Ksetra Ksetrajna Vibhaga Yoga
Krishna introduces the key distinction between kshetra (the field — body, mind, world) and kshetrajna (the knower of the field — the Self). He lists twenty qualities that constitute true wisdom, and describes both the perishable (matter) and imperishable (Self) natures.
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Translation
Arjuna said: I wish to know about Nature and the Spirit, the field and the knower of the field, O Keshava, and also knowledge and that which is to be known.
Arjuna said: O Keshava, I wish to know Prakriti and Purusha, the field and the knower of the field, knowledge and what is to be known.
Chapter 13 introduces the most fundamental philosophical distinction in Sāṃkhya: between Puruṣa (pure consciousness, the knower) and Prakṛti (nature, the field of experience). Arjuna asks for three pairs: Prakriti/Purusha, kṣetra/kṣetrajña, jñāna/jñeya — all pointing to the same fundamental duality.
In Advaita, kṣetrajña — the knower of the field — is identified with Brahman: the self that knows the body-mind field is not the body-mind but the pure awareness that witnesses it. Chapter 13 is the philosophical foundation for recognizing the witness-self.
Osho said: 'the field and the knower of the field' — this distinction, once truly understood, changes everything. You have been identified with the field (the body-mind-world). When you recognize yourself as the knower — the awareness — the entire structure of suffering transforms.
Kṣetra/kṣetrajña is one of the clearest frameworks in Indian philosophy: the field is everything objective (body, mind, world), the knower is the pure subjectivity that can never become an object to itself. Knowing this distinction experientially is liberation.
Jñānam jñeyam ca — 'knowledge and what is to be known.' The chapter will distinguish between knowledge (the 20 qualities listed in v.7-11) and what is to be known (Brahman's nature). Both are necessary: the method of knowing and the object of knowing.
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Translation
The Blessed Lord said: This body, O son of Kunti, is called the field; and the one who knows it, the wise call the knower of the field.
The Blessed Lord said: This body, O Kaunteya, is called the field; those who know that call the one who knows it the 'knower of the field.'
The opening definition: the body (śarīram) is the kṣetra (field). But 'body' here is not just the physical body — it includes the entire objective dimension of experience: body, senses, mind, intellect. Everything that can be observed is the field.
In Advaita, this verse establishes the fundamental witness relationship: the body is the field (object), and the one who knows/observes the body is the kṣetrajña (subject). This subject is the Ātman. The entire path of jñāna-yoga involves this shift: from identifying as the field to recognizing oneself as the knower.
Osho said: 'This body is the field.' Not your body — the body. Not 'you are the body' but 'you have a body.' The body is something you have, something you observe. The observer cannot be the observed. This is the first moment of awakening.
Śarīram kṣetram — the body as field. The field metaphor is apt: a field is something that is cultivated, worked in, that produces results — but the farmer (the knower) is not the field itself. You work through the body; you are not the body.
Tadvidaḥ — 'those who know that.' The distinction between kṣetra and kṣetrajña is the fundamental knowledge. The sages who truly understand this are tadvidaḥ — knowers of that. Philosophy is not idle speculation but the identification of what truly knows and what is known.
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Translation
Know Me also to be the knower of the field in all fields, O Bharata. The knowledge of the field and its knower — that, in My view, is true knowledge.
Know Me also as the knower of the field in all fields, O Bharata. The knowledge of the field and the knower of the field — that is knowledge in My view.
The most important verse of Chapter 13: the kṣetrajña in all fields is identified as the Divine (Māṃ viddhi — 'know Me'). Not a separate self in each body but the one Consciousness — the Divine — as the knower in all bodies simultaneously.
In Advaita, this is the mahāvākya (great saying) of Chapter 13: the individual kṣetrajña (ātman) is identical to the universal kṣetrajña (Brahman). There is no separate self in your body and a separate self in mine — one Awareness looks out through all eyes.
Osho said: this is the key. In all fields — in the body of the sage and in the body of the sinner, in the body of the human and in the body of the ant — the knower is the same. The one Divine Awareness looking through all eyes. This is not metaphor — it is the literal truth.
Jñānam matam mama — 'this is knowledge in My view.' Krishna defines knowledge not as information but as the understanding of the distinction (and identity) between field and knower. Real knowledge is this recognition; all else is data.
Sarvakṣetreṣu — 'in all fields.' The qualifier is crucial. Not just in your field, not just in human fields, but in all fields of all beings everywhere. The same single Awareness is the knowing in every knowing. This non-duality is the teaching.
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Translation
What that field is, of what kind, with what modifications, from where it arises, and who its knower is, and what his powers are — hear all this from Me in brief.
Hear from Me in brief: what that field is, of what kind, what its modifications, where it is from, what he (the knower) is, and what his power/influence.
An outline verse: Krishna promises to explain six things — the nature of the field, its qualities, its modifications, its origin, the nature of the knower, and the knower's power. This gives the systematic framework for the chapter's philosophical inquiry.
In Advaita, this systematic inquiry (kṣetra, yādṛk, yadvikāri, yataḥ, kaḥ, yatprabhāvaḥ) is the jñāna-vicāra — the inquiry of knowledge. Systematic self-inquiry is not mere academic philosophy but the lived practice of liberation.
Osho said: Krishna is about to give a complete philosophy of the human being — what you are, how you work, where you come from, what is the power within you. This is the most comprehensive self-description in any scripture.
Samāsena — 'in brief.' Even a brief summary (samāsena) of this knowledge is sufficient for liberation. The Gita often notes that the teaching is expansive but can be stated briefly. This is the mark of a living teaching — its essence can be grasped.
Yatprabhāvaḥ — 'what power/influence.' The knower of the field has power — the power of awareness itself. What is the nature and extent of that power? This question points to the liberating insight: the power of pure awareness is infinite.
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Translation
This has been sung by the seers in many ways, in the various Vedic hymns each distinctly, and also in the well-reasoned and conclusive words of the aphorisms on Brahman.
This has been sung in many ways by the seers, in various separate Vedic hymns, and in the words of the Brahma Sutras, with reasoning and certainty.
The tradition of this teaching: the ṛṣis (seers) have sung it in many ways (bahudhā gītam), across the various Vedic hymns (chandas), and in the Brahma Sūtras. Krishna grounds his teaching in the full śruti (revealed) tradition.
