Right understanding breaks false identification.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
य एवं वेत्ति पुरुषं प्रकृतिं च गुणैः सह |सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि न स भूयोऽभिजायते ||१३-२४||
ya evaṃ vetti puruṣaṃ prakṛtiṃ ca guṇaiḥ saha . sarvathā vartamāno.api na sa bhūyo.abhijāyate ||13-24||
Use this verse to turn self-study into liberation.
Meaning
One who truly knows purusha, prakriti, and the gunas, whatever his way of living, is not born again.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Understanding purusha, prakriti, and gunas leads toward liberation.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
This knowledge frees because it breaks false identification. When the seeker understands nature, consciousness, and the gunas, bondage begins to loosen.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna states the fruit of all this analysis with striking confidence. Whoever truly understands the relationship of spirit and nature — that the gunas belong to prakriti while the purusha remains the free witness — is not born again. The chain of compelled rebirth, driven by ignorant attachment, is broken at its root.
The most liberating phrase is 'in whatever condition he may be' (sarvatha vartamano 'pi). Liberation is not reserved for those who flee to forests or perform extraordinary austerities. One who has this clear knowledge is free even while engaged in the ordinary circumstances of life, whatever they may be.
The decisive transformation is inward, a change in understanding and identity, not necessarily in external situation. This is deeply democratic and encouraging: the householder, the worker, the person amid worldly duties can attain the highest freedom, because what frees us is right seeing, available here and now in any condition.
In daily life
Study your patterns to become free from them.
A person who understands anger as a pattern can respond more wisely instead of becoming anger.
Try this today
Observe one recurring pattern without self-judgment.
Understanding brings me closer to freedom.Reflect
What pattern can I understand more clearly to become freer?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘सर्वथा वर्तमानः अपि’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on rebirth, in other chapters
- Verse 8.15Worldly life, for all its pleasures, is fleeting and tinged with sorrow; the soul's true freedom lies beyond the wheel of rebirth.
- Verse 18.12Clinging to results binds you to their consequences; releasing them sets you free.
- Verse 4.41Selfless action joined with clear knowledge frees the self-possessed soul — deeds no longer bind one anchored in the Self.
- Verse 5.17When mind, heart, and aspiration all converge on the Supreme, knowledge burns away every impurity and you are truly free.
Swipe left for 13.25 · Different paths can lead to realization.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 13.24
Who says Bhagavad Gita 13.24, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 13.24, in Chapter 13, Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga (Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 13.24 mean?
One who truly knows purusha, prakriti, and the gunas, whatever his way of living, is not born again. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 13.24 for daily life?
Study your patterns to become free from them. A person who understands anger as a pattern can respond more wisely instead of becoming anger.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 13.24 mean?
यः एवम् वेत्ति — he who thus knows; पुरुषम् प्रकृतिम् च — the Spirit and Nature; गुणैः सह — together with the qualities; सर्वथा वर्तमानः अपि — in whatever condition he may exist; न सः भूयः अभिजायते — he is not born again.
Where does verse 13.24 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 24 of 35 in Chapter 13, Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga. The next verse is 13.25.