Bhagavad-gita As It Is
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Bg13.25

TEXT 25

dhyanenatmani pasyanti

kecid atmanam atmana

anye sankhyena yogena

karma-yogena capare

dhyanena—by meditation; atmani—self; pasyanti—see; kecit—one; atmanam—Supersoul; atmana—by the mind; anye—others; sankhyena—by philosophical discussion; yogena—by the yoga system; karma-yogena—by activities without fruitive desire; ca—also; apare—others.

TRANSLATION

That Supersoul is perceived by some through meditation, by some through the cultivation of knowledge, and by others through working without fruitive desire.

PURPORT

The Lord informs Arjuna that the conditioned soul can be divided into two classes as far as man’s search for self-realization is concerned. Those who are atheists, agnostics and skeptics are beyond the sense of spiritual understanding. But there are others who are faithful in their understanding of spiritual life, and they are called workers who have renounced fruitive results. Those who always try to establish the doctrine of monism are also counted among the atheists and agnostics. In other words, only the devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are really capable of spiritual understanding because they understand that beyond this material nature there is the spiritual world and the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is expanded as the Paramatma, the Supersoul in everyone, the all-pervading Godhead. Of course there are those who try to understand the Supreme Absolute Truth by cultivation of knowledge, and they can be counted in the second class. The atheistic philosophers analyze this material world into twenty-four elements, and they place the individual soul as the twenty-fifth item. When they are able to understand the nature of the individual soul to be transcendental to the material elements, they are able to understand also that above the individual soul there is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the twenty-sixth element. Thus gradually they also come to the standard of devotional service in Krsna consciousness. Those who work without fruitive results are also perfect in their attitude. They are given a chance to advance to the platform of devotional service in Krsna consciousness. Here it is stated that there are some people who are pure in consciousness and who try to find out the Supersoul by meditation, and when they discover the Supersoul within themselves, they become transcendentally situated. Similarly, there are others who also try to understand the Supreme Soul by cultivation of knowledge, and there are others who cultivate the hatha-yoga system and who try to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead by childish activities.

Bg13.26

TEXT 26

anye tv evam ajanantah

srutvanyebhya upasate

te ’pi catitaranty eva

mrtyum sruti-parayanah

anye—others; tu—but; evam—this; ajanantah—without spiritual knowledge; srutva—by hearing; anyebhyah—from others; upasate—begin to worship; te—they; api—also; ca—and; atitaranti—transcend; eva—certainly; mrtyum—the path of death; sruti-parayanah—inclined to the process of hearing.

TRANSLATION

Again there are those who, although not conversant in spiritual knowledge, begin to worship the Supreme Person upon hearing about Him from others. Because of their tendency to hear from authorities, they also transcend the path of birth and death.

PURPORT

This verse is particularly applicable to modern society because in modern society there is practically no education in spiritual matters. Some of the people may appear to be atheistic or agnostic or philosophical, but actually there is no knowledge of philosophy. As for the common man, if he is a good soul, then there is a chance for advancement by hearing. This hearing process is very important. Lord Caitanya, who preached Krsna consciousness in the modern world, gave great stress to hearing because if the common man simply hears from authoritative sources, he can progress, especially, according to Lord Caitanya, if he hears the transcendental vibration Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. It is stated, therefore, that all men should take advantage of hearing from realized souls and gradually become able to understand everything. The worship of the Supreme Lord will then undoubtedly take place. Lord Caitanya has said that in this age no one needs to change his position, but one should give up the endeavor to understand the Absolute Truth by speculative reasoning. One should learn to become the servant of those who are in knowledge of the Supreme Lord. If one is fortunate enough to take shelter of a pure devotee, hear from him about self-realization and follow in his footsteps, he will be gradually elevated to the position of a pure devotee. In this verse particularly the process of hearing is strongly recommended, and this is very appropriate. Although the common man is often not as capable as so-called philosophers, faithful hearing from an authoritative person will help one transcend this material existence and go back to Godhead, back to home.

Bg13.27

TEXT 27

yavat sanjayate kincit

sattvam sthavara-jangamam

ksetra-ksetrajna-samyogat

tad viddhi bharatarsabha

yavat—whatever; samjayate—takes place; kincit—anything; sattvam—existence; sthavara—not moving; jangamam—moving; ksetra—the body; ksetrajna—knower of the body; samyogat—union between; tat viddhi—you must know it; bharatarsabha—O chief of the Bharatas.

TRANSLATION

O chief of the Bharatas, whatever you see in existence, both moving and unmoving, is only the combination of the field of activities and the knower of the field.

PURPORT

Both material nature and the living entity, which were existing before the creation of the cosmos, are explained in this verse. Whatever is created is but a combination of the living entity and material nature. There are many manifestations like trees, mountains and hills, which are not moving, and there are many existences which are moving, and all of them are but combinations of material nature and superior nature, the living entity. Without the touch of the superior nature, the living entity, nothing can grow. Therefore the relationship between matter and nature is eternally going on, and this combination is effected by the Supreme Lord; therefore He is the controller of both the superior and inferior natures. The material nature is created by Him, and the superior nature is placed in this material nature, and thus all these activities and manifestations take place.

