CHAPTER13 –KSHETHRAKSHETHRAJNAYOGA
THE FIELD AND THE KNOWER
If the Gita is divided into three parts of six adhyayas each, the first thrika, consisting of adhayayas 1 to 6 deal with the nature of the Self, Brahman synonymous with Narayana of the Visishtadvaita and the means of attaining it through jnanayoga and karmayoga. The second thrika , adhyayas 7 to12 outlines the path of bhakthi yoga. through the knowledge of the nature of the Lord, the supreme Self and the inner Self of all. Now in the last part we find a detailed exposition of these topics propounded in the first two parts.
In this adhyaya titled kshethrakhethrajna yoga, the differentiation of the known and the knower is explained. The topics dealt with are,
1.dhehaathmanaH svaroopam - The nature of body and the self
2.dhehayaaThaathmya Sodhanam- enquiry into the real nature of the physical body.
3.dhehaviyukthaathmapraapthyupaayaH - The means of attaining the Self after leaving the body
4.viviktha aathmasvroopa samSodhanam- The nature of the Self in the disembodied state.
5. thaThA vidhasya aathmanH achit sambandha hethuH- Explanation of how and why does the Self become associated with the body.
6.viviktha anusandhaanaprakaaraH -The mode of discriminating between the body and the self.
The discourse in this adhyaya starts with the following words of Krishna.
SREEBHAGAVAN UVAACHA --THE LORD SAID
1. idham Sareeram kountheya kshethram ithyabhidheeyathe
ethadhyO vEtthi tham praahuH kshEthrajnO ithi thadhvidhaH
The physical body is called the field, kshEthra and He who knows it, meaning the Self, is called the knower, kshEthrajna., by those who know the real nature of the Self.
All that is known including the physical body, mind and intellect are the kshethra, field of experience because all these become the object of knowledge as in "this is my body, my mind is upset, my intellect is not functioning "etc. Apart from this, the entire world experienced by the senses and the mind also is the kshethra. This naturally leads to the conclusion that there must be a knower who knows all this, and that is the Self, kshethrajna.
The individual self, however is the knower in that particular embodiment through which he field of experience is known and when the soul is separated from the body the experience of the world does not exist anymore. But there is an eternal knower, says Krishna in the next sloka.
2.kshethrajnam chaapi maam viddhi sarvakshethrEshu bhaaratha
kshethrakshethrajanyorjnaanam yath thath jnaanam matham mama
Know Me as the knower of all fields. The real knowledge is that of the field and the knower according to Me.
The Lord says that he is the knower of all the fields and the true knowledge consists of that about the field and the knower.
The Lord is the knower in all the fields being the inner self of all. Those who know this are the real knowers and this is the real knowledge.
In BrhadhAraNyaka Upanishad it is said,'yah aathmani thishTan aathmanaH antharaH yam aathmaa na vedha yasya aathmaa Sareeram yah aathmaanam antharo yamayathi sa tha aathmaa antharyaamyamrthaH' (Brhd.3-7-22)
He who dwells in the individual self as its inner self, whom the individual self does not know, to whom the individual self is the body, who controls the individual self from within, He is your inner controller and immortal Self.' Hence the real and ultimate knower is the Lord or Brahman. From the advaita point of view also the real self is Brahman, and hence there is no discrepancy. In the Gita itself it is said earlier 'ahamaathmA gudakesa sarvabhoothaaSayasThithaH. I am the Self of all beings ,'(BG.10.20), 'nathadhasthi vinaa yathsyaath mayaabhootham charaacharam, nothing that moves and does not move, exist without me.'(BG.10-39)
Then Krishna starts describing the field, kshethra and the individual self, kshethrajna in detail. The distinction between the body and the self has been laid out in the scriptures by vedic hymns and Brahmasuthras through reasoning and reiterated by the sages, says Krishna to make it clear that this was not something of his concoction.
3. thath kshethram yath cha yaadhrk cha yadhvikaari yathaScha yath
Sa cha yo mathprabhaavaScha thatha samaasename SrNu
That which is the field , its nature, its modifications, its evolution and the origin, the powers of Me, who is the knower of all fields, all this, you hear from Me in brief.
4. rhsibhih bahuDhaa geethamChandhobhiH viviDhaiH prThak
brahmasuthrapadhaiH chaiva hethumadhbhiH viniSchithaiH
This subject has been sung by the rshis in various ways, in many metrical and prosodic manner, which is reiterated by Brahamasuthras through reasoning and conviction.
The kshethra the nature and modifications of which are being detailed in the forthcoming slokas are referred to here as that being expounded already by the sages in the Vedas, upanishats and Brahmasuthras. The latter is the treatise on the purport of the Upanishats.
