महाभूतान्यङ्ककारो बुद्धिरव्यक्त मेव च |
इन्द्रियाणि दशैकं च पञ्च चेन्द्रियगोचरा: || 6||
इच्छा द्वेष: सुखं दु:खं सङ्घातश्चेतना धृति: |
एतत्क्षेत्रं समासेन सविकारमुदाहृतम् || 7||
mahā-bhūtāny ahankāro buddhir avyaktam eva cha
indriyāṇi daśhaikaṁ cha pañcha chendriya-gocharāḥ
ichchhā dveṣhaḥ sukhaṁ duḥkhaṁ saṅghātaśh chetanā dhṛitiḥ
etat kṣhetraṁ samāsena sa-vikāram udāhṛitam
mahā-bhūtāni—the (five) great elements; ahankāraḥ—the ego; buddhiḥ—the intellect; avyaktam—the unmanifested primordial matter; eva—indeed; cha—and; indriyāṇi—the senses; daśha-ekam—eleven; cha—and; pañcha—five; cha—and; indriya-go-charāḥ—the (five) objects of the senses; ichchhā—desire; dveṣhaḥ—aversion; sukham—happiness; duḥkham—misery; saṅghātaḥ—the aggregate; chetanā—the consciousness; dhṛitiḥ—the will; etat—all these; kṣhetram—the field of activities; samāsena—comprise of; sa-vikāram—with modifications; udāhṛitam—are said
Translation:
The great elements, I-consciousness, understanding, and the unmanifested; the ten senses, the mind, the five objects of the senses; Desire, hatred, pleasure, pain, the aggregate, intelligence, and fortitude— this, briefly stated, is the Field together with its modifications.
Commentary:
‘Kshetram’ does not simply mean the physical body alone. All that is perceived (drisya) is the Field. The five elements, mind and intellect and the unmanifested ‘Mulaprakriti’ also come within the concept of the Field. As the mind also is ‘kshetram’, its modifications like desire and hatred, pleasure and pain, etc., also come under kshetram. Not only the bad modifications but good qualities of the mind like fortitude (dhriti) are also included in kshetram. In the highest state (nirvikalpa Atma state) when Atma is experienced, the good and the bad are both left behind.
savikaram: The entire kshetram which is Drisya is subject to constant change. The kshetrajna (Drik, the seer) alone is changeless.
‘Sukham’ – happiness, usually understood by people, is also Drisya (kshetram) and subject to change. So instead of clinging to a changing and momentary happiness, man should seek the unchanging bliss of Atma.
The wise man has to reject all that is Drisya both external, and internal. Thoughts are drisya, pleasure and pain are drisya, likes and dislikes are drisya, cowardice and courage are drisya in fact all that comes within our comprehension is drisya (kshetram). The wise man should not identify himself with these bodily and mental modifications. He should remain as kshetrajna, the witness of these changes. Thus, he attains the established state in Atma.
This Knowledge, is obtained through discrimination between Atma and Anatma. All that is Anatma is kshetram – the Field, and Atma is the kshetrajna, the knower of the field. The seeker has to carry on this discriminatory process constantly till he is firmly established in the Self.
Question: What is Kshetram?
Answer: (1) The five great elements, (2) egoism (3) intellect, (4) ‘Mula Prakriti’, (5) The ten internal and external sense organs and the mind, (6) the sense-objects, (7) desire, (8) dislike, (9) sense-enjoyments, (10) sorrow, (11) the aggregate of the body and the senses, (12) intelligence (Vritti Jnanam), (13) fortitude.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 13 🔻 (35 Verses)
