prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva viddhy anādī ubhāv api vikārāṁś ca guṇāṁś caiva viddhi prakṛti-sambhavān
"Know that both nature and spirit are beginningless; know also that the modifications and the qualities are born of nature."
What This Means:
Both prakriti (matter/nature) and purusha (spirit/consciousness) are beginningless—they've always existed. All changes (modifications) and qualities (gunas) come from prakriti, not from purusha. Spirit is unchanging.
Going Deeper:
Sankhya philosophy: both prakṛti (primal matter) and puruṣa (consciousness) are anādi (beginningless). They're not created. All vikāra (modifications like desire, aversion) and guṇa (qualities—sattva, rajas, tamas) are 'prakṛti-sambhavān'—born of prakṛti. Purusha witnesses but doesn't participate in change. This distinction is crucial for liberation.
How To Apply This:
Your personality changes, your moods change, your body changes—all these are modifications of prakriti. But awareness itself doesn't change. Identify with the unchanging witness, not the changing show.
Key Sanskrit Terms: