CHAPTER 13

Verse 1

arjuna uvāca
prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva
kṣetraṁ kṣetra-jñam eva ca
etad veditum icchāmi
jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ ca keśava

Arjuna said: O Keçava, I would like to understand nature (prakåti), the enjoyer (puruña), the field (kñetra), the knower of the field (kñetra-jïa), knowledge (jïäna) and the object of knowledge (jïeya).

Verse 2

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
idaṁ śarīraṁ kaunteya
kṣetram ity abhidhīyate
etad yo vetti taṁ prāhuḥ
kṣetra-jña iti tad-vidaḥ

Çré Bhagavän said: O son of Kunté, those conversant with knowledge regarding kñetra and kñetra-jïa describe this body as a field (kñetra) and one who knows this body to be the knower of the field (kñetra-jïa).

Verse 3

kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi
sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata
kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānaṁ
yat taj jñānaṁ mataṁ mama

O Bhärata, understand that I alone am the knower within the bodies of all living beings. This knowledge – of the body as the field and of the living entity and the Supersoul as the knowers of the field – is actual knowledge. This is My opinion.

Verse 4

tat kṣetraṁ yac ca yādṛk ca
yad-vikāri yataś ca yat
sa ca yo yat-prabhāvaś ca
tat samāsena me śṛṇu

Hear from Me a brief description of that field, its characteristics and transformations, why and from whom it has come into existence, and the svarüpa (nature) and influence of the knower of that field.

Verse 5

ṛṣibhir bahudhā gītaṁ
chandobhir vividhaiḥ pṛthak
brahma-sūtra-padaiś caiva
hetumadbhir viniścitaiḥ

The truth of the field and the knower of the field have been explained concisely in many ways by saintly persons in numerous Vedic literatures, and it is described with perfect logic and definitive conclusions in the verses of Vedänta-sütra.

Verse 6 – 7

mahā-bhūtāny ahaṅkāro
buddhir avyaktam eva ca
indriyāṇi daśaikaṁ ca
pañca cendriya-gocarāḥ

icchā dveṣaḥ sukhaṁ duḥkhaṁ
saṅghātaś cetanā dhṛtiḥ
etat kṣetraṁ samāsena
sa-vikāram udāhṛtam

The five material elements, the false ego, the intelligence, the unmanifest material nature, the eleven senses, the five sense objects such as sound and form, desire, hatred, happiness, misery, the body, knowledge and patience comprise a brief description of the field, along with its transformations.

Verse 8 – 12

amānitvam adambhitvam
ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam
ācāryopāsanaṁ śaucaṁ
sthairyam ātma-vinigrahaḥ

indriyārtheṣu vairāgyam
anahaṅkāra eva ca
janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-
duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam

asaktir anabhiṣvaṅgaḥ
putra-dāra-gṛhādiṣu
nityaṁ ca sama-cittatvam
iṣṭāniṣṭopapattiṣu

mayi cānanya-yogena
bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī
vivikta-deśa-sevitvam
aratir jana-saṁsadi

adhyātma-jñāna-nityatvaṁ
tattva-jñānārtha-darśanam
etaj jñānam iti proktam
ajñānaṁ yad ato ’nyathā

Devoid of a desire for honour; freedom from pride; possessing the qualities of non-violence; forbearance; simplicity; service to a qualified guru; both internal and external purity; steadiness of mind; control of the body and senses; detachment from sense objects such as sound and touch; absence of false ego; constantly perceiving the misery of birth, death, old age and disease; renouncing attachment to wife, children, home etc.; not being absorbed in the happiness and misery of others; equanimity in attaining either desirable or undesirable circumstances; one-pointed, steadfast and unswerving bhakti to Me; a liking for solitude; a distaste for the association of materialistic people; and constant deliberation on knowledge of the self and on the purpose of tattva-jïäna, that is, liberation – I consider all these to be knowledge. Everything else is ignorance.