5. mahaabhoothaani ahamkaaro budDhiH avyaktham eva cha
indhriyaaNi dhasaikam cha panchacha indhriya gocharaaH
The five gross elements, ahankara, budDhi and the unmanifest prakrthi, the ten indhriyas plus one (including manas) and five sense objects,
6.icChaadhveshaH sukham duhkhamsanghaathaH chethanaa DhrthiH
Ethath kshethram samaasenasavikaaram udhaahrtham
Desire, hatred, pleasure and pain, the aggregate, intelligence and fortitude , all these comprise of the field and its modifications.
The kshethra comprises of,
1. avyaktha -The unmanifest, that is, Prakrthi, the premordial element.
2. buddhi- also known as mahath thathva, the evolute of Prakrthi
3.ahamkaara- the evolute of buddhi, and is of three kinds, Satthvik, rajasik and thAmasik
4. mahaabhoothaani- evolutes of thAmasa ahamkAra, the five subtle elements, panchathanmathras giving rise to the five gross elements, panchabhoothas.
5. indhriyANi-dhaSa +Ekam-the ten sense and motor organs + mind are the evolutes of sAttvik ahamkAra
6.indhriyagochrAH-pancha-the five objects of the senses, sound, touch, form, taste and smell.
The classification given above is based on the sankhya system of philosophy according to which there are two Reals, Prakrthi, the insentient matter and Purusha, the sentient soul. The kshethra described here is the Prakrthi which is the evolvent of all and the evolution of the world is given to be as above.
Saankhya philosophy holds a prominent place in the Indian philosophical system as all the other schools are found to either refute or agree with its concepts. Sankara says that he finds it necessary to refute saankhya doctrines specially because it is akin to vedanta in some respects but differs from the main concept of vedanta, namely, the causality of Brahman. But the thathvas of sankhya are accepted by all
Prakrthi – (unmanifest) constituent of three gunas.
|
Mahath or budDhi
|
Ahankara
|
Saathvik raajasik thaamasik
| ( only activates others) |
Five jnanendhriyas Five thanmathras
(sound,touch,sight,taste
and smell)
| |
Senses of sight,hearing,touch,
Smell and taste (Sukshma indhriyas) Five gross elements
Five karmendhriyas
Senses of motion,action,talk,
excretion and procreation
manas
The whole gross universe is the combination of these. Prakrthi is basically made up of three gunas, sattva, rajas and thamas and everything else that is described as kshethra are the modifications of the three gunas. Even the emotions such as desire, hatred, pleasure and pain, usually attributed to the self are only modifications of prakrthi arising from the association of the self with prakrthi. This in brief, says Krishna is the kshethra and its modifications.
icCha, dhvesha, sukha and duhkha are the experience of the mind through the sense organs. Sanghaatha means the aggregate of the elements forming the physical body which is the bhogaayathanam, the abode of experience. Chethana is the sentience which causes the feelings of sukha duhkha etc. and denotes intelligence. Dhrthi is the conviction which is also the modification of the mind and intellect. All are the products of the ahankara and hence the evolutes of prakrthi.
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7.amaanithvam adhambhithvam ahimsaa kshaanthiH aarjavam
Aachaaryopaasanam Soucham sThairyam aathmavinigrahaH
8. indhriyaarTheshu vairaagyam anahamkaara eva cha
janmamrthyujharaavyaaDhi duhkhadhoshaanudharSanam
9. asakthiH anabhishvangaH puthradhaaragrhaadhishu
Nithyam cha samachiitthathvam ishtaanishta upapatthishu
10.mayi cha ananya yogena bhakthiH avyabhichaariNee
Vivikthsdhesasevithvam arathiH janasamsadhi
11. aDhyaathmajnaananithyathvam thathvajnaanaarTha dharSanam
ethath jnaanam ithi proktham ajnanam yath athaH anyaThaa
Humility, absence of ostentation, nonviolence, patience, straightforwardness, serving the guru, purity, firmness, self control, detachment from the sense objects, absence of ego, awareness of the defects in samsara such as birth, death, old age, disease and sorrow, detachment, absence of clinging to son, wife house etc., even- mindedness always towards the advent of pleasant and unpleasant happenings, staunch and unswerving devotion to Me, retirement to secluded place and avoidance of society, constant contemplation of the knowledge of the self and reflection on the true knowledge, these are known as the real knowledge that enables one to attain the Supreme and all the others are termed as ignorance.
Next the third topic , namely the means for the attainment of Self is discussed.
Certain qualities necessary for attaining the knowledge of the Self are enumerated now.
