Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c8.2442

c8.2442

PRAKṚTI; PURUṢA. Prakṛti (matter) and Puruṣa (spirit) are two basic factors essential for production of the Prapañca (the visible world which is the scene of manifold action) as man and woman are for the production of progeny. From Puruṣa (male), Prakṛti (female) originated and then they together created the Prapañca. The Vedas and Purāṇas make statements everywhere regarding Prakṛti and Puruṣa and three of the most important ones are given below :
1) ‘Pra’ means ‘principal’ and ‘Kṛti’ means ‘creation’. Therefore the word is meant to convey the meaning ‘one that is the principal factor for creation’, ‘Pra’ means ‘sāttvic’, ‘Kṛ’ means ‘rājasic’ and ‘ta’ means ‘tāmasic’ and the word ‘Prakṛti’ thus conveys the power of the three guṇas’. ‘Pra’ means ‘before’ and ‘Kṛti’ means creation and so Prakṛti means that which existed before creation.