The thirteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is Ksetra Ksetrajna Vibhaaga Yoga. The word kshetra means the field, and the kshetrajna means the knower of the field. We can think of our material body as the field and our immortal soul as the knower of the field. In this chapter, Krishna discriminates between the physical body and the immortal soul. He explains that the physical body is temporary and perishable whereas the soul is permanent and eternal. The physical body can be destroyed but the soul can never be destroyed. The chapter then describes God, who is the Supreme Soul. All the individual souls have originated from the Supreme Soul. One who clearly understands the difference between the body, the Soul and the Supreme Soul attains the realization of Brahman.

slok:’13.1′,

‘arjuna uvāca . prakṛtiṃ puruṣaṃ caiva kṣetraṃ kṣetrajñameva ca . etadveditumicchāmi jñānaṃ jñeyaṃ ca keśava ||13-1||’,

‘13.1 Arjuna said I wish to learn about Nature (matter) and the Spirit (soul), the field and the knower of the field, knowledge and that which ought to be known, O Kesava.’,

slok:’13.2′,

‘śrībhagavānuvāca . idaṃ śarīraṃ kaunteya kṣetramityabhidhīyate . etadyo vetti taṃ prāhuḥ kṣetrajña iti tadvidaḥ ||13-2||’,

‘13.2 The Blessed Lord said This body, O Arjuna, is called the field; he who knows it is called the knower of the field, by those who know of them.’,

slok:’13.3′,

‘kṣetrajñaṃ cāpi māṃ viddhi sarvakṣetreṣu bhārata . kṣetrakṣetrajñayorjñānaṃ yattajjñānaṃ mataṃ mama ||13-3||’,

‘13.3 Do thou also know Me as the knower of the field in all fields, O Arjuna. Knowledge of both the field and the knower of the field is considered by Me to be ï1the ï1 knowledge.’,

slok:’13.4′,

‘tatkṣetraṃ yacca yādṛkca yadvikāri yataśca yat . sa ca yo yatprabhāvaśca tatsamāsena me śṛṇu ||13-4||’,

‘13.4 What the field is and of what nature, what are its modifications and whence it is and also who He is and what His powers are hear all that from Me in brief.’,

slok:’13.5′,

‘ṛṣibhirbahudhā gītaṃ chandobhirvividhaiḥ pṛthak . brahmasūtrapadaiścaiva hetumadbhirviniścitaiḥ ||13-5||’,

‘13.5 Sages have sung in many ways, in various distinctive chants and also in the suggestive words indicative of the Absolute, full of reasoning and decisive.’,

slok:’13.6′,

‘mahābhūtānyahaṃkāro buddhiravyaktameva ca . indriyāṇi daśaikaṃ ca pañca cendriyagocarāḥ ||13-6||’,

‘13.6 The great elements, egoism, intellect, and also the Unmanifested Nature, the ten senses and one (mind), and the five objects of the senses.’,

slok:’13.7′,

‘icchā dveṣaḥ sukhaṃ duḥkhaṃ saṃghātaścetanā dhṛtiḥ . etatkṣetraṃ samāsena savikāramudāhṛtam ||13-7||’,

‘13.7 Desire, hatred, pleasure, pain, the aggregate (the body), intelligence, fortitude the field has thus been briefly described with its modifications.’,

slok:’13.8′,

‘amānitvamadambhitvamahiṃsā kṣāntirārjavam . ācāryopāsanaṃ śaucaṃ sthairyamātmavinigrahaḥ ||13-8||’,

‘13.8 Humility, unpretentiousness, non-injury, forgiveness, uprightness, service of the teacher, purity, steadfastness, self-control.’,

slok:’13.9′,

‘indriyārtheṣu vairāgyamanahaṃkāra eva ca . janmamṛtyujarāvyādhiduḥkhadoṣānudarśanam ||13-9||’,

‘13.9 Indifference to the objects of the senses and also absence of egoism; perception of (or reflection on) the evil in birth, death, old age, sickness and pain.’,

slok:’13.10′,

‘asaktiranabhiṣvaṅgaḥ putradāragṛhādiṣu . nityaṃ ca samacittatvamiṣṭāniṣṭopapattiṣu ||13-10||’,

‘13.10 Non-attachment, non-identification of the Self with son, wife, home and the rest, and constant even-mindedness on the attainment of the desirable and the undesirable.’,

slok:’13.11′,

‘mayi cānanyayogena bhaktiravyabhicāriṇī . viviktadeśasevitvamaratirjanasaṃsadi ||13-11||’,

