). First of all,
Purusha and Prakriti are not two separate entities. Prakriti is only
the Power (ZZakti) of the Purusha. It is simply the executive power
of the soul. The soul manifest in nature and bound up with its action
is the kshara (Perishable) Purusha. It is He who is under the
constant spell of Māyā. Beyond him there is the silent, immutable,
all-pervading motionless self-existent Self -- sarvagatam achalam. He
is the Akshara Purusha -- Purusha, the Imperishable. The kshara
Purusha is involved in the actions of Nature. He reflects the varied
workings of the Gunas of Prakriti. He is saguna, personal. He
associates himself with the doings of Prakriti and thinks he is the
doer. He identifies himself with the play of personality and clouds
his self-knowledge with the ego-sense in nature so that he thinks
himself as the ego-doer of works (III - 27). On the other hand when
the Purusha takes the poise of Akshara, he is nriguna, impersonal.
The gunas have fallen into a state of equilibrium. He is dissociated
from the doings of the gunas. He is the inactive non-doer and
witness. He is aware that Prakriti is the doer and himself only the
witnessing self (XIII - 29).
10. The pot-space and the water-space

The concept of the two Purushas -- or two poises or roles of the one
Purusha -- and a consequent grand design of a triple Purusha, is an
essential contribution of the Gītā to the understanding of the eternal
Upanishads. In order to explain this grand design to ordinary people
different masters give different illustrations. Vidyāranya's
Panchadasi has a whole chapter on this subject. The analogy that
Vidyāranya gives and sustains throughout his work is so graphic that
no presentation of Prakriti and Purusha as adumbrated in Advaita
Vedānta can be complete without mentioning Vidyāranya's analogy.
Imagine an empty pot. Even though empty, it encloses space ( =
ākāsa). We may call this enclosed space, the pot-space (= Ghatākāsa).
This is not different from the universal space (= Mahākāsa) which is
outside the pot -- except that the pot-space is space enclosed,
conditioned by the material of the pot, whereas the universal space
is unconditioned (= nirupādhita). Now fill up the pot to the brim
with water. The pot-space seems to have disappeared. We only see
water now but in the water we see the universal space reflected. This
reflection shows the sky, he stars or whatever there is in the sky or
the space, like buildings, trees, clouds, etc. with all their
different shades of colour. This reflected presentation of the outside
space may be called water-space ( = jalākāsa). Water-space shall not
mean 'the space occupied by water' but shall mean the reflection, in
the water, of the mahākāsa, which is everywhere. Now the water-space
hides the real space, namely the pot-space within and projects a
falsity of an outer space, inside. This is the grand delusion in
which we are all in. The water-space corresponds to the Jīva (the
individual soul) or the Kshara-Purusha. It hides the presence of the
pot-space within. The pot-space is the Akshara Purusha. Without the
substratum of the pot-space there cannot be any water-space. We in
our delusion think that the water-space is all there is. We forget
that there is a pot-space within and it is the real space and that the
water-space is only a false projection of the reality. Without the
substratum of the imperishable Purusha within, the jīva or the kshara
Purusha or what we think as our personality has no existence. The
imperishable Purusha is also called Kūtastha, the immovable, or the
immutable, that which remains like the unchanging iron-piece (anvil)
on which the blacksmith does all his hammering. The water in the pot
is the mind or intellect. It is the reflection in our intellect of the
universal consciousness that generates the feeling, an individualised
feeling, in us, of 'I' and 'mine'.
11. 'Thou' is the pot-space and 'That' is the universal space
.
The mind of Man has two alternatives -- either to be bound by Prakriti
in the mutations of quality and personality or to be free from Her
workings in immutable impersonality. On one side there is the status
of the Akshara Purusha or Kūtastha and his immutability. On the
other there is the action of the Kshara Purusha or Jīva and its
mutability in Prakriti. Both these coexist. They coexist as two
contrary sides, aspects or facets of a supreme reality (Mahākāsa)
which is limited by neither of them. This reality which is the
Ultimate, is the Uttama Purusha, different from the other two. (XV -
17 ). He is the Purushottama. That is His param bhāvam. (supreme
nature of existence). He is the sarva-bhūta-maheswara, the great
Lord of all beings. People foolishly think that the visual
manifestation is all there is. (IX - 11 ). They allow the
water-space to hide the real pot-space within and revel in the virtual
glory of the water-space. But deep within us, by clearing our minds
of all its 'contents', we must get to the pot-space, that is the
Akshara Purusha. It is the substratum which makes way for all the
actions of the individual Purusha. The actions themselves are because
of the Prakriti -- its three strands -- which in the analogy is the
reflecting capability of the water-mind. We should be able to
transcend the mind and the reflections that it carries with it and
delve deep into our real Self, the silent watching Self. This latter
is nothing but the all-pervading Space (Brahman) except for the
limitation by the material of the pot. Thou art That!
12. Purushottama is both 'This' and 'That'

