kārya-kāraṇa-kartṛitve hetuḥ prakṛitir uchyate
puruṣhaḥ sukha-duḥkhānāṁ bhoktṛitve hetur uchyate
kārya — effect;
kāraṇa — cause;
kartṛitve — in the matter of creation;
hetuḥ — the medium;
prakṛitiḥ — the material energy;
uchyate — is said to be;
puruṣhaḥ — the individual soul;
sukha-duḥkhānām — of happiness and distress;
bhoktṛitve — in experiencing;
hetuḥ — is responsible;
uchyate — is said to be
In this verse, we learn about how our bodies and experiences connect to nature. It says that nature creates all the forms of life. There are millions of different kinds of living beings, each made by nature. The different bodies that living things have—like animals, plants, and humans—are all results of material nature.
Now, why do we have these different bodies? It’s because the living soul, or the individual entity inside these bodies, has desires. These desires lead the person to seek out different pleasures or experiences. For example, if someone has a strong desire for freedom and outdoor activities, they might choose a body that allows for adventure. If someone is drawn to a life in the water, they might take a form that suits that environment.
By being in different bodies, people experience different kinds of happiness and sadness. Imagine you have a job that you love; you feel happy and fulfilled. But if you were in a situation you didn't enjoy, maybe working in a job you don’t like, you would feel stressed or sad. The happiness and sadness you feel are tied to the life you are living through your body and not to your true self—the soul knows happiness in its essence, but that gets lost when we are caught up in material life.
The verse points out that the strong desire to control and enjoy material life leads the soul into the material world. In this world, we strive to gather things that bring us joy and comfort, like a new car or a beautiful home. However, the spirit world, or the spiritual realm, is different; it’s pure and does not involve competition or the need to possess things.
Here’s a simple way to think about it: let’s say you are playing a game. The tools you use in the game—the pieces, the board—represent your body and senses. Just as your performance in the game depends on how you play, your experiences in life depend on your body and the desires you fulfill or don’t fulfill. If you are born as a human, you can make different choices than if you were born as a dog or a pig; your body limits your experiences, like the rules of the game limit what you can do.
Looking at those different bodies: for example, if someone is born as a dog, they will live a dog's life and will need to act like a dog to survive. They cannot do human things like talking or reasoning the same way. This is true for all creatures; they all have specific roles based on their body.
However, there’s someone else who is always with us, regardless of what body we have: the Supersoul, or the divine presence. This Supersoul stays with every individual soul and is there to guide us. This relationship is described in a saying that points out how the Supreme Lord and the individual soul are like two birds sitting on the same branch; one is always watching the other.
So even in our different lives—filled with ups and downs—the Supersoul cares for us and accompanies us. The Vedas, which are sacred texts, highlight this connection beautifully. Thus, while material nature shapes our experiences, it is ultimately our desires that lead us to our particular places and the kind of lives we lead.