CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Nature, the Enjoyer and

Consciousness
TEXTS 1-2
अर्जुन उवाच
प्रकृत िं पजरुषिं चैव क्षेत्रिं क्षेत्रज्ञमेव च ।
ए द्वे ति जतमच्छातम ज्ञानिं ज्ञेयिं च केशव ॥ १ ॥
श्रीभगवानजवाच
इििं शरीरिं कौन्तेय क्षेत्रतमत्यतभधीय े ।
ए द्यो वेति िं प्राहु: क्षेत्रज्ञ इत तद्वि: ॥ २ ॥
arjuna uvāca
prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva
kṣetraṁ kṣetra-jñam eva ca
etad veditum icchāmi
jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ ca keśava
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
idaṁ śarīraṁ kaunteya
kṣetram ity abhidhīyate
etad yo vetti taṁ prāhuḥ
kṣetra-jña iti tad-vidaḥ
Translation
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.
 TEXT 3
क्षेत्रज्ञिं चातप मािं तवद्धि सवुक्षेत्रेषज भार ।
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोज्ञाु निं यिज्ज्ञानिं म िं मम ॥ ३ ॥
kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi
sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata
kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānaṁ
yat taj jñānaṁ mataṁ mama
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.
TEXT 4
त्क्षेत्रिं यच्च यादृक्च यतद्वकारर य श्च य ् ।
स च यो यत्प्रभावश्च त्समासेन मे शृृ णज ॥ ४ ॥
tat kṣetraṁ yac ca yādṛk ca
yad-vikāri yataś ca yat
sa ca yo yat-prabhāvaś ca
tat samāsena me śṛṇu
Translation
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.
TEXT 5
ऋतषतभर्ुहुधा गी िं छन्दोतभतवुतवधै : पृथक् ।
ब्रह्मसूत्रपिै श्चैव हे जमद्भतृतवुतनतश्च ै: ॥ ५ ॥
ṛṣibhir bahudhā gītaṁ
chandobhir vividhaiḥ pṛthak
brahma-sūtra-padaiś caiva
hetumadbhir viniścitaiḥ
 Translation
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.
TEXTS 6-7
महाभू ान्यहङ्कारो र्जद्धिरव्यक्तमेव च ।
इद्धियातण िशैकिं च पञ्च चेद्धियगोचरा: ॥ ६ ॥
इच्छा द्वे ष: सजखिं िज :खिं सङ्घा श्चे ना धृ त : ।
ए त्क्षेत्रिं समासेन सतवकारमजिाहृ म् ॥ ७ ॥
mahā-bhūtāny ahaṅkāro
buddhir avyaktam eva ca
indriyāṇi daśaikaṁ ca
pañca cendriya-gocarāḥ
icchā dveṣaḥ sukhaṁ duḥkhaṁ
saṅghātaś cetanā dhṛtiḥ
etat kṣetraṁ samāsena
sa-vikāram udāhṛtam
Translation
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.
 TEXTS 8-12
अमातनत्वमिद्धित्वमतहिं सा क्षाद्धन्तरार्ुवम् ।
आचायोपासनिं शौचिं स्थैयुमात्मतवतनग्रह: ॥ ८ ॥
इद्धियाथेषज वैराग्यमनहङ्कार एव च ।
र्न्ममृत्यजर्राव्यातधिज :खिोषानजिशुनम् ॥ ९ ॥
असद्धक्तरनतभष्वङ्ग: पजत्रिारगृहातिषज ।
तनत्यिं च समतचित्वतमष्टातनष्टोपपतिषज ॥ १० ॥
मतय चानन्ययोगेन भद्धक्तरव्यतभचाररणी ।
तवतवक्तिे शसेतवत्वमरत र्ुनसिंसति ॥ ११ ॥
अध्यात्मज्ञानतनत्यत्विं त्त्वज्ञानाथुिशुनम् ।
ए ज्ज्ञानतमत प्रोक्तमज्ञानिं यि ोऽन्यथा ॥ १२ ॥
amānitvam adambhitvam
ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam
ācāryopāsanaṁ śaucaṁ
sthairyam ātma-vinigrahaḥ
indriyārtheṣu vairāgyam
anahaṅkāra eva ca
janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-
duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam
asaktir anabhiṣvaṅgaḥ
putra-dāra-gṛhādiṣu
nityaṁ ca sama-cittatvam
iṣṭāniṣṭopapattiṣu
mayi cānanya-yogena
bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī
vivikta-deśa-sevitvam
aratir jana-saṁsadi
adhyātma-jñāna-nityatvaṁ
tattva-jñānārtha-darśanam
etaj jñānam iti proktam
ajñānaṁ yad ato ’nyathā
 Translation
Humility; pridelessness; nonviolence; 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.
