{{Short description|Nature in Hinduism}} {{Italic title}} '''Prakriti''' ({{langx|sa|प्रकृति}} {{IAST3|Prakṛti}}) is "the original or natural form or condition of anything, original or primary substance".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Monier-Williams|first=Monier|title=A Sanskrit-English dictionary: with special reference to cognate Indo-European languages|date=1899|publisher=Oxford|location=Ocford, England|language=English|oclc=704040338}}</ref> It is a key concept in Hinduism, formulated by the ''Samkhya'' school, where it does not refer merely to matter or nature, but includes all cognitive, moral, psychological, emotional, sensorial and physical aspects of reality.<ref name=Lusthaus/> ''Prakriti'' has three different innate qualities (''guṇas''), whose equilibrium is the basis of all empirical reality, which is in the form of the pancha bhutas (five basic elements) – Akasha, Vayu, Agni, Jala, and Prithvi.<ref name=lochtefeldprakriti/><ref>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/prakriti Prakriti: Indian philosophy], Encyclopædia Britannica</ref> ''Prakriti'' contrasts with ''Puruṣa'', which is pure awareness and metaphysical consciousness.<ref name=lochtefeldprakriti>James G. Lochtefeld (2001), The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M, Rosen Publishing, {{ISBN|978-0823931798}}, Pages 224, 265, 520</ref> The term is also found in the texts of other Indian religions such as Jainism<ref>{{cite book|author=J Jaini|title=Outlines Of Jainism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=54A9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA32 |year=1940|publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=32–33|id=GGKEY:B0FNE81JRLY}}</ref> and Buddhism.<ref>{{cite book|author=Paul Williams|title=Buddhism: Yogācāra, the epistemological tradition and Tathāgatagarbha|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eEpzDpRJBQ0C&pg=PA20 |year=2005|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-33231-6|pages=20 }}</ref>
==Etymology and meaning== ''Prakriti'' (Sanskrit: प्रकृति) is an early Indic concept meaning "making or placing before or at first, the original or natural form or condition of anything, original or primary substance".<ref name=mmwprakriti>Monier Monier-Williams (1899), Monier William's Sanskrit-English Dictionary, 2nd Ed., Oxford University Press, [http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/ebooks/mw/0600/mw__0687.html Prakriti प्रकृति], page 654</ref> The term is discussed by Yāska (~600 BCE) in ''Nirukta'', and is found in numerous Hindu texts.<ref name=mmwprakriti/> It connotes "nature, body, matter, phenomenal universe" in Hindu texts.<ref name="Taylor2008p1300"/><ref name="JonesRyan2006p332">{{cite book|author1=Constance Jones|author2=James D. Ryan|title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OgMmceadQ3gC&pg=PA332|year=2006|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-0-8160-7564-5|pages=332–333}}</ref>
According to Dan Lusthaus, {{blockquote|In Sāṃkhya puruṣa signifies the observer, the 'witness'. Prakṛti includes all the cognitive, moral, psychological, emotional, sensorial and physical aspects of reality. It is often mistranslated as 'matter' or 'nature' – in non-Sāṃkhyan usage it does mean 'essential nature' – but that distracts from the heavy Sāṃkhyan stress on prakṛti's cognitive, mental, psychological and sensorial activities. Moreover, subtle and gross matter are its most derivative byproducts, not its core. Only prakṛti acts.<ref name=Lusthaus>Dan Lusthaus, [http://www.acmuller.net/yogacara/schools/samkhya.html Samkhya]</ref>}}
== ''Pancha Prakriti'' == In Indian languages derived from Sanskrit roots, ''Prakriti'' refers to the feminine aspect of all life forms. A woman can be seen as a symbol of ''Prakriti''.<ref name="Taylor2008p1300">{{cite book|author=Knut A. Jacobsen|editor=Bron Taylor|title=Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i4mvAwAAQBAJ |year=2008|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1-4411-2278-0 |pages=1299–1300 }}</ref>
