Home Vedic Pedia Bhagavad Gita chapter 13

chapter 13

In Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13, Lord Krishna clears Arjuna’s doubts with regards field, knower and knowledge and says that the body is the field, and one who knows the body is the knower and to understand the body and its knower is called knowledge. The five great elements, false ego, intelligence, the ‘unmanifested’, the ten senses and the mind, the five sense objects, desire, hatred, happiness, distress, the aggregate, the life symptoms, and convictions----all these are considered in summary to be the field of activities and its interactions. He also lists a few characteristics like humility, steadiness, self-control, detachment, absence of false ego etc as knowledge; besides this, whatever there is, is ignorance. Krishna also explains the living entity’s entanglement within the material world due to his association with the modes of material nature. One who understands the philosophy concerning material nature, the living entity and the interaction of the modes of nature is sure to attain liberation.

Slogam 1-2:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.1 - 13.2


arjuna uvāca

prakṛtiḿ puruṣaḿ caiva

kṣetraḿ kṣetra-jñam eva ca

etad veditum icchāmi

jñānaḿ jñeyaḿ ca keśava


śrī-bhagavān uvāca

idaḿ śarīraḿ kaunteya

kṣetram ity abhidhīyate

etad yo vetti taḿ prāhuḥ

kṣetra-jña iti tad-vidaḥ


Tra...View More

Slogam 3:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.3


kṣetra-jñaḿ cāpi māḿ viddhi

sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata

kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānaḿ

yat taj jñānaḿ mataḿ mama


Translation 


O scion of Bharata, you should understand that I am also the knower in all bodies, and to understand this body and its knower is c...View More

Slogam 4:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.4


tat kṣetraḿ yac ca yādṛk ca

yad-vikāri yataś ca yat

sa ca yo yat-prabhāvaś ca

tat samāsena me śṛṇu


Translation 


Now please hear My brief description of this field of activity and how it is constituted, what its changes are, whence it is produced, who that kno...View More

Slogam 5:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.5


ṛṣibhir bahudhā gītaḿ

chandobhir vividhaiḥ pṛthak

brahma-sūtra-padaiś caiva

hetumadbhir viniścitaiḥ


Translation 


That knowledge of the field of activities and of the knower of activities is described by various sages in various Vedic writings. It is especiall...View More

Slogam 6-7:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.6 - 13.7


mahā-bhūtāny ahańkāro

buddhir avyaktam eva ca

indriyāṇi daśaikaḿ ca

pañca cendriya-gocarāḥ


icchā dveṣaḥ sukhaḿ duḥkhaḿ

sańghātaś cetanā dhṛtiḥ

etat kṣetraḿ samāsena

sa-vikāram udāhṛtam


Translation 


The five great elements, false e...View More

Slogam 8-12:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.8 - 13.12


amānitvam adambhitvam

ahiḿsā kṣāntir ārjavam

ācāryopāsanaḿ śaucaḿ

sthairyam ātma-vinigrahaḥ


indriyārtheṣu vairāgyam

anahańkāra eva ca

janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-

duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam


asaktir anabhiṣvańgaḥ

putra-dāra-gṛhādiṣu

nity...View More

Slogam 13:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.13


jñeyaḿ yat tat pravakṣyāmi

yaj jñātvāmṛtam aśnute

anādi mat-paraḿ brahma

na sat tan nāsad ucyate


Translation 


I shall now explain the knowable, knowing which you will taste the eternal. Brahman, the spirit, beginningless and subordinate to Me, lies beyond the...View More

Slogam 14:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.14


sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādaḿ tat

sarvato ’kṣi-śiro-mukham

sarvataḥ śrutimal loke

sarvam āvṛtya tiṣṭhati


Translation


Everywhere are His hands and legs, His eyes, heads and faces, and He has ears everywhere. In this way the Supersoul exists, pervading everything.

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Slogam 15:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.15


sarvendriya-guṇābhāsaḿ

sarvendriya-vivarjitam

asaktaḿ sarva-bhṛc caiva

nirguṇaḿ guṇa-bhoktṛ ca


Translation 


The Supersoul is the original source of all senses, yet He is without senses. He is unattached, although He is the maintainer of all living beings. H...View More

Slogam 16:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.16


bahir antaś ca bhūtānām

acaraḿ caram eva ca

sūkṣmatvāt tad avijñeyaḿ

dūra-sthaḿ cāntike ca tat


Translation 


The Supreme Truth exists outside and inside of all living beings, the moving and the nonmoving. Because He is subtle, He is beyond the power of the ma...View More

Slogam 17:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.17


avibhaktaḿ ca bhūteṣu

vibhaktam iva ca sthitam

bhūta-bhartṛ ca taj jñeyaḿ

grasiṣṇu prabhaviṣṇu ca


Translation 


Although the Supersoul appears to be divided among all beings, He is never divided. He is situated as one. Although He is the maintainer of every...View More

Slogam 18:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.18


jyotiṣām api taj jyotis

tamasaḥ param ucyate

jñānaḿ jñeyaḿ jñāna-gamyaḿ

hṛdi sarvasya viṣṭhitam


Translation 


He is the source of light in all luminous objects. He is beyond the darkness of matter and is unmanifested. He is knowledge, He is the object of...View More

