Bhagavad-gita As It Is - Macmillan 1972 Edition -- Prabhupada Books (93 page)

PURPORT

Arjuna was inquisitive about
prakṛti
or nature,
puruṣa,
the enjoyer,
kṣetra,
the field,
kṣetrajña,
its knower, and of knowledge and the object of knowledge. When he inquired about all these, Kṛṣṇa said that this body is called the field and that one who knows this body is called the knower of the field. This body is the field of activity for the conditioned soul. The conditioned soul is entrapped in material existence, and he attempts to lord over material nature. And so, according to his capacity to dominate material nature, he gets a field of activity. That field of activity is the body. And what is the body? The body is made of senses. The conditioned soul wants to enjoy sense gratification, and, according to his capacity to enjoy sense gratification, he is offered a body, or field of activity. Therefore the body is called
kṣetra,
or the field of activity for the conditioned soul. Now, the person who does not identify himself with the body is called
kṣetrajña,
the knower of the field. It is not very difficult to understand the difference between the field and its knower, the body and the knower of the body. Any person can consider that from childhood to old age he undergoes so many changes of body and yet is still one person, remaining. Thus there is a difference between the knower of the field of activities and the actual field of activities. A living conditioned soul can thus understand that he is different from the body. It is described in the beginning-
dehe 'smin
-that the living entity is within the body and that the body is changing from childhood to boyhood and from boyhood to youth and from youth to old age, and the person who owns the body knows that the body is changing. The owner is distinctly
kṣetrajña.
Sometimes we understand that I am happy, I am mad, I am a woman, I am a dog, I am a cat: these are the knowers. The knower is different from the field. Although we use many articles-our clothes, etc.-we know- that we are different from the things used. Similarly, we also understand by a little contemplation that we are different from the body.

In the first six chapters of
Bhagavad-gītā,
the knower of the body, the living entity, and the position by which he can understand the Supreme Lord are described. In the middle six chapters of the
Gītā,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the relationship between the individual soul and the Supersoul in regard to devotional service are described. The superior position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the subordinate position of the individual soul are definitely defined in these chapters. The living entities are subordinate under all circumstances, but in their forgetfulness they are suffering. When enlightened by pious activities, they approach the Supreme Lord in different capacities-as the distressed, those in want of money, the inquisitive, and those in search of knowledge. That is also described. Now, starting with the Thirteenth Chapter, how the living entity comes into contact with material nature, how he is delivered by the Supreme Lord through the different methods of fruitive activities, cultivation of knowledge, and the discharge of devotional service are explained. Although the living entity is completely different from the material body, he somehow becomes related. This also is explained.

Bg 13.3

TEXT 3

TEXT

kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi

sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata

kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānaṁ

yat taj jñānaṁ mataṁ mama

SYNONYMS

kṣetrajñam-
the knower;
ca-
also;
api-
certainly;
mām-
Me;
viddhi-
know;
sarva-
all;
kṣetreṣu-
in bodily fields;
bhārata
-O son of Bharata;
kṣetra-
field of activities (the body);
kṣetrajñayoḥ-
the knower of the field;
jñānam-
knowledge;
yat-
that which is taught;
tat-
that;
jñānam-
knowledge;
matam-
opinion;
mama-
that.

TRANSLATION

O scion of Bharata, you should understand that I am also the knower in all bodies, and to understand this body and its owner is called knowledge. That is My opinion.

PURPORT

While discussing the subject of this body and the owner of the body, the soul and the Supersoul, we shall find three different topics of study: the Lord, the living entity, and matter. In every field of activities, in every body, there are two souls: the individual soul and the Supersoul. Because the Supersoul is the plenary expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa says, "I am also the knower, but I am not the individual owner of the body. I am the superknower. I am present in every body as the Paramātmā, or Supersoul."

One who studies the subject matter of the field of activity and the knower of the field very minutely, in terms of this
Bhagavad-gītā,
can attain to knowledge.