According to Sanskrit scriptures, Brahma Vaivarta Purana, five Hindu goddesses are considered as the complete feminine personification of ''Prakriti'' – Saraswati, Lakshmi, Parvati, Gayatri and Radha. Together these five goddesses are worshiped as ''Pancha Prakriti''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Smith |first=John D. |date=1988 |title=Ludo Rocher: The Purā as. (A History of Indian Literature. Vol. ii, fasc. 3.) [vii], 282 pp. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1986. DM 120. |url=https://www.academia.edu/26399308 |journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=355 |doi=10.1017/S0041977X00114958 |s2cid=161845090 |issn=0041-977X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Chaturvedi |first=B. K. |title=Brahmavaivarta Purana |date=1900 |publisher=Diamond Pocket Books Pvt Ltd |isbn=978-93-5296-763-6 |language=en |chapter=Prakriti Khanda}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Dalal |first=Roshen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC&q=Radha |title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide |date=2010 |publisher=Penguin Books India |isbn=978-0-14-341421-6 |pages=312 |language=en}}</ref>
==Samkhya== thumb|Elements in Samkhya philosophy In Samkhya philosophy, the term ''prakriti'' is used in three distinct ways. Prakriti sometimes refers specifically to Mula-Prakriti (root-nature), also known as the unmanifest (''avyakta'') or the principal (''pradhana''), which is the fundamental, uncaused source of the material world. When paired with vikriti (modification), prakriti signifies "source", Mula-Prakriti is only ''prakriti'', while the intellect, ego, and five sense qualities are both prakriti and vikriti, forming the eight prakritis. Prakriti can also refer to the entire twenty-four tattvas (elements), encompassing both unmanifest and manifest.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sankhya {{!}} Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy |url=https://iep.utm.edu/sankhya/ |access-date=2025-06-05 |language=en-US}}</ref>
''Samkhya'' texts contrast ''Prakriti'' with ''Purusha'' (spirit, consciousness) where ''Prakriti'' refers to "the material world, nature, matter, physical and psychological character, constitution, temper, disposition". According to Knut Jacobsen, in the dualistic system of the Samkhya school, "''Purusha'' is the principle of pure consciousness, while ''Prakriti'' is the principle of matter", where ''Purusha'' is the conscious witness in every living being, while ''Prakriti'' is the manifest world.
Both the Bhagavad Gita and the Samkhya school of philosophy posit that ''prakṛti'' is composed of the three ''guṇas'': ''sattva'' (preservation), ''rajas'' (creation), and ''tamas'' (destruction). ''Sattva'' encompasses qualities of goodness, light, and harmony.<ref name=":0" /> ''Rajas'' is associated with concepts of energy, activity, and passion; so that, depending on how it is used, it can either have a supportive or hindering effect on the evolution of the soul.<ref name=":0">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a-Oh_-rK5SQC&dq=prakriti&pg=PA221 |page=221|title=The Bhagavad Gita|isbn=9781586380236|last1=Easwaran|first1=Eknath|year=2007|publisher=Nilgiri Press }}</ref> ''Tamas'' is commonly associated with inertia, darkness, insensitivity. Souls who are more Tamasic are considered imbued in darkness and take the longest to reach liberation.<ref>The Concise Yoga Vāsiṣṭha, Swami Venkatesananda, 1984, p.94</ref>
In Samkhya, ''prakriti'', comprising the three ''gunas'', exists in equilibrium before the cosmos manifests, neutralizing each other's properties. Samkhya argues that the complex and purposeful nature of the world suggests that it exists for the sake of something else, particularly the conscious souls. This view suggests that ''prakriti'', though unconscious, serves to aid the liberation of the soul, similar to how milk nourishes a calf.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bartley |first=C. J. |title=An introduction to Indian philosophy |date=2011 |publisher=Continuum |isbn=978-1-84706-448-6 |location=London; New York |pages=83–84}}</ref>
== Yoga Sutras == In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, ''prakriti'' is described as encompassing the entire cosmos including its physical aspects. It is characterized by the three ''gunas'' - sattva, rajas, and tamas. However, the emphasis within the text primarily is on the psychological manifestations of these guṇas. ''Sattva'', the purest ''guna'', is associated with qualities like lucidity, tranquility, wisdom, discrimination, detachment, happiness, and peacefulness when expressed in the mind (citta). Rajas is characterized by traits like hankering, power, and various forms of movement and creative activity. Tamas is marked by qualities such as ignorance, delusion, lethargy, and disinclination toward constructive activity. These psychological attributes reveal the nature of the ''gunas'' in Yoga.{{Sfn|Bryant|2009|p=17-18}}
