Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13, Verse 16

English Translation

Existing outside and inside all beings; moving as well as non-moving, It is incomprehensible due to subtleness. So also, It is far away, and yet near.

Detailed Commentary

This commentary pertains to verse 13.16. The description of the knowable Reality (*Jñeya Tattva*) spans verses twelve to seventeen. This fifteenth verse is the fourth in this series. Its essence, already present in the preceding three and forthcoming two verses, renders this verse a summary of the discourse. "Bahirantaśca bhūtānām, acaram caramevaca" (Outside and inside all beings, unmoving and moving too) – Just as when pots made of ice are immersed in the ocean, there is water outside the pots, water inside them, and the pots themselves are also water. Similarly, outside all moving and unmoving beings, there is *Paramātmā*; inside them too is *Paramātmā*, and they themselves are of the nature of *Paramātmā*. The import is that just as there is nothing but water in the pots, so also in this world, there is no element other than *Paramātmā*. "Dūrasthaṁ cāntike ca tat" (That is far and near) – The farness and nearness of an object are described in three ways: according to space (*deśa*), time (*kāla*), and the object itself (*vastu*). *Paramātmā* is both far and near from all three perspectives. In distant places, *Paramātmā* alone exists; and in nearby places, *Paramātmā* alone exists. In the past, *Paramātmā* alone existed; in the future, *Paramātmā* alone will exist; and in the present, *Paramātmā* alone exists. For those who desire ephemeral, perishable objects, *Paramātmā* is distant. But for those who are solely oriented towards *Paramātmā*, *Paramātmā* is near. Therefore, a *sādhaka* should renounce worldly desires and aspire solely for the attainment of *Paramātmā*. As soon as the longing for *Paramātmā-prāpti* arises, its attainment occurs. "Sūkṣmatvāt tad avijñeyam" (Being subtle, That is unknowable) – Being extremely subtle, *Paramātmā* is not an object of the senses and mind and cannot be grasped by them. The question arises: if That cannot be known, does it imply its non-existence? No, just as water droplets are not visible to the eyes yet they exist. Similarly, *Paramātmā* is extremely subtle and cannot be known by the senses of perception, as That is beyond them. It is due to the ignorance of living beings (*jīvas*) that That remains unknown. Those who have attained the knowledge of *Paramātma-tattva* perceive everything as *Paramātmā*. But to those who lack this knowledge, *Paramātmā* is not visible. Hence, it is said that That is both *jñeya* (knowable) and *avijñeya* (unknowable). *Jñeya* because it can be known only by oneself (directly experienced), and *avijñeya* because it cannot be known by the senses, mind, or intellect. To know the all-pervading *Paramātmā*, it is essential for the *sādhaka* to accept *Paramātmā* as omnipresent and all-full. The glory of such acceptance (*mānanā*) is immense. When even worldly beliefs cannot be erased, then who can erase spiritual beliefs (*pāramārthika mānyatāeṃ*)? Upon firm acceptance, the experience of *Paramātmā* is attained.