क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोरेवमन्तरं ज्ञानचक्षुषा | भूतप्रकृतिमोक्षं च ये विदुर्यान्ति ते परम् ||१३-३५||
kṣetrakṣetrajñayorevamantaraṃ jñānacakṣuṣā .
bhūtaprakṛtimokṣaṃ ca ye viduryānti te param ||13-35||
They who, by the eye of knowledge, perceive the distinction between the field and its knower and also the liberation from the Nature of being, go to the Supreme.
In simple words
Krishna closes the chapter: "Those who see — with the eye of knowledge — the difference between the field and its knower, and who understand how beings can be freed from the grip of matter — they reach the supreme goal."
Word-by-word meanings
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोःbetween the Kshetra and the Kshetrajnaएवम्thusअन्तरम्distinctionज्ञानचक्षुषाby the eye of knowledgeभूतप्रकृतिमोक्षम्the liberation from the Prakriti of beingचandयेwhoविदुःknowयान्तिgoतेtheyपरम्the Supreme
13.35 क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोः between the Kshetra and the Kshetrajna? एवम् thus? अन्तरम् distinction? ज्ञानचक्षुषा by the eye of knowledge? भूतप्रकृतिमोक्षम् the liberation from the Prakriti of being? च and? ये who? विदुः know? यान्ति go? ते they? परम् the Supreme.Commentary They who know through the eye of intuition opened by meditation and the instructions of the spiritual preceptor and the scriptures? that the field is insentient? the doer? changing and finite? and that the knower of the field (the Self) is pure consciousness? the nondoer? unchanging and infinite? and who also perceive the nonexistence of Nature? ignorance? the Unmanifested? the material cause of being -- they attain the Supreme. Through the attainment of Selfrealisation or knowledge of the Self? they are entirely liberated from the clutches or the influence of Maya (delusion) and ignorance. They do not assume any more bodies. They are not born again. They attain Kaivalya Moksha.In accordance with the doctrine of the Sankhyas? bondage and freedom do not pertain to the Self because It is always unattached and it is the nondoer and nonenjoyer and also without limbs or parts. But on account of Its union with Nature? It assumes agency through superimposition. When ignorance is annihilated through the knowledge of the Self? Nature which is conjoined with the Self is liberated. Then She gives up Her play or dance in front of the Spirit. She has discharged all Her duties well for the sake of the enjoyment and the release (Bhoga and Apavarga) of the Purusha (Spirit). Therefore the Sankhyas declare that bondage and freedom are states of Nature only. Some interpret that the Self is emancipated from the shackles of Nature and Her modifications.(This chapter is known by the name PrakritiPurushaVibhagaYoga also.)Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita? the science of the Eternal? the scripture of Yoga? the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna? ends the thirteenth discourse entitledThe Yoga of the Distinction BetweenThe Field and the Knower of the Field. ,
Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.
This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.
Modern
The atman, being the illuminator of all, is not tainted by the qualities of the field. After expounding this principle, the Blessed Lord Krishna declares here that the supreme goal of human life is to realize one's true nature as the Paramatman by understanding the nature of the field and the knower of the field, and their relationship. This noble aim can be accomplished only by that seeker who is equipped with the virtues of discernment and heart as prescribed in this chapter. Only such a seeker can directly experience their own unique, non-dual, eternal, conscious, and blissful Brahmic nature. The means to self-realization is called inner wisdom, which the Hindu scriptures have named the eye of knowledge. Those who, established in the nature of the Paramatman, have recognized the absolute absence of nature—the field, the unmanifest, ignorance—are alone the fully illumined souls. It is only through ignorance that the perception of nature arises; in truth, Brahman alone is the ultimate reality.
Thus concludes the thirteenth chapter, named the Yoga of Discrimination between the Field and the Knower of the Field, from the sacred dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita Upanishad, the scripture of wisdom and yoga.
This supremely luminous chapter of the Gita offers us direct instruction in the means to meditate upon our eternal, pure, awakened, and liberated nature as the atman. Through its practice, we may attain direct realization. To awaken from a dream is to end all the sufferings of that dream state. Between the waking, dreaming, and deep sleep states, no fixed boundary has been established—that is, no effort is required to transition between states. Similarly, our worldly suffering arises solely from our false identification with nature, born of ignorance. Therefore, through the discernment of the field and the knower of the field, self-knowledge brings about the cessation of the world. This alone is the one thing worthy of knowing. Throughout the entire Gita, we find no clearer and more direct guidance from the Paramatman than in this chapter.