They are:
amaanithvam, modesty especially towards the eminent.
adhambhihvam, absence of ostentation. dhambha is the flaunting of one's virtues and good deeds and adhambhithvam is the absence of it. This trait is subsidiary one to modesty.
ahimsaa, non-violence in thought ,word and deed.
kshaanthi , patience even when provoked.
aarjavam, integrity of thought word and deed as mentioned in the sloka , 'yaTHaa chittham thaThaa vaachaH , yaTHaa vaachaH thaTHaa kriyaa;chitthe vachi kriyaayaam cha mahathaam ekaroopatha, for the great souls, the words correspond to their thoughts and their actions correspond to their words and hence their thought word and deed are one pointed.'
aachaarya upaasanam, service to the preceptor as envisaged in the sloka 'thadhviddhi praNipaathena paripraSnena sevayaa,'(BG.4-34)
Soucham , inner and outer cleanliness as specified by yama and niyama disciplines.
stThairyam, unshakable faith in the sastras concerning the self.
aathmavinigrahaH, dispassion in all that is non-self.
IndhriyaarTheshu vairaagyam, absence of desire for sense objects.
anahamkaara, absence of egotism.
janmamrthyujaraavyaadhiduhkhadhoshaanudharsanam, perception of evil in birth, death, old age, disease and sorrow. That is, to view the cycle of birth and death as evil.
asakthiH, detachment.
anabhishvangaH puthradhaaragrhaadhishu, absence of clinging to son, wife house etc.
nithyam cha samachitthathvam ishtaanishta upapatthishu, even- mindedness in all desirable and undesirable events.
mayi cha ananya yogena bhakthiH avyabhichariNee, constant devotion directed to the Lord alone.
viviktha dheSasevithvam, resorting to solitude.
arathiH janasamsadhi, avoidance of crowds.
aDHyaathma jnaana nithyathvam, constant contemplation on the knowledge of the self.
thatthvajnaanaarTha dharSanam, reflection on the knowledge of the truth.
All these attributes contribute towards the attainment of the Self.
12.jneyam yath thah paravakshyaamiyath jnaathvaa amrtham aSnuthe
anaadhimath param brahma na sath thath na asath uchyathe
I shall declare that which is to be known, knowing which one attains the immortality. It is the Supreme Brahman, with no beginning, and is said to be neither being nor non-being.
In the foregoing slokas Krishna was explaining what are the necessary steps to attain the knowledge of Brahman.. From this sloka he is elaborating on the Brahman itself
In Bhagavatgita we always find the highest philosophical concept outlined here and there which may sound baffling to the ordinary intellect. Krishna was also aware of it and subsequently starts elucidating.
The Supreme Brahman is anadhi as declared by the upanishad, 'sadheva soumya idhamagra aseeth ekameva adhvitheeyam,(ch.6-6-1) that Being , meaning Brahman, alone existed in the beginning ,one only without a second.' Also it is said that by knowing that everything else becomes known.
Again it is said in the upanishad 'asath vA idham agra aaseeth;,thathO vai sath ajaayatha,( Tait.2-7) in the beginning there was non-existence from which the being came into existence.' Then to say that the Supreme Brahman is neither sath nor asath seems to be contrary to the Upanishadic declarations, which themselves sound self contradictory.
This has to be examined in the light of the real nature of Brahman outlined in the Upanihads. It is said 'yathO vaacho nivarthanthe aprapya manasaa saha, both speech and mind are returning without able to reach the Supreme reality.' That is, .Brahman cannot be limited by words or thought. This is the meaning of the phrase 'neither sath nor asath.'
There is a term that describes Brahman 'sva abhAva aprthiyogi.' A thing is the prathiyogi , counter-correlate of its own non-existence. For instance a pot, ghata, is the prathiyogi of its non-existence, ghatabhava. Now Brahman being the only one without a second, there can be no non-existence of it , that is , no sva abhAva of Brahman. So Brahman cannot be the prathiyogi of its own non-existence. Only an existent thing can be a prathiyogi of its nonexistence, . Hence Brahman is neither existent nor non-existent.
What it really means is that Brahman cannot be proved by any pramana as being existent as all the pramanas, means of valid cognition, have limited scope and cannot determine something which is not limited by expression. Similarly it cannot be proved as non-existent since there can be nothing without it.
To put this in simple words, to say that something exists, it has to be shown to exist through some valid means of cognition. There are four valid means of cognition, namely, perception, inference, comparison and verbal testimony. Perception or prthyaksha is what is understood by sense contact. The sense objects are seen, heard, smelt, tasted and touched. But the Brahman could not be cognized by the senses because it is beyond sense cognition, atheendhriyam.
Next comes inference. We understand fire by means of the smoke. The smoke is perceived and the fire is inferred. Even this does not hold good in case of Brahman as there is no perceptible sign like smoke through which Brahman could be inferred.
