Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13, Verse 2 (BG 13.2) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

# BG 13.2 — The Nature of Field and Knower of the Field The experience of completeness arises from the nature of the Self, not from the visible form. The Hindu sages are unanimous on this matter: to turn inward and contemplate the Self is the means by which Self-knowledge and its direct experience are attained. In this chapter, the Self and its limitations are beautifully analyzed through philosophical method. The discrimination between Self and non-Self will reveal to the seeker how, from the perspective of ultimate truth, the inert and non-Self possess absolute non-existence. A waking person becomes a dreamer through a particular state of mind. As long as the dream persists, it appears utterly real to that dreamer. Yet upon awakening, the dream ceases to exist, and the waking person knows that the dream was merely a delusion of the mind. Similarly, in the true awakening of Self-realization, this visible world of phenomena ceases to exist. The seeker experiences the Self through the Self's own nature, in which this shadowy world has no reality whatsoever. Thus, according to Vedantic philosophy, all beings are composed of two principles: one is inert and unconscious matter, and the other is conscious principle. This verse defines both. This body is called the field. In this mechanical age, it is easy to understand that energy requires an appropriate field to manifest and function. Only then can it serve humanity. Without an engine, steam cannot provide motion, and without a fan, electricity cannot provide a gentle breeze. Similarly, the body and other limitations through which the consciousness of the Self expresses itself are called the field here. He who knows this is called the Knower of the Field. This field is composed of inert matter. Yet because consciousness manifests within it, it functions and perceives objects. In truth, it is this conscious principle—expressing itself through these limitations and illuminating objects—that is the Knower of the Field. In scriptural language, consciousness limited by these conditions is called the Knower of the Field, or the individual soul. As long as the individual soul inhabits the body, its presence is clearly evident through the impulse to know. This impulse of inquiry may vary in degree among different beings, yet its manifestation is what we recognize as the sign of life. The capacity of a being to perceive objects and express its responses to them is what constitutes life in practice. When this knower abandons the body and departs, we declare that body to be dead. This knower is the Knower of the Field. The wise ones—here, Lord Sri Krishna assures us that these definitions of field and Knower of the Field are not His arbitrary declarations, nor are they mere speculative assumptions. Rather, they have been established by the sages themselves who are established in Brahman. In brief: the entire inert universe is the field, and consciousness in the form of the Self is called the Knower of the Field. Is this all that needs to be known on this subject? No—listen further.