Kṣhetra Kṣhetrajña Vibhāg Yog

Verse 13.1

अर्जुन उवाच प्रकृतिं पुरुषं चैव क्षेत्रं क्षेत्रज्ञमेव च। एतद्वेदितुमिच्छामि ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं च केशव।।13.1।।

arjuna uvācha prakṛitiṁ puruṣhaṁ chaiva kṣhetraṁ kṣhetra-jñam eva cha etad veditum ichchhāmi jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ cha keśhava

Arjuna asked, "My Lord, who is God, what is Nature, what is Matter, and what is the Self? What is Wisdom, and what is worth knowing? I wish to have this explained."

Verse 13.2

श्री भगवानुवाचइदं शरीरं कौन्तेय क्षेत्रमित्यभिधीयते।एतद्यो वेत्ति तं प्राहुः क्षेत्रज्ञ इति तद्विदः।।13.2।।

śhrī-bhagavān uvācha idaṁ śharīraṁ kaunteya kṣhetram ity abhidhīyate etad yo vetti taṁ prāhuḥ kṣhetra-jña iti tad-vidaḥ

Lord Shri Krishna replied: O Arjuna! The body of a person is the playground of the Self; and That which knows the activities of Matter, sages call the Self.

Verse 13.3

क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि सर्वक्षेत्रेषु भारत। क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोर्ज्ञानं यत्तज्ज्ञानं मतं मम।।13.3।।

kṣhetra-jñaṁ chāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣhetreṣhu bhārata kṣhetra-kṣhetrajñayor jñānaṁ yat taj jñānaṁ mataṁ mama

I am the omniscient Self that abides in the realm of matter; knowledge of matter and of the all-knowing Self is wisdom.

Verse 13.4

तत्क्षेत्रं यच्च यादृक् च यद्विकारि यतश्च यत्।स च यो यत्प्रभावश्च तत्समासेन मे श्रृणु।।13.4।।

tat kṣhetraṁ yach cha yādṛik cha yad-vikāri yataśh cha yat sa cha yo yat-prabhāvaśh cha tat samāsena me śhṛiṇu

What is called Matter, of what it is composed, whence it came, and why it changes, what the Self is, and what its power - this I will now briefly set forth.

Verse 13.5

ऋषिभिर्बहुधा गीतं छन्दोभिर्विविधैः पृथक्।ब्रह्मसूत्रपदैश्चैव हेतुमद्भिर्विनिश्िचतैः।।13.5।।

ṛiṣhibhir bahudhā gītaṁ chhandobhir vividhaiḥ pṛithak brahma-sūtra-padaiśh chaiva hetumadbhir viniśhchitaiḥ

Seers have sung of it in various ways, in many hymns and sacred Vedic songs, weighty in thought and convincing in their arguments.

Verse 13.6

महाभूतान्यहङ्कारो बुद्धिरव्यक्तमेव च।इन्द्रियाणि दशैकं च पञ्च चेन्द्रियगोचराः।।13.6।।

mahā-bhūtāny ahankāro buddhir avyaktam eva cha indriyāṇi daśhaikaṁ cha pañcha chendriya-gocharāḥ

The five great fundamentals—earth, fire, air, water, and ether—personality, intellect, the mysterious life force, the ten organs of perception and action, the mind, and the five domains of sensation—

Verse 13.7

इच्छा द्वेषः सुखं दुःखं सङ्घातश्चेतनाधृतिः।एतत्क्षेत्रं समासेन सविकारमुदाहृतम्।।13.7।।

ichchhā dveṣhaḥ sukhaṁ duḥkhaṁ saṅghātaśh chetanā dhṛitiḥ etat kṣhetraṁ samāsena sa-vikāram udāhṛitam

Desire, aversion, pleasure, pain, sympathy, vitality, and the persistent clinging to life—these are, in brief, the constituents of changing matter.