The Purushottama of the Gītā is the controller of the other two
Purushas as well as the Prakriti. He is just the all-pervading space
of the analogy. It is He that appears as the other two Purushas and
it is He that creates, sustains and dissolves, through His Prakriti.
In the Kshara, He puts forth his own Prakriti and manifests himself in
the soul. And each soul works out its own nature (= swabhāva )
according to the law of the divine being in it. But it is worked out
in the egoistic nature by the bewildering play of the three gunas upon
each other (cf. gunā guneshu vartante, III-28, meaning, the modes
are interacting with modes). The play of the gunas is like clouds
clashing against clouds, causing thunder and lightning, but still the
Space by itself is untainted. One can get beyond this play of the
gunas only by transcending the gunas. In the Akshara (Imperishable)
on the other hand, He is untouched, indifferent, regarding all
equally, extended within all, yet above all. In all these, He is the
Lord, the Supreme Iswara in the highest, the presiding and
all-pervading impersonality. While being the immanent Will and
present active Lord in the Kshara, He is free in the impersonality
even while working out the play of his personality. That is why He
is able to say: Actions do not fix themselves on me, nor have any
desire for the fruits of action (IV - 14). Works do not bind me, for
I m seated as if indifferent above, unattached to these actions. (IX -
9).. Therefore He declares: Whoever sees that all action is verily
done by Prakriti and that the Self is inactive Witness, he sees. (XIII
- 29). As Purushottama however, He is neither merely impersonal nor
merely personal. He is one and the same being in both aspects.
Infinity of the Spirit does not just mean infinite immensity; it also
implies infinitesimal littleness. Though impersonal in its vastness,
it has become personal also in creating individual beings. He is the
impersonal-personal, nirguno-guni. . Gunabrin-nirguno mahān, , says
the Vishnu-Sahasra-nāma.
13. Transcend the strands of Prakriti

Man as the individual self owing to his ignorant self-identification
with the work and the becoming is bewildered by his Ahamkāra or
egoism. (cf. ahamkāra-vimudhātmā --III-27). Ahamkāra is nothing but
the notion that this conglomeration of the senses and the mind which
are the cause for all the actions, is the Self ( ātman). This false
identification of the Self with the actions and the instruments of
action is the root cause of all the trouble, called Samsāra.
Consequently one is enslaved by the gunas, now hampered in the dull
ease of tamas,, now blown away by the strong winds and currents of
rajas, and now limited by the partial lights of satva. Man has to
distinguish and isolate himself from the Prakritic mind, by his
discretionary intelligence. If he allows himself to be mastered by
the gunas, then he will have to suffer pain and pleasure, grief and
happiness, desire and passion, attachment and disgust. Thus he has no
freedom. If he wants freedom, he must exist in oneness with the
Akshara Purusha, the immutable and impersonal Self, tranquilly
observing and impartially supporting the action, himself calm,
indifferent, untouched, motionless, pure, one with all beings in their
self, not one with Prakriti and Her works. This Self, though by its
presence authorises (cf. IX - 10 ) the works of Prakriti and supports
them by its all-pervading existence, does not itself create works or
the state of the doer or the linking of the works to their fruit. (V
- 14). It only watches Prakriti in the Kshara. It accepts neither
the sin nor the virtue of the living creatures born into this birth.
(V - 15). It always preserves its own spiritual purity.
14. Mental one-ness with the Purushottama

While Brahman in the Kshara supports wholly the action of Prakriti,
Brahman in the Akshara even while supporting dissociates itself from
the action and preserves its freedom. Therefore, the individual soul
has to mentally renounce (V - 13) all actions and unify itself with
the Purushottama. Thereby we hold the hand of the controller of
Prakriti and everything happens by His Will. By Him all has been
willed even before it is worked out (XI - 33). Vain is your resolve,
says the Lord, that in your egoism you think you will not fight. Your
Prakriti will take you to your work (XVIII - 59). The working out by
Prakriti is only the result of His Sankalpa (divine resolve). If
therefore we properly identify ourselves with the Purushottama, we are
no longer disturbed or disfigured by the ego-sense. Prakriti works out
the actions according to the Swabhāva. We should surrender to the
Purushottama and move in the world through His Will. He would control
our Prakriti for us and steer us through, irrespective of what it has
in store for us ( IX -22 & XVIII - 66). The individual soul thus
becomes the divinised natural being who is only an instrument
(nimitta-mātram, cf. XI - 33) of the divine will. Even in Action one
gets into a state beyond the three gunas (trigunātita, XIV - 20 to
27); he is also therefore free from the gunas ( nistraigunya, II -
42). However, one is still the enjoyer of the gunas (nirgunam
guna-bhoktr cha XIII - 14) ; unattached, yet all-supporting (asaktah
sarvabrit ). The play of the gunas within such a sthitha-prajna (man
of established wisdom) is quite different. It is lifted above their
usual egoistic character. Such a seer perceives that the gunas are
the whole agency and cause of all Action; he knows and turns to that
Supreme above the gunas and thus attains to the status and being of
the divine (XIV - 19). When the soul thus rises above the three
gunas one is freed from subjection to birth and death, decay, old age
and suffering and enjoys in the end the immortality of its
self-existence. (XIV - 20). This may be considered as the single
abstraction of the message of the Gītā.