Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

We are in 13th chapter and beginning with Jyana section BG. This chapter is considered to be philosophically most complex and intricate chapter. And it contains many verses which are quite difficult to comprehend, especially from 13.13 to 13.19 

Chapter 1-6 is about Karma and how karma leads to Bhakti 

Chapter 7-12 is about Bhakti 

Chapter 13-18 is about Jyana and Jyana leads to Bhakti.

13 Chapter begins with question from Arjuna.

10th chapter after Krishna stops speaking in 11th verse Arjuna leads the discussion forward.

So 10, 11, 12 and 13 chapters the topics of discussion are generated by Arjuna’s question

Now one may asks what generates Arjun’s question. It is not necessary that something in previous chapter leads to the question. In 11th chapter question come from 10th chapter. By end of 10th chapter Krishna said that ekāṁśena sthito jagat, With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe.

Then based on that Arjuna asked the question can You show me the Virata rupa. Another reason for Arjuna asking this question is so that in future general people can also establish the faith because Lord has shown His from directly. 

In 10th chapter question on Vibhuti is not related with any discussion, it is for the reason how can one think about Krishna within material nature, when one is in this material world how to connect with Krishna and think about Him all the time.

12 chapter question is not immediately related with 11th chapter also 13 chapter not related with any question from 12 chapter or anything before that.

Arjuna has asked some question based on the vedic terminology known to him, in 13th chapter.

13th chapter overview:

1: Arjuna’s 6 questions

2-7: Kshetra &  Kshetra-jna (Answer to 3rd and 4th questions)

8-12: Jnana (Answer to 5th question)

13-19: Jneya (Answer to 6th question)

20-26: Prakrti & Purusha (Answer to 1st and 2nd questions)

27-35: Jnana-chakshu – Bonus section where Krishna offers Jyana Chaksu (the eyes of knowledge by which one can see reality beyond how it appears at a material level of perception) 

Bg 13.1-2

arjuna uvāca
prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva
kṣetraṁ kṣetra-jñam eva ca
etad veditum icchāmi
jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ ca keśava

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
idaṁ śarīraṁ kaunteya
kṣetram ity abhidhīyate
etad yo vetti taṁ prāhuḥ
kṣetra-jña iti tad-vidaḥ

Synonyms: 

arjunaḥ uvāca — Arjuna said; prakṛtim — nature; puruṣam — the enjoyer; ca — also; eva — certainly; kṣetram— the field; kṣetra–jñam — the knower of the field; eva — certainly; ca — also; etat — all this; veditum — to understand; icchāmi — I wish; jñānam — knowledge; jñeyam — the object of knowledge; ca — also; keśava — O Kṛṣṇa; śrī–bhagavān uvāca — the Personality of Godhead said; idam — this; śarīram — body; kaunteya — O son of Kuntī; kṣetram — the field; iti — thus; abhidhīyate — is called; etat — this; yaḥ — one who; vetti — knows; tam — he; prāhuḥ — is called; kṣetra–jñaḥ — the knower of the field; iti — thus; tat–vidaḥ — by those who know this.

Translation: 

Arjuna said: O my dear Kṛṣṇa, I wish to know about prakṛti [nature], puruṣa [the enjoyer], and the field and the knower of the field, and of knowledge and the object of knowledge. The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: This body, O son of Kuntī, is called the field, and one who knows this body is called the knower of the field.

Arjuna is asking what is prakriti and what is purusha

veditum icchāmi, this I wish to know, veditum to know

kṣetraṁ kṣetra-jñam eva ca, kṣetra is field of knowledge and the knower

jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ ca keśava, jñānaṁ is knowledge jñeyaṁ is the thing which is to be known.

Keśava

These terms are familiar term in Vedic knowledge what do they exactly mean?

Krishna replies

idaṁ śarīraṁ kaunteya, this body (Krishna points to Arjuna’s body) it is called as, abhidhīyate, means known as 

etad yo vetti, one who knows it 

 taṁ prāhuḥ, that entity is known as kṣetra-jña

tad-vidaḥ, those who know this, vidaḥ is know, tad is that

So Krishna is saying the knowers called this body as the Kshetra and the knower as kṣetra-jña. 

