Chapter 13
Nature, the Enjoyer, and Consciousness
- arjun kahilen:
- prakṛtir ār puruṣa kṣetra ye ksetrajña
- jānibār icchā mor āmi nahi vijña
- seirūp jñān ār vijñāna ki hay
- keśava āmāke kaha kariyā niścay
- śrī-bhagavān kahilen:
- he kaunteya! e śarīra kṣetra nām tār
- ihāra ye jñātā sei kṣetrajña vicār
Texts 1-2: Arjuna said: O my dear Kṛṣṇa, I wish to know about prakṛti (nature), puruṣa (the enjoyer), and the field and the knower of the field, and of knowledge and the object of knowledge.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: This body, O son of Kuntī, is called the field, and one who knows this body is called the knower of the field.
- āmio kṣetrajña bujha sakala śarīre
- he bhārata, antaryāmī kahe se āmāre
- sei kṣetra ār kṣetrajñer yevā jñān
- āmāra vicāre hay sei śuddha jñān
Text 3: 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 called knowledge. That is my opinion.
- sei kṣetra ār kṣetrajñera vicār
- ki tār svarūp kimbā ki tār vicār
- ki tār prabhāva kimbā kothā hate hay
- śuna tumi kahi āmi kariyā niścay
Text 4: 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 knower of the field of activities is, and what his influences are.
- dārśanik ṛṣi kata kareche vicār
- smṛti chande kata vale nāhi tār pār
- kintu vedānta vākye yuktira sahita
- ye vicār kariyāche lāgi lokahita
- sei se vicār jāna susiddhānta mat
- sakalera grahaṇīya chāḍi anya path
Text 5: That knowledge of the field of activities and of the knower of activities is described by various sages in various Vedic writings. It is especially presented in Vedānta-sūtra with all reasoning as to cause and effect.
- kṣiti, ap, tej, vāyu, vyom mahābhūta
- ahaṅkār, buddhi ār man avyakta sambhūta
- cakṣu, karṇa, nāsikā, jihvā, tvak yāhā jāni
- pāyu, pād, peṭ, liṅga ār yāhā pāṇi
- sei daś vāhya-ār man se antare
- ekādaś indriya se śāstrera vicāre
- rūp, ras, gandha, śavda, sparśa ye viṣay
- cavviśa se tattva bujha kṣetra paricay
- ihādera ye vicār kare viśleṣaṇe
- kṣetra-tattva sei vijña bhāla-rūpa jāne
- icchā, dveṣ, sukh, duḥkha ār ye saṅghāt
- sthūl deha parimāṇ pañca mahā-bhūta
- cetanā śakti ye hay jīvera ādhār
- tār saṅge dhṛti jāna kṣetrera vikār
- ataev ei sab ekatre se kṣetra
- sthūla sūkṣma jaḍa vidyā sei ye sarvatra
Texts 6-7: 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.
- amānitva, adāmbhitva, ahiṁsā ye kṣānti
- saralatā, guru-sevā, śouca, dhairya, śānti
- āṭmāra nigraha yāhā indriya viṣaye
- vairāgya nirahaṁkār sakala āśaye
- janma, mṛtyu, jarā, vyādhi duḥkhera darśan
- anāsakti strī putrete gṛhera prāṇgaṇ
- udāsīn parivāre sukhete duḥkhete
- nitya samacitta iṣṭa aniṣṭa madhyete
- āmāte ananya-bhakti avyabhicāriṇī
- nirjana sthānete vās grāmya nivāraṇī
- adhyātma jñānera kare nityatva svīkār
- tattva-jñān lāgi kare darśana vicār
- sei se jñānera carcā vikāre nāś
- ajñānatamera nām anyathā prakāś
Texts 8-12: Humility; pridelessness; non-violence; tolerance; simplicity; approaching a bona fide spiritual master; cleanliness; steadiness; self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification; absence of false ego; the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease; detachment; freedom from entanglement with children, wife, home and the rest; even-mindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me; aspiring to live in a solitary place; detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self-realization; and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth—all these I declare to be knowledge, and besides this whatever there may be is ignorance.
