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BG 13.34 — 13.34 Just as the one sun illumines the whole world, so also the Lord of the field (Supreme Self) illumines the whole field, O Arjuna.
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यथा प्रकाशयत्येकः कृत्स्नं लोकमिमं रविः |
क्षेत्रं क्षेत्री तथा कृत्स्नं प्रकाशयति भारत ||१३-३४||

yathā prakāśayatyekaḥ kṛtsnaṃ lokamimaṃ raviḥ . kṣetraṃ kṣetrī tathā kṛtsnaṃ prakāśayati bhārata ||13-34||


13.34 Just as the one sun illumines the whole world, so also the Lord of the field (Supreme Self) illumines the whole field, O Arjuna.

Word-by-word meanings

13.34 यथा as? प्रकाशयति illumines? एकः one? कृत्स्नम् the whole? लोकम् world? इमम् this? रविः sun? क्षेत्रम् the field? क्षेत्री the Lord of the field (Paramatma)? तथा so? कृत्स्नम् the whole? प्रकाशयति illumines? भारत O descendant of Bharata (Arjuna).Commentary The Supreme Self is one. It illumines the whole matter from the Unmanifested down to the blade of grass or a lump of clay? from the great elements down to firmness or fortitude. (Cf. verses 5 and 6.) Just as the sun is one? just as the s

Commentaries

Non-dualism. The individual self and Brahman are one. The world is appearance (maya). Liberation through knowledge.

Swami Gambirananda

13.34 As the single sun illumines this whole world, similarly, O descendant of the Bharata dynasty, the Knower of the field illumines the whole field.

Sri Shankaracharya

13.34 Yatha, as; ekam, the one; ravih, sun; prakasayati, illumines; imam, this; krtsnam, whole; lokam, world tatha, similarly;-who?-ksetri, the Knower of the field, i.e. the supreme Self, though one; prakasayati, illumines; krtsnam, the whole; ksetram, field, from the 'great elements' to 'fortitude' (cf. 5-6). Here the illustration of the sun serves to highlight two aspects of the Self, viz that, like the sun, the Self is one in all the fields, and that It remains unaffected. This verse is meant for summarizing the idea of the whole of this chapter:

(Showing excerpt)

This interpretation draws on the Advaita tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

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