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Bhagavad-gītā 9.8

प्रकृतिं स्वामवष्टभ्य विसृजामि पुन: पुन: । भूतग्राममिमं कृत्स्नमवशं प्रकृतेर्वशात् ॥ ८ ॥
prakṛtiṁ svām avaṣṭabhya
[prakritim svaam avashtabhya]
visṛjāmi punaḥ punaḥ
[visrijaami punah punah]
bhūta-grāmam imaṁ kṛtsnam
[bhoota-graamam imam kritsnam]
avaśaṁ prakṛter vaśāt
[avasham prakriter vashaat]
Word-for-word
prakṛtim — the material nature svām — of My personal Self avaṣṭabhya — entering into visṛjāmi — I create punaḥ punaḥ — again and again bhūta - grāmam — all the cosmic manifestations imam — these kṛtsnam — in total avaśam — automatically prakṛteḥ — of the force of nature vaśāt — under obligation .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
prakṛtiṁ svām avaṣṭabhya
prakṛtim
the material nature
svām
of My personal Self
avaṣṭabhya
entering into
visṛjāmi punaḥ punaḥ
visṛjāmi
I create
punaḥ punaḥ
again and again
bhūta-grāmam imaṁ kṛtsnam
bhūta - grāmam
all the cosmic manifestations
imam
these
kṛtsnam
in total
avaśaṁ prakṛter vaśāt
avaśam
automatically
prakṛteḥ
of the force of nature
vaśāt
under obligation .
Important Words
  • prakṛtim — nature
    Prakṛti — the productive material energy. Note svām (My own) in the next word: prakṛti is not an independent rival, she is His own. The Sāṅkhya position that prakṛti and puruṣa are co-eternal duals is here corrected — prakṛti is the Lord's owned energy.
  • svām — My own
    Possessive — own. Prakṛti is His. Without sva, prakṛti could be misread as autonomous; with sva, the verse settles ownership definitively. A one-syllable correction of an entire philosophical school.
  • avaṣṭabhya — supervising
    Ava + √stambh — to prop up, hold firm, oversee. Kṛṣṇa is not absent or dreaming; He is actively presiding. Prakṛti works precisely because He is over her, like a kingdom under a vigilant king.
  • punaḥ punaḥ — again and again
    Doubled — the repetition is itself meaning. Creation is not a one-time event but a rhythm. The universe is breathing; you are inside one of countless cycles.
  • bhūta - grāmam — the multitude of living entities
    Grāma — village, collection. Bhūta-grāma is the whole village of beings, the entire population of saṁsāra. They move together as a body, manifested and dissolved as one collection.
  • avaśam — helpless
    A- + vaśa (control). The beings have no vaśa — no say — in the matter. They are moved by prakṛti's vaśa, which itself is under Kṛṣṇa's vaśa. The chain of control terminates only at Him.
  • vaśāt — by the force
    Ablative — by the force of (prakṛti). The conditioned soul forgets that nature controls him and imagines himself controller. This single word names the actual locus of authority over the unconscious life.
The whole cosmic order is under Me. Under My will it is automatically manifested again and again, and under My will it is annihilated at the end.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
The cosmic emanation is not arbitrary: Kṛṣṇa 'leans on' His own prakṛti (avaṣṭabhya) to project the world. The beings themselves are avaśa — they do not project themselves; they ride out the cycle under the sway of guṇa-mayī prakṛti.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The juxtaposition is stark: the Lord acts (visṛjāmi), beings are acted upon (avaśam). Yet the cause of their compulsion is precisely the prakṛti He wields. This sets up Chapter 9's later insistence that the only release is conscious surrender — leaving the prakṛti circuit by leaning instead on the Lord. Cross-ref BG 3.5, 3.33, 7.14.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
स्वां प्रकृतिम् अवष्टभ्य प्रकृतेः वशात् अवशम् इमं कृत्स्नं भूत-ग्रामं (अहं) पुनः पुनः विसृजामि ।
svāṃ prakṛtim avaṣṭabhya prakṛteḥ vaśāt avaśam imaṃ kṛtsnaṃ bhūta-grāmaṃ (ahaṃ) punaḥ punaḥ visṛjāmi |
Taking firm hold of My own prakṛti, I send forth again and again this entire host of beings, which is helpless under the sway of prakṛti.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
प्रकृतिं स्वाम् अवष्टभ्य विसृजामि पुनः पुनः । भूत-ग्रामम् इमं कृत्स्नम् अवशं प्रकृतेः वशात् ॥
prakṛtiṃ svām avaṣṭabhya visṛjāmi punaḥ punaḥ | bhūta-grāmam imaṃ kṛtsnam avaśaṃ prakṛteḥ vaśāt ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
प्रकृतिम् prakṛtim प्रकृति (f.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) nature
स्वाम् svām स्व (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)f. own
अवष्टभ्य avaṣṭabhya अव+√स्तम्भ् abs. (absolutive) having taken firm hold
विसृजामि visṛjāmi वि+√सृज् pres. (present) 1sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) I send forth
पुनः पुनः punaḥ punaḥ ind. (indeclinable), repetitive again and again
भूत-ग्रामम् bhūta-grāmam भूत + ग्राम (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular), tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) host of beings
इमम् imam dem. (demonstrative) pron. (pronoun) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m. this
कृत्स्नम् kṛtsnam कृत्स्न (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m. entire
अवशम् avaśam अवश (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m., bahuvrīhi cpd. (will-less) helpless
प्रकृतेः prakṛteḥ प्रकृति (f.) gen.sg. (genitive singular) of nature
वशात् vaśāt वश (m.) abl.sg. (ablative singular) by the power
Purport

