BG 13.21
पुरुषः प्रकृतिस्थो हि भुङ्क्ते प्रकृतिजान्गुणान् ।
कारणं गुणसङ्गोऽस्य सदसद्योनिजन्मसु ॥
कारणं गुणसङ्गोऽस्य सदसद्योनिजन्मसु ॥
puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān
kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo ’sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu
kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo ’sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu
Word-for-word meanings
prakṛti-sthaḥ hi — being situated in matter [i.e., in the body]; puruṣaḥ — the living being; bhuṅkte — experiences; guṇān — the objects; prakṛti-jān — born of material nature; guṇa-saṅgaḥ — attachment to material objects [i.e., the products of the guṇas]; kāraṇam — [is] the cause; asya — of its; janmasu — births; sat-asat-yoni — in higher or lower species.
Translation
Being situated in matter [the body], the living being (puruṣa) experiences the objects (guṇas) born of material nature. Attachment to material objects [the by-products of the guṇas] is the cause of its birth in higher or lower species.