Verse 13

jñeyaṁ yat tat pravakṣyāmi
yaj jñātvāmṛtam aśnute
anādi mat-paraṁ brahma
na sat tan nāsad ucyate

Now I shall fully explain to you that which is worthy to be known. Upon understanding it, one attains liberation. The beginningless brahma is dependent on My personal form and is said to lie beyond all cause and effect.

Verse 14

sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādaṁ tat
sarvato ’kṣi-śiro-mukham
sarvataḥ śrutimal loke
sarvam āvṛtya tiṣṭhati

His hands and feet are everywhere. His eyes, heads and faces pervade all directions, and He hears everything. Situated thus, brahma pervades the entire universe.

Verse 15

sarvendriya-guṇābhāsaṁ
sarvendriya-vivarjitam
asaktaṁ sarva-bhṛc caiva
nirguṇaṁ guṇa-bhoktṛ ca

That knowable Person is the illuminator of all the senses and their functions, yet He is devoid of mundane senses. Although detached, He is the maintainer of all living beings, and although devoid of material qualities, He is the enjoyer of six transcendental opulences.

Verse 16

bahir antaś ca bhūtānām
acaraṁ caram eva ca
sūkṣmatvāt tad avijñeyaṁ
dūra-sthaṁ cāntike ca tat

That Absolute Entity dwells within and without all beings, and it is only because of Him that this world of moving and non-moving beings exists. Being very subtle, He is very difficult to comprehend, and He is simultaneously far away and very close.

Verse 17

avibhaktaṁ ca bhūteṣu
vibhaktam iva ca sthitam
bhūta-bhartṛ ca taj jñeyaṁ
grasiṣṇu prabhaviṣṇu ca

Although that Supreme Truth is undivided, He appears to be divided, being situated within every being. Know Him to be the sustainer, annihilator and creator of all.

Verse 18

jyotiṣām api taj jyotis
tamasaḥ param ucyate
jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ jñāna-gamyaṁ
hṛdi sarvasya viṣṭhitam

He is the source of illumination in all luminaries. Being transcendental to ignorance, He is divine knowledge, He is the object of such knowledge, and He is realizable through knowledge. He dwells within the heart of all beings.

Verse 19

iti kṣetraṁ tathā jñānaṁ
jñeyaṁ coktaṁ samāsataḥ
mad-bhakta etad vijñāya
mad-bhāvāyopapadyate

Thus I have briefly described the field of the body, knowledge and the object of knowledge. By understanding them, My devotee attains prema-bhakti, transcendental loving devotion, to Me.

Verse 20

prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva
viddhy anādī ubhāv api
vikārāṁś ca guṇāṁś caiva
viddhi prakṛti-sambhavān

Know both material nature (prakåti) and the living entity (puruña) to be without beginning, and that the three binding qualities and their transformations are generated from prakåti.

Verse 21

kārya-kāraṇa-kartṛtve
hetuḥ prakṛtir ucyate
puruṣaḥ sukha-duḥkhānāṁ
bhoktṛtve hetur ucyate

Material nature is said to bring about the workings of material cause and effect, and the minute living entity, the conditioned soul (puruña), is said to be the cause of his own experiences of material happiness, distress and so forth.

Verse 22

puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi
bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān
kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo ’sya
sad-asad-yoni-janmasu

Becoming situated within material nature, the living entity enjoys sense objects, which emanate from that nature. The cause of his birth in higher and lower species is his association with the three qualities of material nature, which bind him to material existence.

Verse 23

upadraṣṭānumantā ca
bhartā bhoktā maheśvaraḥ
paramātmeti cāpy ukto
dehe ’smin puruṣaḥ paraḥ

In this body, there exists another puruña apart from the individual living entity. He is known as the Supersoul and He is called the witness, the permitter, the supporter, the maintainer, the Supreme Controller, Paramätmä and so forth.

Verse 24

ya evaṁ vetti puruṣaṁ
prakṛtiṁ ca guṇaiḥ saha
sarvathā vartamāno ’pi
na sa bhūyo ’bhijāyate

One who thus understands the Supersoul (puruña-tattva), the deluding potency with her three binding influences (mäyä-tattva), as well as the minute living beings (jéva-tattva), does not take birth again, even though presently situated within this material world.

