prakṛtiḥ
That which is available for and capable of creation; Nature consisting of the three guṇas; the natural condition or state of anything; origin; source. In Sāṅkhya philosophy active nature as distinguished from puruṣaḥ, the passive spirit or soul.
In Vedanta
In Advaita Vedānta, prakṛti is understood as māyā or the causal matter of the universe, not as an independent reality alongside Brahman (as in Sāṅkhya). Prakṛti, composed of the three guṇas, is the material cause (upādāna-kāraṇam) of the universe — but it is not separate from Brahman. It is Brahman's own power of manifestation, which is mithyā.