Chapter 13 of 18
Yoga through Distinguishing the Field and the Knower of the Field
The thirteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is Ksetra Ksetrajna Vibhaaga Yoga. The word kshetra means the field, and the kshetrajna means the knower of the field. We can think of our material body as the field and our immortal soul as the knower of the field. In this chapter, Krishna discriminates between the physical body and the immortal soul. He explains that the physical body is temporary and perishable whereas the soul is permanent and eternal. The physical body can be destroyed but the soul can never be destroyed. The chapter then describes God, who is the Supreme Soul. All the individual souls have originated from the Supreme Soul. One who clearly understands the difference between the body, the Soul and the Supreme Soul attains the realization of Brahman.
35 of 35 verses available
अर्जुन उवाच प्रकृतिं पुरुषं चैव क्षेत्रं क्षेत्रज्ञमेव च | एतद्वेदितुमिच्छामि ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं च केशव ||१३-१||
Arjuna begins by asking the deeper questions behind human life: What is this body and material world, who is the conscious self living within it, what is true knowledge, and what is ultimately worth knowing? His question invites us to look beyond our changing circumstances and understand who we really are.
श्रीभगवानुवाच | इदं शरीरं कौन्तेय क्षेत्रमित्यभिधीयते | एतद्यो वेत्ति तं प्राहुः क्षेत्रज्ञ इति तद्विदः ||१३-२||
Krishna begins by separating who you are from what you possess. Your body, along with its sensations, thoughts, and changing experiences, is the “field” where life unfolds. The one who can observe and understand this field—the aware self within—is called the knower of the field. This perspective helps us remember that we are not limited to every passing bodily state or mental emotion.
क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि सर्वक्षेत्रेषु भारत | क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोर्ज्ञानं यत्तज्ज्ञानं मतं मम ||१३-३||
Krishna says that the body and mind are like a field where experiences, thoughts, and actions arise, while the soul is the one aware of them. Yet within every being, the Supreme Consciousness—God—is also present as the ultimate knower. True wisdom is to understand both: the changing body-mind and the unchanging divine presence within all.
तत्क्षेत्रं यच्च यादृक्च यद्विकारि यतश्च यत् | स च यो यत्प्रभावश्च तत्समासेन मे शृणु ||१३-४||
Krishna now says he will briefly explain the whole picture: what this body-and-mind ‘field’ is, how it changes, where it comes from, and who the conscious knower within it is. He will also reveal the nature and power of the Supreme Reality, helping us see the difference between our changing outer life and the enduring Self.
ऋषिभिर्बहुधा गीतं छन्दोभिर्विविधैः पृथक् | ब्रह्मसूत्रपदैश्चैव हेतुमद्भिर्विनिश्चितैः ||१३-५||
The truth about the body, the soul, and the Supreme has not been taught in only one way. Sages have explained it through many sacred teachings and reasoned conclusions, giving us a reliable path to understand these deeper questions rather than relying on guesswork.
महाभूतान्यहंकारो बुद्धिरव्यक्तमेव च | इन्द्रियाणि दशैकं च पञ्च चेन्द्रियगोचराः ||१३-६||
Krishna begins describing the “field” of our embodied experience: the physical elements, the ego-sense, intellect, unmanifest nature, the senses, the mind, and everything the senses pursue. These are all parts of the changing body-mind system; they are not the unchanging Self that is aware of them.
इच्छा द्वेषः सुखं दुःखं संघातश्चेतना धृतिः | एतत्क्षेत्रं समासेन सविकारमुदाहृतम् ||१३-७||
Krishna says that desire and dislike, pleasure and pain, the body, awareness, and inner resolve are all parts of the changing ‘field’ of our experience. They arise within us and affect us, but they are not the deepest, unchanging Self that observes them.
अमानित्वमदम्भित्वमहिंसा क्षान्तिरार्जवम् | आचार्योपासनं शौचं स्थैर्यमात्मविनिग्रहः ||१३-८||
Krishna says that real wisdom begins with character: being humble rather than showy, causing no harm, forgiving others, and staying honest and straightforward. It grows through respect for a true teacher, inner and outer cleanliness, steadiness in practice, and the ability to govern one’s own impulses.
इन्द्रियार्थेषु वैराग्यमनहंकार एव च | जन्ममृत्युजराव्याधिदुःखदोषानुदर्शनम् ||१३-९||
True wisdom includes stepping back from constant craving for sensory pleasures and letting go of the ego that says, “I am the centre of everything.” It also means honestly recognising that birth, ageing, illness, death, and pain are unavoidable parts of bodily life. This reflection is not meant to make us hopeless; it helps us seek a deeper, lasting truth beyond temporary comforts.
असक्तिरनभिष्वङ्गः पुत्रदारगृहादिषु | नित्यं च समचित्तत्वमिष्टानिष्टोपपत्तिषु ||१३-१०||
True wisdom includes loving your family and caring for your home without making them the whole basis of your identity or happiness. Stay steady when life brings what you want and when it brings what you do not, remembering that both success and disappointment are temporary.