Verse 13.8

अमानित्वमदम्भित्वमहिंसा क्षान्तिरार्जवम्।आचार्योपासनं शौचं स्थैर्यमात्मविनिग्रहः।।13.8।।

amānitvam adambhitvam ahinsā kṣhāntir ārjavam āchāryopāsanaṁ śhauchaṁ sthairyam ātma-vinigrahaḥ

Humility, sincerity, harmlessness, forgiveness, rectitude, service to the Master, purity, steadfastness, and self-control;

Verse 13.9

इन्द्रियार्थेषु वैराग्यमनहङ्कार एव च।जन्ममृत्युजराव्याधिदुःखदोषानुदर्शनम्।।13.9।।

indriyārtheṣhu vairāgyam anahankāra eva cha janma-mṛityu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣhānudarśhanam

Renouncing the delights of the senses, being without pride, having a right understanding of the painful problem of birth and death, and of age and sickness;

Verse 13.10

असक्ितरनभिष्वङ्गः पुत्रदारगृहादिषु।नित्यं च समचित्तत्वमिष्टानिष्टोपपत्तिषु।।13.10।।

asaktir anabhiṣhvaṅgaḥ putra-dāra-gṛihādiṣhu nityaṁ cha sama-chittatvam iṣhṭāniṣhṭopapattiṣhu

Indifference, non-attachment to sex, progeny, or home, equanimity in both good fortune and bad;

Verse 13.11

मयि चानन्ययोगेन भक्ितरव्यभिचारिणी।विविक्तदेशसेवित्वमरतिर्जनसंसदि।।13.11।।

mayi chānanya-yogena bhaktir avyabhichāriṇī vivikta-deśha-sevitvam aratir jana-sansadi

Unswerving devotion to Me, with concentration on Me and Me alone, a love for solitude, and indifference to social life;

Verse 13.12

अध्यात्मज्ञाननित्यत्वं तत्त्वज्ञानार्थदर्शनम्।एतज्ज्ञानमिति प्रोक्तमज्ञानं यदतोन्यथा।।13.12।।

adhyātma-jñāna-nityatvaṁ tattva-jñānārtha-darśhanam etaj jñānam iti proktam ajñānaṁ yad ato ’nyathā

Constant yearning for the knowledge of the Self, and pondering over the lessons of the great Truth—this is wisdom; all else is ignorance.

Verse 13.13

ज्ञेयं यत्तत्प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वाऽमृतमश्नुते।अनादिमत्परं ब्रह्म न सत्तन्नासदुच्यते।।13.13।।

jñeyaṁ yat tat pravakṣhyāmi yaj jñātvāmṛitam aśhnute anādi mat-paraṁ brahma na sat tan nāsad uchyate

I will now speak to you of that great truth which one ought to know, since by it one will attain immortal bliss—that which is without beginning, the eternal spirit which dwells in me, neither with form nor without it.

Verse 13.14

सर्वतः पाणिपादं तत्सर्वतोऽक्षिशिरोमुखम्।सर्वतः श्रुतिमल्लोके सर्वमावृत्य तिष्ठति।।13.14।।

sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādaṁ tat sarvato ’kṣhi-śhiro-mukham sarvataḥ śhrutimal loke sarvam āvṛitya tiṣhṭhati

Everywhere are Its hands and feet; everywhere It has eyes that see, heads that think, and mouths that speak; everywhere It listens; It dwells in all the worlds and envelops them all.

Verse 13.15

सर्वेन्द्रियगुणाभासं सर्वेन्द्रियविवर्जितम्।असक्तं सर्वभृच्चैव निर्गुणं गुणभोक्तृ च।।13.15।।

sarvendriya-guṇābhāsaṁ sarvendriya-vivarjitam asaktaṁ sarva-bhṛich chaiva nirguṇaṁ guṇa-bhoktṛi cha

Beyond the senses, it yet shines through every sense perception; bound to nothing, it yet sustains everything; unaffected by the qualities, it still enjoys them all.

Verse 13.16

बहिरन्तश्च भूतानामचरं चरमेव च।सूक्ष्मत्वात्तदविज्ञेयं दूरस्थं चान्तिके च तत्।।13.16।।

bahir antaśh cha bhūtānām acharaṁ charam eva cha sūkṣhmatvāt tad avijñeyaṁ dūra-sthaṁ chāntike cha tat

It is within all beings, yet outside; motionless yet moving; too subtle to be perceived; far away yet ever near.

Verse 13.17

अविभक्तं च भूतेषु विभक्तमिव च स्थितम्।भूतभर्तृ च तज्ज्ञेयं ग्रसिष्णु प्रभविष्णु च।।13.17।।

avibhaktaṁ cha bhūteṣhu vibhaktam iva cha sthitam bhūta-bhartṛi cha taj jñeyaṁ grasiṣhṇu prabhaviṣhṇu cha

In all beings, undivided yet living in division, it is the upholder of all, both creator and destroyer alike.