The comparison serves as a means of cognition when we describe a thing by saying it resembles something else. It means explaining something unknown by means of something known as a comparison. But there is nothing like Brahman and the comparison fails to serve as a means of cognition.
Lastly the verbal testimony is something which is understood from verbal description. Vedas are the only testimony for Brahman but they only serve as guidelines..
There are two kinds of lakshaNa .definition. svaroopalakshaNam is the definition of the characteristics .Brahman is defined as sathyam jnanam anantham, existence , knowledge and infinity. But here is a difference between existence and existent. A thing is said to be existent, the existence of which is limited to that alone. But existence as such is all pervading and that is Brahman. Similarly knowledge means the knowledge of something but the Brahman is that knowledge by which everything else is known. Anantham , infinity means not limited by time, like saying a thing exists today and did not exist yesterday, by entity, like saying that this is a pot and not a cloth, and by place, like saying the pot is here and not there. Brahman is dhesakaalavasthu aparichinnam, not conditioned by place, time and entity. Hence Brahman cannot be limited by any description through words.
thatasTha lakshaNa on the other hand means indicative definition such as pointing out to a field where a crane is seen sitting and saying that it is the field of Devadatta. The field is permanent but the crane need not be there always and serves to point out the field only.The definition of Brahman given in the Vedas as yatho vaa imaani bhoothaani jaayanthe, yena jaathaani jeevanthi yasmin abhisamviSanthi, meaning, Brahman is that from which all beings come out ,by which they are sustained and into which they merge back, but Brahman can exist independent of these functions. This is thathatasTha lakshana.
Brahman cannot be called asath, because there is no such thing as non existence of Brahman which is anantha, and everything else exists because of Brahman.
In the subsequent slokas Krishna explains the implications of the above sloka
13.sarvathah paaNipaadhamthath sarvatho akshi Siromukham
sarvathaH Sruthimaan loke sarvam aavrthya thishTathi
Everywhere are His hands and feet, everywhere are His eyes, head and mouth; His ears are on all sides and He stands all-pervading.
Even though this seems to be the description of the visvaroopa of the Lord, seen in the 11th chapter, this is actually a reflection of the words of the Upanishad 'apANipAdhO javanO grheethA paSyathachAkshuH SrnOthyakarNah, (Svet.3-19) without feet or hands He moves swiftly and seizes things; he sees without eyes, He hears without ears.' This speaks about the transcendence of Brahman. Even though the immanence is denoted subsequently, it is also implied in this sloka. The Lord is everywhere both in His all pervading form and also as individual entity. He is present everywhere and accepts the offering of the devotees at all places. This is the meaning of sarvathaH paaNipaadham. He sees everything and nothing escapes His attention. Sarvatho akshi Siromukham. He listens to the plea of the devotees everywhere and their singing of His glory. sarvathaHsruthimath. Thus He stands all pervading in samashti, as a whole and vyakthi, individually.
14. sarvendhriyaguNaabhaasam sarvendhriyavivarjitham
asaktham sarvabhrth chaiva nirguNam guNa bhokthr cha
He shines in all indhriyas though he has no indhriyas. He supports all but unattached. He is the experiencer of the gunas but has no gunas.
This sloka which seems to be an apparent contradiction has to be explained in order to be understood.
The gunas of indhriyas such as seeing, hearing etc. are experienced only because of the existence of the inner self, the Brahman, which is manifest through all experience and hence, sarvendhriyagunaabhaasam. .Yet Brahman is not the experiencer as he has no indhriyas, sarvendhriyavivarjitham,,as made out in the last sloka and the Upanishad quoted therein, and nirguna , devoid of gunas. The manifest world is made up of the three gunas from which everything including the indhriyas came out. The Lord is the paraaprakrthi, the higher self, the essential nature by which the universe is supported, sarvabhrth.
15.bahiranthaScha bhoothaanaam acharam charameva cha
sookshmathvaath thadhavijneyam dhoorasTham chaanthike cha thath,
He is within and without all beings; unmoving and yet moving; so subtle that none can comprehend, far away yet very near.
Brahman is within all beings as their inner Self. He is without, because everything exists in Brahman. He is unmoving because He is everywhere yet moving as everything moves only because of Him. He is subtle, being beyond sense apprehension and cannot therefore be comprehended. He is far away for those whose intellect is covered with ego born of ignorance but very near to the enlightened.
This reminds the remark of a devotee that the Vaikunta is only a call away because the Lord came as soon as Gajendhra called Him! To the devotees He is ever near and close.
16.avibhaktham cha bhootheshu vibhaktham iva cha sThitham
bhoothabhrth cha thath jneyam grasishnu prabhavishnucha
This Self is undivided yet appears to be divided among beings; supports all beings, absorbing them and generating.