This material world is the manifestation of the inferior energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This has already been explained several times. At the creation, the material energy is let loose as the mahat-tattva, into which the Lord as His first puruṣa incarnation, Mahā-viṣṇu, enters. He lies within the Causal Ocean and breathes out innumerable universes, and into each universe the Lord again enters as Garbhodaka-śāyī Viṣṇu. Each universe is in that way created. He still further manifests Himself as Kṣīrodaka-śāyī Viṣṇu, and that Viṣṇu enters into everything – even into the minute atom. This fact is explained here. He enters into everything. Now, as far as the living entities are concerned, they are impregnated into this material nature, and as a result of their past deeds they take different positions. Thus the activities of this material world begin. The activities of the different species of living beings are begun from the very moment of the creation. It is not that all is evolved. The different species of life are created immediately along with the universe. Men, animals, beasts, birds – everything is simultaneously created, because whatever desires the living entities had at the last annihilation are again manifested. It is clearly indicated here by the word avaśam that the living entities have nothing to do with this process. The state of being in their past life in the past creation is simply manifested again, and all this is done simply by His will. This is the inconceivable potency of the Supreme Personality of God. And after creating different species of life, He has no connection with them. The creation takes place to accommodate the inclinations of the various living entities, and so the Lord does not become involved with it.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
8. Being situated in prakṛti, which belongs to Me, I create again and again all the entities who are all dependent, being under the control of their natures caused by their previous actions.
Commentary

“But how can You create if You are detached and are unchangeable by nature?” This verse answers. By being situated in My (svām) energy (prakṛtim), I again create all entities who are dependent on action and other factors (avaśam), since they are under control of their own natures (prakṛter vaśāt), which are caused by actions of previous lives.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
8. Being situated in prakṛti, which belongs to Me, I create again and again all the entities, according to their previous impressions, beyond their control, by My will. .
Commentary

Situated in My prakṛti made of the three guṇas, transforming prakṛti into mahat tattva and the other elements by My will alone, in different cycles of time I create the four types of living beings. [Note: The four types of beings are the devas, humans animals and plants.] How does this take place? It takes place by the power of impressions of previous karmas (prakṛteḥ vaśāt), beyond their power (avaśam), that is, by the will of the Lord, who has inconceivable śakti and detachment from all of that. Though I do this, I have no contact with prakṛti at all, nor do I feel exhaustion at all from doing it.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

Krsna shows again how He is detached. Everything happens automatically, but yet under His will (this is another contradiction). Krsna enters and empowers the material world to act independently. He is aloof and yet He is all‑knowing. And yet things work independently. He is omniscient, He is omnipotent, and yet the things happen automatically ‑ this is 'acintya bheda abheda sakti. If Krsna wasn't inconceivable, if He was finite ‑ then He would not be God. Next question is: "Krsna is performing so much work; He is creating, He is maintaining, and annihilating anything, but He is not bound. Why? The answer is:

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

COMMON THEME: Inconceivable potency” in terms of creation and destruction – Now Krishna after

explaining His role in maintenance, explains His relationships with creation and destruction

Under the will of the Supreme Lord, all the material manifestations are automatically created and annihilated again and again
Focus of Learning

(a) Krishna gives an analogy for yogam-aisvaram – Analogy: Sky and the wind

Sky is the biggest manifestation to conceive. In that sky, wind is the biggest to conceive
Wind is great and influences all the movements. But wind is never beyond sky, it is always subordinate to the sky
All wonderful cosmic manifestations (compared here to the movements of the wind) exist by the will of the Lord (Lord compared to sky) – Still the Lord is aloof and unaffected just like the sky is aloof and not affected by movements of wind

(b) Other examples of Lord’s supreme will as the Ultimate control over wonderful material

manifestations

e.g. Taittiriya Upanisad – Wind blowing under the will of Supreme Lord
e.g. Brahma Samhita 5.52 / Brhad Aranyaka Upanisad – Sun, moon and other planets moving under the Supreme order of the Lord

(a) “Yogam-aisvaram” – This term describes the inconceivable mystic opulences of the Lord i.e.