- jñānera jñātavya yāhā tāhā bali śuna
- jānile se tattva habe amṛtera pān
- sei brahma-tattva-jñān āmāra āśrita
- anādi se sat ār asat atīta
Text 13: I shall now explain the knowable, knowing which you will taste the eternal. Brahman, the spirit, beginningless and subordinate to Me, lies beyond the cause and effect of this material world.
- sarva-sthāne hasta-pada nahe nirākār
- sarva-sthāne cakṣu śir kata mukh tār
- sarvatra śravaṇa sarva āvaraṇa sthān
- tini chāḍā tribhuvane nāhi kichu āna
Text 14: Everywhere are His hands and legs, His eyes, heads and faces, and He has ears everywhere. In this way the Supersoul exists, pervading everything.
- tṅāhā hate indriyādi hayeche prakāś
- jaḍendriya nāhi tār sarva-guṇābhās
- anāsakta sarva-bhūt tini se nirguṇ
- sakala guṇera bhoktā tini cirantan
Text 15: 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. He transcends the modes of nature, and at the same time He is the master of all the modes of material nature.
- sakala bhūtera tini antare vāhire
- tṅāhā hate hay sab cara vā acar
- ati sūkṣma tattva tāi avijñeya
- yugapat bahu dūre nikaṭeteo hay
Text 16: The Supreme Truth exists outside and inside of all living beings, the moving and the non-moving. Because He is subtle, He is beyond the power of the material senses to see or to know. Although far, far away, He is also near to all.
- avibhakta hai-yāo vibhaktera mata
- akhaṇḍa samaṣṭi tini vyaṣṭi-rūpe sthita
- sarva-bhūta bhartā tini saba janmadātā
- tini-i sabār punaḥ saṁhārera kartā
Text 17: 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 living entity, it is to be understood that He devours and develops all.
- samasta jyotira tini parama ādhār
- cinmaya tṅāhār jyoti jaḍa para ār
- jñānamaya rūpa tāṅr jñānagamya jñeya
- sakalera hṛdi-mājhe tini adhiṣṭheya
Text 18: 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 knowledge, and He is the goal of knowledge. He is situated in everybody's heart.
- ei kahinu tattva kṣetra jñān jñeya
- vijñāna tāhāra nām paṇḍitera priya
- e vijñān bujhiyā se mor bhakta hay
- tattva śuddhi jñāna hay bhaktira āśray
Text 19: Thus the field of activities (the body), knowledge and the knowable have been summarily described by Me. Only My devotees can understand this thoroughly and thus attain to My nature.
- prakṛta puruṣa hay anādi se siddha
- anādi kāla hate ubhaya saṁvṛddha
- vikārādi guṇa yata prākṛta sambhava
- prākṛta puruṣa yei tār anubhava
Text 20: Material nature and the living entities should be understood to be beginningless. Their transformations and the modes of matter are products of material nature.
- kārya vā kāraṇa hay prakṛtira dān
- bhogera kāraṇa sei puruṣei han
Text 21: 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.
- prākṛta haiyā jīv bhuñje sei guṇ
- prakṛtira guṇa sab prakṛtira dān
- prākṛta guṇera saṅga ucca-nīca yoni
- sadasad janma hay anya nāhi gaṇi
Text 22: 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 that material nature. Thus he meets with good and evil among various species.
- se jīvera baddha rūpe paramātmā saṅge
- upadeṣṭā anumantā han tini raṅge
- maheśvara tini bhoktā puruṣe parama
- jīvera uddhāra lāgi tini saṅge han
Text 23: 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 who is known as the Supersoul.
- sei se jñānera dvārā puruṣa prakṛti
- puruṣera ye prākṛta guṇera svīkṛti
- ye bujhila vartamān haiyā sarvathā
- punarjanma nāhi tār nahe se anyathā
Text 24: One who understands this philosophy concerning material nature, the living entity and the interaction of the modes of nature is sure to attain liberation. He will not take birth here again, regardless of his present position.
