Bhagvad Gita - Chapter: 13 Ksetra Ksetrajna Vibhaga Yogah

Ksetra Ksetrajna Vibhaga Yogah - With hands and feet everywhere, eyes, heads, and faces everywhere, it hears everything and pervades everything in the world.

सर्वत: पाणिपादं तत्सर्वतोऽक्षिशिरोमुखम् |
सर्वत: श्रुतिमल्लोके सर्वमावृत्य तिष्ठति ||13||

With hands and feet everywhere, eyes, heads, and faces everywhere, it hears everything and pervades everything in the world.

Pani: Hands symbolizing omnipresence.
Padam: Feet representing universal reach.
Shruti: Hearing or perception.

The imagery of omnipresence conveys the divine’s all-encompassing nature. Krishna gently expands Arjuna’s understanding of divinity, emphasizing its immanence and transcendence in every aspect of creation.

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Ksetra Ksetrajna Vibhaga Yogah - Shining through the functions of all the senses yet free from the senses, unattached yet sustaining all, and free from qualities yet enjoying them.

सर्वेन्द्रियगुणाभासं सर्वेन्द्रियविवर्जितम् |
असक्तं सर्वभृच्चैव निर्गुणं गुणभोक्तृ च ||14||

Shining through the functions of all the senses yet free from the senses, unattached yet sustaining all, and free from qualities yet enjoying them.

Nirguna: Without qualities or attributes.
Guna-bhoktri: The enjoyer of qualities.
Asakta: Unattached or free.

This verse challenges the duality of attachment and detachment by presenting the divine as both within and beyond qualities. It urges the seeker to reconcile opposites, seeing unity in diversity.

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बहिरन्तश्च भूतानामचरं चरमेव च |
सूक्ष्मत्वात्तदविज्ञेयं दूरस्थं चान्तिके च तत् ||15||

Outside and inside all beings, immovable and also movable; it is so subtle it cannot be known, and is far yet near.

Bhuta: Beings or elements of creation.
Sukshmatva: Subtlety or minuteness.
Durastam: Far away, yet near.

By describing the subtle and all-pervading nature of the divine, Krishna emphasizes its accessibility despite its abstractness. This highlights the need for refined perception to discern the supreme reality.

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अविभक्तं च भूतेषु विभक्तमिव च स्थितम् |
भूतभर्तृ च तज्ज्ञेयं ग्रसिष्णु प्रभविष्णु च ||16||

Though indivisible, it appears as divided among beings. It is the sustainer of beings, devourer, and originator.

Avibhakta: Undivided or indivisible.
Grasishnu: Devourer or absorber.
Prabhavisnu: Creator or originator.

The apparent division within beings is reconciled by understanding the indivisible nature of the supreme. This verse reinforces the unity underlying all existence, urging Arjuna to move beyond surface appearances.

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Ksetra Ksetrajna Vibhaga Yogah - It is the light of lights, beyond darkness, knowledge, the object of knowledge, and the goal of knowledge, and is established in the hearts of all.

ज्योतिषामपि तज्ज्योतिस्तमस: परमुच्यते |
ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं ज्ञानगम्यं हृदि सर्वस्य विष्ठितम् ||17||

It is the light of lights, beyond darkness, knowledge, the object of knowledge, and the goal of knowledge, and is established in the hearts of all.

Jyoti: Light or illumination.
Tamas: Darkness or ignorance.
Jnana: Knowledge or understanding.

Light as a metaphor for knowledge emphasizes the role of enlightenment in dispelling ignorance. Krishna connects the supreme with the heart of all beings, emphasizing its intimate yet universal nature.

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इति क्षेत्रं तथा ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं चोक्तं समासत: |
मद्भक्त एतद्विज्ञाय मद्भावायोपपद्यते ||18||

Thus, the field, knowledge, and the knowable have been briefly described. Knowing this, My devotee attains My state.

Moksha: Liberation or freedom.
Bhakti: Devotion or surrender.
Madbhava: The state of attaining Krishna.

The culmination of the description of the field and its knower underscores the path to liberation. Krishna directs attention to the transformative power of this knowledge in transcending worldly attachments.

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Ksetra Ksetrajna Vibhaga Yogah - Know both nature and the soul as beginningless. Know also that all transformations and qualities arise from nature.

प्रकृतिं पुरुषं चैव विद्ध्यनादी उभावपि |
विकारांश्च गुणांश्चैव विद्धि प्रकृतिसम्भवान् ||19||

Know both nature and the soul as beginningless. Know also that all transformations and qualities arise from nature.

Prakriti: Nature or material energy.
Vikara: Transformations of nature.
Gunas: Qualities of nature, such as sattva, rajas, and tamas.

The eternal interplay between nature and the soul is presented as foundational to existence. This verse sets the stage for deeper exploration of their roles in the creation and evolution of life.

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