In Advaita, this verse acknowledges the Brahmasūtras (the systematization of Vedāntic knowledge by Bādarāyaṇa). The prasthāna-traya (triple canonical text) of Advaita consists of the Upaniṣads, the Gita, and the Brahmasūtras — and here Krishna references all three.
Osho observed: 'sung in many ways by the seers.' The teaching of kṣetra-kṣetrajña is not new. It has been stated and restated across the entire tradition. Different teachers, different words, different approaches — but the same fundamental recognition.
Hetumadbhiḥ viniścitaiḥ — 'with reasoning and with certainty.' The Vedantic tradition is not just revealed (śruti) but also reasoned (yukti). The teaching can be understood not just by faith but by careful rational investigation. Faith and reason together.
The verse establishes the authority of the teaching through the tradition. For those who receive traditional knowledge, this grounding in the ṛṣis and śāstras is important. The teaching is not new or personal — it is the perennial wisdom.
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Translation
The great elements, the ego, the intellect, and the unmanifest; the ten senses and the one mind, and the five objects of the senses;
The great elements, ego, intellect, and the unmanifest — the ten-and-one sense organs, and the five sense-objects —
V.6-7 together enumerate the components of the kṣetra (field): the five mahābhūtas (earth, water, fire, air, space), ahaṃkāra (ego), buddhi (intellect), avyakta (unmanifest Prakriti) = 8 prakṛti's. Plus 10 karmendriyas/jñānendriyas + 1 manas = 11 organs. Plus 5 tanmātras (sense-objects). This is the Sāṃkhya enumeration.
In Advaita, all these elements — from the grossest (mahābhūtas) to the subtlest (avyakta) — are kṣetra: the field, the object. Even the ego (ahaṃkāra) and the intellect (buddhi) are not the knower — they are also objects of awareness.
Osho said: even the ego is part of the field. People think the ego is 'me' — but in Sāṃkhya and Vedānta, even the ego is an object of consciousness. The 'I-sense' is itself observed by the deeper awareness that is the true kṣetrajña.
Ahaṃkāraḥ — the ego. Its inclusion in the list of kṣetra components is the most important point. The sense of 'I' is part of the field, not the knower. This is what psychological self-inquiry discovers: even the sense of being a separate self is an experience, not the experiencer.
The Sāṃkhya taxonomy here is used to make a practical point: everything you can describe, list, enumerate — all of that is kṣetra. What cannot be listed, what is doing the listing, what cannot be an object — that is the kṣetrajña.
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Translation
desire and aversion, pleasure and pain, the bodily aggregate, sentience, and steadfastness — this, in brief, is the field together with its modifications, as it has been described.
Desire, aversion, pleasure, pain, the aggregate, consciousness, steadiness — this is the field described briefly with its modifications.
Completing the enumeration of the kṣetra's modifications: icchā (desire), dveṣa (aversion), sukha (pleasure), duḥkha (pain), saṃghāta (aggregate/body-complex), cetanā (consciousness?), dhṛti (steadiness/will). These are the psychological-experiential components of the field.
In Advaita, even cetanā (consciousness) listed here is aparā-cetanā — the reflected or limited consciousness of the mind — not the pure Consciousness that is the kṣetrajña. The mind's apparent consciousness is a reflection of the true awareness, like moonlight reflected in water.
Osho noted: desire and aversion — these are the fundamental modifications of the field. Desire says 'I want.' Aversion says 'I don't want.' Both are field-phenomena. The kṣetrajña neither wants nor avoids — it simply knows.
Saṃghāta — 'the aggregate.' The body-mind complex as a whole: the assembled collection of organs, energies, thoughts, and experiences that together constitute what we ordinarily call 'the person.' This aggregate is the field — not who you are.
This verse completes the enumeration of the kṣetra. The purpose: by seeing everything that can be listed and named as 'the field,' the mind begins to intuit what cannot be listed and named — the knower. You are what remains after everything described here is recognized as object.
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Translation
Humility, freedom from pretense, non-violence, forbearance, uprightness, service to the teacher, purity, steadfastness, and self-restraint;
Humility, freedom from hypocrisy, non-violence, forbearance, straightforwardness, service to the teacher, purity, steadiness, self-restraint —
V.8-12 enumerate the 20 qualities of jñāna (knowledge): the inner attitudes and external behaviors that constitute the disposition of genuine knowledge. The first group (v.8): humility (amānitvam), freedom from pretension (adambhitvam), non-violence (ahiṃsā), forbearance (kṣāntiḥ), directness (ārjavam), service to teacher (ācāryopāsanam), purity (śaucam), steadiness (sthairyam), self-restraint (ātmavinigrahaḥ).
In Advaita, these 20 qualities are the sādhana-catuṣṭaya extended: the fourfold qualification for Vedāntic study (viveka, vairāgya, ṣaṭ-sampat, mumukṣutva) elaborated into the full spectrum of qualities that knowledge produces and requires.
Osho observed: the list begins with amānitvam — humility/absence of pride. The first requirement for knowledge is the death of the one who thinks they already know. Pride in one's knowledge is the greatest obstacle to real knowledge. Genuine knowledge makes you humble.
Amānitvam — absence of the desire for honor (māna = honor). Not false modesty but the genuine absence of the ego's need for recognition. When the ego-need for honor falls away, the mind becomes transparent to the truth.
Ācāryopāsanam — 'service to the teacher.' Service to the teacher is not sycophancy but the practical recognition that the teaching is received through a person, and the relationship with that person matters. The teacher is a living embodiment of what is being learned.
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Translation
dispassion toward the objects of the senses, and absence of egotism; insight into the suffering and evil inherent in birth, death, old age, and disease;
Dispassion toward sense-objects, absence of ego, and the perception of the evil/suffering in birth, death, old age, and disease —
Three more qualities of jñāna: vairāgya (dispassion toward sense-objects), anahaṃkāra (absence of ego), and — most striking — janmamṛtyujarāvyādhiduḥkhadoṣānudarśanam: the clear seeing of the suffering inherent in birth, death, old age, and disease.
In Advaita, the 'perception of evil in birth, death, old age, and disease' is not pessimism but clear-eyed recognition: the body-mind existence is inherently subject to these four. This clear seeing is not depression but the first movement of viveka (discrimination) that begins the path to what is beyond them.