मयि चानन्ययोगेन भक्तिरव्यभिचारिणी | विविक्तदेशसेवित्वमरतिर्जनसंसदि ||१३-११||
True spiritual understanding grows through steady, wholehearted devotion to God—not a faith that changes with convenience or circumstance. It is also supported by making time for quiet reflection and not becoming overly absorbed in crowds, noise, or constant social approval.
अध्यात्मज्ञाननित्यत्वं तत्त्वज्ञानार्थदर्शनम् | एतज्ज्ञानमिति प्रोक्तमज्ञानं यदतोऽन्यथा ||१३-१२||
True knowledge is not just collecting information; it is a steady commitment to understanding your inner self and seeing the deeper purpose of spiritual wisdom. Anything that turns us away from this search for truth—towards mere surface-level living—is called ignorance.
ज्ञेयं यत्तत्प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वामृतमश्नुते | अनादिमत्परं ब्रह्म न सत्तन्नासदुच्यते ||१३-१३||
Krishna now speaks of the highest truth worth knowing: the beginningless Supreme Reality, Brahman. Realising this truth frees us from the fear of mortality and brings the experience of the eternal. It cannot be fully described as simply existing or not existing, because it is beyond all the limited categories through which our mind understands the world.
सर्वतः पाणिपादं तत्सर्वतोऽक्षिशिरोमुखम् | सर्वतः श्रुतिमल्लोके सर्वमावृत्य तिष्ठति ||१३-१४||
The Supreme Being is present everywhere and works through every hand, foot, eye, mouth, and ear in the world. This does not mean God has a physical body spread across space; it means nothing exists outside the Divine presence, which sees, hears, and sustains all.
सर्वेन्द्रियगुणाभासं सर्वेन्द्रियविवर्जितम् | असक्तं सर्वभृच्चैव निर्गुणं गुणभोक्तृ च ||१३-१५||
The Supreme Reality works through every power of seeing, hearing, thinking, and acting in all beings, yet it is not limited by any physical senses or body. It supports the whole world without being attached to it, remains beyond the changing qualities of nature, and still knows every experience that those qualities create.
बहिरन्तश्च भूतानामचरं चरमेव च | सूक्ष्मत्वात्तदविज्ञेयं दूरस्थं चान्तिके च तत् ||१३-१६||
The Supreme Reality is present both within every being and throughout the world outside us. It is the stillness behind what does not move and the life within all that moves. Because it is so subtle, the mind cannot easily grasp it; yet it is closer than our own breath and also beyond everything we can imagine.
अविभक्तं च भूतेषु विभक्तमिव च स्थितम् | भूतभर्तृ च तज्ज्ञेयं ग्रसिष्णु प्रभविष्णु च ||१३-१७||
The Supreme Reality is one and whole, yet it appears to be present separately in every living being. It sustains all life, and through the cycles of nature it is seen as that which absorbs beings at dissolution and brings them forth again in creation.
ज्योतिषामपि तज्ज्योतिस्तमसः परमुच्यते | ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं ज्ञानगम्यं हृदि सर्वस्य विष्ठितम् ||१३-१८||
The Supreme Reality is the source of every kind of light, yet it is beyond all physical darkness and illumination. It is the wisdom we seek, the truth to be known, and the destination of true understanding—and it quietly lives in the heart of every being.
इति क्षेत्रं तथा ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं चोक्तं समासतः | मद्भक्त एतद्विज्ञाय मद्भावायोपपद्यते ||१३-१९||
Krishna concludes that he has briefly explained the body and mind as the “field,” the true understanding needed to see clearly, and the Supreme Reality to be known. A devotee who truly grasps this—who sees that they are more than the changing body and connects with the Divine—becomes fit to attain God’s own nature and closeness.
प्रकृतिं पुरुषं चैव विद्ध्यनादी उभावपि | विकारांश्च गुणांश्चैव विद्धि प्रकृतिसम्भवान् ||१३-२०||
Krishna says that both Nature—the material world—and the conscious self are beginningless. The body, mind, emotions, and the three qualities that shape our behaviour keep changing, but these changes arise from Nature; they are not the deepest truth of who we are.
कार्यकारणकर्तृत्वे हेतुः प्रकृतिरुच्यते | पुरुषः सुखदुःखानां भोक्तृत्वे हेतुरुच्यते ||१३-२१||
Nature, through the body, mind, senses, and their tendencies, sets actions and their results in motion. The soul is the conscious experiencer who feels happiness and sorrow through this human life. Seeing this difference helps us understand that we are more than the changing reactions of our body and mind.
पुरुषः प्रकृतिस्थो हि भुङ्क्ते प्रकृतिजान्गुणान् | कारणं गुणसङ्गोऽस्य सदसद्योनिजन्मसु ||१३-२२||
The soul, living through the body and mind, experiences the pleasures, pains, and tendencies created by nature’s three qualities. When it becomes attached to these qualities—such as comfort, ambition, ignorance, or restless desire—that attachment shapes the kind of births and circumstances it enters, whether uplifting or difficult.
