Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7 - Jnana Vignana Yoga - Sloka 5

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission

Prakriti - Low and High - 1-7

1 Gita Sloka  every day - Chapter 7 - Jnana Vignana Yoga - Sloka 5

Krishna rescuing atmas

Apara iyam itah tu anyam prakritim viddhi me param I

Jiva bhutam mahabahi yatha idam dharyate jagat II sloka 5 

अपर इयं इतः तु अन्यं प्रकृतिं विद्धि मे परम् ।

जीव भूतं महाबहि यथा इदं धार्यते जगत ।। श्लोक ५

This is my lower prakriti, but different from it, know, O mighty armed one, My higher prakriti - the life element by which this universe is upheld. 


All the five elements and the three internal organs put together form the inferior constituent of the Lord. The cosmic life principle or the sum total of the  jivatman is his superior constituent. An example elucidates the truth. The smoke that emanates from the fire is its lower nature, and the spark its higher nature. The characteristics of the fire are in the sparks, while its action in the smoke. Technically put, the smoke is the tatastha lakshanam  - accidental definition of the fire and the spark, the swarupa lakshanam  - innate definition. Knowing of the spark is equivalent to knowing the fire. Pure consciousness which is the paramatman is inherent in the jivatman also. The spark is that which has separated itself from the fire. But the jivatman is not and cannot be dissociated from the parmatman. As a wave in the ocean, the individual soul is ever in the cosmic soul, though with its limiting adjuncts.

The jiva prakriti or the kshetrajna is utilising the jada prakriti  or the kshetra as its body and upholding it too. This act of conscious principle is like the Akasa containing in itself all the other four elements.