Osho said: 'seeing the evil in birth, death, old age, disease' — this is what the Buddha saw under the bodhi tree. Not that life is bad — but that the form of existence we call 'life' is inherently subject to suffering. This seeing is the beginning of the search for what is not subject to them.
Vairāgyam indriyārtheṣu — 'dispassion toward sense-objects.' Not hatred of the senses but freedom from their compulsive pull. The dispassionate person enjoys what comes without being enslaved to obtaining it or retaining it.
Anahaṃkāra — absence of ego. The ego is the sense of a separate self that owns, identifies with, and is threatened by the field's contents. When this sense of separate ownership dissolves, the relationship with the field becomes free and appropriate.
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Translation
non-attachment, freedom from clinging to son, wife, home, and the rest; and a constant evenness of mind whether the desired or the undesired comes to pass;
Non-attachment, non-clinging to son, wife, home, and so on — and always equanimity of mind in the arrival of the wished and the unwished —
Two more qualities: asakti (non-attachment in general) and anabhiṣvaṃga (non-clinging to specific loved ones and possessions — son, wife, home). Plus samacittatvam — equanimity of mind in all circumstances, whether what comes is desired or undesired.
In Advaita, anabhiṣvaṃga to son, wife, home — this is not the absence of love but the freedom from the ego's grasping at loved ones as 'mine.' Love without the clinging is actually purer love — it allows the beloved to be who they are.
Osho observed: 'non-clinging to son, wife, home.' The home is where ego makes its last stand. 'My home, my family, my children' — these are the deepest attachments. Not because they are wrong but because the ego uses them as its final fortress. Non-clinging doesn't mean indifference to family — it means loving without grasping.
Iṣṭāniṣṭopapattiṣu samacittatvam — 'equanimity in the arrival of wished and unwished.' Not that you don't have preferences — but that when what you prefer doesn't come, and what you don't prefer does come, the mind remains stable. This stability is the mark of genuine equanimity.
Asaktiḥ anabhiṣvaṃgaḥ — non-attachment and non-clinging: subtly different. Asakti is general non-attachment (to objects, situations). Anabhiṣvaṃga is specifically non-clinging to persons and intimate relationships. Both are needed for complete freedom.
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Translation
unwavering devotion to Me through single-minded union, resort to solitary places, and distaste for the company of crowds;
Unswerving devotion to Me with exclusive yoga, resort to solitary places, dislike of the company of people —
Two more qualities: avyabhicāriṇī bhakti (unwavering, exclusive devotion to the Divine) and viviktadeśasevitva (the habit of solitude) combined with arati in janasaṃsadi (disinclination for crowds). The contemplative life requires both devotion and the protection of silence.
In Advaita, avyabhicāriṇī bhakti — 'unswerving devotion' — is the bhakti-jñāna synthesis: the devotional orientation stabilizes the knowledge. Without devotion, knowledge becomes dry intellectualism; without knowledge, devotion can become superstition.
Osho loved arati janasaṃsadi — 'dislike of company.' Not misanthropy but the recognition that the crowd pulls consciousness outward and downward. The contemplative needs periods of solitude — not permanent isolation but the regular return to silence.
Viviktadeśasevitva — 'resort to solitary places.' The practice of solitude is not running away from life but the cultivation of the inner dimension. Without some solitude, the inner life is never developed. The seeker needs time alone with the Alone.
Ananyayogena bhaktiḥ — 'devotion with exclusive yoga.' The 'exclusive' (ananya) is the same as in Chapter 12: the total orientation. When the devotion is genuinely exclusive, without divided attention, it becomes the most powerful form of yoga.
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Translation
constancy in the knowledge of the Self, and insight into the purpose of the knowledge of truth — this is declared to be knowledge; whatever is contrary to it is ignorance.
Constancy in self-knowledge, and seeing the purpose of the knowledge of truth — this is declared to be knowledge; what is otherwise than this is ignorance.
The concluding definition: the 20 qualities listed (v.8-12) constitute jñāna (knowledge). Anything different from these is ajñāna (ignorance). Jñāna here is not information but the total disposition — the way of being — that makes liberation possible.
In Advaita, adhyātmajñānanityatva — 'constancy in self-knowledge' — is the continuous practice of ātma-vicāra: the ongoing inquiry into the nature of the self. Not a one-time insight but a sustained orientation. And tattvajñānārthadarśana — seeing what all knowledge is for: the truth of being.
Osho said: 'what is otherwise than this is ignorance.' Strong statement. Not just 'less advanced' or 'on the path' — ignorance. The qualities described are not extra; they are the very substance of real knowledge. Without them, one is in ignorance regardless of intellectual learning.
Tattvajñānārthadarśanam — 'seeing the purpose of truth-knowledge.' Not just acquiring knowledge but seeing what it is for: liberation, freedom from the suffering of identification with the field. Knowledge that doesn't serve this purpose is academic.
Etaj jñānam iti proktam ajñānam yad ataḥ anyathā — 'this is knowledge; what is otherwise is ignorance.' The list of 20 qualities is not a virtue ethics but an epistemology: these qualities are both the conditions for and the fruit of genuine knowledge.
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Translation
I shall now declare that which is to be known, knowing which one attains immortality: the beginningless supreme Brahman, which is said to be neither being nor non-being.
I will declare what is to be known, having known which one attains immortality — the supreme Brahman, beginningless; it is called neither being nor non-being.
The central teaching of what is to be known (jñeyam): Brahman, described as beginningless (anādimat) and beyond the being/non-being duality (na sat tan nāsad ucyate). This transcendence of the being/non-being binary is the deepest philosophical claim.
In Advaita, na sat tan nāsad ucyate — 'called neither being nor non-being' — is the standard Upaniṣadic description of Brahman. Sat (being/existence) is a category of the mind; asat (non-being) is its negation. Brahman transcends both: it is the ground of being itself, prior to the being/non-being distinction.
Osho said: 'knowing which, one attains immortality.' This is not information that gives you immortality — it is the recognition that you already are the immortal. The knowing transforms the knower. The knowledge of Brahman is Brahman knowing itself.
Anādimat param brahma — 'the supreme Brahman, beginningless.' Brahman has no beginning because it is prior to time. Time arises within Brahman; Brahman does not arise in time. The beginningless is also, necessarily, the endless.
Na sat tan nāsad ucyate — the philosophical audacity of this statement: Brahman is beyond the most fundamental categories we use to think about anything. 'Is it or isn't it?' — neither. This destabilization of categories is itself the pointing toward the transcendent.
