Bhagavad Gita 13.22 · Krishna
Why we keep returning
पुरुषः प्रकृतिस्थो हि भुङ्क्ते प्रकृतिजान्गुणान्।
कारणं गुणसङ्गोऽस्य सदसद्योनिजन्मसु॥
puruṣaḥ prakṛtistho hi bhuṅkte prakṛtijānguṇānkāraṇaṃ guṇasaṅgo’asya sadasadyonijanmasu
Spirit, seated in nature, experiences the gunas nature brings. Its clinging to those gunas causes birth in good and bad conditions.
Words
- puruṣa
- prakṛti
- guṇa
What it means
Krishna explains the cycle. Purusha, the spirit, sits within prakriti, nature, and experiences its moods and qualities, the gunas. When spirit clings to them, attachment pulls it into birth after birth, sometimes in fortunate conditions, sometimes in hard ones. Attachment, not punishment, is what keeps the wheel turning.
The story
Arjuna wonders why souls are born into such different lives. Krishna's answer is clinging. Loosen the clinging, and the wheel slows.
In your life
Think of someone who keeps falling into similar jobs or relationships, because the same attachment keeps steering them. Name one attachment that keeps leading you back to the same place.
Clinging keeps the wheel turning.