Prakṛti in the Śāntiparva

The manifest and unmanifest constitute the well-known twenty four elements. This occurs when the five senses, the three qualities of tamas sattva and rajas which accounts for seventeen which in turn is unmanifest. This unmanifest combines with the manifest which includes the five objects of five senses along with consciousness and understanding. Thus it accounts for twenty four. The three qualities are bestowed upon Prakṛti which engages itself in the process of creation. The kṣetrajña which has true attributes is subject to difference.^[1] Puruṣa is capable and as also has the ability of acquiring knowledge whereas the unmanifest does not have this ability. The feeling or the thought ‘I’ stands out and the soul is conscious of it. Nature has three qualities mentioned earlier and they are all part and parcel of the Universe. Again to clarify this, it can be said that Nature has to limit the principles to eight as the rest are subjected to change, which counts sixteen. Manifest has seven to its credit. The above said or mentioned things are the views of those who are authorities on spiritual sciences.^[2] The question then arises as to what is nature. The answer is that Nature is a composition or rather combination of the unmanifest greatness consciousness the five subtle elements of Earth, wind, ether water and light.^[3] The things which can be categorized as changes are the ear, the skin, the eye, the tongue, the nose, sound, touch, form, taste, scent, speech, two arms, two feet, the lower duct and the organ of pleasure and Viśeṣa is that which has with it. On the other hand Saviśeṣa is the five senses of knowledge. The Mind is considered as the sixteenth by those who dwells in spiritual science.^[4]

Vidyā is supposed to be above nature, which is the twenty fifth. Now the unmanifest can be explained as the object of the knowledge which is related to all knowledge. There is another version which accepts that knowledge is the unmanifest and the object of knowledge is that which is above four and twenty. Yet another thought is that knowledge is unmanifest and the knower of the knowledge is above the four and twenty. Nature gets the power to create and destroy only when combined with Puruṣa because she is inanimate and unintelligent. The similarities of Nature and soul are that both are without beginning or end without form and without deterioration. With being one with the soul, nature gets the energy to become animate and intelligent as opposite to her original nature. She is unmanifest. She, with the union of the soul does not remain in her own original form of destructibility.^[5] This Supreme Being is the cause of the origin of the unmanifest, foremost of the twice born ones, laden with the three qualities of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Nature is unmanifest in reality but is called Indestructible and dwells in all manifest forms. Nature and soul are considered supreme. The learned opine that both can be called principles. The unmanifest can be called indestructible on the basis of its power of creation and destruction attributes. This unmanifest is repeatedly modified for the purpose of creating the principles. The Puruṣa is called kṣetra. The Puruṣa is the cause of producing the greatness and the Puruṣa and the unmanifest depend on each other. This makes the Puruṣa the twenty fifth or kṣetra. Both are called eternal and indestructible and greater than the greatest. Besides these similarities there are dissimilarities also. Even though there is a similarity, the Highest Deity, gifted with six attributes, is the root based on this the supreme soul takes up the process of creation of receiving the energy from the root, to create the existent things.^[6]

Nature stands aloof when the principles merge into its creator. This Nature loses all its attributes due to dissociation from all the principles because the soul too mingles with the supreme. Nature is deserted from soul, then the Nature is subjected to destruction and leads to the loss of principles. The soul when acquires knowledge, becomes the loser of qualities. The primeval darkness leads to the origin of Brahma and develops into the idea of Universe to form the Puruṣa. This Puruṣa is called Aniruddha or Pradhāna. Aniruddha or Pradhāna is deprived of sex.^[7] Even though it is free from all sorts of error it is devoted to the three qualities of Nature. This makes it endued with attributes. Nature plays an important role in the origin of intermediate beings of humanity and of the Gods. Nature which can be proved by acts is deprived off all qualities.