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Translation
With hands and feet everywhere, with eyes, heads, and faces on all sides, with ears everywhere, That abides in the world enveloping all.
With hands and feet everywhere, eyes, heads, and faces everywhere, ears everywhere — That stands pervading all in the world.
The cosmic description of Brahman's omnipresence: hands and feet everywhere (infinite capacity for action), eyes/heads/faces everywhere (infinite awareness and presence), ears everywhere (infinite reception). This is not literal anatomy but the poetic expression of omnipresence.
In Advaita, sarvataḥ — 'everywhere' — is the key word repeated four times. Brahman is not in some places more than others. It is equally present everywhere, in everything, as everything. The omnipresence is absolute: not distributed but identical in every point.
Osho said: 'eyes everywhere' — Brahman sees through your eyes right now. The eyes of the ant, the eyes of the eagle, the eyes of the star — all are the eyes of the one seeing. When you look, the Divine looks. There is no other seeing.
Sarvam āvṛtya tiṣṭhati — 'stands pervading all.' The image: Brahman doesn't merely touch or pass through things — it pervades them, envelops them, is the very substance in which they exist. Like space that contains everything without being contained.
The anthropomorphic imagery (hands, feet, eyes, heads) here is paradoxical: these are the organs of limitation in human experience. By saying Brahman has them everywhere, the verse negates the limitation: Brahman has infinite eyes, not two. Infinite hands, not two.
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Translation
Shining through the functions of all the senses, yet devoid of all the senses; unattached, yet sustaining all; free from the qualities of nature, yet experiencing them.
Appearing as though having the qualities of all sense organs, yet devoid of all sense organs — unattached, yet sustainer of all — without qualities, yet enjoyer of the gunas —
Paradoxical description of Brahman: sarvendriyaguṇābhāsam (seems to have all sense-qualities) yet sarvendriyavivarjitam (has no sense organs). Asaktam (unattached) yet sarvabhṛt (sustainer of all). Nirguṇam (without qualities) yet guṇabhoktṛ (enjoyer of the gunas).
In Advaita, these paradoxes are the hallmark of trying to describe the transcendent in language. Brahman appears to have senses because all sensing is in Brahman. But Brahman itself has no sense organs — it is pure awareness. The appearance of sensing is a reflection in consciousness.
Osho loved the paradoxes: 'devoid of all sense organs, yet appearing as if having all sense organs.' This is the Upaniṣadic insight: Brahman is the ground of all experience. It doesn't experience through organs — experience arises in it. It IS the seeing, not the seer with eyes.
Nirguṇam guṇabhoktṛ ca — 'without qualities, yet enjoyer of the gunas.' Brahman has no qualities (it is beyond all description) yet all qualities play within it and are enjoyed by it. Like the screen that has no color but on which all colors appear.
Asaktam sarvabhṛt — 'unattached, yet sustaining all.' The greatest paradox of the sustainer: the ground of all existence is itself unattached to all existence. Like space, which supports all things without being attached to any. Unattached support.
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Translation
It is outside and inside all beings; it is the unmoving and also the moving. Being subtle, it is incomprehensible; it is far away and yet near.
It is outside and inside of beings, the unmoving and the moving — due to its subtlety it is unknowable — far away and yet near.
More paradoxes of Brahman's omnipresence: bahirantaḥ (outside and inside all beings), acaram caram (the unmoving and the moving), avijñeyam sūkṣmatvāt (unknowable due to subtlety), dūrastham antike ca (far and near simultaneously).
In Advaita, 'outside and inside' — Brahman is not located anywhere, so it is equally 'in' every being and 'around' every being. The inside/outside distinction is a spatial one; Brahman transcends space. Yet it can be spoken of as innermost (antaḥ) because it is closer than anything.
Osho said: 'far away and yet near.' This is the devotee's experience: the Divine feels impossibly far — beyond all reach. And yet, in the moment of surrender, it is closer than the breath, closer than the heartbeat. Both experiences are true.
Avijñeyam sūkṣmatvāt — 'unknowable due to subtlety.' The subtlest cannot be grasped by anything less subtle. The mind is subtler than the senses, but Brahman is subtler than the mind. It is the subject that can never become an object.
Dūrastham ca antike ca — 'both far and near.' This is the paradox of the infinite: because it is everywhere equally, it is equally accessible from anywhere — near. But because it transcends all finite location, it is never reached by moving toward it — far.
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Translation
Undivided, yet abiding in beings as if divided — it is to be known as the sustainer of all beings, the one who devours and the one who brings forth.
Undivided, yet abiding as if divided in beings — it is to be known as the sustainer of beings, the absorber, and the projector.
The final paradox series: avibhaktam yet vibhaktam iva (undivided yet appearing divided in beings), bhūtabhartṛ (sustainer), grasiṣṇu (absorber/consumer), prabhāviṣṇu (projector/creator). The Brahman that is the ground of all existence is also the creator, sustainer, and absorber.
In Advaita, avibhaktam vibhaktam iva — 'undivided yet as if divided' — is the core teaching on the relationship between Brahman and the world. Brahman is one; beings appear as many. But the appearance of division doesn't divide the undivided. Like the one space appearing as the many spaces within pots.
Osho said: 'sustainer, absorber, projector' — the triple function of the Absolute: it creates from itself, sustains what it creates, and absorbs everything back into itself. Birth, life, death — all three are functions of the same one Brahman.
Grasiṣṇu prabhāviṣṇu ca — 'absorber and projector.' The Vedic imagery of the cosmos as the breathing of Brahman: the out-breath creates and sustains, the in-breath absorbs. The universe is the cosmic breath. And the space of awareness holds both.
Avibhaktam bhūteṣu vibhaktam iva — the key word: iva — 'as if.' Brahman is not actually divided into individual beings — it appears as if divided. The appearance of individuality is real as appearance but not real as separateness. This is the Advaitic middle way.
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Translation
It is the light even of lights, said to be beyond all darkness. It is knowledge, the object of knowledge, and the goal to be reached through knowledge, seated in the hearts of all.
That is said to be the light of lights, beyond darkness — knowledge, what is to be known, attained by knowledge — established in the heart of all.
