Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7, Verse 13 (BG 7.13) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

7.13 त्रिभिः by three? गुणमयैः composed of Gunas? भावैः by natures? एभिः by these? सर्वम् all? इदम् this? जगत् world? मोहितम् deluded? न not? अभिजानाति knows? माम् Me? एभ्यः from them? परम् higher? अव्ययम् immutable.Commentary Persons of this world are deluded by the three alities of Nature or Maya. Affection? attachment and infatuated love are all modifications of these alities. On account of delusion created by these three alities they are not able to break the worldly ties and to turn the mind towards the Supreme Soul? the Lord of the three alities.Avyayam Immutable or unchangeable or inexhaustible or imperishable. The Self is of one homogeneous essence. It has not got the six changes or modifications (Shad Bhava Vikaras) which the body has? viz.? existence? birth? growth? modification? decay and death. (Cf.VII.25)

The question arises: if there exists a supreme, immutable reality beyond the three gunas, why does the ordinary human being fail to know it? Even if complete realization may not come easily, at the very least one should not harbor doubt regarding its existence. The answer to this is given in this verse. Due to the modifications born of the three gunas—attachment, aversion, and such disturbances—the human being, forgetting their divine nature, identifies themselves with the limiting conditions of body and mind, and lives a life devoted solely to the enjoyment of sensory objects. It is natural that, owing to this attachment, their attention does not even turn toward their true nature. Consider this: when a pillar appears to be haunted by a ghost, that pillar becomes completely obscured by that illusion. It is a fact that as long as this illusion persists, not even an inch of the pillar is visible to the deluded person. Similarly, due to identification with the limiting conditions born of maya, the atman, as it were, takes on the nature of the individual soul. This jiva, engaged and attached in the external world, finds itself incapable of recognizing its own pure nature. This strange and mysterious game of hide-and-seek that the self plays with itself continues to generate endless suffering and mental agitation for itself and for the world. In the next verse, a description of the defining nature of this veiling power is presented.