Verse 25

dhyānenātmani paśyanti
kecid ātmānam ātmanā
anye sāṅkhyena yogena
karma-yogena cāpare

By meditating on the Supreme Person, the devotees see Him within their hearts. The jïänés try to see Him by analytical philosophy, säìkhya-yoga. The yogés meditate on Him as the Supersoul by the eightfold process of mystic yoga, and others attempt to perceive Him through the process of selflessly performing their prescribed duty and offering Him the results, niñkäma-karma-yoga.

Verse 26

anye tv evam ajānantaḥ
śrutvānyebhya upāsate
te ’pi cātitaranty eva
mṛtyuṁ śruti-parāyaṇāḥ

Others, however, who are not conversant with this tattva‚ begin to worship the Supreme after hearing from realized persons, who teach by example. Thus, by dedication to the hearing process, they, too, gradually transcend this mortal world. This is certain.

Verse 27

yāvat sañjāyate kiñcit
sattvaṁ sthāvara-jaṅgamam
kṣetra-kṣetrajña-saṁyogāt
tad viddhi bharatarṣabha

O best amongst the descendants of Bharata, know that whatever moving and non-moving beings take birth within this material nature, all are produced from the combination of kñetra (the field of the body) and kñetra-jïa (the knower of the field).

Verse 28

samaṁ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
tiṣṭhantaṁ parameśvaram
vinaśyatsv avinaśyantaṁ
yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati

Only one who sees the Supreme Controller, who is equally disposed toward all beings, as the imperishable Lord situated within the perishable material elements actually sees.

Verse 29

samaṁ paśyan hi sarvatra
samavasthitam īśvaram
na hinasty ātmanātmānaṁ
tato yāti parāṁ gatim

Because he perceives the Supersoul to be equally dwelling everywhere in all living beings, he does not degrade himself by his mind. Thus he attains the supreme destination.

Verse 30

prakṛtyaiva ca karmāṇi
kriyamāṇāni sarvaśaḥ
yaḥ paśyati tathātmānam
akartāraṁ sa paśyati

One who perceives material nature to be the sole executor of all the functions of material activity and sees himself, the soul, to be inactive in this regard, actually sees.

Verse 31

yadā bhūta-pṛthag-bhāvam
eka-stham anupaśyati
tata eva ca vistāraṁ
brahma sampadyate tadā

When he sees that the diverse natures of all moving and nonmoving beings are situated within one transcendental energy (parä-prakåti), and when he understands all of them to be born from that same energy, he attains realization of transcendence.

Verse 32

anāditvān nirguṇatvāt
paramātmāyam avyayaḥ
śarīra-stho ’pi kaunteya
na karoti na lipyate

O son of Kunté, because He is without beginning and free from the influence of the three modes of material nature, this imperishable Supreme Soul, though situated in the body, neither performs fruitive activity nor becomes affected by the results of His activities.

Verse 33

yathā sarva-gataṁ saukṣmyād
ākāśaṁ nopalipyate
sarvatrāvasthito dehe
tathātmā nopalipyate

Just as the all-pervading sky does not mix with anything due to its subtle nature, in the same way, the Supersoul is unaffected by the qualities or faults of the material body, even though He pervades it.

Verse 34

yathā prakāśayaty ekaḥ
kṛtsnaṁ lokam imaṁ raviḥ
kṣetraṁ kṣetrī tathā kṛtsnaṁ
prakāśayati bhārata

O Bhärata, just as one sun illuminates the whole universe, in the same way, the Supersoul illuminates the entire body with consciousness.

Verse 35

kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor evam
antaraṁ jñāna-cakṣuṣā
bhūta-prakṛti-mokṣaṁ ca
ye vidur yānti te param

Those who see through the eye of spiritual knowledge and thus become conversant with the differences between the field and the knower of the field and with the means by which the minute living entity attains deliverance from the bondage of material nature, attain Çré Bhagavän’s supreme abode.