The culminating verse of the jñeya (what is to be known) section: Brahman is jyotiṣām jyotiḥ (the light of lights), beyond darkness (tamasaḥ param), and is hṛdi sarvasya viṣṭhitam — established in the heart of all.
In Advaita, jyotiṣām api tat jyotiḥ — 'the light of lights' — is one of the most celebrated descriptions of Brahman. The sun illumines everything but cannot illuminate itself; Brahman illumines even the sun. It is the light by which all lights are known.
Osho loved 'established in the heart of all.' Brahman is not far away, not in heaven, not in a temple — it is established in the heart of all beings, equally. The most remote galaxy and the innermost atom — the same Brahman, the same light.
Hṛdi sarvasya viṣṭhitam — 'established in the heart of all.' The heart (hṛd) here is not the physical heart but the center of consciousness in every being. This center is not individual — it is the same Brahman equally in all. The one heart in all hearts.
Jñānaṃ jñeyam jñānagamyam — 'knowledge, what is to be known, attained by knowledge.' The triad is complete. The knower recognizes that the knowing (jñāna), the known (jñeya), and the means of knowing (jñānagamya) are all aspects of the one Brahman.
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Translation
Thus the field, knowledge, and that which is to be known have been briefly described. My devotee, understanding this, becomes fit for My state of being.
Thus the field, knowledge, and what is to be known have been stated in brief. My devotee, having understood this, becomes fit for My state/nature.
A transitional summary verse: the three topics (kṣetra, jñāna, jñeya) have been taught. The devotee who understands becomes fit (upadyate) for madbhāva — the Divine's own nature. Knowledge leads to transformation into the Divine.
In Advaita, madbhāvāya upadyate — 'becomes fit for My state.' Liberation is not the acquisition of something new but the becoming of what one already is — the Divine's own nature. Knowledge removes ignorance; what remains is the natural state.
Osho noted: 'My devotee' — even in this most philosophical chapter, Krishna addresses the jñānī as 'My devotee.' The highest knowledge and the deepest devotion are not opposites — the true jñānī is a bhakta, and the true bhakta has jñāna.
Vijñāya madbhāvāya upadyate — 'having understood, becomes fit for My nature.' The understanding is not intellectual comprehension but the penetrating insight that transforms. The understanding of kṣetra/kṣetrajña is not a belief — it is a shift in being.
The summary is also a blessing: the chapter has been compact (samāsataḥ) — essence-form teaching. And the teaching works: understanding it makes one ready for liberation. The Gita's promise is always practical: the teaching is given because it works.
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Translation
Know that both Nature and the Spirit are without beginning; and know too that the modifications and the qualities are born of Nature.
Know that both Prakriti and Purusha are beginningless; and know that the modifications and the gunas are born of Prakriti.
Both Prakṛti and Puruṣa are anādī — beginningless. The duality at the root of Sāṃkhya has no origin in time; it is a beginningless relationship. And all vikāras (modifications/transformations) and guṇas (qualities) arise from Prakṛti, not from Puruṣa.
In Advaita, this acknowledgment of both being beginningless does not commit the Gita to Sāṃkhya dualism. The Advaitic reading: both Prakṛti and Puruṣa, as apparently separate, have no temporal beginning — but their apparent separation is resolved in the recognition of non-dual Brahman.
Osho noted: 'both beginningless.' This is significant: you cannot ask 'when did consciousness begin?' or 'when did nature begin?' Both are beginningless. The question of origin applies to things within nature and consciousness — not to nature and consciousness themselves.
Vikārāṃśca guṇāṃśca prakṛtisambhavān — 'modifications and gunas born of Prakriti.' The three gunas (sattva, rajas, tamas) are productions of Prakṛti. All psychological states, all physical qualities, all moral categories — products of the three gunas of nature.
The Sāṃkhya framework is here given to explain the mechanism of bondage: Puruṣa (the conscious self) is entangled with Prakṛti (nature) because it identifies with the gunas that are Prakṛti's products. Liberation is the recognition that Puruṣa is not a product of nature.
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Translation
Nature is said to be the cause in the production of effects and instruments, while the Spirit is said to be the cause in the experiencing of pleasure and pain.
Prakriti is said to be the cause in the causation of effects; Purusha is said to be the cause in the experience of pleasure and pain.
The functional distinction: Prakṛti is the causal agent for all physical and psychological phenomena (the field and its modifications). Puruṣa is the experiencer of pleasure and pain — not their cause but their apparent enjoyer/sufferer.
In Advaita, puruṣaḥ sukhaduḥkhānāṃ bhoktṛtve hetuḥ ucyate — the Puruṣa as the apparent experiencer of pleasure and pain is the teaching of ajñāna (ignorance): in reality, the pure Puruṣa (Ātman) neither experiences pleasure nor pain. The experience belongs to the mind (Prakṛti), mistakenly attributed to the self.
Osho said: Prakriti is the doer; Purusha is the apparent experiencer. When the identification dissolves — when you recognize you are Purusha, not Prakriti — the suffering of experience stops. Not that you no longer have experiences, but that you are no longer trapped in them.
Kāryakāraṇakartṛtve hetur prakṛtiḥ — 'Prakriti is the cause in causation.' Causality — the mechanism of cause and effect — is a feature of the natural world (Prakṛti). Pure Puruṣa/Ātman is not caught in causality. This is the basis for the teaching that the true self is beyond karma.
The distinction matters practically: suffering arises from identifying as the experiencer (Puruṣa) entangled with the experienced (Prakṛti). The liberation is the recognition that the Puruṣa is not truly entangled — the entanglement is apparent, due to identification.
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Translation
For the Spirit, seated in Nature, experiences the qualities born of Nature; attachment to these qualities is the cause of its births in good and evil wombs.
Purusha, abiding in Prakriti, indeed experiences the gunas born of Prakriti. Attachment to the gunas is the cause of its births in good and bad wombs.
The mechanism of rebirth: Puruṣa (consciousness) abiding in Prakṛti (nature) experiences the gunas. The attachment to the gunas (guṇasaṃgaḥ) is the cause of continued birth in good and bad conditions — the cycle of rebirth driven by identification with the field.
In Advaita, 'Puruṣa abiding in Prakṛti' is the condition of ignorance: the pure consciousness appears to be located in and identified with the body-mind complex. The gunas are the qualities of the mind, not of the true self. But the false identification creates the sense of being a guna-experiencing entity.