Everything that is created does not rest in Me. It implies:

Implies that although everything rests in Him as per 9.4, still “He is aloof” and not directly concerned with maintenance etc.
Not like ATLAS – tired of holding globe

(b) How “He is aloof” – Examples of “inconceivable opulences”

e.g. Planetary systems floating in space, and space is the energy of the Lord. But He is different from space
e.g. His potencies are exemplified by His determination – No difference between His mind and Himself, because He is Absolute Spirit. All activities are performed just by His willing.
Ref. Nirukti dictionary: ‘Yujyate...’ – Inconceivable pastimes are performed by His energy

(c) Refutes the argument: “Since God has expanded in everything, then everything we worship is

God”

Refutation: Krishna is everywhere, everything is in Him, but still He is aloof

LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 9.8 & 9.9 Although the Lord creates and annihilates but all this work cannot bind

Him. It implies that the Lord is not directly responsible for all good and evil done in this world.

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
9.8 Thus avastabhya, keeping under control; svam, My own; prakrtim, Prakrti, which is charcterized as nescience; visrjami, I project forth; punah, punah, again and again; the krtsnam, whole of; imam, this; existing bhuta-gramam, multitude of beings which are born of Prakrti; which, being under another's sub-jugation due to such defects [See under 8.19, introductory Commentary.-Tr.] as ignorance etc., are avasam, powerless, not independent; prakrteh vasat, under the influence of their own nature. 'In that case, You, who are the supreme God and who ordain this multitude of beings uneally, will become associated with virtue and vice as a result of that act?' In aswer the Lord says this"
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
9.8 Operating My Prakrti, with its wonderfully variegated potency, I develop it eightfold and send forth this fourfold aggregate of beings, gods, animals, men and inanimate things, time after time. All these entities are helpless, being under the sway of My Prakrti comprising the three Gunas which can cause delusion. If this is so, it may be urged, inealities of creation can be said to affect the Lord with cruelty, partiality etc. To this, the Lord answers:
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
9.8 Prakrtim etc. Taking hold of My own nature : By this much [of statement] it is explained that this host of Beings, though itself insentient, attains luminosity as it is linked to the Absolute nature of [Consciousness]
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
9.8 Animating My Nature, I again and again send forth all this multitude of beings, helpless by the force of the Nature.
Commentary

9.8 प्रकृतिम् Nature? स्वाम् My own? अवष्टभ्य having animated? विसृजामि (I) send forth? पुनः again? पुनः again? भूतग्रामम् multitude of beings? इमम् this? कृत्स्नम् all? अवशम् helpless? प्रकृतेः of Nature? वशात् by force.Commentary The Lord leans on? presses or embraces Nature. He invigorates and fertilises Nature which had gone to sleep at the end of the Mahakalpa or universal dissolution and projects again and again this whole multitude of beings. He gazes at each level and plane after plane comes into being.The term Prakriti denotes or indicates the five Kleshas or afflictions? viz.? Avidya (ignorance)? Asmita (egoism)? Raga (likes)? Dvesha (dislikes) and Abhinivesa (clinging to earthly life). (Cf.IV.6)

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
9.8 Keeping My own prakrti under control, I project forth again and again the whole of this multitude of beings which are powerless owing to the influence of (their own) nature.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
9.8 With the help of Nature, again and again I pour forth the whole multitude of beings, whether they will or no, for they are ruled by My Will.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 9.10 BG 7.4 BG 14.3 SB 3.26.10 SB 2.5.22 SB 3.5.23 CC Ādi 5.65 CC Madhya 20.269 CC Madhya 25.103 Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 4.10Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.2
Sciences essays referencing this verse
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Through My nature, I create the entire cosmic manifestation again and again — they are helplessly bound by nature's modes.
Practical Applications
  • Recognize that the world's rhythms are not random; Kṛṣṇa's nature operates them.
  • Stop fighting the rhythms; align with them.
  • Don't blame the world for being subject to nature's modes.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I fighting nature's rhythm uselessly?
  • What alignment would free energy?
Analogy

A potter sits at his wheel; the clay is his, the wheel is his, the spin is his. Pots rise and fall under his hands, again and again. The clay has no say in being a pot, in being broken, in being repotted — it is avaśa, helpless under prakṛti. But the potter is never the pot; He is what holds the wheel.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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