Prakriti: basic matter of the universe, Gunas
Nothing remains inactive; everyone acts compelled by the Gunas inherent to Prakriti. Bhagavad Gita
Courses: Bhagavad Gita - Jnana Yoga
Prakriti is a key concept in Hinduism (Sankhya doctrine) and in the Yoga Philosophy being clearly stated in the Bhagavad Gita. It refers to the basic matter of the universe.
In Chapter 14 The Yoga of the Differentiation of the Three Gunas of the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna tells Arjuna:
«The total material substance (Prakriti), is My womb; where I
deposit the seed of life, and from there all beings are born, Ο son of Kunti
Whatever form is produced in any womb, Ο son of Kunti, the Great material
Nature is its womb, and I am the Father who gives the seed»
Bhagavad Gita 15-3-4.
Prakriti has three different innate qualities (Gunas) whose balance is the basis of harmony. The Gunas are three: Sattva, Rajas and Tamas; They are present in everyone and everything. In Chapter 3 of the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna tells Arjuna:
«For nothing remains inactive even for a moment; everyone acts compelled by the Gunas inherent to Prakriti» Bhagavad Gita 3-5 (The Yoga of Action).
In verse 7 of Chapter 15 of the Bhagavad Gita, The Yoga of Supreme Being, we find the relationship between Jiva, man, mind and Prakriti when Krishna says to Arjuna:
«Only a portion of My eternal Self has become the embodied soul (Jiva) in the material world; he (Jiva) attracts (towards himself) with the mind as the sixth sense, the other five senses, abiding in Prakriti» Bhagavad Gita 15-7 (Yoga Supreme Being).
In verse 22 of this same chapter, we find the relationship Purusha, Gunas, Samsara and Prakriti:
«For Purusha, residing in Prakriti, experiences the Gunas born of Prakriti; Attachment to these Gunas is the cause of their birth in both good and bad wombs» Bhagavad Gita 13-22 (Yoga Field and the Knower the Field).
For Swami Sivananda:
«Prakriti, or nature, is that state in which the Three Gunas exist in a state of balance. When this balance is disturbed, creation begins and the body, senses and mind are formed.» Sri Swami Sivananda.
The concept of Prakriti also exists in Jainism and Buddhism as well as in the Bhagavad Gita and yoga philosophy.
Prakriti Bhagavad Gita 
Prakriti.
The rest of this summary on “Prakriti” is only available to students of the Gita Institute
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