Osho said: 'attachment to the gunas is the cause of birth.' Not the gunas themselves — but the attachment. The gunas are there whether we're attached or not. The attachment is the grasping of the ego. When that grasping is released, the rebirth cycle ends.
Guṇasaṃgaḥ asya kāraṇam sadasadyonijanmasu — 'attachment to the gunas is the cause of births in good and bad wombs.' The quality of one's next birth is determined by the gunas one is most attached to. This is karma: the identification with qualities perpetuates the cycle.
The teaching: liberation is not the elimination of the gunas (which are Prakṛti's eternal nature) but the elimination of identification with them. When the self no longer claims the gunas as 'mine,' the basis for rebirth dissolves.
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Translation
The supreme Spirit in this body is also called the witness, the consenter, the sustainer, the experiencer, the great Lord, and the Supreme Self.
The supreme Purusha in this body is also called the Witness, the Permitter, the Sustainer, the Experiencer, the great Lord, and the Supreme Self.
The names of the supreme Puruṣa in the body: Upadraṣṭā (witness/observer), Anumantā (permitter/approver — the one who sanctions by its presence), Bhartā (sustainer), Bhoktā (experiencer), Maheśvara (great Lord), Paramātmā (Supreme Self).
In Advaita, Upadraṣṭā — 'witness' — is the most important name. The witness does not participate in what it witnesses; it simply sees. The Ātman in the body is the witness: it sees all experiences without being affected by them. It approves (anumantā) by being present — its very presence makes experience possible.
Osho loved Upadraṣṭā: the witness. Not the doer, not the sufferer, not the achiever — the pure witness. When you discover this quality in yourself — the one that watches without judgment — you have found the Ātman. It has always been watching; you have just never noticed the watcher.
Anumantā — 'the permitter.' This beautiful word: the Divine in the body permits everything. Not that it approves morally but that its mere presence as awareness is the permission for experience to occur. Without the Witness, nothing could be experienced.
Maheśvaraḥ Paramātmā — 'the great Lord, the Supreme Self.' These two titles unite the philosophical (Paramātmā — the absolute Self) and the devotional (Maheśvara — the great Lord). The witness in your body is not separate from the Lord of the universe.
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Translation
Whoever thus knows the Spirit and Nature together with its qualities is not born again, in whatever way he may live.
Whoever thus knows Purusha and Prakriti together with the gunas — acting in all ways — is not born again.
The practical result of this chapter's knowledge: the one who knows Puruṣa and Prakṛti (with the gunas) — sarvathā vartamānaḥ api (even while acting in all ways in the world) — na bhūyaḥ abhijāyate (is not born again).
In Advaita, na bhūyaḥ abhijāyate — 'is not born again' — is the definition of liberation: the end of rebirth. And the key: sarvathā vartamānaḥ api — even while acting in all ways in the world. Liberation is compatible with full engagement in life; it is not achieved by withdrawal.
Osho said: 'acting in all ways' — the liberated person continues to live, to act, to relate. But without ignorance of the Puruṣa-Prakṛti distinction. The actions happen in Prakṛti; the Puruṣa watches. The liberated one lives in the world but is not of it.
Sarvathā vartamānaḥ api — 'even while acting in all ways.' The knowledge is not incompatible with engagement. The jñānī who knows the kṣetra and kṣetrajña continues to work, love, speak, eat — but without identification. Action continues; bondage does not.
The verse contains the Gita's essential resolution: knowledge and action are compatible. You don't have to renounce action to know the truth. The truth is known in and through action, by recognizing who acts (Prakṛti) and who knows (Puruṣa).
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Translation
Some by meditation behold the Self in the self through the self; others by the yoga of knowledge, and still others by the yoga of action.
Some see the Self in the self by meditation; others by Sankhya yoga (knowledge/discrimination); and yet others by karma yoga.
The three paths to the one recognition: dhyāna (meditation), Sāṃkhya-yoga (the path of knowledge/discrimination between Puruṣa and Prakṛti), and karma-yoga (the path of action). All three are valid; different temperaments find different paths.
In Advaita, all three paths (dhyāna, jñāna, karma) lead to the same recognition: the Self (Ātman) is identical with the witnessing awareness. Meditation makes the witness experiential; Sāṃkhya makes it intellectual; karma-yoga makes it practical.
Osho said: the three paths correspond to three types of seekers — the meditator, the philosopher, the active server. Krishna never insists on one path. The universe is too vast and human diversity too great for a single road. Every genuine path leads home.
Dhyānena — 'by meditation.' The direct path: sit, go inward, find the witness. Sāṃkhyena yogena — 'by the yoga of Sāṃkhya' — the intellectual discrimination path: understand the difference between Puruṣa and Prakṛti until the understanding becomes experiential. Karmayogena — 'by karma yoga' — act without grasping, and the actor-identity dissolves.
Paśyanti ātmānam — 'they see the Self.' The verb paśyanti — 'they see' — is used for all three paths. All three are pathways of seeing. The goal is the direct vision of the Self, whether arrived at by the quiet of meditation, the clarity of philosophical understanding, or the freedom of non-attached action.
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Translation
Yet others, not knowing this, worship as they have heard it from others; and they too, devoted to what they have heard, cross beyond death.
But others, not knowing thus, worship having heard from others — they, devoted to hearing, also cross over death indeed.
The most accessible path: the one who cannot meditate, cannot philosophize, cannot do karma-yoga — but simply hears the teaching from others and holds to it (śrutiparāyaṇāḥ) — even these cross over death (atitatanti mṛtyum).
In Advaita, śravana (hearing) is the first of the three classical stages: śravana (hearing), manana (reflection), nididhyāsana (meditation). Even the first stage alone — devoted hearing of the truth — has liberating power.
Osho said: 'having heard from others, they worship' — the devotee who trusts the teacher, who receives the teaching through faith rather than independent inquiry, also crosses over death. No method is so humble that it doesn't work. The universe is generous.
Śrutiparāyaṇāḥ — 'devoted to hearing.' The person who doesn't have the capacity for independent inquiry but has the capacity for trust and devoted listening — this capacity is enough. It is the capacity of the devotee. Hearing the truth with faith is itself a form of yoga.
Atitatanti mṛtyum — 'cross over death.' Not 'attain a small improvement' or 'have good karma' — cross over death itself. Liberation. The simplest path (devoted hearing) leads to the same destination as the most sophisticated paths.
