Prakriti is said to be the cause of the generation of the body and the senses (the effect and its instruments); the Purusha is said to be the cause of the experience of pleasure and pain. This verse precisely divides the functions: Prakriti acts, Purusha experiences.
Synthesis
Prakriti is the cause of the body and senses (the effect and its instruments), while Purusha is the cause of the experience of pleasure and pain. Shankara explains that Prakriti produces the entire material apparatus, while the Purusha merely witnesses. Ramanuja sees Prakriti operating under God's direction to produce appropriate bodies for souls. The Bhakti tradition uses this to show that the body is merely an instrument — the soul's true purpose is devotion, not sensory experience. Madhva explains that Prakriti is the real material cause operating under God's direction, and the body is a genuine product of material nature. Abhinavagupta sees body and senses as crystallizations of Shakti — the creative power expressing infinite potential in finite forms. Vallabha teaches that the body is a divine gift, an instrument for experiencing God's creation and serving Him. Tilak emphasizes that body and senses are the tools of action, produced by nature for the purpose of karma — the body is meant to be used in service. Vivekananda draws from this that the body should be understood, not despised — health and vitality are spiritual assets when directed toward knowledge and service.
Commentaries 8 traditions
Shankara explains that Prakriti alone is the doer; the Purusha merely appears to act due to false identification. The Self's true nature is pure witness-consciousness. Liberation comes when the Self recognizes that it has never actually performed any action or experienced any result.
Apply This Verse
Personal Growth
You do not create your thoughts and emotions — they arise from your nature (prakriti). You experience them. This distinction gives you the power to observe mental events without being compelled to act on every impulse.
Questions this verse answers
- ?"Am I the doer of my actions or the experiencer?"
- ?"How does knowing I'm not the doer change my sense of responsibility?"
- ?"What would shift if I saw my body-mind as the actor and myself as the witness?"
- ?"How do I reconcile free will with the idea that nature performs all actions?"