TEXT 13
ज्ञेयिं यित्प्रवक्ष्यातम यज्ज्ञात्वामृ मश्नृज े ।
अनातिमत्परिं ब्रह्म न सिन्नासिज च्य े ॥ १३ ॥
jñeyaṁ yat tat pravakṣyāmi
yaj jñātvāmṛtam aśnute
anādi mat-paraṁ brahma
na sat tan nāsad ucyate
Translation
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.
TEXT 14
सवु : पातणपाििं त्सवु ोऽतक्षतशरोमजखम् ।
सवु :श्रजत मल्लृोके सवुमावृत्य त ष्ठत ॥ १४ ॥
sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādaṁ tat
sarvato ’kṣi-śiro-mukham
sarvataḥ śrutimal loke
sarvam āvṛtya tiṣṭhati
Translation
Everywhere are His hands and legs, His eyes, heads and faces, and He has
ears everywhere. In this way the Supersoul exists, pervading everything.
 TEXT 15
सवेद्धियगजणाभासिं सवेद्धियतववतर्ु म् ।
असक्तिं सवुभृच्चृै व तनगजुणिं गजणभोक्तृ च ॥ १५ ॥
sarvendriya-guṇābhāsaṁ
sarvendriya-vivarjitam
asaktaṁ sarva-bhṛc caiva
nirguṇaṁ guṇa-bhoktṛ ca
Translation
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.
TEXT 16
र्तहरन्तश्च भू ानामचरिं चरमेव च ।
सूक्ष्मत्वािितवज्ञेयिं िू रस्थिं चाद्धन्तके च ् ॥ १६ ॥
bahir antaś ca bhūtānām
acaraṁ caram eva ca
sūkṣmatvāt tad avijñeyaṁ
dūra-sthaṁ cāntike ca tat
Translation
The Supreme Truth exists outside and inside of all living beings, the
moving and the nonmoving. 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.
TEXT 17
अतवभक्तिं च भू ेषज तवभक्ततमव च द्धस्थ म् ।
भू भ ृु च ज्ज्ञेयिं ग्रतसष्णज प्रभतवष्णज च ॥ १७ ॥
avibhaktaṁ ca bhūteṣu
vibhaktam iva ca sthitam
bhūta-bhartṛ ca taj jñeyaṁ
grasiṣṇu prabhaviṣṇu ca
 Translation
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.
TEXT 18
ज्योत षामतप ज्ज्योत स्तमस: परमजच्य े ।
ज्ञानिं ज्ञेयिं ज्ञानगम्यिं हृति सवुस्य तवतष्ठ म् ॥ १८ ॥
jyotiṣām api taj jyotis
tamasaḥ param ucyate
jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ jñāna-gamyaṁ
hṛdi sarvasya viṣṭhitam
Translation
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 everyone’s
heart.
TEXT 19
इत क्षेत्रिं था ज्ञानिं ज्ञेयिं चोक्तिं समास : ।
मद्भक्त ए तद्वज्ञाय मद्भृावायोपपद्य े ॥ १९ ॥
iti kṣetraṁ tathā jñānaṁ
jñeyaṁ coktaṁ samāsataḥ
mad-bhakta etad vijñāya
mad-bhāvāyopapadyate
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.
 TEXT 20
प्रकृत िं पजरुषिं चैव तवद्ध्यनािी उभावतप ।
तवकारािं श्च गजणािं श्चैव तवद्धि प्रकृत सिवान् ॥ २० ॥
prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva
viddhy anādī ubhāv api
vikārāṁś ca guṇāṁś caiva
viddhi prakṛti-sambhavān
Translation
Material nature and the living entities should be understood to be
beginningless. Their transformations and the modes of matter are
products of material nature.
TEXT 21
कायुकारणक ुृत्वे हे ज: प्रकृत रुच्य े ।
पजरुष: सजखिज :खानािं भोक्तृत्वे हे जरुच्य े ॥ २१ ॥
kārya-kāraṇa-kartṛtve
hetuḥ prakṛtir ucyate
puruṣaḥ sukha-duḥkhānāṁ
bhoktṛtve hetur ucyate
Translation
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.
TEXT 22
पजरुष: प्रकृत स्थो तह भजङ्क्क्ते प्रकृत र्ान्गजणान् ।
कारणिं गजणसङ्गोऽस्य सिसद्योतनर्न्मसज ॥ २२ ॥
puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi
bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān
kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo ’sya
sad-asad-yoni-janmasu
 Translation
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.
TEXT 23
उपद्रष्टानजमन्ता च भ ाु भोक्ता महे श्वर: ।
परमात्मेत चाप्यजक्तो िे हेऽद्धिन्पज रुष: पर: ॥ २३ ॥
upadraṣṭānumantā ca
bhartā bhoktā maheśvaraḥ
paramātmeti cāpy ukto
dehe ’smin puruṣaḥ paraḥ
Translation
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.