When seen as the transcendent and imminent reality the Self is undivided being one whole. But to the unenlightened and ignorant, the diversity of the world seems to be real and hence the Self is not seen as one. As one actually sees only the Self everywhere, knowingly or unknowingly, it is said to be divided. The aspect of being the supporter, absorber and generator is the reflection of the upanishadic declaration 'yatho va imaani bhoothAni jaayanthE yena jaathaani jeevanthi yasmin abhisamviSanthi thath vijnaasasva thath brahman, know that to be Brahman from whom all beings come , by whom they are supported and into which they merge back.' Brahman is the cause and the world is the effect.
The means of attainment of reality and the real nature of the Self , that is the third and fourth topics are discussed in the above slokas 7 to 16
17. jyothishaamapi thath jyothiH thamasaH param uchyathe
Jnaanaam jneyam jnaanagamyam hrdhi sarvasya vishtitham
That which is the light of all lights and which is mentioned as being beyond darkness, is the knowledge, the object of knowledge and the goal of knowledge and seated in the hearts of all.
A light is that by which things become known because in the darkness nothing is known. Brahman is the light that illuminates all other lights. thameva bhaantham anubhaathi sarvam thasya bhaasaa sarvam idham vibhaathi, says the upanishat.(kata. 2.2.15), meaning, all shine because He shines and they shine through His lustre. Hence He is thamasaH param, beyond darkness. The absence of light is darkness. There can be no darkness in the Sun. Since Brahman is eternal there can be no absence of its light. This is what is meant by thamasaH param.
Brahman is the knowledge, the object of knowledge and the goal of knowledge. In other words, The Lord is the upaaya and upeya. He is jnanasvaroopa from whom all knowledge emanates and hence He is the knowledge. He is the means of knowledge and as well as the end because the true knowledge is the knowledge of Brahman brahmajnana, and the means of attaining it is to contemplate on Him through devotion. Hence He himself is the means, upaaya, of knowing, Him. The goal of knowledge , upeya, or that which is attained through knowledge is also Himself.
Hrdhi sarvasya vishtitham. The Lord is seated in the heart of all. The Lord is the inner self of all and hence the knowledge arises from Him. "I am in the heart of all," he says, sarvasyachaaham hrdhi sannivishtaH Ch.15.15)
18.ithi kshethram thaThaa jnaanam jneyam cha uktham samaasathaH
madhbhakthaH ethath vijnaaya madhbhaavaaya upapadhyathe
Thus the field , likewise the knowledge, the object of knowledge are explained briefly. My devotees knowing this, attain Me.
The devotee here means the one who contemplates on the Supreme Self. Through contemplation and by spiritual disciplines outlined earlier in the chapter he gets the knowledge and attains the Lord.
Thus the kshethra, knowledge and the object of knowledge all have been elucidated. Next the last two topics set out in the beginning of the chapter, namely the cause of the association of the Self with the non-self and the way of discriminating between the two are explained.
19.prakrthim purusham chaiva vidDhi anaadhi ubhou api
Vikaaraan cha guNaan chaiva vidDhi prakrthisambhavaan
Know both Prkrthi, the primordial nature and purusha, the individual self to be beginningless. The modifications and the gunas are born out of prkrthi.
20.kaaryakaaraNa karthrthve hethuH prakrthiH uchyathe
purushaH sukha duhkhaanaam bhokthrthve hethuH uchyathe
Prkrthi is the cause of its evolutes which are its effects. Purusha is the cause of the experiencing of sukha and duhkha.
21. purushaH prkrthisThaH hi bunkthe prakrthijaan guNaan
kaaraNam guNa sangah asya sadhasathyonijanmasu
Purusha in association in prakrthi experiences the gunasa of prakrthi. This is the cause of his being born in the good and evil wombs.
The self , purusha of sankhya, and prkrthi , the primordial nature are both beginningless and all the modifications and attributes are those of prkrthi only, as purusha is changeless and without gunas. The modifications of the body, and the sense organs are the effect of prkrthi and its three gunas. while the experience of pleasure and pain is due to the action of purusha who associates himself with prkrthi.
The term purusha refers to the indiviual self , jeeva, while the term prakrthi represents all that is anathman, non-self. The question may arise as to how the jiva, individual soul and the prkrthi are both said to be without beginning which goes contrary to the upanishadic statement 'sath alone was in the beginning , one only without a second.' Let us see how this is explained from the view point of advaita and visishtadvaita.