Verse 13.18

ज्योतिषामपि तज्ज्योतिस्तमसः परमुच्यते।ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं ज्ञानगम्यं हृदि सर्वस्य विष्ठितम्।।13.18।।

jyotiṣhām api taj jyotis tamasaḥ param uchyate jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ jñāna-gamyaṁ hṛidi sarvasya viṣhṭhitam

It is the light of lights, beyond the reach of darkness; the wisdom, the only thing worth knowing or that wisdom can teach; the presence in the hearts of all.

Verse 13.19

इति क्षेत्रं तथा ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं चोक्तं समासतः।मद्भक्त एतद्विज्ञाय मद्भावायोपपद्यते।।13.19।।

iti kṣhetraṁ tathā jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ choktaṁ samāsataḥ mad-bhakta etad vijñāya mad-bhāvāyopapadyate

Thus, I have briefly told you what Matter is, the Self worth realizing, and what Wisdom is. He who is devoted to Me knows, and he will assuredly enter into Me.

Verse 13.20

प्रकृतिं पुरुषं चैव विद्ध्यनादी उभावपि।विकारांश्च गुणांश्चैव विद्धि प्रकृतिसंभवान्।।13.20।।

prakṛitiṁ puruṣhaṁ chaiva viddhy anādī ubhāv api vikārānśh cha guṇānśh chaiva viddhi prakṛiti-sambhavān

Know further that Nature and God have no beginning, and that differences in character and quality originate from Nature only.

Verse 13.21

कार्यकारणकर्तृत्वे हेतुः प्रकृतिरुच्यते।पुरुषः सुखदुःखानां भोक्तृत्वे हेतुरुच्यते।।13.21।।

kārya-kāraṇa-kartṛitve hetuḥ prakṛitir uchyate puruṣhaḥ sukha-duḥkhānāṁ bhoktṛitve hetur uchyate

Nature is the law that generates cause and effect; God is the source of all pleasure and pain.

Verse 13.22

पुरुषः प्रकृतिस्थो हि भुङ्क्ते प्रकृतिजान्गुणान्।कारणं गुणसङ्गोऽस्य सदसद्योनिजन्मसु।।13.22।।

puruṣhaḥ prakṛiti-stho hi bhuṅkte prakṛiti-jān guṇān kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo ’sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu

God, dwelling in the heart of Nature, experiences the qualities that Nature brings forth; and His affinity towards these qualities is the reason for His living in a good or evil body.

Verse 13.23

उपद्रष्टाऽनुमन्ता च भर्ता भोक्ता महेश्वरः।परमात्मेति चाप्युक्तो देहेऽस्मिन्पुरुषः परः।।13.23।।

upadraṣhṭānumantā cha bhartā bhoktā maheśhvaraḥ paramātmeti chāpy ukto dehe ’smin puruṣhaḥ paraḥ

Thus, in the body of man dwells the Supreme God; He who sees, permits, upholds, and enjoys is the Highest God and the Highest Self.

Verse 13.24

य एवं वेत्ति पुरुषं प्रकृतिं च गुणैःसह।सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि न स भूयोऽभिजायते।।13.24।।

ya evaṁ vetti puruṣhaṁ prakṛitiṁ cha guṇaiḥ saha sarvathā vartamāno ’pi na sa bhūyo ’bhijāyate

He who understands God and Nature, along with her qualities, whatever his condition in life may be, will not come back to earth.

Verse 13.25

ध्यानेनात्मनि पश्यन्ति केचिदात्मानमात्मना।अन्ये सांख्येन योगेन कर्मयोगेन चापरे।।13.25।।

dhyānenātmani paśhyanti kechid ātmānam ātmanā anye sānkhyena yogena karma-yogena chāpare

Some realize the Supreme by meditating, with its aid, on the Self within; others by pure reason; and still others by right action.

Verse 13.26

अन्ये त्वेवमजानन्तः श्रुत्वाऽन्येभ्य उपासते।तेऽपि चातितरन्त्येव मृत्युं श्रुतिपरायणाः।।13.26।।

anye tv evam ajānantaḥ śhrutvānyebhya upāsate te ’pi chātitaranty eva mṛityuṁ śhruti-parāyaṇāḥ

Others, again, having no direct knowledge but only hearing from others, still worship, and, if they are true to the teachings, they too will cross the sea of death.