So in one sense Krishna doesn’t tell who is the knower He just says that one who knows it is called kṣetra-jña. 

Recension, when scripture were copied earlier days one where some words can be changed little bit but the overall meaning remains same, if we compare SB 1000, 1500 years old and current one it is same.

Scriptures are also living document in the desciplic succession devotees has also remembered that and internalize it and live life as per that.

BG is considered most stable scripture where in terms of recension.

When some acharys write commentary they dealt with recension in that particular scripture what are the difference and which one is most authentic and which one he is taking now and why.

Even commentator like Abhnav Gupta who wrote commentary claiming that in BG it is Lord Shiva who has been talked, although in BG name of Shiva is not used much still he couldn’t change verse of BG only his commentary he has changed whimsically. He couldn’t change BG verse because so many books are available and if he try to change he will be caught. 

So although BG is very stable in some BG 13.1 Arjuna’s question is not present. So for even discussion sake if we assume Arjuna didn’t ask this question still it makes no difference. Because Krishna’s answer is same.

But in that case a question may come why suddenly Krishna started talking about kṣetra, kṣetra-jña , jñāna, jñeya, purusa and prakriti. So our Acharyas has included this in 13.1 but some scholars may not include it and we don’t have to enter into a debate over that, e.g. in Gita press book often this question is not there. 

So still now Krishna has already explained Bhakti is superior to Jyana and now Krishna wanted to clarify other terms so there is Sankhya, this word has come in 3rd and 5th chapter especially. So Sankhya is analysis of material nature into its component so that one can go beyond and ultimately attain to a clear understanding of what lies beyond matter, so material worlds has so much variety it is quite captivating and bewildering that we just get caught up in the forms and the appearances but once someone understands that these forms and appearances are made up of some fundamental elements and they themselves are not very captivating e.g. just air or water is not captivating I will just use it as per my need but I will not be captivated about it. Then we go beyond and look at it what is that which brings it alive and what is the real substance, what is the basis of life and love and then we go to the spiritual reality that there is soul and Supersoul, so here the focus is on analyzing the matter and its focus on consciousness. So SP calls this chapter as nature, the enjoyer and consciousness. (So nature refers to material nature, enjoyer refers to Ishwara i.e. Supreme Lord and Consciousness refers to the Jiva)

So how does this nomenclature or the title of this chapter come about? 

Arjuna question is what is kṣetra, kṣetra-jña?

what is jñāna, jñeya?

what is purusa and prakriti?

So in this if we see one is conscious and other is not so much,

So prakriti is not conscious, kṣetra is not conscious 

Jñeya, Purusha and kṣetra-jña is conscious.

There are three entities has been talked about as we discussed earlier there are tattva traya Jive, Jagat and Jagadish.

Jagat is referred as material nature Prakriti and Kshetra

Then Jiva can be Purusha and kṣetra-jña.

Similarly Ishwara can be kṣetra-jña or Purusha.

So nature refers to material nature, enjoyer refers to Ishwara i.e. Supreme Lord and Consciousness refers to the Jiva.

SP Purport: That field of activity is the body

So what is exactly the meaning of Kshetra, Kshetra is a part of prakriti. Prakriti is material nature. All around us is material nature but we cannot control all of material nature, we can only control some of its parts. For example I can move my hand but not your hand. So I cannot control beyond my jurisdiction so the Kshetra refers to area of influence, so at preliminary level Kshetra is the body, all of us have some influence over the body. Of course we do not have complete influence or complete control over the body, there is much that happens in body at which is beyond our control e.g. breathing, digestion. Different living entity has different level of Kshetra, e.g. ameba has a very – very small control or Kshetra, it is having its own eating mating or reproduction sleeping defending mechanism.

So soul has the consciousness and it has the capacity to use the brain, brain is just a tool, the covering in human body is lesser then the covering in animal bodies. 

So the Kshetra that human bodies has is a greater potential for spiritual enquiries and capacity than the other Kshetra. So body can have greater capacity and soul can also have greater capacity by which it can perceive things. 

SP: The owner is distinctly kṣetra-jña.

End of transcription.