Karika 03

मूलप्रकृतिरविकृतिर्महदाद्याः प्रकृतिविकृतयः सप्त। षोडशकस्तु विकारो न प्रकृतिर्न विकृतिः पुरुषः ॥३॥

mūlaprakr̥tiravikr̥tirmahadādyāḥ prakr̥tivikr̥tayaḥ sapta। ṣoḍaśakastu vikāro na prakr̥tirna vikr̥tiḥ puruṣaḥ ॥3॥

[mūla = the root / original; prakr̥tiḥ = prakruti / environment; avikr̥tiḥ = is non-defective; mahat = mahat; ādyāḥ = and other are formed; prakr̥ti = from prakriti; vikr̥tayaḥ = through transformation; sapta = are seven; ṣoḍaśakaḥ = sixteen are; tu = only; vikāraḥ = their defective transformations; na prakr̥tiḥ = not to prakruthi; na vikr̥tiḥ = no transformation; puruṣaḥ = to purusha as well;]

The original material universe, the prakruti, the root, is non-defective. ‘Mahat’ and others, seven in total, are its natural deformations (vikruti). Their further defective transformations (vikara) are sixteen. There is no defective transformation to the being, the purusha, and is different from material universe.

The manifest material universe is called prakruti. Original prakruti in the unmanifest form, the root, is called - pradhAna. Living being is called the purusha. All manifested forms of the pradhAna are deformities, while the purusha, the being, is non-deformative and different from material universe. How pradhAna manifests into prakruti at various stages is explained. The 7 principles indicated are mahat, ahankara (ego), and 5 tanmatras (sensations). Refer to verse 22 for further clarity.