Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13, Verse 3

English Translation

And, O scion of the Bharata dynasty, under-stand Me to be the 'Knower of the field' in all the fields. In My opinion, that is Knowledge which is the knowlege of th field and the knower of the field.

Detailed Commentary

Know Me also as the Knower of the Field in all fields, O Bhārata. I am present in all fields (bodies). That sense of 'I' (*ahaṅkāra*) which has the knowledge of 'I' is the *kshetra* (field), and the knower of 'I-ness' is the *kshetrajña* (knower of the field). In reality, the *kshetrajña* and the *Paramātman* are one. The Lord says that in all fields, know Me alone as the *kshetrajña*. When a human being knows an object, that object is called *jñeya* (the knowable). He knows the *jñeya* through external instruments (*bahiḥkaraṇa*) such as ears and eyes, and internal instruments (*antaḥkaraṇa*) such as mind and intellect. The *antaḥkaraṇa* has four aspects: *Manas*, *Buddhi*, *Citta*, and *Ahaṅkāra*. *Ahaṅkāra* is the subtlest, and it is known by the *kshetrajña*, which is of the nature of light (consciousness). Understand the knower of this *ahaṅkāra* to be My very Self. Here, the Lord tells Arjuna that just as you identify yourself with the body, similarly, identify yourself with Me. It is very essential to abandon identification with the body and identify with Me. For the Lord has declared the unity of the *kshetrajña* with Himself, as He has done elsewhere too; for instance, in the seventeenth verse of the second chapter, He referred to the embodied soul as imperishable, and in the fourth verse of the ninth chapter, He stated, 'I pervade this entire universe'. The body is a part of *Prakṛti*; therefore, turn away from it. And you are a part of Me; therefore, turn towards Me. The body has a natural unity with the world (*saṁsāra*), but the *jīva* (individual soul) separates the body from the world and considers it its own. To consider the body separate from the world and oneself separate from the *Paramātman* is incorrect. Therefore, the Lord says, 'Understand that the *kshetrajña* is one with Me'. In the scriptures, *Prakṛti*, *Jīva*, and *Paramātman* are described separately, but through the word '*api*' (also), the Lord indicates that *Paramātman* alone is all-pervasive. Knowing that *Paramātman* alone exists as the *kshetrajña*, the seeker should experience non-difference (*abhinnatā*). True knowledge of *Paramātman* is attained by realizing His non-difference. The *kshetra* (body) is one with the world (*saṁsāra*), and the *kshetrajña* (individual soul) is one with Me. This knowledge, in true sense, is the real knowledge according to My view (*mata*). The meaning of '*matam mama*' (My view) is that the knowledge of numerous sciences and arts in the world is part of that knowledge which turns us away from our true Self. Having declared the knowledge of *kshetra* and *kshetrajña* as true knowledge in the previous verse, the Lord now instructs to hear about the distinction of *kshetra* and *kshetrajña*.