Chapter 13 - Verse 21

Because Puruṣa, the experiencer, is seated in Prakṛti, in avidya or nescience,—that is to say, because he identifies himself with the body and the senses which are emanations of Prakṛti,—he experiences the qualities born of Prakṛti, manifesting themselves as pleasure, pain and delusion; he thinks, “I am happy, I am miserable, I am deluded, I am wise.” Over and above avidya (the cause of birth), His attachment to (i.e., identification of Himself with) what He experiences,—namely, the qualities of pleasure, pain and delusion,—forms the main cause of Puruṣa’s birth. The sruti says :

“As is his desire, so is his will.” (Bri.Up. 4.4-5.)

Accordingly the Lord says here :—The experiencer’s attachment for qualities leads him to births in good and evil wombs.

Or the second half of the verse may be construed, by supplying the word ‘samsara,’ so as to mean : Attachment for qualities is the cause of His samsara through births in good and evil wombs.

Good wombs are those of Devas and the like; evil wombs are those of lower animals. We may also add, as implied here—being opposed to no teaching,—the wombs of men which are (partly) good and (partly) evil.

The sense of the passage may be explained as follows : Avidyā,—spoken of as (Puruṣa’s) being’seated in Prakṛti,’ and Kāma or attachment for qualities, together constitute the cause of Saṃsāra.*

Avidya being the upadana or material cause and kama the nimitta or efficient cause.—A.

Self-Knowledge removes the cause of Samsara.

The twofold cause has been taught here for avoidance, (i.e., in order that we may try to remove it). The means of bringing about the removal of the (twofold) cause are Jñāna and Vairāgya, i.e., knowledge and indifference conjoined with samnyasa or renunciation † as has been clearly taught in the Gītā-śāstra. This knowledge, the knowledge of Kṣetra and Kṣetrajña, has been imparted in the beginning of this discourse. And it has also been imparted in xiii. 12, et. seq., both by eliminating foreign elements (xiii. 12) and by attributing alien properties (xiii. 13, et. seq.)

Vairagya leads to samnyasa; and knowledge coupled with samnyasa brings about the cessation of avidya and kama.—A.

Now again the Lord proceeds to teach directly what that knowledge is :