CHAPTER 13 — KṢHETRA-KṢHETRAJÑA VIBHĀGA YOGA

13.1

Arjun said: O Keshav, I wish to know prakṛiti — material nature — and puruṣha, the enjoyer,and what are kṣhetra and kṣhetrajña — the field and the one who is its knower.

I also wish to know what constitutes knowledge that is true,and what is the object of knowledge that one should pursue.

13.2

The Supreme Lord said: O Arjun, this body is called kṣhetra — the field of activities,and one who knows this body is called kṣhetrajña — the knower of its realities.

13.3

O scion of Bharat, know Me also as the knowerof all the fields embodied by every living being and doer.

To understand the field and its knower is knowledge true,this I declare to be wisdom, O Arjun, unto you.

13.4

Listen, and I shall explain what the field is and what is its nature,what transformations arise within it, and who is its knower of stature.

I shall also explain its origin and from where it came to be,and the powers of its knower — hear all this from Me.

13.5

Great sages have described the field and its knower in manifold ways,and the Vedic hymns too have revealed their truths in different phrases.

The Brahma Sūtras explain them with reasoning conclusive and profound,through logical aphorisms in which their deeper truths are found.

13.6

The field consists of the five great elements,ego, intellect and primordial nature unmanifest.

The eleven senses — five of knowledge, five of action and the mind,and the five objects — sound, touch, form, taste and smell — of every kind.

13.7

Desire and aversion, happiness and misery, the body, consciousness and determination,all these comprise the field together with its modifications and manifestation.

13.8–12

Freedom from hypocrisy; humility; non-violence; forgiveness and simplicity,worship of the Guru; purity of body and mind; steadfastness and self-mastery.

Dispassion toward the objects of the senses and absence of egotism,perception of the suffering inherent in birth, disease, old age and death — with realism.

Non-attachment and absence of excessive clinging to spouse, children, home and possession,even-mindedness amidst favourable and unfavourable situations.

Constant and exclusive devotion toward Me with unwavering piety,an inclination toward solitude and detachment from mundane society.

Constancy in spiritual knowledge and pursuit of the Absolute Truth with determination —all these I declare to be knowledge; whatever is contrary to them is ignorance.

13.13

That which ought to be known I shall now reveal in its reality,by knowing which one attains immortality and transcends mortality.

It is the beginning less Supreme Brahman, eternal and Divine,beyond the categories of existence and non-existence that we define.

13.14

Everywhere are His hands and feet, His eyes, heads and faces,His ears too are everywhere, for He pervades all cosmic spaces.

13.15

Though He illuminates all functions of the senses, He is Himself beyond every material sense,He sustains everything, yet remains unattached and free from all dependence.

Though beyond the three material guṇas, He is their knower and enjoyer Divine,the all-pervading Supreme who sustains every life and mind.

13.16

He exists both outside and inside every living being,whether moving or unmoving, whether visible or unseen.

He is exceedingly subtle and therefore incomprehensible to material sight,He seems immensely far away, yet remains to everyone equally near and bright.