Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.
Swami Chinmayananda
Now begins the principal subject, which the Lord had previously indicated simply as "this body." Here the elements of that field are enumerated by name.
**The Five Great Elements:** Ether, air, fire, water, and earth—these are the five great elements. In their subtle form, these elements are called tanmatras. From the mutual combination of these tanmatras arise the five gross great elements, which are here referred to as the five objects of the senses.
**Ego:** When consciousness identifies itself with limiting conditions, the sense of "I" or ego arises. Through these limiting conditions, it becomes the doer of actions and the experiencer of their fruits. All the pleasures and pains of the world exist for this ego.
**Intellect:** Here, from the collective perspective, the word intellect is used—what the Sankhya philosophy calls the mahat-tattva, or principle of cosmic intelligence. The intellect is that faculty of the inner instrument which determines and decides. Its function is to discern the true nature of things and to distinguish between the auspicious and inauspicious in our experiences.
**The Unmanifest:** The unmanifest vasanas—latent desires and impressions—are that which impels the human mind and intellect. From the actions we perform and the fruits we experience in the world, impressions form in our mind, which direct our future actions, thoughts, and feelings.
The vasanas of an individual being are the source of all their actions. Therefore, it is natural that from the collective perspective, the vasanas of the cosmic whole should be the source of all creation, both moving and stationary. This collective vasana is called Prakriti (primordial nature) in Sankhya philosophy, and Maya in Vedanta. The Supreme Self, qualified by the condition of Maya or primordial nature, becomes Ishvara, the creator; and that same Supreme Self, qualified by the condition of individual vasana (avidya or ignorance), becomes the individual soul.
From this analysis, it becomes clear that the unmanifest is that unseen cause from which this visible world has manifested as an effect.
**The Ten Senses:** The five senses of knowledge and the five senses of action are the instruments through which each person successively perceives objects and expresses their responses.
**The Mind (One):** In the context of this teaching, the word "one" refers to the mind. Each sense of knowledge perceives only one object. The mind, connected to all five senses, collects all sensory perceptions and presents them before the intellect for decision. It then executes that decision through the five senses of action. Thus, both the perception of objects and the expression of response are functions of the one mind, which is why it is indicated here by the word "one."
**The Five Objects of Sense:** These are the five objects perceived by the five senses of knowledge—sound, touch, form, taste, and smell. These constitute the entire world.
Thus, this verse enumerates the twenty-four principles celebrated in Sankhya philosophy.
After describing the elements of the field, the Lord speaks of their modifications: desire, aversion, pleasure, pain, the gross body, the functions of the inner instrument, and steadfastness or fortitude. In brief, the field consists not merely of the body, senses, mind, and intellect, but also includes the objects experienced through these conditions, as well as the feelings and thoughts arising from them.
Whatever is other than the witness is the seen—it is the field. From the perspective of this witnessing consciousness, whatever is seen, known, and experienced is the field. The Gita indicates this entire field by the simple phrase "this body."
The consciousness that illuminates this entire field is called the knower of the field. In the state of ignorance, the individual soul mistakes the field—the body and so forth—for its own true nature, identifying itself as the knower of the field. Therefore, to awaken it to its pure nature as the Self, it is first necessary to cultivate discrimination between the inert and the conscious. This is why the field is described here in such detail.
In the next five verses, knowledge is described. As mentioned before, by the word "knowledge" here is meant that inner instrument which is endowed with the qualities necessary for Self-knowledge; for only through a purified inner instrument is the experience of the Self possible. Therefore, the Lord Sri Krishna now describes twenty qualities, which are the principles of right conduct and moral discipline.
These qualities are:
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.