Bg13.28

TEXT 28

samam sarvesu bhutesu

tisthantam paramesvaram

vinasyatsv avinasyantam

yah pasyati sa pasyati

samam—equally; sarvesu—in all; bhutesu—living entities; tisthantam—residing; paramesvaram—the Supersoul; vinasyatsu—in the destructible; avinasyantam—not destroyed; yah—anyone; pasyati—see; sah—he; pasyati—actually sees.

TRANSLATION

One who sees the Supersoul accompanying the individual soul in all bodies and who understands that neither the soul nor the Supersoul is ever destroyed, actually sees.

PURPORT

Anyone who can see three things—the body, the proprietor of the body, or individual soul, and the friend of the individual soul, combined together by good association—is actually in knowledge. Those who are not associated with the soul’s friend are ignorant; they simply see the body, and when the body is destroyed they think that everything is finished, but actually it is not so. After the destruction of the body, both the soul and the Supersoul exist, and they go on eternally in many various moving and unmoving forms. The Sanskrit word paramesvaram is sometimes translated as the individual soul because the soul is the master of the body, and after the destruction of the body he transfers to another form. In that way he is master. But there are others who interpret this paramesvaram to be the Supersoul. In either case, both the Supersoul and the individual soul continue. They are not destroyed. One who can see in this way can actually see what is happening.

Bg13.29

TEXT 29

samam pasyan hi sarvatra

samavasthitam isvaram

na hinasty atmanatmanam

tato yati param gatim

samam—equally; pasyan—seeing; hi—certainly; sarvatra—everywhere; samavasthitam—equally situated; isvaram—Supersoul; na—does not; hinasti—degrade; atmana—by the mind; atmanam—the soul; tatah yati—then reaches; param—the transcendental; gatim—destination.

TRANSLATION

One who sees the Supersoul in every living being and equal everywhere does not degrade himself by his mind. Thus he approaches the transcendental destination.

PURPORT

The living entity, by accepting his material existence as just so much suffering, can become situated in his spiritual existence. If one understands that the Supreme is situated in His Paramatma manifestation everywhere, that is, if one can see the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in every living thing, he does not degrade himself, and he therefore gradually advances in the spiritual world. The mind is generally addicted to self-centered processes; but when the mind turns to the Supersoul, one becomes advanced in spiritual understanding.

Bg13.30

TEXT 30

prakrtyaiva ca karmani

kriyamanani sarvasah

yah pasyati tathatmanam

akartaram sa pasyati

prakrtya—material nature; eva—certainly; ca—also; karmani—activities; kriyamanani—engaged in performing; sarvasah—in all respects; yah—anyone who; pasyati—sees; tatha—also; atmanam—himself; akartaram—non-doer; sah—he; pasyati—sees perfectly.

TRANSLATION

One who can see that all activities are performed by the body, which is created of material nature, and sees that the self does nothing, actually sees.

PURPORT

This body is made by material nature under the direction of the Supersoul, and whatever activities are going on in respect to one’s body are not his doing. Whatever one is supposed to do, either for happiness or for distress, one is forced to do because of the bodily constitution. The self, however, is outside all these bodily activities. This body is given according to one’s past desires. To fulfill desires, one is given the body, with which he acts accordingly. Practically speaking, the body is a machine, designed by the Supreme Lord, to fulfill desires. Because of desires, one is put into difficult circumstances to suffer or to enjoy. This transcendental vision of the living entity, when developed, makes one separate from bodily activities. One who has such a vision is an actual seer.

Bg13.31

TEXT 31

yada bhuta-prthag-bhavam

eka-stham anupasyati

tata eva ca vistaram

brahma sampadyate tada

yada—when; bhuta—living entities; prthak-bhavam—separated entities; eka-stham—situated in one; anupasyati—tries to see through authority; tatah eva—thereafter; ca—also; vistaram—expanded; brahma—the Absolute; sampadyate—attains; tada—at that time.

TRANSLATION

When a sensible man ceases to see different identities, which are due to different material bodies, he attains to the Brahman conception. Thus he sees that beings are expanded everywhere.

PURPORT

When one can see that the various bodies of living entities arise due to the different desires of the individual soul and do not actually belong to the soul itself, one actually sees. In the material conception of life, we find someone a demigod, someone a human being, a dog, a cat, etc. This is material vision, not actual vision. This material differentiation is due to a material conception of life. After the destruction of the material body, this spirit soul is one. The spirit soul, due to contact with material nature, gets different types of bodies. When one can see this, he attains spiritual vision; thus being freed from differentiations like man, animal, big, low, etc., one becomes beautified in his consciousness and able to develop Krsna consciousness in his spiritual identity. How he then sees things will be explained in the next verse.

Bg13.32

TEXT 32

anaditvan nirgunatvat

paramatmayam avyayah

sarira-stho ’pi kaunteya

na karoti na lipyate

anaditvat—due to eternity; nirgunatvat—due to transcendental; param—beyond material nature; atma—spirit; ayam—this; avyayah—inexhaustable; sarira-sthah api—though dwelling in the body; kaunteya—O son of Kunti; na karoti—never does anything; na lipyate—nor is he entangled.