उपद्रष्टानुमन्ता च भर्ता भोक्ता महेश्वरः | परमात्मेति चाप्युक्तो देहेऽस्मिन्पुरुषः परः ||१३-२३||
Within every body, the Supreme Self is present as a silent witness to our thoughts and actions, the one who permits, sustains, and ultimately governs all life. Though we experience the results of our choices, God remains the highest presence within us—supporting us and inviting us to recognise our deeper spiritual nature.
य एवं वेत्ति पुरुषं प्रकृतिं च गुणैः सह | सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि न स भूयोऽभिजायते ||१३-२४||
When you truly understand yourself as the conscious soul, distinct from the body and its changing qualities, you stop being trapped by every situation life brings. This wisdom frees you from the cycle of repeated birth and death, even while you continue to live and act in the world.
ध्यानेनात्मनि पश्यन्ति केचिदात्मानमात्मना | अन्ये साङ्ख्येन योगेन कर्मयोगेन चापरे ||१३-२५||
People come to self-realisation through different sincere paths. Some discover the Self through quiet meditation, some through deep enquiry and understanding, and others by doing their duties selflessly; each path can lead inward when practised with discipline and sincerity.
अन्ये त्वेवमजानन्तः श्रुत्वान्येभ्य उपासते | तेऽपि चातितरन्त्येव मृत्युं श्रुतिपरायणाः ||१३-२६||
Not everyone reaches spiritual understanding through deep study or meditation. Some simply listen with faith to the guidance of wise people and sincerely live by it. Krishna says that such wholehearted trust and devotion can also lead a person beyond the fear and bondage of death.
यावत्सञ्जायते किञ्चित्सत्त्वं स्थावरजङ्गमम् | क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञसंयोगात्तद्विद्धि भरतर्षभ ||१३-२७||
Every living being—whether a plant standing still or an animal moving about—comes into existence through the meeting of the physical body and the conscious soul that knows and experiences it. This understanding helps us see that life is more than the body alone; the same spiritual presence exists within all forms of life.
समं सर्वेषु भूतेषु तिष्ठन्तं परमेश्वरम् | विनश्यत्स्वविनश्यन्तं यः पश्यति स पश्यति ||१३-२८||
True understanding is to recognise the same Supreme Presence in every living being. Bodies and outer forms perish, but the Divine reality within them does not; seeing this helps us look beyond differences and treat all life with deeper respect.
समं पश्यन्हि सर्वत्र समवस्थितमीश्वरम् | न हिनस्त्यात्मनात्मानं ततो याति परां गतिम् ||१३-२९||
When you recognise that the same Divine presence lives equally in every being, you stop harming yourself or others through hatred, cruelty, and separation. This vision leads beyond selfishness and toward the highest spiritual freedom.
प्रकृत्यैव च कर्माणि क्रियमाणानि सर्वशः | यः पश्यति तथात्मानमकर्तारं स पश्यति ||१३-३०||
A person truly understands when they see that the body, mind, senses, and the forces of nature carry out all actions, while the deepest Self remains the silent witness. This insight does not mean avoiding responsibility; it frees us from the ego’s claim of “I alone am the doer” and brings greater humility and inner peace.
यदा भूतपृथग्भावमेकस्थमनुपश्यति | तत एव च विस्तारं ब्रह्म सम्पद्यते तदा ||१३-३१||
When you truly see that all the many forms of life arise from one Divine reality and remain connected to it, separateness begins to fall away. This vision replaces division, superiority, and isolation with a deep awareness of unity, leading one toward the realization of Brahman.
अनादित्वान्निर्गुणत्वात्परमात्मायमव्ययः | शरीरस्थोऽपि कौन्तेय न करोति न लिप्यते ||१३-३२||
Your deepest Self, the Supreme Self, has no beginning or end and is untouched by the changing qualities of nature. Although it is present within the body, it does not become the doer of the body’s actions or carry the stain of its experiences; it remains pure and unchanged.
यथा सर्वगतं सौक्ष्म्यादाकाशं नोपलिप्यते | सर्वत्रावस्थितो देहे तथात्मा नोपलिप्यते ||१३-३३||
Just as space remains untouched by the smoke, dust, and activity within it, the true Self remains pure and unaffected while living in the body. The body and mind go through change, pain, and action, but your deepest spiritual nature is not stained by them.
यथा प्रकाशयत्येकः कृत्स्नं लोकमिमं रविः | क्षेत्रं क्षेत्री तथा कृत्स्नं प्रकाशयति भारत ||१३-३४||
Just as one sun lights up the entire world, the conscious Self within us lights up the whole field of our body, mind, senses, and experiences. This verse reminds us that beneath all changing thoughts and circumstances is the steady awareness that makes them known.
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोरेवमन्तरं ज्ञानचक्षुषा | भूतप्रकृतिमोक्षं च ये विदुर्यान्ति ते परम् ||१३-३५||
Those who learn to see clearly understand that the body and mind are changing fields of experience, while the soul is the conscious witness within them. Realising this difference—and how the soul can rise beyond nature’s binding forces—leads a person towards the Supreme reality.