== Bhagavad Gita == The Bhagavad Gita emphasizes the role of ''prakriti'' as the material energy of the universe, created and controlled by God (Krishna), and its distinction from ''purusha'' in different verses.{{sfn|Sutton|2016|pp=70, 114, 201}} In Chapter 4 verse 6, Krishna describes ''prakriti'' as His own power, through which He manifests in the world.{{sfn|Sutton|2016|p=70}} In Chapter 7 verse 4 and 5, Krishna mentions two types of ''prakriti'':
{{Blockquote|text=Earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect, and the sense of ego comprise the eight component parts of my energy known as ''prakriti''. This is the inferior ''prakriti'', but you should also know about my higher ''prakriti'', which is distinct from it. This is the element of life, O mighty one, the ''jiva bhuta'', by means of which this world is held in place.|title=Bhagavad Gita|source=Chapter 7, verse 4-5{{sfn|Sutton|2016|p=114}}}}In Chapter 13 verses 19–23, Krishna discusses the eternal nature of both ''prakriti'' and ''purusha,'' as well as their distinction. {{Blockquote|text=You should understand that both ''prakriti'' (matter) and ''purusha'' (spirit) have no beginning. You should also know that all transformations and the ''gunas'' have their origin in ''prakriti''.|title=Bhagavad Gita|source=Chapter 13, verse 19{{sfn|Sutton|2016|p=201}}}}It is described in ''Bhagavad Gita'' as the "primal motive force".<ref name="Johnston2014p159">{{cite book |author=Charles Johnston |title=The Bhagavad Gita: Songs of the Master |pages=159 footnote 36}}</ref> It is the essential constituent of the universe and is at the basis of all the activity of the creation.<ref>Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on the Bhagavad-Gita, a New Translation and Commentary, Chapter 1-6. Penguin Books, 1969, p. 220</ref>
== Vedanta == In Vishishtadvaita Vedanta, a sub-school of Indian philosophy, ''Prakṛti'' is one of the six substances ''(dravya)''. The ''guṇas'' (qualities) are the attributes of primordial Nature (''Prakṛti''), and not its constituents, unlike ''Sāṅkhya''.{{sfn|Grimes|1996|p=236}} These qualities are inseparable from ''Prakṛti'', but not identical with it and inextricably related to Ishvara. ''Prakṛti'' in Vishishtadvaita Vedanta is limited above by the eternal manifestation (''nityavibhuti'') whereas it's infinite in ''Sāṅkhya''.{{sfn|Grimes|1996|p=236-237}}
According to Dvaita Vedanta, ''Prakṛti'' is the material cause (Satkaryavada) of the world.{{sfn|Grimes|1996|p=236}}
Prakriti is closely associated with the concept of ''Maya'' within Hindu texts more broadly.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rAorcEA7j4QC&dq=Prakriti++maia&pg=PA40 |title=Preceptos de Perfección |date=1987 |publisher=Editorial Kier |isbn=9789501701463 |page=40}}</ref>
== Jainism == In Jainism the term "''Prakriti''" is used in its theory of Karma, and is considered "that form of matter which covers the perfections of the soul (jiva) and prevents its liberation".<ref>{{cite book |author=Knut A. Jacobsen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a-zsAAAAIAAJ |title=Prakr̥ti in Samkhya-yoga: Material Principle, Religious Experience, Ethical Implications |publisher=Peter Lang |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-8204-3465-0 |pages=151–162}}</ref>
==See also== * {{annotated link|Purusha}} * {{annotated link|Akasha}} * {{annotated link|Dvaita Vedanta}} * {{annotated link|Shakti}} * {{annotated link|Ammavaru}}
==References==
=== Citations === {{reflist|2}}
=== Works cited === * {{cite book |last=Bryant |first=Edwin F. |title=The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali: A New Edition, Translation and Commentary |edition= |publisher=North Point Press |location=New York |year=2009 |isbn=978-0865477360}} * {{cite book|first=John A.|last=Grimes|title=A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English|publisher=State University of New York Press|year=1996|isbn= 0791430677}} * {{Cite book |last=Sutton |first=Nicholas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eNzUnQAACAAJ |title=Bhagavad-Gita |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies |isbn=978-1-366-61059-1|language=en}}
==External links== {{Wikiquote}} *[https://yinyoga.com/yinsights/purusha-prakriti/ Prakriti in Samkhya Philosophy] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070224194200/http://bhagavadgitaasitis.com/13/1-2/en1 Bhagavad Gita 13.1-2] (bhagavadgitaasitis.com)
{{Indian philosophy}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prakrti}} Category:Hindu philosophical concepts Category:Mahayana Buddhist philosophical concepts Category:Yogachara