TRANSLATION

Those with the vision of eternity can see that the soul is transcendental, eternal, and beyond the modes of nature. Despite contact with the material body, O Arjuna, the soul neither does anything nor is entangled.

PURPORT

A living entity appears to be born because of the birth of the material body, but actually the living entity is eternal; he is not born, and in spite of his being situated in a material body, he is transcendental and eternal. Thus he cannot be destroyed. By nature he is full of bliss. He does not engage himself in any material activities; therefore the activities performed due to his contact with material bodies do not entangle him.

Bg13.33

TEXT 33

yatha sarva-gatam sauksmyad

akasam nopalipyate

sarvatravasthito dehe

tathatma nopalipyate

yatha—as; sarva-gatam—all-pervading; sauksmyat—due to being subtle; akasam—the sky; na—never; upalipyate—mixes; sarvatra—everywhere; avasthitah—situated; dehe—in the body; tatha—such; atma—the self; na—never; upalipyate—mixes.

TRANSLATION

The sky, due to its subtle nature, does not mix with anything, although it is all-pervading. Similarly, the soul, situated in Brahman vision, does not mix with the body, though situated in that body.

PURPORT

The air enters into water, mud, stool and whatever else is there; still it does not mix with anything. Similarly, the living entity, even though situated in varieties of bodies, is aloof from them due to his subtle nature. Therefore it is impossible to see with the material eyes how the living entity is in contact with this body and how he is out of it after the destruction of the body. No one in science can ascertain this.

Bg13.34

TEXT 34

yatha prakasayaty ekah

krtsnam lokam imam ravih

ksetram ksetri tatha krtsnam

prakasayati bharata

yatha—as; prakasayati—illuminates; ekah—one; krtsnam—the whole; lokam—universe; imam—this; ravih—the sun, ksetram—this body; ksetri—the soul; tatha—similarly; krtsnam—all; prakasayati—illuminates; bharata—O son of Bharata.

TRANSLATION

O son of Bharata, as the sun alone illuminates all this universe, so does the living entity, one within the body, illuminate the entire body by consciousness.

PURPORT

There are various theories regarding consciousness. Here in Bhagavad-gita the example of the sun and the sunshine is given. As the sun is situated in one place, but is illuminating the whole universe, so a small particle of spirit soul, although situated in the heart of this body, is illuminating the whole body by consciousness. Thus consciousness is the proof of the presence of the soul, as sunshine or light is the proof of the presence of the sun.

When the soul is present in the body, there is consciousness all over the body, and as soon as the soul has passed from the body, there is no more consciousness. This can be easily understood by any intelligent man. Therefore consciousness is not a production of the combinations of matter. It is the symptom of the living entity. The consciousness of the living entity, although qualitatively one with the supreme consciousness, is not supreme because the consciousness of one particular body does not share that of another body. But the Supersoul, which is situated in all bodies as the friend of the individual soul, is conscious of all bodies. That is the difference between supreme consciousness and individual consciousness.

Bg13.35

TEXT 35

ksetra-ksetrajnayor evam

antaram jnana-caksusa

bhuta-prakrti-moksam ca

ye vidur yanti te param

ksetra—body; ksetrajnayoh—of the proprietor of the body; evam—that; antaram—difference; jnana-caksusa—by vision of knowledge; bhuta—living entity; prakrti—material nature; moksam—liberation; ca—also; ye—one who; viduh—knows; yanti—approaches; te—they; param—Supreme.

TRANSLATION

One who knowingly sees this difference between the body and the owner of the body and can understand the process of liberation from this bondage, also attains to the supreme goal.

PURPORT

The purport of this Thirteenth Chapter is that one should know the distinction between the body, the owner of the body, and the Supersoul. A faithful person should at first have some good association to hear of God and thus gradually become enlightened. If one accepts a spiritual master, he can learn to distinguish between matter and spirit, and that becomes the steppingstone for further spiritual realization. A spiritual master teaches his students to get free from the material concept of life by various instructions. For instance, in Bhagavad-gita we find Krsna instructing Arjuna to free him from materialistic considerations.

One can understand that this body is matter; it can be analyzed with its twenty-four elements. That is the gross manifestation. And the subtle manifestation is the mind and psychological effects. And the symptoms of life are the interaction of these features. But over and above this, there is the soul, and there is also the Supersoul. The soul and the Supersoul are two. This material world is working by the conjunction of the soul and the twenty-four material elements. One who can see the constitution of the whole material manifestation as this combination of the soul and material elements and also can see the situation of the Supreme Soul becomes eligible for transfer to the spiritual world. These things are meant for contemplation and for realization, and one should have a complete understanding of this chapter with the help of the spiritual master.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Thirteenth Chapter of the Srimad-Bhagavad-gita in the matter of Nature, the Enjoyer, and Consciousness.

Next chapter (Bg 14)