Bhagavad Gita BG 15.7
Chapter 15, Verse 7 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः । मनःषष्ठानीन्द्रियाणि प्रकृतिस्थानि कर्षति ॥
mamaivamsho jiva-loke jiva-bhutah sanatanah manah-shashthani indriyani prakrti-sthani karshati
Meaning
An eternal portion of Myself, having become a living being in the world of the living, draws to itself the senses — with the mind as the sixth — abiding in Prakriti.
Understanding
One of the Gita's most profound declarations of the jiva's nature: mamaivamsho jiva-loke jiva-bhutah sanatanah — an eternal (sanatanah) portion (amsha) of Myself has become the jiva (individual being) in the world of the living. Key: it is ETERNAL — not a temporary fragment but an everlasting portion of the Divine. This portion karshati (draws, attracts, pulls) manah-shashthani indriyani (the five senses with the mind as the sixth) prakrti-sthani (which reside in Prakriti). The jiva is eternally of Divine nature, yet it is embedded in Prakriti and draws the six sense-faculties (five senses + mind) along with it. This verse establishes the paradox of the jiva: eternally divine, yet caught in Prakriti's field — this is the human condition as the Gita sees it.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| अंशः | amshah | portion, fragment, part (an eternal fraction) |
| जीवभूतः | jiva-bhutah | having become a living being, manifested as the jiva |
| सनातनः | sanatanah | eternal, everlasting, ancient |
| मनःषष्ठानि | manah-shashthani | with the mind as the sixth (five senses + mind = six) |
| कर्षति | karshati | draws, pulls, attracts (to itself) |
| मम | mama eva | My own |
| अंशः | aṃśaḥ | a part, a fragment |
| जीव-लोके | jīva-loke | in the world of the living |
| जीव-भूतः | jīva-bhūtaḥ | the living being |
| सनातनः | sanātanaḥ | eternal |
| मनः-षष्ठानि | manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhāni | the mind as the sixth |
| इन्द्रियाणि | indriyāṇi | the senses |
| प्रकृति-स्थानि | prakṛti-sthāni | situated in nature |
| कर्षति | karṣati | draws, drags |
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