Shloka 23

Devanagari script

य एवं वेत्ति पुरुष प्रकृतिं च गुणै: सह । सर्वथा वर्तमानो5पि न स भूयो&भिजायते,इस प्रकार पुरुषको और गुणोंके सहित प्रकृतिको जो मनुष्य तत्त्वसे जानता हैः, वह सब प्रकारसे कर्तव्य-कर्म करता हुआ भी फिर नहीं जन्मता*

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca | ya evaṁ vetti puruṣaṁ prakṛtiṁ ca guṇaiḥ saha | sarvathā vartamāno 'pi na sa bhūyo 'bhijāyate ||

Translation

ಪುರುಷನನ್ನೂ ಗುಣಗಳೊಡನೆ ಪ್ರಕೃತಿಯನ್ನೂ ತತ್ತ್ವವಾಗಿ ಯಾರು ತಿಳಿಯುತ್ತಾರೋ, ಅವರು ಎಲ್ಲ ರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲೂ ಕರ್ಮದಲ್ಲಿ ವರ್ತಿಸಿದರೂ ಮತ್ತೆ ಜನ್ಮಿಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ॥

Word by Word

यःwho

एवम्thus, in this manner

वेत्तिknows

पुरुषम्the person (puruṣa)

प्रकृतिम्nature (prakṛti)

चand

गुणैःwith qualities/guṇas

सहtogether with

सर्वथाin every way

वर्तमानःexisting/acting, being engaged

अपिeven, although

नnot

सःhe

भूयःagain, once more

अभिजायतेis born again, comes into existence again

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

puruṣa

prakṛti

guṇas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Liberation comes from true discernment: knowing the conscious Self (puruṣa) as distinct from nature (prakṛti) and its guṇas. With this knowledge, actions continue outwardly, but they no longer generate binding karma, so rebirth ceases.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Bhīṣma Parva’s Bhagavadgītā discourse on the battlefield, Arjuna speaks while engaging with Kṛṣṇa’s teaching about puruṣa–prakṛti and the guṇas, affirming the point that right understanding frees one even amid ongoing action.