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Translation
Whatever being is born, moving or unmoving, know that it arises from the union of the field and the knower of the field, O best of the Bharatas.
Know that whatever being is born — mobile or immobile — is from the union of the field and the knower of the field, O bull of the Bharatas.
The cosmological conclusion: every being that exists — from mountains (sthāvara) to animals and humans (jaṃgama) — is born from the union (saṃyoga) of kṣetra and kṣetrajña. The combination of Prakṛti (field) and Puruṣa (knower) is the source of all existence.
In Advaita, kṣetrakṣetrajñasaṃyogāt — 'from the union of field and knower' — describes the apparent union of Consciousness (Puruṣa) and Matter (Prakṛti) that produces the world of experience. The 'union' is apparent: the Witness never truly merges with what it witnesses.
Osho said: 'whatever is born — from trees to humans — from the union of field and knower.' This has a beautiful implication: every being contains both dimensions. Every stone has its form (kṣetra) and its knowing (kṣetrajña). Consciousness pervades all.
Sthāvarajaṃgama — 'immobile and mobile.' All of nature, in all its forms, arises from this one principle: the meeting of matter and consciousness. This is the Sāṃkhya-Vedānta cosmology: not creation from nothing, but the union of two eternal principles.
Tad viddhi — 'know that.' Not 'believe' or 'accept' — know. The teaching is offered as something to be understood, verified, and known through direct inquiry. The cosmological statement is also a personal invitation to verify the kṣetra-kṣetrajña distinction in one's own experience.
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Translation
He who sees the Supreme Lord abiding equally in all beings — the imperishable amid the perishing — he truly sees.
Whoever sees the Supreme Lord abiding equally in all beings — the imperishable within the perishing — that one truly sees.
The definition of true vision (paśyati... saḥ paśyati): to see the Supreme Lord (Parameśvara) abiding equally (samam) in all beings — and to see the imperishable (avinaśyantam) within the perishing (vinaśyatsu). This equal seeing is the fruit of the chapter's wisdom.
In Advaita, samaṃ sarveṣu bhūteṣu — 'equally in all beings' — is the non-dual recognition. The kṣetrajña that is identical to Brahman is present equally in all fields, in all bodies. This equal presence means no being is more or less sacred than any other.
Osho said: 'who sees the imperishable within the perishing, sees truly.' This is the mystic's vision: seeing within the flower that will wilt, the awareness that never wilts. Within the body that will die, the consciousness that cannot die. This seeing transforms everything.
Saḥ paśyati — 'that one sees' — using the verb twice: 'who sees... that one sees.' The repetition is emphatic: this is what it means to truly see. Not looking — seeing. Not observing — recognizing. The equal presence of the imperishable in the perishing.
Vinaśyatsu avinaśyantam — 'the imperishable in the perishing.' This is the spiritual vision par excellence: form is perishing; the awareness within it is not. The body dies; the consciousness doesn't. Seeing this in every being is liberation-vision.
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Translation
For seeing the Lord seated equally everywhere, he does not injure the Self by the self, and thereby reaches the supreme goal.
Indeed, seeing the Lord equally situated everywhere — one does not injure the Self by the self — thereby goes to the supreme destination.
The ethical and liberating consequence of equal vision: seeing the Lord everywhere equally, one no longer injures the Self (Ātman) by the ego-self. The equal vision ends self-harm — not physical self-harm, but the harm of continued ego-identification. The result: the supreme destination.
In Advaita, na hinasti ātmanam ātmanā — 'does not injure the Self by the self' — means: the ego (lower self) no longer harms the Ātman (higher Self) through wrong identification. When the Ātman is seen equally in all, the ego's separative project ends. And that ending is the supreme destination.
Osho said: 'seeing the Lord everywhere equally, one doesn't harm the self.' Violence begins with the belief in separation. When you see the Lord equally in yourself and in the other, violence toward the other is violence toward yourself. Equal vision is the root of non-violence.
Samam paśyan — 'seeing equally.' This equal seeing is not the suppression of difference (differences of form remain) but the recognition of the equal presence of Consciousness in all forms. The forms differ; the Awareness in the forms is one.
Tataḥ yāti parāṃ gatim — 'thereby goes to the supreme destination.' The equal vision is not just ethically good — it is liberating. Seeing equally ends the suffering of separateness. The supreme destination (parā gati) is not elsewhere — it is the natural state of equal-seeing awareness.
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Translation
He who sees that all actions are performed solely by Nature, and that the Self is the non-doer — he truly sees.
Whoever sees that actions are done in every way by Prakriti alone — and likewise sees the Self as the non-doer — that one truly sees.
The karma-yoga insight completed: actions are done by Prakṛti alone (the body-mind complex with its gunas) — and the Self (Ātman/kṣetrajña) is the non-doer (akartā). The one who sees this truly sees. This is the liberating vision of action.
In Advaita, akartā ātmā — 'the Self is the non-doer' — is the central teaching of karma-yoga made philosophical. The body acts; the mind decides; the ego claims credit. But the Ātman is the pure witness — it does not act. Seeing this, the ego-doership is abandoned.
Osho said: 'actions are done by Prakriti alone — the Self is the non-doer.' This seeing dissolves karma. Not by stopping action but by recognizing who is not acting. The Ātman has never been a doer. It has only appeared to be, due to identification with the body-mind.
Prakṛtyaiva... kriyamāṇāni sarvaśaḥ — 'actions done in every way by Prakriti alone.' Not some actions, not actions in some contexts — every action, in every way. Nothing is done by the Ātman. This is absolute, not partial.
The two awarenesses in this verse: (1) actions are done by Prakṛti, (2) the Self is akartā. Together they constitute the liberating vision. One who truly sees both is free, even while continuing to act in the world — because the doer-identity has been abandoned.
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Translation
When one perceives the separate existence of beings as resting in the One, and their expansion arising from that alone, then one attains Brahman.
When one perceives the separate existence of beings as standing in the One — and from that One alone their expansion — then one attains Brahman.
The moment of non-dual recognition: when the apparent diversity (bhūtapṛthagbhāva) is seen as ekastham — standing in the One — and the expansion (the many) is seen as coming from that One alone — then Brahman is attained.
In Advaita, this verse describes the pratyabhijñā — the recognition of the one in the many. The diversity of the world is not denied; it is seen as the expansion of the one Brahman. Like waves: diverse in form, one in substance (water).
