Bhagavad Gita Summary: Chapter 13: Kshetra Kshetragya Vibhagayoga or The Yoga of Difference between the Field and Field-Knower

The first six chapters of this book declared the nature of the individual spirit ; the six succeeding chapters dealt with the nature of the universal spirit; with this chapter begins the final hexad, which declares the relation between the two to be identity, — the Spirit or Consciousness as itself being one and indivisible. (Mohini Chatterji, Bhagavad Gita, 1887)

Image: Ardhanarishvara

Chapter 13: Kshetra Kshetragya Vibhagayoga or The Yoga of Difference between the Field and Field-Knower (34 verses)

This chapter is similar to the philosophy of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras in that it posits a psychological aspect to Purusha and Prakriti. The soul has a microcosmic correspondence to the Macrocosmic principles of Purusha and Prakriti, and the recognition that the Purusha is not involved with Prakriti allows for the transcendent union with the Purusha.

1- The field and its knower.  (1-11)

The body and the soul. (1) 

The Blessed Lord said : 1. This, the body, O son of Kunti, is called Kshetra ; him who knows it, those who know of them call Kshetrajna. 

Matter in all its forms. (5-6)

5. The Great Elements, Egoism, Reason, as also the Unmanifested, the ten senses and one, and the five objects of the senses; 

6. Desire, hatred, pleasure, pain, the aggregate, intelligence, courage ;—the Kshetrahas been thus briefly described with its modifications. 

If we can grasp the idea of the perishable nature of Ahankara-egotism, the perishable nature of the other elements can be understood. It is a fact that we do identify ourselves with the ever-changing perishable body, and with its conditions and relations, which are also ever-changing. We say, “I am happy, or I am sad,” “I am sick or I am well,” “I am contented or I am dissatisfied,” all of these expressions being due to some form or condition which is changeable. 

We should observe that the self-identifying attachment is chiefly concerned with the present form and conditions, although we are aware that other forms and conditions have existed in the past, to which we were attached by like or dislike, and that still others will exist in the future. (Crosbie, Essays on the Gita, 190-91) 

2- Virtues conducive to Self-knowledge. (7-11) 

7. Humility, modesty, innocence, patience, uprightness, service of the teacher, purity, steadfastness, self-control; 

8. Absence of attachment for objects of the senses, and also absence of egoism ; perception of evil in birth, death and old age, in sickness and pain;

9. Unattachment, absence of affection for son, wife, home and the like, and constant, equanimity on the attainment of the desirable and the undesirable;

10. Unflinching devotion to Me in Yoga of nonseparation, resort to solitary places, distaste for the society of men;

11. Constancy in Self-knowledge, perception of the end of the knowledge of truth. This is declared to be knowledge, and what is opposed to it is ignorance. 

Self-knowledge : knowledge of the Self and the like. Perception, etc : Knowledge of truth results from the mature development of such attributes as humility (xiii. 7), which are the means of attaining knowledge. The end of this knowledge is moksha, the cessation of mortal existence, of samsara. The end should be kept in view ; for, it is only when one perceives the end of the knowledge of truth that one will endeavour to cultivate the attributes which are the means of attaining that knowledge. 

These attributes — from humility to perception of the end of the knowledge of truth —are declared to be knowledge, because they are conducive to knowledge. What is opposed to this — viz., pride, hypocrisy, cruelty, impatience, insincerity and the like is ignorance, which should be known and avoided as tending to the perpetuation of samsara.  (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

3- Brahman, the Knowable. (12-18) 

Brahman is all. (15)  Brahman is the one Self in all. (16) 

Moreover, 16. And undivided, yet remaining divided as it were in beings ; supporter of beings, too, is That, the Knowable ; devouring, yet generating. 

Brahman is the Illuminator of all. (17) Seek the Light through devotion. (18) 

17. The Light even of lights, That is said to be beyond darkness. Knowledge, the Knowable, the Goal of knowledge, (It) is implanted in the heart of every one. The Light is in the heart of every one. 

4- Prakriti and Purusha are eternal. (19-23)

Prakriti and Purusha as the Cause of samsara. (19-20)

19. Know thou that Prakriti as well as Purusha are both beginningless ; and know thou also that all forms and qualities are born of Prakriti. 

