Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 9, Verse 8
प्रकृतिं स्वामवष्टभ्य विसृजामि पुनः पुनः।
भूतग्राममिमं कृत्स्नमवशं प्रकृतेर्वशात्।।
भूतग्राममिमं कृत्स्नमवशं प्रकृतेर्वशात्।।
prakṛtiṁ svām avaṣṭabhya visṛjāmi punaḥ punaḥ
bhūta-grāmam imaṁ kṛtsnam avaśaṁ prakṛter vaśāt
also searched as "prakritim svam avashtabhya visrijami punah punah"
Translation
Controlling the Prakṛti, which is My own, I send forth again and again this multitude of beings, helpless under the sway of Prakṛti.
Vāṇi's rendering
Commanding my own nature, I pour forth this whole host of beings again and again, bound by nature's sway.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| प्रकृतिम्prakṛtiṁ | nature — the whole material weave |
| स्वाम्svām | my own |
| अवष्टभ्यavaṣṭabhya | taking firm hold of, commanding |
| विसृजामिvisṛjāmi | I send forth, I pour out |
| पुनःpunaḥ | again |
| पुनःpunaḥ | and again |
| भूतग्रामम्bhūta-grāmam | the host of beings, the whole village of the living |
| इमम्imaṁ | this |
| कृत्स्नम्kṛtsnam | entire, without remainder |
| अवशम्avaśaṁ | without say in it, helpless |
| प्रकृतेःprakṛter | of nature (final ḥ becomes r before v) |
| वशात्vaśāt | by the sway, under the force |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9 Verse 8 mean?
Krishna says prakṛti is his own, and he takes hold of it to send out the whole host of beings, over and over. The beings themselves have no say in the matter — they come forth carried by nature's force. Creation is not an accident and not a choice made by those created.
What does prakritim svam avashtabhya visrijami punah punah teach about free will?
It teaches that far less is yours than you assume. Body, disposition, the timing of your birth and death — all avaśaṁ, without your consent. The Gītā does not restore that control later. It shows you instead that you are not identical with what is being moved, and that seeing this is itself a freedom.
If beings are helpless under nature, why should I make any effort at all?
Because the effort is also how nature moves, and Krishna never once tells Arjuna to stop. Helplessness here concerns origins, not conduct. You did not choose to be poured forth. What you do while standing is still asked of you, and asked seriously.
Why does Krishna say he creates again and again?
Because there was never a single beginning to guard. Worlds gather and disperse like weather over the same sky, and Krishna is the sky, not the weather. Punaḥ punaḥ removes the drama from your own beginning and ending. What happens to you has happened countless times and did not damage him.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Read this and something in you protests. Helpless? Bound? Arjuna has just been told creation empties and refills like breath, and now he hears where he stands in it — inside the host, not outside it. Krishna does not soften this. Your body, your temperament, the pull of hunger and habit, these move by nature's sway, and nature moves at his command. What remains yours is small and it is everything: you can notice the sway. The beings are poured forth helpless. The one who reads the word helpless and winces was never merely poured.