पुरुषः प्रकृतिस्थो हि भुङ्क्ते प्रकृतिजान्गुणान् ।कारणं गुणसङ्गोऽस्य सदसद्योनिजन्मसु ॥
puruṣaḥ prakṛtistho hi bhuṅkte prakṛtijānguṇān |kāraṇaṃ guṇasaṅgo'sya sadasadyonijanmasu ||
The purusha, dwelling in prakriti, experiences the gunas born of prakriti. Its attachment to the gunas is the cause of its births in good and evil wombs.
Explanation
Krishna continues explaining the field and its knower. The individual self (puruṣa) is situated in nature (prakṛti) and so experiences the three qualities (guṇas: sattva, rajas, tamas) that arise from it. Attachment (saṅga) to these qualities is what leads to rebirth in higher or lower forms of life. Traditions differ on whether this puruṣa is the individual soul distinct from God or ultimately one with the Supreme, but all read the verse as naming attachment as the cause of bondage.