TEXT 24
य एविं वेति पजरुषिं प्रकृत िं च गजणै: सह ।
सवुथा व ुमानोऽतप न स भूयोऽतभर्ाय े ॥ २४ ॥
ya evaṁ vetti puruṣaṁ
prakṛtiṁ ca guṇaiḥ saha
sarvathā vartamāno ’pi
na sa bhūyo ’bhijāyate
Translation
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.
 TEXT 25
ध्यानेनात्मतन पश्यद्धन्त केतचिात्मानमात्मना ।
अन्ये सािं ख्येन योगेन कमुयोगेन चापरे ॥ २५ ॥
dhyānenātmani paśyanti
kecid ātmānam ātmanā
anye sāṅkhyena yogena
karma-yogena cāpare
Translation
Some perceive the Supersoul within themselves through meditation,
others through the cultivation of knowledge, and still others through
working without fruitive desires.
TEXT 26
अन्ये त्वेवमर्ानन्त: श्रजत्वान्येय उपास े ।
ेऽतप चात रन्त्ये व मृत्यजिं श्रजत परायणा: ॥ २६ ॥
anye tv evam ajānantaḥ
śrutvānyebhya upāsate
te ’pi cātitaranty eva
mṛtyuṁ śruti-parāyaṇāḥ
Translation
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.
TEXT 27
यावत्सञ्जाय े तकतञ्चत्सत्त्विं स्थावरर्ङ्गमम् ।
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञसिंयोगाितद्वद्धि भर षु भ ॥ २७ ॥
yāvat sañjāyate kiñcit
sattvaṁ sthāvara-jaṅgamam
kṣetra-kṣetrajña-saṁyogāt
tad viddhi bharatarṣabha
 Translation
O chief of the Bhāratas, know that whatever you see in existence, both the
moving and the nonmoving, is only a combination of the field of activities
and the knower of the field.
TEXT 28
समिं सवेषज भू ेषज त ष्ठन्तिं परमेश्वरम् ।
तवनश्यत्स्वतवनश्यन्तिं य: पश्यत स पश्यत ॥ २८ ॥
samaṁ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
tiṣṭhantaṁ parameśvaram
vinaśyatsv avinaśyantaṁ
yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati
Translation
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.
TEXT 29
समिं पश्यद्धि सवुत्र समवद्धस्थ मीश्वरम् ।
न तहनस्त्यात्मनात्मानिं ो यात परािं गत म् ॥ २९ ॥
samaṁ paśyan hi sarvatra
samavasthitam īśvaram
na hinasty ātmanātmānaṁ
tato yāti parāṁ gatim
Translation
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.
 TEXT 30
प्रकृत्यैव च कमाु तण तियमाणातन सवुश: ।
य: पश्यत थात्मानमक ाु रिं स पश्यत ॥ ३० ॥
prakṛtyaiva ca karmāṇi
kriyamāṇāni sarvaśaḥ
yaḥ paśyati tathātmānam
akartāraṁ sa paśyati
Translation
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.
TEXT 31
यिा भू पृथग्भावमेकस्थमनजपश्यत ।
एव च तवस्तारिं ब्रह्म सम्पद्य े िा ॥ ३१ ॥
yadā bhūta-pṛthag-bhāvam
eka-stham anupaśyati
tata eva ca vistāraṁ
brahma sampadyate tadā
Translation
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.
TEXT 32
अनातित्वातन्नगजुणत्वात्परमात्मायमव्यय: ।
शरीरस्थोऽतप कौन्तेय न करोत न तिप्य े ॥ ३२ ॥
anāditvān nirguṇatvāt
paramātmāyam avyayaḥ
śarīra-stho ’pi kaunteya
na karoti na lipyate
 Translation
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.
TEXT 33
यथा सवुग िं सौक्ष्म्म्यािाकाशिं नोपतिप्य े ।
सवुत्रावद्धस्थ ो िे हे थात्मा नोपतिप्य े ॥ ३३ ॥
yathā sarva-gataṁ saukṣmyād
ākāśaṁ nopalipyate
sarvatrāvasthito dehe
tathātmā nopalipyate
Translation
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.
TEXT 34
यथा प्रकाशयत्येक: कृत्स्निं िोकतममिं रतव: ।
क्षेत्रिं क्षेत्री था कृत्स्निं प्रकाशयत भार ॥ ३४ ॥
yathā prakāśayaty ekaḥ
kṛtsnaṁ lokam imaṁ raviḥ
kṣetraṁ kṣetrī tathā kṛtsnaṁ
prakāśayati bhārata
Translation
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.
 TEXT 35
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोरे वमन्तरिं ज्ञानचक्षजषा ।
भू प्रकृत मोक्षिं च ये तविज याु द्धन्त े परम् ॥ ३५ ॥
kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor evam
antaraṁ jñāna-cakṣuṣā
bhūta-prakṛti-mokṣaṁ ca
ye vidur yānti te param
Translation
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.