- bhakta-gaṇ cidāśraye sadā dhyāne rata
- prema-cakṣe paramātmāke darṣana satata
- sāṁkhya-yogī jñāna dvārā ālocanā kare
- karma-yogī bhagavāne karmārpaṇa kare
Text 25: Some perceive the Supersoul within themselves through meditation, others through the cultivation of knowledge, and still others through working without fruitive desires.
- anya sādhāraṇ lok bujhe nā se kichu
- śravaṇāntar upāsanā tārā kare kichu
- tārāo tvariyā yāy e saṁsār hate
- yadi śruti-parāyaṇa sādhura saṅgete
Text 26: Again there are those who, although not conversant in spiritual knowledge, begin to worship the Supreme Person upon hearing about Him from others. Because of their tendency to hear from authorities, they also transcend the path of birth and death.
- sthāvara jaṅgama yata janmeche janmābe
- kṣetra kṣetrajñera saṁyoga prabhāve
Text 27: O chief of the Bhāratas, know that whatever you see in existence, both the moving and the non-moving, is only a combination of the field of activities and the knower of the field.
- se saba bhūtete samasthita bhagavān
- darṣana karite pāre kona bhāgyavān
- bhagavān avinaśyat vastu tāhāra bhitare
- vinaśyat dharma tini svīkāra nā kare
Text 28: One who sees the Supersoul accompanying the individual soul in all bodies, and who understands that neither the soul nor the Supersoul within the destructible body is ever destroyed, actually sees.
- sakaler madhye sama thakena īśvar
- dekhite samartha hay yei tatpar
- ye ātmāke adhaḥpāt kabhu nāhi kare
- kupathagāmī se duṣṭa mana dvāre
Text 29: One who sees the Supersoul equally present everywhere, in every living being, does not degrade himself by his mind. Thus he approaches the transcendental destination.
- prakṛti-pradatta deha indriyādi dvārā
- prakṛti-i sādhe karma jīvera se sārā
- kintu ātma-tattva jīv kichu nāhi kare
- jṅāhāra darśana sei se dekhite pāre
Text 30: 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.
- prākṛtik vaicitrye yevā ekatva darśane
- sarva-bhūtera pṛthak bhāv samartha se mane
- sṛṣṭi sthiti vistār sei yevā jāne
- samartha se jan dṛṣṭi brahma sampādane
Text 31: 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 conception.
- brahma-jñānī jīv nitya parama avyay
- nirguṇa anādi tattva nirlipta se ray
Text 32: 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 material body, O Arjuna, the soul neither does anything nor is entangled.
- yemana sarvagata vyom, sukṣma tattva anupam,
- sarvatra sambhav vicaraṇ
- tathāpi se lipta nahe, nijera svatantra rahe,
- sei-rūp ātma vicaraṇ
- sarvatra vyāpiyā dehe, kūṭastha pṛthaka rahe,
- mahābhūte nahe se milan
- tathā brahma-bhūta jīv, ātma-tattva haye śiv,
- deha-dharme lipta nāhi han
Text 33: 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 the body, though situated in that body.
- surya yathā prakāśaye akhila jagat
- ek deśe ekā thāki samrāṭa mahat
- he bhārat sei-rūp kṣetrī prakāśay
- ekā eksthāne thāki kṣetra deha-may
Text 34: O son of Bharata, as the sun alone illuminates all this universe, so does the living entity, one within the body, illuminate the entire body by consciousness.
- kṣetra ār kṣetrajñer tattva-jñān cakṣe
- dekhibār śakti hay se yāhār pakṣe
- ek kṣetrajña se jīv anya paramātmā
- ubhayer kṣetre vās kṣetra viśeṣātmā
- tār mokṣa jaḍa-niṣṭha pravṛtti haite
- sukhe vās para-vyome jaḍa deha ante
Text 35: 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 liberation from bondage in material nature, attain to the supreme goal.
- bhaktivedānta kahe śrī-gītāra gān
- śune yadi śuddha bhakta kṛṣṇagata-prāṇ
Thus Bhaktivedānta sings the song of Śrī Gītā, with the hope that hearing this, Kṛṣṇa conscious pure devotees will be pleased.