According to advaita Brahman alone is real and the world, including the jiva is unreal, being the effect of avidhya , which is anadhi, beginningless. Hence purusha , the individual self and prkrthi the world are beginningless. According to visishtadvaita there are three reals, namely, Isvara, jiva and jagat, Isvara the inner self of all, jiva, the individual self and the world, jagat. This is not contrary to the upanishad because Brahman or Narayana is the cause of everything, all-pervading and immanent, being the inner Self. When the cause is real the effect is also real as a real thing cannot give rise to something which is unreal. Hence the world and the jiva are all modifications of the cause and form the sarira of Isvara the inner self..
Krishna now proceeds to explain how the individual self , who is of the nature of pure bliss experiences the joy and sorrow when it is associated with the body.. The self when embodied, becomes identified with the body which is the effect of prkrthi constituted of the three gunas and as a result, experiences the joy , sorrow etc which are the effects of the three gunas. This attachment to the gunas and its effects is the cause of the birth of the individual soul in different bodies. Acting through the body, influenced by the gunas, the jiva has to experience the results of the actions induced by the gunas, sinful or meritorious depending on the respective gunas which propel the actions.
22.upadhrashtaa anumanthaa cha bharthaa bhokthaa maheSvaraH
Paramaathmaa ithi cha api ukthaH dhehe asmin purushaHparaH
The Supreme self, is thus, while in the body, is called spectator, upadhrAshtA, approver, anumanthA, supporter, bharthA,experiencer, bhokthA, the Lord, mahesvara and the Supreme Self, paramAthmA.
The Self is upadhrashtA , the witness because is actually not affected by the experiences of joy and sorrow resulting from the wrong identification with the body. But since no action or experience is possible with out the accordance of the Self , it is called anumantha, the approver. Since the body is supported by the Self it is the bhartha, supporter. Due to the identification with the body the self seems to experience joy and sorrow and without it no experience is possible and so the self is called bhoktha, experiencer. As the body is subservient to the self who is the master, it is called Mahesvara, the over-lord and in reality the self is nothing but the Supreme Self , the inner controller and hence called as ParamAthma.
The concept of the Self as upadhrashta etc. Can be explained as follows.
upadhrashta means onlooker. When one identifies himself with the body. Mind and intellect prompted by the ego which is the result of avidhya, ignorance, the Self within remains as sakshimaathra, as the witness self, because no action can take place without the self and the Lord who is the inner self being aware of. But as long as the ego is engaged in activities in the world outside, the Lord simply stands as witness, whether the activities are good or bad.
anumantha means the one who permits. When the awareness of the supreme self as the inner self of all dawns in the mind, then the activities take a turn towards enlightenment and the Lord becomes the anumanthaa, approver.
bhartha means the one who supports. The seeker who practices the path of yoga, offering the activities to the Lord in a spirit of surrender, the Lord Himself looks after his spiritual progress and becomes the supporter. theshaam nithyaabhiyukthaanaam yogakshemam vahaamyaham (ch.9.22)
When the seeker reaches the stage of total surrender and functions as the instrument of the Lord, then the Lord Himself becomes the bhokthaa, enjoyer.
23. ya evam vetthi purusham prakrthim cha guNaih saha
sarvaThaa varthamaano api na sa bhooyo abhijaayathe
The one who knows the individual self , purusha and the prakrthi, the matter or non-self, whatever he does in this life, is not born again .
When the jnana of the real nature of the real nature of the Self and the cause of the ills of samsara , namely the wrong identification of the Purusha with Prakrthi, then there is no more lapse back in to samsara.
What is meant by the knowledge of the prakrthi and Purusha in its entirety is elaborated further in the next few slokas.
24. Dhyaanena aathmani paSyanthi kechith aathmaanam aathmanaa
anye saankhyena yogena karmayogena cha apare
Some perceive the Self in the self, through meditation, by the self. Others follow the path of sankhya and still others follow karmayoga.
In this and the next sloka Krishna, before elaborating on the perception of the reality through the knowledge, briefly mentions the different means to attain the highest knowledge of the Absolute Reality.
Those who are endowed with the greatest self discipline attain the Supreme Self by following the path of Dhyana as outlined in the chapter 6 in detail. To this kind of seeker the inner control is already accomplished through viveka and vairagya. He is at the last stage when the only thing that remains is the Brhamasaakshaathkara, perception of reality.
aathmani paSyanthi aathaamaanam aathmana- He sees the aathma, the Self in his self(mind) by his self(intellect). Contemplating on the Lord through the intellect purified by viveka and vairagya one sees the Lord in His mind which is cleansed of all impurities by the fire of jnana.
anye saankhyena yogena- The sankhyayoga mentioned here is the jnanayoga while the earlier one is Dhyanayoga. Jnanayoga consists in the study of the sasthras to acquire viveka and vairagya and aspire for the attainment of the Supreme through the application of knowledge thus gained..
