Gita Chapter 13

Gita chapter 13

Key points:

Kshetra same as the physcial body comprising of several components.

Kshetrajna  is the knower.  The ultimate knower being the Lord Himself

Knowing these facts is true knowledge.  Seeing the true nature of this kshetra and Kshatrajna would allow the seer to  separate himself from this and free himself from the impurities that come with the identification with the kshetra.

After describing the kshetra Lord describes the nature of Kshetrajna or the knower of the kshetra.  Lord says this knower is Me only.  He is everywhere, knows everything, even though it pervades teh body, senses, mind,

Kshetra has many components and characteristics some of them are good qualities whereas many others are really defects and impurities

Kshatrajna ( The Lord ) pervades everything and makes evrything happen but is not affected by the actions of what He pervades.  One example would be that of electricity.  Electricity is present in various different appliances.  Electricity is the same but what action takes place varies from appliance to appliance depending on the components and parts of the appliance.  How appliance behaves has no effect on the electricity.  Similarly Atman pervades and powers everything, without Atman nothing will sustain but each object has it's own nature due to different combinations of Prakriti's Gunas, Sattva, Rajsa, Tamas.  This is not a perfect example, because at the Atman and object level, ulimately even the object is only a modification of the Atman in one sense.  But on the other hand appliance is not made up of electricity.  While the object at a very deeper level is comprised of Atman only.  But I am giving this example to create an understanding at a very gross level.  Ultimately Vasudeva Sarvam Iti  is the ultimate truth.  Understanding this and knowing this is the True Knowledge.

There are several components to what this knowledge is:

Seeing the impermanence in the objects of nature vs  permanence of the Atman

The creation comprises of the union of the permanent ( Kshatrajna or the Lord ) and the impermanent. ( Prakriti )

Atman and paramatman is the same.  Lord is uniformly situated and makes up the essence of everything.

He (Lord ) is the creator, sustainer and destroyer of everything

He is the knowledge, knower and to be known

He illunminates everything, He only appears to be divided but He really uniformly pervades everything.

Lord is not the doer of what happens, Prakriti  is the doer.  Seeing the permanent ( Lord ) as the basis of and underlying all the impermanent, is true knowledge.

Particularly important verses which deliver the key message of Chapter 13 are:

O chief of the Bharatas, whatever you see in existence, both moving and unmoving, is only the combination of the field of activities and the knower of the field.

One who sees the Supersoul accompanying the individual soul in all bodies, and who understands that neither the soul nor the Supersoul is ever destroyed, actually sees.

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.