Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4, Verse 6

Chapter 4 – Jnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

अजोऽपि सन्नव्ययात्मा भूतानामीश्वरोऽपि सन् ।
प्रकृतिं स्वामधिष्ठाय सम्भवाम्यात्ममायया ॥

Transliteration

ajo.api sannavyayātmā bhūtānāmīśvaro.api san .
prakṛtiṃ svāmadhiṣṭhāya sambhavāmyātmamāyayā ॥

Meaning

Though I am unborn and of imperishable nature, and though I am the Lord of all beings, yet, governing My own Nature, I come into being through My own power (maya).

Word meanings

अजः – unborn
अपि – though, even
सन् – being
अव्ययात्मा – of imperishable nature
भूतानाम् – of all beings
ईश्वरः – the Lord, ruler
अपि सन् – though being
प्रकृतिम् – Nature (prakriti)
स्वाम् – My own
अधिष्ठाय – governing, keeping under control
सम्भवामि – I come into being, I manifest
आत्ममायया – by My own power, My own maya

Anvaya (word order)

अजः अव्ययात्मा सन् अपि, भूतानाम् ईश्वरः सन् अपि, (अहं) स्वां प्रकृतिम् अधिष्ठाय आत्ममायया सम्भवामि ।

Explanation

This verse lays the philosophical foundation of the doctrine of the avatara. It contains a striking paradox: the One who is ‘aja’, unborn, says ‘I am born’. The One who is ‘avyayatma’, never diminishing, and the ‘Ishvara’ of all beings, nevertheless takes a body. The second half of the verse resolves the paradox.

‘Prakritim svam adhishthaya’ — governing My own Nature. An ordinary soul is born under the sway of prakriti; its karma and its gunas bind it to a body. The Lord is born as the master of prakriti; Nature does not bind Him, He wields it. For the soul, birth is bondage; for the Lord, manifestation is lila, divine play.

‘Atma-mayaya’ — by My own maya. Here the acharyas differ in a subtle way. For Shankara, the Lord, through His power of maya made of the three gunas, appears as if embodied; in truth He remains unborn, and the birth is seen through His maya. Ramanuja takes ‘maya’ to mean the Lord's own will and knowledge; for him, the Lord manifests His divine, non-material form by His own resolve, and that form is itself transcendent. Madhva likewise holds the Lord's form to be perfect, of pure consciousness, and beyond prakriti.

All traditions agree on the essential point: the Lord's birth is not like ours. He does not come compelled by karma but freely, out of His own will and compassion, and in taking birth He loses nothing of His divinity. The verses that follow make this clearer by revealing the purpose of His coming.

Context

In 4.5 Krishna said He too has had many births. Here He clarifies the nature of that birth — remaining unborn, He manifests by His own power. In the next verse (4.7) He reveals when He so manifests.

Life lesson

One who is master of nature can live in the world without being bound by it. The more we gain mastery over our own temperament and senses, the more we become masters, rather than slaves, of our circumstances.

Key terms

Aja: unborn; one who has no real birth
Prakriti: Nature, the power of the three gunas from which the world arises
Atma-maya: the Lord's own power or divine will
Avatara: the Lord's voluntary descent into the world