The Lord says: "I am the knower of the field of activities in every individual body." The individual may be the knower of his own body, but he is not in knowledge of other bodies. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present as the Supersoul in all bodies, knows everything about all bodies. He knows all the different bodies of all the various species of life. A citizen may know everything about his patch of land, but the king knows not only his palace but all the properties possessed by the individual citizens. Similarly, one may be the proprietor of the body individually, but the Supreme Lord is the proprietor of all bodies. The king is the original proprietor of the kingdom, and the citizen is the secondary proprietor. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is the supreme proprietor of all bodies.

The body consists of the senses. The Supreme Lord is Hṛṣīkeśa, which means controller of the senses. He is the original controller of the senses, just as the king is the original controller of all the activities of the state, and the citizens are secondary controllers. The Lord also says: "I am also the knower." This means that He is the superknower; the individual soul knows only his particular body. In the Vedic literature, it is stated as follows:

kṣetrāṇi hi śarīrāṇi bījaṁ cāpi śubhāśubhe
tāni vetti sa yogātmā tataḥ kṣetrajña ucyate.

This body is called the
kṣetra,
and within it dwells the owner of the body and the Supreme Lord who knows both the body and the owner of the body. Therefore He is called the knower of all fields. The distinction between the field of activities, the owner of activities and the supreme owner of activities is described as follows. Perfect knowledge of the constitution of the body, the constitution of the individual soul, and the constitution of the Supersoul is known in terms of Vedic literature as
jñānam.
That is the opinion of Kṛṣṇa. To understand both the soul and the Supersoul as one yet distinct is knowledge. One who does not understand the field of activity and the knower of activity is not in perfect knowledge. One has to understand the position of
prakṛti,
nature, and
puruṣa,
the enjoyer of the nature, and
īśvara,
the knower who dominates or controls nature and the individual soul. One should not confuse the three in their different capacities. One should not confuse the painter, the painting and the easel. This material world, which is the field of activities, is nature, and the enjoyer of nature is the living entity, and above them both is the supreme controller, the Personality of Godhead. It is stated in the Vedic language:
"bhoktā bhogyaṁ preritāraṁ ca matvā sarvaṁ proktaṁ tri-vidhaṁ brahmam etat."
There are three Brahman conceptions:
prakṛti
is
Brahman as the field of activities, and the
jīva
(individual soul) is also Brahman and is trying to control material nature, and the controller of both of them is also Brahman, but He is the factual controller.

In this chapter it will be also explained that out of the two knowers, one is fallible and the other is infallible. One is superior and the other is subordinate. One who understands the two knowers of the field to be one and the same contradicts the Supreme Personality of Godhead who states here very clearly that "I am also the knower of the field of activity." One who misunderstands a rope to be a serpent is not in knowledge. There are different kinds of bodies, and there are different owners of the bodies. Because each individual soul has his individual capacity of lording it over material nature, there are different bodies. But the Supreme also is present in them as the controller. The word
ca
is
significant, for it indicates the total number of bodies. That is the opinion of Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa: Kṛṣṇa is the Supersoul present in each and every body apart from the individual soul. And Kṛṣṇa explicitly says here that the Supersoul is the controller of both the field of activities and the finite enjoyer.

Bg 13.4

TEXT 4

TEXT

tat kṣetraṁ yac ca yādṛk ca

yad-vikāri yataś ca yat

sa ca yo yat-prabhāvaś ca

tat samāsena me śṛṇu

SYNONYMS

tat
-that;
kṣetram-
field of activities;
yat
-as;
ca
-also;
yādṛk-
as it is;
ca
-also;
yat-
what is;
vikāri-
changes;
yataḥ
-from which;
ca
-also;
yat
-one;
saḥ
-he;
ca-
also;
yaḥ
-one;
yat
-which;
prabhāvaḥ
ca
-influence also;
tat
-that;
samāsena-
in detail;
me
-from Me;
śṛṇu
-understand.

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.