Osho said: 'when one sees the separate existence of beings as standing in the One' — this is the turning point. Not seeing One and ignoring the many. Not ignoring the One and seeing only the many. Seeing many IN One. This double vision is enlightenment.
Bhūtapṛthagbhāvam ekastham — 'the separate existence of beings as standing in One.' The diversity of beings (many) is real as diversity. But it stands in the One. Both are simultaneously true. The Advaitic vision is not monism that denies diversity but non-dualism that sees One in and through diversity.
Tataḥ eva vistāram — 'from that One alone its expansion.' The One expands into the many; the many are the expansion of the One. This is not creation (something made from something else) but emanation (the One becoming many while remaining One). Then: Brahman is attained.
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Translation
Being beginningless and devoid of qualities, this imperishable Supreme Self, though dwelling in the body, O son of Kunti, neither acts nor is tainted.
Due to beginninglessness and being without qualities, this imperishable Supreme Self — even abiding in the body, O Kaunteya — neither acts nor is tainted.
The logical basis of the Ātman's non-doership: because it is beginningless (anāditva) and without qualities (nirguṇatva), the Paramātmā is avyaya (imperishable). Being imperishable and without qualities, it cannot act or be tainted — even while abiding in the body.
In Advaita, na karoti na lipyate — 'neither acts nor is tainted' — is the signature of the nirguṇa Brahman. Qualities are needed for action; causes are needed for effects; but Brahman has neither. It is the space in which action occurs, untouched by any action.
Osho said: 'neither acts nor is tainted.' The space in which things happen is not changed by the things that happen in it. Brahman is the space of all existence — infinite, beginningless, beyond qualities. Every action happens in it; none of them affect it.
Nirguṇatvāt — 'because it is without qualities.' If something has qualities, it can interact with other things (which also have qualities). The qualityless cannot interact; it cannot cause or be caused. This is the philosophical basis for Brahman's non-doership.
Śarīrasthaḥ api — 'even abiding in the body.' The paradox: this being without qualities is present in every body. The infinite is in every finite. The non-doer is the basis of all doers. The untainted is the ground in which all staining occurs.
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Translation
As the all-pervading space, being subtle, is not tainted, so the Self, seated everywhere in the body, is not tainted.
Just as all-pervading space is not tainted due to its subtlety — so too the Self, situated everywhere in the body, is not tainted.
The space (ākāśa) analogy: space is all-pervading yet not tainted by anything within it — garbage in a room doesn't taint the space. Similarly, the Ātman pervades the body but is not tainted by the body's actions, experiences, or karma.
In Advaita, the space analogy (daharākāśa) is classic: the space in a room is the same as the space outside; it appears divided by walls but is not actually divided. Similarly, the Ātman appears separate in each body but is not actually divided from universal Brahman.
Osho loved the space analogy: 'space is not tainted.' Use any room as a garbage room for years — the space remains pristine. Put candles in it — the space is not brightened. The space is unaffected. Your consciousness — the kṣetrajña — is like space.
Sarvagataṃ saukṣmyāt — 'all-pervading due to subtlety.' Space is everywhere because it is finer than everything that can occupy it. Similarly, the Ātman pervades everything because it is subtler than everything. The subtlest cannot be excluded from anything.
Sarvatra avasthitaḥ dehe — 'situated everywhere in the body.' Not just in the heart or head — the Ātman is everywhere in the body simultaneously. Like space in a room is everywhere in the room. This total-presence is the meaning of omnipresence.
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Translation
As the one sun illumines this entire world, so the lord of the field illumines the entire field, O Bharata.
Just as the one sun illuminates this entire world — so the lord of the field illuminates the entire field, O Bharata.
The sun analogy: one sun illuminates the entire diverse world. Similarly, one kṣetrī (lord of the field — the Ātman/kṣetrajña) illuminates the entire kṣetra (field — the entire body-mind complex). One awareness lights up all experience.
In Advaita, prakāśayati — 'illuminates' — is the key function of consciousness. The Ātman is prakāśa (pure light). It doesn't see objects — it illumines them. Like the sun: the sun doesn't 'look at' the world; it simply shines, and the world is visible by its light.
Osho said: 'the one sun illumines the entire world.' Notice: one sun. Not a sun in each country. Similarly, one Ātman illumines all fields. Not a separate self in each body — one Consciousness shining in all bodies simultaneously. This is the non-dual insight.
Ekah... raviḥ — 'the one sun.' The singularity is important. One sun illuminates the diversity. One Ātman illuminates all experience. Diversity of experience does not require diversity of awareness. One awareness is sufficient — and only one exists.
Kṣetrī tathā kṛtsnam prakāśayati — 'the lord of the field illumines the entire field.' Every part of the body-mind field — every thought, every sensation, every memory, every perception — is illuminated by the one kṣetrī. Nothing is hidden from the Ātman's light.
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Translation
Those who thus perceive, with the eye of knowledge, the distinction between the field and the knower of the field, and the liberation of beings from Nature — they go to the Supreme.
Those who know thus the distinction between the field and the knower of the field with the eye of knowledge — and liberation from the nature of beings — they go to the Supreme.
The concluding verse of Chapter 13: those who know with jñānacakṣus (the eye of knowledge) the distinction (antaram) between kṣetra and kṣetrajña — and know liberation from prakṛti (bhūtaprakṛtimokṣa) — they go to the Supreme (param yānti).
In Advaita, jñānacakṣus — 'the eye of knowledge' — is the inner eye of discrimination (viveka). With ordinary eyes, we see only the kṣetra (form). With the eye of knowledge, we see the kṣetrajña (awareness) as distinct from and as the ground of the form.
Osho said: 'the eye of knowledge' — this is the third eye of tradition. Not a physical organ but the discriminating awareness that sees through appearances to the Ātman. This seeing is itself liberation.
Bhūtaprakṛtimokṣam — 'liberation from the nature of beings' — liberation from Prakṛti. This is mokṣa: not liberation from the world (which continues) but liberation from identification with the natural/material dimension. The Puruṣa recognizes its freedom from Prakṛti.
Te param yānti — 'they go to the Supreme.' Chapter 13 closes with the promise of the supreme destination for those who have understood kṣetra-kṣetrajña. The chapter that began with a philosophical question ends with the practical assurance: this knowledge liberates.