‘13.11 Unswerving devotion unto Me by the Yoga of non-separation, resort to solitary places, distaste for the society of men.’,

slok:’13.12′,

‘adhyātmajñānanityatvaṃ tattvajñānārthadarśanam . etajjñānamiti proktamajñānaṃ yadato.anyathā ||13-12||’,

‘13.12 Constancy in Self-knowledge, perception of the end of true knowledge this is declared to be knowledge, and what is opposed to it is ignorance.’,

slok:’13.13′,

‘jñeyaṃ yattatpravakṣyāmi yajjñātvāmṛtamaśnute . anādi matparaṃ brahma na sattannāsaducyate ||13-13||’,

‘13.13 I will declare that which has to be known, knowing which one attains to immortality, the beginningless supreme Brahman, called neither being nor non-being.’,

slok:’13.14′,

‘sarvataḥ pāṇipādaṃ tatsarvato.akṣiśiromukham . sarvataḥ śrutimalloke sarvamāvṛtya tiṣṭhati ||13-14||’,

‘13.14 With hands and feet everywhere, with eyes, heads and mouths everywhere, with ears everywhere, He exists in the worlds enveloping all.’,

slok:’13.15′,

‘sarvendriyaguṇābhāsaṃ sarvendriyavivarjitam . asaktaṃ sarvabhṛccaiva nirguṇaṃ guṇabhoktṛ ca ||13-15||’,

‘13.15 Shining by the functions of all the senses, yet without the senses; unattached, yet supporting all; devoid of alities, yet their experiencer.’,

slok:’13.16′,

‘bahirantaśca bhūtānāmacaraṃ carameva ca . sūkṣmatvāttadavijñeyaṃ dūrasthaṃ cāntike ca tat ||13-16||’,

‘13.16 Without and within (all) beings the unmoving and also the moving; because of Its subtlety, unknowable; and near and far away is That.’,

slok:’13.17′,

‘avibhaktaṃ ca bhūteṣu vibhaktamiva ca sthitam . bhūtabhartṛ ca tajjñeyaṃ grasiṣṇu prabhaviṣṇu ca ||13-17||’,

‘13.17 And undivided, yet It exists as if divided in beings; It is to be known as the supporter of being; It devours and It generates.’,

slok:’13.18′,

‘jyotiṣāmapi tajjyotistamasaḥ paramucyate . jñānaṃ jñeyaṃ jñānagamyaṃ hṛdi sarvasya viṣṭhitam ||13-18||’,

‘13.18 That, the Light of all lights, is said to be beyond darkness: knowledge, the knowable and the goal of knowledge, seated in the hearts of all.’,

slok:’13.19′,

‘iti kṣetraṃ tathā jñānaṃ jñeyaṃ coktaṃ samāsataḥ . madbhakta etadvijñāya madbhāvāyopapadyate ||13-19||’,

‘13.19 Thus the field, as well as knowledge and the knowable have been briefly stated. My devotee, knowing this, enters into My Being.’,

slok:’13.20′,

‘prakṛtiṃ puruṣaṃ caiva viddhyanādi ubhāvapi . vikārāṃśca guṇāṃścaiva viddhi prakṛtisambhavān ||13-20||’,

‘13.20 Know thou that Nature (matter) and the Spirit are both beginningless; and know also that all modifications and alities are born of Nature.’,

slok:’13.21′,

‘kāryakāraṇakartṛtve hetuḥ prakṛtirucyate . puruṣaḥ sukhaduḥkhānāṃ bhoktṛtve heturucyate ||13-21||’,

‘13.21 In the production of the effect and the cause, Nature (matter) is said to be the cause; in the experience of pleasure and pain, the soul is said to be the cause.’,

slok:’13.22′,

‘puruṣaḥ prakṛtistho hi bhuṅkte prakṛtijānguṇān . kāraṇaṃ guṇasaṅgo.asya sadasadyonijanmasu ||13-22||’,

‘13.22 The soul seated in Nature experiences the alities born of Nature; attachment to the alities is the cause of its birth in good and evil wombs.’,

slok:’13.23′,

‘upadraṣṭānumantā ca bhartā bhoktā maheśvaraḥ . paramātmeti cāpyukto dehe.asminpuruṣaḥ paraḥ ||13-23||’,