Slogam 19:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.19


iti kṣetraḿ tathā jñānaḿ

jñeyaḿ coktaḿ samāsataḥ

mad-bhakta etad vijñāya

mad-bhāvāyopapadyate


Translation 


Thus the field of activities [the body], knowledge and the knowable have been summarily described by Me. Only My devotees can understand this thoro...View More

Slogam 20:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.20


prakṛtiḿ puruṣaḿ caiva

viddhy anādī ubhāv api

vikārāḿś ca guṇāḿś caiva

viddhi prakṛti-sambhavān


Translation 


Material nature and the living entities should be understood to be beginningless. Their transformations and the modes of matter are products ...View More

Slogam 21:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.21


karya-kara?a-kart?tve

hetu? prak?tir ucyate

puru?a? sukha-du?khana?

bhokt?tve hetur ucyate


Translation 


Nature is said to be the cause of all material causes and effects, whereas the living entity is the cause of the various sufferings and enjoyments in this world.

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Slogam 22:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.22


puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi

bhuńkte prakṛti-jān guṇān

kāraṇaḿ guṇa-sańgo ’sya

sad-asad-yoni-janmasu


Translation 


The living entity in material nature thus follows the ways of life, enjoying the three modes of nature. This is due to his association with tha...View More

Slogam 23:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.23


upadraṣṭānumantā ca

bhartā bhoktā maheśvaraḥ

paramātmeti cāpy ukto

dehe ’smin puruṣaḥ paraḥ


Translation 


Yet in this body there is another, a transcendental enjoyer, who is the Lord, the supreme proprietor, who exists as the overseer and permitter, and w...View More

Slogam 24:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.24


ya evaḿ vetti puruṣaḿ

prakṛtiḿ ca guṇaiḥ saha

sarvathā vartamāno ’pi

na sa bhūyo ’bhijāyate


Translation 


One who understands this philosophy concerning material nature, the living entity and the interaction of the modes of nature is sure to attain liber...View More

Slogam 25:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.25


dhyānenātmani paśyanti

kecid ātmānam ātmanā

anye sāńkhyena yogena

karma-yogena cāpare


Translation 


Some perceive the Supersoul within themselves through meditation, others through the cultivation of knowledge, and still others through working without fruitive desir...View More

Slogam 26:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.26


anye tv evam ajānantaḥ

śrutvānyebhya upāsate

te ’pi cātitaranty eva

mṛtyuḿ śruti-parāyaṇāḥ


Translation 


Again there are those who, although not conversant in spiritual knowledge, begin to worship the Supreme Person upon hearing about Him from others. Bec...View More

Slogam 27:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.27


yāvat sañjāyate kiñcit

sattvaḿ sthāvara-jańgamam

kṣetra-kṣetrajña-saḿyogāt

tad viddhi bharatarṣabha


Translation 


O chief of the Bharatas, know that whatever you see in existence, both the moving and the nonmoving, is only a combination of the field of activ...View More

Slogam 28:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.28


samaḿ sarveṣu bhūteṣu

tiṣṭhantaḿ parameśvaram

vinaśyatsv avinaśyantaḿ

yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati


Translation 


One who sees the Supersoul accompanying the individual soul in all bodies, and who understands that neither the soul nor the Supersoul within the d...View More

Slogam 29:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.29


samaḿ paśyan hi sarvatra

samavasthitam īśvaram

na hinasty ātmanātmānaḿ

tato yāti parāḿ gatim


Translation 


One who sees the Supersoul equally present everywhere, in every living being, does not degrade himself by his mind. Thus he approaches the transcendental d...View More

Slogam 30:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.30


prakṛtyaiva ca karmāṇi

kriyamāṇāni sarvaśaḥ

yaḥ paśyati tathātmānam

akartāraḿ sa paśyati


Translation 


One who can see that all activities are performed by the body, which is created of material nature, and sees that the self does nothing, actually sees.


...View More

Slogam 31:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.31


yadā bhūta-pṛthag-bhāvam

eka-stham anupaśyati

tata eva ca vistāraḿ

brahma sampadyate tadā


Translation 


When a sensible man ceases to see different identities due to different material bodies and he sees how beings are expanded everywhere, he attains to the Brahman ...View More

Slogam 32:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.32


anāditvān nirguṇatvāt

paramātmāyam avyayaḥ

śarīra-stho ’pi kaunteya

na karoti na lipyate


Translation 


Those with the vision of eternity can see that the imperishable soul is transcendental, eternal, and beyond the modes of nature. Despite contact with the materi...View More

Slogam 33:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.33


yathā sarva-gataḿ saukṣmyād

ākāśaḿ nopalipyate

sarvatrāvasthito dehe

tathātmā nopalipyate


Translation


The sky, due to its subtle nature, does not mix with anything, although it is all-pervading. Similarly, the soul situated in Brahman vision does not mix with t...View More

Slogam 34:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.34


yathā prakāśayaty ekaḥ

kṛtsnaḿ lokam imaḿ raviḥ

kṣetraḿ kṣetrī tathā kṛtsnaḿ

prakāśayati bhārata


Translation 


O son of Bharata, as the sun alone illuminates all this universe, so does the living entity, one within the body, illuminate the entire b...View More

Slogam 35:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.35


kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor evam

antaraḿ jñāna-cakṣuṣā

bhūta-prakṛti-mokṣaḿ ca

ye vidur yānti te param


Translation 


Those who see with eyes of knowledge the difference between the body and the knower of the body, and can also understand the process of liberatio...View More