ajām ekāṃ lohitaśuklakṛṣṇāṃ bahvīḥ prajāḥ sṛjamānāṃ sarūpāḥ | ajo hy eko juṣamāṇo 'nuśete jahāty enāṃ bhuktabhogām ajo 'nyaḥ ||
"There is one unborn female, red, white, and black, who brings forth many offspring shaped like herself. One unborn male lies beside her in delight; another unborn male leaves her once he has finished enjoying what she offers."
What This Means:
This verse paints a vivid picture of all of nature as a single "unborn" mother who keeps giving birth to countless beings that look like her. Her three colors, red, white, and black, stand for the three basic qualities that make up everything in the world. Two souls are described too: one stays attached to her and her pleasures, while the other, having had his fill, lets her go.
Going Deeper:
In Vedanta this is a classic image of prakṛti (primordial nature, also called māyā): the unborn feminine source whose three colors are the guṇas, rajas (red/activity), sattva (white/purity), and tamas (black/inertia), out of which all forms arise. The two unborn males are read as the two selves: the bound soul (jīva) who clings to nature's enjoyments, and the liberated soul who, having seen through her, is no longer entangled.
How To Apply This:
Notice when you are clinging to an experience for its pleasure versus simply receiving it and letting it pass, freedom comes not from rejecting life but from enjoying it without being bound by it.
Key Sanskrit Terms: