BHAGAVAD-GITA 13:19

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 13:19

 

iti ksetram tatha jnanam

jneyam coktam samasatah

mad-bhakta etad vijnaya

mad-bhavayopapdyate

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

iti--thus; ksetram--the field of activities (the body); tatha--also;

jnanam--knowledge; jneyam--the knowable; ca--also; uktam--described;

samasatah--in summary; mat-bhaktah--My devotee; etat--all this;

vijnaya--after understanding; mat-bhavaya--to My nature;

upapadyate--attains.

 

TRANSLATION

 

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.

 

PURPORT

 

The Lord has described in summary the body, knowledge and the

knowable. This knowledge is of three things: the knower, the knowable

and the process of knowing. Combined, these are called vijnana, or the

science of knowledge. Perfect knowledge can be understood by the

unalloyed devotees of the Lord directly. Others are unable to

understand. The monists say that at the ultimate stage these three

items become one, but the devotees do not accept this. Knowledge and

development of knowledge mean understanding oneself in Krsna

consciousness. We are being led by material consciousness, but as soon

as we transfer all consciousness to Krsna's activities and realize

that Krsna is everything, then we attain real knowledge. In other

words, knowledge is nothing but the preliminary stage of understanding

devotional service perfectly. In the Fifteenth Chapter this will be

very clearly explained.

 

Now, to summarize, one may understand that verses 6 and 7, beginning

from maha-bhutani and continuing through cetana dhrtih, analyze the

material elements and certain manifestations of the symptoms of life.

These combine to form the body, or the field of activities. And verses

8 through 12, from amanitvam through tattva-jnanartha-darsanam,

describe the process of knowledge for understanding both types of

knower of the field of activities, namely the soul and the Supersoul.

Then verses 13 through 18, beginning from anadi mat-param and

continuing through hrdi sarvasya visthitam, describe the soul and the

Supreme Lord, or the Supersoul.

 

Thus three items have been described: the field of activity (the

body), the process of understanding, and both the soul and the

Supersoul. It is especially described here that only the unalloyed

devotees of the Lord can understand these three items clearly. So for

these devotees Bhagavad-gita is fully useful; it is they who can

attain the supreme goal, the nature of the Supreme Lord, Krsna. In

other words, only devotees, and not others, can understand

Bhagavad-gita and derive the desired result.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.