‘13.23 The Supreme Soul in this body is also called the spectator, the permitter, the supporter, the enjoyer, the great Lord and the Supreme Self.’,

slok:’13.24′,

‘ya evaṃ vetti puruṣaṃ prakṛtiṃ ca guṇaiḥ saha . sarvathā vartamāno.api na sa bhūyo.abhijāyate ||13-24||’,

‘13.24 He who thus knows the Spirit and Matter together with the alities, in whatever condition he may be, he is not born again.’,

slok:’13.25′,

‘dhyānenātmani paśyanti kecidātmānamātmanā . anye sāṅkhyena yogena karmayogena cāpare ||13-25||’,

‘13.25 Some by meditation behold the Self in the self by the self, others by the Yoga of knowledge, and still others by the Yoga of action.’,

slok:’13.26′,

‘anye tvevamajānantaḥ śrutvānyebhya upāsate . te.api cātitarantyeva mṛtyuṃ śrutiparāyaṇāḥ ||13-26||’,

‘13.26 Others also, not knowing thus, worship, having heard of It from others; they, too, cross beyond death, regarding what they have heard as the Supreme refuge.’,

slok:’13.27′,

‘yāvatsañjāyate kiñcitsattvaṃ sthāvarajaṅgamam . kṣetrakṣetrajñasaṃyogāttadviddhi bharatarṣabha ||13-27||’,

‘13.27 Wherever a being is born, whether unmoving or moving, know thou, O best of the Bharatas (Arjuna), that it is from the union between the field and its knower.’,

slok:’13.28′,

‘samaṃ sarveṣu bhūteṣu tiṣṭhantaṃ parameśvaram . vinaśyatsvavinaśyantaṃ yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati ||13-28||’,

‘13.28 He sees, who sees the Supreme Lord, existing eally in all beings, the unperishing within the perishing.’,

slok:’13.29′,

‘samaṃ paśyanhi sarvatra samavasthitamīśvaram . na hinastyātmanātmānaṃ tato yāti parāṃ gatim ||13-29||’,

‘13.29 Because he who sees the same Lord eally dwelling everywhere does not destroy the Self by the self; he goes to the highest goal.’,

slok:’13.30′,

‘prakṛtyaiva ca karmāṇi kriyamāṇāni sarvaśaḥ . yaḥ paśyati tathātmānamakartāraṃ sa paśyati ||13-30||’,

‘13.30 He sees, who sees that all actions are performed by Nature alone and that the Self is actionless.’,

slok:’13.31′,

‘yadā bhūtapṛthagbhāvamekasthamanupaśyati . tata eva ca vistāraṃ brahma sampadyate tadā ||13-31||’,

‘13.31 When a man sees the whole variety of beings as resting in the One, and spreading forth from That alone, he then becomes Brahman.’,

slok:’13.32′,

‘anāditvānnirguṇatvātparamātmāyamavyayaḥ . śarīrastho.api kaunteya na karoti na lipyate ||13-32||’,

‘13.32 Being without beginning and being devoid of (any) alities, the Supreme Self, imperishable, though dwelling in the body, O Arjuna, neither acts nor is tainted.’,

slok:’13.33′,

‘yathā sarvagataṃ saukṣmyādākāśaṃ nopalipyate . sarvatrāvasthito dehe tathātmā nopalipyate ||13-33||’,

‘13.33 As the all-pervading ether is not tainted, because of its subtlety, so the Self seated everywhere in the body is not tainted.’,

slok:’13.34′,

‘yathā prakāśayatyekaḥ kṛtsnaṃ lokamimaṃ raviḥ . kṣetraṃ kṣetrī tathā kṛtsnaṃ prakāśayati bhārata ||13-34||’,

‘13.34 Just as the one sun illumines the whole world, so also the Lord of the field (Supreme Self) illumines the whole field, O Arjuna.’,

slok:’13.35′,

‘kṣetrakṣetrajñayorevamantaraṃ jñānacakṣuṣā . bhūtaprakṛtimokṣaṃ ca ye viduryānti te param ||13-35||’,

‘13.35 They who, by the eye of knowledge, perceive the distinction between the field and its knower and also the liberation from the Nature of being, go to the Supreme.’,

slok:’13.36′,

‘OM tatsaditi śrīmadbhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyāṃ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṃvāde kṣetrakṣetrajñavibhāgayogo nāma trayodaśo.adhyāyaḥ ||13-36||’,

‘Swami Sivananda did not comment on this sloka’,