The study of sastras gives one the knowledge that all that we gain in this world and the next that give us joy and sorrow are transient and have to be given up. This is called iha amuthra phala viraaga.
As a result of this knowledge a desire to be free from the cycle of birth and death arises and this is mumukshuthvam, the desire for freedom from bondage. Then by contemplation on the Supreme with steadfast mind free from impurities of raga and dvesha one attains the goal of realization.
Others who lack the knowledge and power of self control follow the karmayoga by offering all their actions mental and physical to the divine through which their mind gets cleansed of the concept of `I' and `Mine,' after which they are able to concentrate on the divine all the time whatever they do and wherever they are and through this single-pointed contemplation attain mukthi.
25. anye thu evam ajaananathaH Sruthvaa anyebhayaH Upaasathe
the api athitharanthi eva mrthyum SruthiparaayaNaaH
Others, not knowing thus, (as mentioned above) contemplate on the Divine. They too attain immortality, faithfully following what they have heard.
To follow the paths referred to above one requires a saathvik nature free from thamas and with rajas only minimal. Rajas kindles the ego and thamas induces inactivity. People with mind full of ragadhvesha could not follow any discipline to control their mind. Similarly people full of thamas, do not have the knowledge that they are ignorant or even if they do they are too indolent to get out of the ignorance. Even these people if they have the good fortune to hear about the real nature of the Self or about the glory of the Lord and come to believe it to be true, they follow the advice given by the instructor and follow them faithfully.
A typical example could be found in the metamorphosis that came about in the case of Valmiki who was a hunter before he became a sage. Narada advised him to chant Rama nama to free himself of his sins and he could not say it. Then Narada pointed out to a tree and asked him its name .The hunter said that it was maraa tree. Then Narada told him to chant the name of the tree incessantly. The hunter had absolute faith in the words of the sage and chanted mara mara and it sounded rama rama, without even noticing an anthill, valmeeka, that was forming around him and he became Vakmiki in course of time. So even without knowledge and necessary qualifications to learn the sastras and to meditate one could attain immortality through faith alone.
26. yaavath sanjaayathe kimchith satthvam sThaavarajangamam
kshethrakshethrajnasamyogaath thadhvidDhi bharatharshabha
All that is born, movable or immovable, know them to be born only by the conjunction of the kshethra and kshethrajna.
Then matter, product of Prkrthi cannot remain without its inner self the Esvara. Similarly the individual jiva or purusha cannot exist without its inner self , Esvara. The prkrthi is said to evolve due to the nearness purusha and the purusha gets into the cycle of birth and death due to his identification with prkrthi. Hence everything that is born is by the conjunction of purusha and prakrthi.
There is some explanation necessary to understand this. Purusha is the spirit or the individual self who is not the agent of action nor the enjoyer, ever free, not bound by karma. The creation of prakrthi is due to the nearness of Purusha which means that through buddhi, the first evolute of prkrthi which is also called mahath thathva , the self is reflected, which results in the identification of the self with the buddhi due to ignorance and the creation starts. Buddhi which is the evolute of prakrthi, which constitutes of the three gunas, starts evolving into the three kinds of ahamkara and the whole creation down to the gross bodies made of five elements, results. This is what is meant by all things movable and immovable are born only by the association of prakrthi and Purusha.
27samam sarveshu bhootheshu thishTantham parameSvaram
VinaSyathsu avinaSyantham yaH paSyathi sa paSyathi
One who sees the Supreme Self equally existing in all beings , imperishable in all that is perishable, alone sees.
The real perception consists in seeing the Supreme ruler, the inner self of all, dwelling alike in all bodies who never perishes when the bodies perish. This means the knowledge of the Purusha that he is separate from the prakrthi which makes him identify himself with the Supreme Self, the inner self of all. Then the understanding results that all except the self are perishable and Paramesvara , the Supreme Self is one only and the same in all beings. This is the real perception.
28.samam paSyan hi sarvathra samavasThitham eesvaram
Na hinasthi aathmanaa aathmaanam thatho yaathi paraam gathim
Seeing the Lord who is the Supreme Self everywhere, one attains the supreme goal of Self realization which results in immortality and he does not any more harm himself by himself, meaning, he does not identify himself anymore with his body, mind and intellect which are all the products of prakrthi. The Lord said in chapter 6 sloka 5 aathmaivaathmano banDhuH aathmaiva ripuraatmanaH. The self alone is the close relative and it itself is the enemy, meaning that the identification with the inner self benefits the seeker and while doing so with the outer world through his body, mind and intellect he harms himself because it impedes his progress spiritually.
29. prakrthyaiva cha karmaaNi kriyamaaNaani sarvaSaH
yaH paSyathi thaThaa aathmaanam akarthaaram sa paSyathi
One who sees that all actions are done by prakrthi only and that he is not the agent of action, he alone has the real perception.