Play of Prakriti: This Prakriti which is like a big island of illusion, which pervades everything, has created emotions. Passions are fostered with her support. Delusion blooms because of her. She is known as divine Maya.  She makes the language grow, creates this material world, and ceaselessly invades it with materialistic way of life. All arts, skills are born of her. Desires, knowledge and actions are created from her. All the tunes and sounds are minted out by her. She is the home of miracles. 

In fact everything that happens in the world is her play. The creation of the world and its dissolution are her morning and evening respectively. She is thus the wonderful illusionist. She is the mate of the lonely Purush, companion of the unattached (Brahman) and she resides in the void. Her capability is so high that she keeps the uncontrollable Purush under control.  (Dnyaneshwari; 13: 991-1021, transl. M.R. Yardi) 

Avidya and Kama are the cause of rebirths. (21) 

21. Purusha,when seated in Prakriti, experiences the qualities born of Prakriti. Attachment to the qualities is the cause of his birth in good and evil wombs.

Self-knowledge removes the cause of samsara. (22-23) 

22. Spectator and Permitter, Supporter, Enjoyer, the Great Lord, and also spoken of as the Supreme Self, (is) the Purusha Supreme in this body. 

5- The Union of Kshetra and Kshetrajna (24-34)

The four paths to Self-knowledge. (24-25) 

24. By meditation some behold the Self in the self by the self, others by Sankhya-Yoga, and others by Karma-Yoga. 

Meditation (Dhyana) consists in withdrawing by concentration hearing and other senses into the Manas away from sound and other sense-objects, then withdrawing Manas into the Inner Intelligence, and then contemplating (that Inner Intelligence). Hence the comparison, " the crane meditates as it were; the earth meditates as it were the mountains meditate as it were" (Chha. Up. 7-6-1) Dhyana is a continuous and unbroken thought like a line of flowing oil. By meditation the Yogins behold the Self, the Inner Intelligence, in the self (Buddhi) by the self, by their own intelligence, i.e., by the antah-karana refined by Dhyana. — 

Sankhya consists in thinking thus : 'these, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, are Gunas, Atman is the witness of their acts, eternal, and distinct from the Gunas.' By Sankhya- Yoga "some behold the Self in the self by the self. "—  

Karma is Yoga, i.e., that Karma or action which is performed in the service of the Lord (Isvara). Such a course of action is Yoga—only by a figure of speech—inasmuch as it leads to Yoga. Some behold the Self by this Yoga of action, which, causing purity of the mind (sattva), gives rise to knowledge. (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

The one Self in all. (27) 

27. He sees, who sees the Supreme Lord, remaining the same in all beings, the undying in the dying. 

Knowledge of the one Self leads to moksha. (28) 

28. Because he who sees the Lord, seated the same everywhere, destroys not the self by the self, therefore he reaches the Supreme Goal.

Prakriti acts, not the Self. (29) 

29. He sees, who sees all actions performed by Prakriti alone and the Self not acting. 

What is known by the name Supreme Soul, even though it exists in the body, always remains in its pure state. Actually it is not correct to say that Soul resides in the body. The soul is said to be in the body in the same way as when one looks at one's face in the mirror and say it is his face. It is totally meaningless to say that soul is related to the body.  Body is strung in the thread of the five principles and it rotates in the wheel of birth and death. 

This body is like a ball of butter inserted in the mouth of the fire that is Time. It vanishes in the short span of time that a fly takes to flutter its wings. If he falls in fire it turns to ashes and if it falls prey to a dog then it turns to fecal matter. If it escapes these two then a bunch of worms is created in it. Thus the this body comes to a disgusting end. Though the body reaches this fate the soul is eternal, selfilluminating, self-sufficient and beginningless. (Dnyaneshwari; 13: 1094-1107, transl. M.R. Yardi) 

The self is the source and the abode of all. (30) 

30. When a man realises the whole variety of beings as resting in the One, and as an evolution from that (One) alone, then he becomes Brahman.

The doctrine summed up. (34)

The teaching of the whole discourse is concluded as follows : 34. They who by the eye of wisdom perceive the distinction between Kshetra and Kshetrajna, and the dissolution of the Cause of beings,—they go to the Supreme.