BHAGAVAD-GITA 13:3

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 13:3

 

ksetra-jnam capi mam viddhi

sarva-ksetresu bharata

ksetra-ksetrajnayor jnanam

yat taj jnanam matam mama

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

ksetra-jnam--the knower of the field; ca--also; api--certainly;

mam--Me; viddhi--know; sarva--all; ksetresu--in bodily fields;

bharata--O son of Bharata; ksetra--the field of activities (the body);

ksetra-jnayoh--and the knower of the field; jnanam--knowledge of;

yat--that which; tat--that; jnanam--knowledge; matam--opinion;

mama--My.

 

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 called

knowledge. That is My opinion.

 

PURPORT

 

While discussing the subject of the body and the knower of the body,

the soul and the Supersoul, we shall find three different topics of

study: the Lord, the living entity, and matter. In every field of

activities, in every body, there are two souls: the individual soul

and the Supersoul. Because the Supersoul is the plenary expansion of

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, Krsna says, "I am also the

knower, but I am not the individual knower of the body. I am the

superknower. I am present in every body as the Paramatma, or

Supersoul."

 

One who studies the subject matter of the field of activity and the

knower of the field very minutely, in terms of this Bhagavad-gita, can

attain to knowledge.

 

The Lord says, "I am the knower of the field of activities in every

individual body." The individual may be the knower of his own body,

but he is not in knowledge of other bodies. The Supreme Personality of

Godhead, who is present as the Supersoul in all bodies, knows

everything about all bodies. He knows all the different bodies of all

the various species of life. A citizen may know everything about his

patch of land, but the king knows not only his palace but all the

properties possessed by the individual citizens. Similarly, one may be

the proprietor of the body individually, but the Supreme Lord is the

proprietor of all bodies. The king is the original proprietor of the

kingdom, and the citizen is the secondary proprietor. Similarly, the

Supreme Lord is the supreme proprietor of all bodies.

 

The body consists of the senses. The Supreme Lord is Hrsikesa, Which

means

"the controller of the senses." He is the original controller of the senses,

just as the king is the original controller of all the activities of

the state; the citizens are secondary controllers. The Lord says, "I

am also the knower." This means that He is the superknower; the

individual soul knows only his particular body. In the Vedic

literature, it is stated as follows:

 

ksetrani hi sarirani

bijam capi subhasubhe

tani vetti sa yogatma

tatah ksetra-jna ucyate

 

This body is called the ksetra, and within it dwells the owner of the

body and the Supreme Lord, who knows both the body and the owner of

the body. Therefore He is called the knower of all fields. The

distinction between the field of activities, the knower of activities,

and the supreme knower of activities is described as follows. Perfect

knowledge of the constitution of the body, the constitution of the

individual soul, and the constitution of the Supersoul is known in

terms of Vedic literature as jnana. That is the opinion of Krsna. To

understand both the soul and the Supersoul as one yet distinct is

knowledge. One who does not understand the field of activity and the

knower of activity is not in perfect knowledge. One has to understand

the position of prakrti (nature), purusa (the enjoyer of nature) and

isvara

(the knower who dominates or controls nature and the individual soul). One

should not confuse the three in their different capacities. One should

not confuse the painter, the painting and the easel. This material

world, which is the field of activities, is nature, and the enjoyer of

nature is the living entity, and above them both is the supreme

controller, the Personality of Godhead. It is stated in the Vedic

language (in the Svetasvatara Upanisad 1.12), bhokta bhogyam

preritaram ca matva/ sarvam proktam tri vidham-brahmam etat. There are

three Brahman conceptions: prakrti is Brahman as the field of

activities, and the jiva (individual soul) is also Brahman and is

trying to control material nature, and the controller of both of them

is also Brahman, but He is the factual controller.

 

In this chapter it will also be explained that out of the two knowers,

one is fallible and the other is infallible. One is superior and the

other is subordinate. One who understands the two knowers of the field

to be one and the same contradicts the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

who states here very clearly, "I am also the knower of the field of

activity." One who misunderstands a rope to be a serpent is not in

knowledge. There are different kinds of bodies, and there are

different owners of the bodies. Because each individual soul has his

individual capacity for lording it over material nature, there are

different bodies. But the Supreme also is present in them as the

controller. The word ca is significant, for it indicates the total

number of bodies. That is the opinion of Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana.

Krsna is the Supersoul present in each and every body apart from the

individual soul. And Krsna explicitly says here that the Supersoul is

the controller of both the field of activities and the finite enjoyer.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.