PURPORT

The Lord is describing the field of activities and the knower of the field of activities in their constitutional positions. One has to know how this body is constituted, the materials of which this body is made, under whose control this body is working, how the changes are taking place, wherefrom the changes are coming, what the causes are, what the reasons are, what the ultimate goal of the individual is, and what the actual form of the individual soul is. One should also know the distinction between the individual living soul and the Supersoul, the different influences, their potentials, etc. One just has to understand this
Bhagavad-gītā
directly from the description given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and all this will be clarified. But one should be careful not to consider the Supreme Personality of Godhead in every body and individual soul to be the
jīva.
This is something like equalizing the potent and the impotent.

Bg 13.5

TEXT 5

TEXT

ṛṣibhir bahudhā gītaṁ

chandobhir vividhaiḥ pṛthak

brahma-sūtra-padaiś caiva

hetumadbhir viniścitaiḥ

SYNONYMS

ṛṣibhiḥ-
by the wise sages;
bahudhā-
in many ways;
gītām-
described;
chandobhiḥ-
Vedic hymns;
vividhaiḥ-
in various;
pṛthak-
variously;
brahma-sūtra-
the Vedānta;
padaiḥ-
aphorism;
ca-
also;
eva-
certainly;
hetumadbhiḥ-
with cause and effect;
viniścitaiḥ-
ascertain.

TRANSLATION

That knowledge of the field of activities and of the knower of activities is described by various sages in various Vedic writings-especially in the Vedānta-sūtra-and is presented with all reasoning as to cause and effect.

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is the highest authority in explaining this knowledge. Still, as a matter of course, learned scholars and standard authorities always give evidence from previous authorities. Kṛṣṇa is explaining this most controversial point regarding the duality and non-duality of the soul and the Supersoul by referring to Scriptures, the
Vedānta,
which are accepted as authority. First, He says, this is according to different sages. As far as the sages are concerned, besides Himself, Vyāsadeva, the author of the
Vedānta-sūtra,
is
a great sage, and in the
Vedānta-sūtra
duality is perfectly explained. And Vyāsadeva's father, Parāśara, was also a great sage, and he writes in his books of religiosity: "
aham tvaṁ ca athānye...
" "We-you, I and various other living entities-are all transcendental, although in material bodies. Now we are fallen into the ways of the three modes of material nature according to our different
karma.
As such, some are on higher levels, and some are in the lower nature. The higher and lower natures exist due to ignorance and are being manifested in an infinite number of living entities. But the Supersoul, which is infallible, is uncontaminated by the three qualities of nature and is transcendental." Similarly, in the original
Vedas,
a distinction between the soul, the Supersoul and the body is made, especially in the
Kaṭha Upaniṣad.

There is a manifestation of the Supreme Lord's energy known as
annamaya
by which one depends simply upon food for existence. This is a materialistic realization of the Supreme. Then there is
prāṇamaya;
this means that after realizing the Supreme Absolute Truth in foodstuff, one can realize the Absolute Truth in the living symptoms, or life forms. In
jñānamaya
the living symptom develops to the point of thinking, feeling, and willing. Then there is Brahman realization and the realization called
vijñānamaya
by which the living entity's mind and life symptoms are distinguished from the living entity himself. The next and supreme stage is
ānandamaya,
realization of the all-blissful nature. Thus there are five stages of Brahman realization, which is called
brahma puccham.
Out of these the first three-
annamaya, prāṇamaya,
and
jñānamaya-
involve the fields of activities of the living entities. Transcendental to all these fields of activities is the Supreme Lord, who is called
ānandamaya.
In the
Vedānta-sūtra
also the Supreme is called
ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is by nature full of joy, and to enjoy His transcendental bliss, He expands into
vijñānamaya, prāṇamaya, jñānamaya,
and
annamaya.
In this field of activities the living entity is considered to be the enjoyer, and different from him is the
ānandamaya.
That means that if the living entity decides to enjoy, in dovetailing himself with the
ānandamaya,
then he becomes perfect. This is the real picture of the Supreme Lord, as supreme knower of the field, the living entity, as subordinate knower, and the nature of the field of activities.