क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि सर्वक्षेत्रेषु भारत |
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोर्ज्ञानं यत्तज्ज्ञानं मतं मम || 3||
kṣhetra-jñaṁ chāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣhetreṣhu bhārata
kṣhetra-kṣhetrajñayor jñānaṁ yat taj jñānaṁ mataṁ mama
kṣhetra-jñam—the knower of the field; cha—also; api—only; mām—me; viddhi—know; sarva—all; kṣhetreṣhu—in individual fields of activities; bhārata—scion of Bharat; kṣhetra—the field of activities; kṣhetra-jñayoḥ—of the knower of the field; jñānam—understanding of; yat—which; tat—that; jñānam—knowledge; matam—opinion; mama—my
Translation:
O Arjuna! Know Me as the kshetrajna (Knower) in all the kshetras (bodies); Knowledge of the kshetra and kshetrajna is real Knowledge, according to My opinion.
Commentary:
In this verse, the Lord teaches the Mahavakya ‘tat tvam asi’ (Thou art That). In the Second Discourse in the verse ‘Na tvevaham jatu nasam’ (2.12), the Lord has already taught the Mahavakya, the highest truth. The Jiva is no other than Siva. The Jiva (really Pratyagatman) is the Knower of the field, the witness to the modifications of the body and mind, and this Jiva is not distinct from Paramatma, is actually one with Him. “Know Me as the Knower of the body in all the bodies”. So the Jiva who is the Knower in a particular body is Paramatma Himself, who is also the knower in everybody. There is therefore only one Knower and He is functioning in everybody as the witness. The Lord Himself is the Knower in all the bodies. The ‘Jiva’ is only a fictitious entity and has no real existence at all apart from the Lord. To know this Truth fully and finally is the highest achievement of man.
This knowledge gives to every man the greatest strength and courage. Why should one weep and wail? Why should he suffer the miseries of life? Let him remember that the Lord is actually, directly present in him. This is the truth. No other kind of knowledge except this can give man supreme joy and blissfulness. Knowledge of the sciences, arts and politics, is incomplete and one-sided. There is no perfection in them. There is no finality in them. They keep man where he is. This knowledge of the kshetrajna transforms man into a Divine Being. He understands the tremendous mystery of the human personality.
Sarvakshetreshu: Lord Krishna declares Himself to be Paramatma present in every being. He is the basis, the foundation of all. In all human beings irrespective of caste, creed, race, sex and nationality, and in all animals, reptiles and worms, in every body the Lord is present as the One Cognising Power. All the rest is ‘Jada’, except the Lord.
The splendid declaration of the Lord should be thought of, meditated upon, and realised by every seeker.
Sri Ramakrishna Says —
“The devotees who come here may be divided into two groups. One group says, ‘O God, give me liberation.’ Another group, belonging to the inner circle, doesn’t talk that way. They are satisfied if they can know two things: first, who I am (referring to himself); second, who they are and what their relationship to me is. (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
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It will be sufficient for the youngsters who come here if they know only two things. If they know these, they will not have to practise much discipline and austerity. First, who I am, and second, who they are. (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
NIVRITTINATH AND HIS SIBLINGS GET ENLIGHTENED
The great saint Jnaneswara has written a profound commentary on the Bhagavad Gita. His teacher Nivrittinath was his own brother, who was only a year and a half older than him. Once, the four children were playing in the forest. Upon hearing the roar of a tiger, they ran helter-skelter, and Nivrittinath got lost in the woods. While searching for a way out, he came across a cave and entered it. Inside, a great yogi was waiting for him. The Master received the boy with great love and said, “I arranged this meeting of ours, my boy. I wish to give you the ultimate teaching.” Saying thus, he transmitted the secret knowledge to Nivrittinath. In the Amṛtānubhava, Jnaneswara reveals the knowledge the Master transmitted. The Master whispered into his very being that that which is in him as the ‘I’—the svayamprakāśa-chit—is Brahman.
After transmitting the knowledge, the Guru asked Nivritti to share the same to Jnaneswara. Like lighting a lamp from another lamp, Nivrittinath gave this knowledge to Jnaneswara. With just one word, Jnaneswara became enlightened. He, in turn, initiated his younger brother Sopanadev and sister Muktabai.
See here! Jñāna is so simple, provided a person is mature enough to receive the wisdom. It needs no elaborate sādhanā. All it needs are faith in the Master and the power to accept, to trust and to just see the truth that the ‘I’—the Awareness—is beyond the body, the mind and the ego.
At first, it appears as if there are two—the kṣetra and the kṣetrajña, matter and spirit. But once the spirit, the Consciousness, is known, matter disappears. Matter is no more; only pure Consciousness is—SARVAṂ KHALVIDAM BRAHMA. This is the Supreme Knowledge, and this is Enlightenment. At the beginning of the sādhanā, the body and the Self are separated. But in the profoundest depths of samādhi, it is realised that there is no body; there is only the Atman. The body is only an illusion, like the water seen in a mirage. It is like a dream. This conviction makes one completely free of saṃsāra. Sankaracharya puts it beautifully in the bhāshya,* “This illusory knowledge never pollutes the Reality in any way. The water seen in a mirage can never wet the desert with its apparent wateriness. In the same way, ignorance can never affect, pollute or corrupt the kṣetrajña.” That is, all the sufferings that are superimposed by the body, the mind and the ego can never affect the real Self. (Source: Srimad Bhagavad Gita – Elixir of Eternal Wisdom | Vol 3)
Question: Who is it that functions as the Cognising Intelligence in all bodies?
Answer: He is Lord Himself, Paramatma.
Question: Where does then Paramatma exist?
Answer: He exists in the heart of every being, as the eternal witness.
Question: Does He exist in certain bodies only?
Answer: No. In all kshetras,- man, animal, bird, reptile etc., he exists.
Question: What is the nature of the Lord?
Answer: He is not a ‘jada’, or nothingness. He is pure intelligence. So He is the one kshetrajna in all beings.
Question: What is true Knowledge in the world?
Answer: That knowledge which enables man to distinguish the body from the knower of the body, the ‘Drik’ from the ‘Drishya’ is true knowledge – That is the Lord’s declaration.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 13 🔻 (35 Verses)