When one identifies himself with his Self ,he understands that all actions are done by prakrthi and the Self is not the doer. This is what the Lord said in chapter 3 sloka 28, thathvavith thu mahaabaho guna karmavibhaagayoH gunaa guNeshu varthanatha ithi mathvaa na sajjathe , one who knows the reality, is not affected by the actions thinking that the gunas inside are reacting with the gunas outside.
30. yadhaa bhoothaprThagbhaavam ekasTham anupasyathi
Thatha eva cha visthaaram brahma sampadhyathe thadhaa
When one sees all diversities of beings in one, Brahman, and Brahman spread in all, he attains Brahman.
All things are in space and space is in everything. Similarly all beings are in Brahman who is also in everything. When we see the ocean we see the waves also in it and at the same time the waves are seen as existing individually also. But they are not recognized as different from the ocean. They arise from the ocean and go back into it. Similarly the diversities arise from Brahman on creation and merge back into Brahman. Brahman has expanded as the universe and the universe consisting of individual entities, sentient and insentient exist in Brahman only.
The last topic, namely the discrimination between the Self and the Prkrthi was elaborated in the slokas 26 to 30.
The discourse on kshethra and kshethrajna is concluded with a definition and description of the nature of Brahman in the following slokas.
31.anaadhithvaath nrguNathvaath paramaathmaa ayam avyayaH
SareerasTho api kountheya na karothi na lipyathe
The SupremeSelf, who has no beginning, no guNas and who is immutable, dose not do anything nor affected by any action even though He dwells in the body.
32.yaThaa sarvagatham soukshmyaath aakaaSo na upalipyathe
Sarvathra cha sThitho dhehe thaThaathmaa na upalipyathe
Just as the sky is not contaminated by the things that are in it because of its subtlety, so too the Self, though dwelling in the body , is not affected by the actions of the body.
33. yaThaa prakaasayathi ekaH krthsnam lokam imam raviH
Ksethram kshethree thaThaa krthsnam prakaaSayathi Bhaaratha
Just as the one Sun illumines the whole world, the Self, the kshethree or kshethrajna illumines the whole kshethra, the non-self.
The supreme self , though dwelling in the body, is immutable, avyaya,, and beginningless. anaadhi. Since it is without gunas, nirguNa, it neither acts nor affected by the action. Krishna gives two examples to illustrate how the self though dwelling in the body is not affected by the actions of the body which are caused by the gunas.
1. yaThaa sarvagatham soukshmyaath aakaaSam nopalipythe'- The space is everywhere but being the subtlest it is not affected by the things that are in it and connected with it. Similarly the Self is not affected by the body and its actions.
2.yaTHaa prakaaSayathi ekaH krthsnam lokam imam raviH- The Sun illuminates the whole world. Similarly the Self illumines the whole field, that is, the body.
The Lord who is the Self of all is the Sareeri or kshethrajna, as he says, kshethrajnam chaapi maam vidDhi sarvakshethreshu, in sloka 2 of this chapter. The whole universe of the sentient and the insentient is His sareera or kshethra. This is according to the visishtadvaita doctrine. According to advaita of course, the world is an illusion and hence the Self which is identical to Brahman is not affected by it.
Visishtadvaita concept is criticized by the opponents that if the universe is the sareera of the Lord then he should be affected by the modifications and the impurities of the sareera should adhere to Him. Ramanuja answers in His Sribhashya that just as the self is not affected by the body and its actions the Supreme Self is also not affected by its body which is the universe. The examples given above illustrate this.
The space is in everything and out of everything. But it is not contaminated by the impurities or the modifications of the things in it. So too the Lord who is inside and outside all beings is not affected by the impurities and the modifications of the beings.
The Sun even though He is seen only in one place and is one only, illuminates the whole universe. So too, the Lord who is one only without a second and who is the source of light of even the Sun pervades the whole world with His light by which alone all actions are possible by all beings. But Just as the Sun is not affected by the actions that happen in his light the Lord is not affected by the actions of all beings.
34. kshethrakshethrajnyoH evam antharam Jnaanachakshushaa
Bhoothaprakrthimoksham cha ye vidhuH yaanthi the param
Thus knowing the difference between the kshethra and the kshethrajna through the eyes of jnana, they who has the knowledge are freed from the bondage due to prakrthi and its creations and attain moksha the supreme goal.
Thus endowed with the knowledge of the Self, and the difference between the non-self, kshethra and the knower, kshethrajna, one becomes free of bondage and attaining the Supreme and the means of attainment is cultivation of the attributes like amanithvam , adhambithvam etc. mentioned at the outset.