Verse 13.27

यावत्सञ्जायते किञ्चित्सत्त्वं स्थावरजङ्गमम्।क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञसंयोगात्तद्विद्धि भरतर्षभ।।13.27।।

yāvat sañjāyate kiñchit sattvaṁ sthāvara-jaṅgamam kṣhetra-kṣhetrajña-sanyogāt tad viddhi bharatarṣhabha

Wherever life is seen in things movable or immovable, it is the result of the combination of Matter and Spirit.

Verse 13.28

समं सर्वेषु भूतेषु तिष्ठन्तं परमेश्वरम्।विनश्यत्स्वविनश्यन्तं यः पश्यति स पश्यति।।13.28।।

samaṁ sarveṣhu bhūteṣhu tiṣhṭhantaṁ parameśhvaram vinaśhyatsv avinaśhyantaṁ yaḥ paśhyati sa paśhyati

He who can see the Supreme Lord in all beings, the Imperishable amidst the perishable, he is the one who truly sees.

Verse 13.29

समं पश्यन्हि सर्वत्र समवस्थितमीश्वरम्।न हिनस्त्यात्मनाऽऽत्मानं ततो याति परां गतिम्।।13.29।।

samaṁ paśhyan hi sarvatra samavasthitam īśhvaram na hinasty ātmanātmānaṁ tato yāti parāṁ gatim

Beholding the Lord equally in all things, his actions do not mar his spiritual life but lead him to the heights of bliss.

Verse 13.30

प्रकृत्यैव च कर्माणि क्रियमाणानि सर्वशः।यः पश्यति तथाऽऽत्मानमकर्तारं स पश्यति।।13.30।।

prakṛityaiva cha karmāṇi kriyamāṇāni sarvaśhaḥ yaḥ paśhyati tathātmānam akartāraṁ sa paśhyati

He who understands that it is only the Law of Nature that brings action to fruition, and that the Self never acts, alone knows the Truth.

Verse 13.31

यदा भूतपृथग्भावमेकस्थमनुपश्यति।तत एव च विस्तारं ब्रह्म सम्पद्यते तदा।।13.31।।

yadā bhūta-pṛithag-bhāvam eka-stham anupaśhyati tata eva cha vistāraṁ brahma sampadyate tadā

He who sees the diverse forms of life all rooted in One and growing forth from Him, shall indeed find the Absolute.

Verse 13.32

अनादित्वान्निर्गुणत्वात्परमात्मायमव्ययः।शरीरस्थोऽपि कौन्तेय न करोति न लिप्यते।।13.32।।

anāditvān nirguṇatvāt paramātmāyam avyayaḥ śharīra-stho ’pi kaunteya na karoti na lipyate

The Supreme Spirit, O Prince, is without beginning, has no qualities, and is imperishable. Though it is within the body, it does not act, nor is it affected by action.

Verse 13.33

यथा सर्वगतं सौक्ष्म्यादाकाशं नोपलिप्यते।सर्वत्रावस्थितो देहे तथाऽऽत्मा नोपलिप्यते।।13.33।।

yathā sarva-gataṁ saukṣhmyād ākāśhaṁ nopalipyate sarvatrāvasthito dehe tathātmā nopalipyate

As space, though present everywhere, remains unaffected due to its subtlety, so too the Self, though present in all forms, retains its purity unalloyed.

Verse 13.34

यथा प्रकाशयत्येकः कृत्स्नं लोकमिमं रविः।क्षेत्रं क्षेत्री तथा कृत्स्नं प्रकाशयति भारत।।13.34।।

yathā prakāśhayaty ekaḥ kṛitsnaṁ lokam imaṁ raviḥ kṣhetraṁ kṣhetrī tathā kṛitsnaṁ prakāśhayati bhārata

As the one Sun illuminates the entire earth, so the Lord illuminates the entire universe.

Verse 13.35

क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोरेवमन्तरं ज्ञानचक्षुषा।भूतप्रकृतिमोक्षं च ये विदुर्यान्ति ते परम्।।13.35।।

kṣhetra-kṣhetrajñayor evam antaraṁ jñāna-chakṣhuṣhā bhūta-prakṛiti-mokṣhaṁ cha ye vidur yānti te param

Those who, with the eyes of wisdom, thus see the difference between Matter and Spirit, and know how to liberate life from the Law of Nature, attain the Supreme.