Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 13, Verse 23
य एवं वेत्ति पुरुषं प्रकृतिं च गुणैःसह।सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि न स भूयोऽभिजायते।।
ya evaṁ vetti puruṣaṁ prakṛtiṁ ca guṇaiḥ saha
sarvathā vartamāno ’pi na sa bhūyo ’bhijāyate
also searched as "ya evam vetti purusham prakritim cha gunaih saha"
Translation
He who understands the Self and Prakriti, along with the Gunas, will not be born again, no matter what state he may be in.
Vāṇi's rendering
Whoever knows the person, and nature with her moods — however such a one lives, there is no birth again.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| यःya | whoever |
| एवम्evaṁ | in this way, as described |
| वेत्तिvetti | knows |
| पुरुषम्puruṣaṁ | the person, the one who dwells in the body |
| प्रकृतिम्prakṛtiṁ | nature, the whole moving world of matter and mind |
| चca | and |
| गुणैःguṇaiḥ | with the strands, nature's three moods |
| सहsaha | together with |
| सर्वथाsarvathā | in every way, whatever the manner of living |
| वर्तमानःvartamāno | carrying on, living, engaged (sandhi with the next word) |
| अपि'pi | even so |
| नna | not |
| सःsa | that one |
| भूयःbhūyo | again (sandhi with the next word) |
| अभिजायते'bhijāyate | is born |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13 Verse 23 mean?
It means the ending of rebirth turns on seeing, not on circumstance. One who knows puruṣa — the one who dwells in the body — as distinct from prakṛti and her three moods is free, whatever the outward shape of that life. The knowing is the whole condition. Nothing is added to it.
What does ya evam vetti purusham prakritim cha gunaih saha teach?
That the two must be known together. Not the person alone, not nature alone, but both, and the moods that run through nature. Half the knowledge leaves you either denying the world or drowning in it. Seen whole, the moods keep moving and you are no longer confused about who is moving.
Does this verse say behaviour does not matter?
It says behaviour no longer decides. Krishna is not licensing anything; he is describing what happens to action once the knot between the person and nature is cut. Deeds still occur, but they stop planting seeds. What looks like the same life from outside has lost its power to bring you back.
How do I begin to tell purusha from prakriti in daily life?
Start with something small and present — the tightness in your jaw, the restlessness at nine at night. That is prakṛti, moving in her moods. Now ask what is aware of it. Do not answer with a word; just notice the awareness holding the restlessness. Practised often, the difference stops being an idea.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Notice what Krishna does not say. Not whoever lives purely, not whoever withdraws, not whoever keeps every rule. Whoever knows — the person, and nature with her moods. Knowledge here is not information; it is telling the two apart while the moods are still running. Anger arrives and you know it as weather, not as you. Once that seeing steadies, the outer shape of a life decides nothing. Arjuna still fights. The householder still keeps accounts. What ends is not the activity but the return. Live however your life demands. Know who is living it.