Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13, Verse 27 (BG 13.27) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

# BG 13.27 — The Nature of Field and Knower Neither the field alone nor the knower of the field, standing independently, is the sole cause of this moving and unmoving creation. Rather, the world arises from their union, yet this union is not truly real—it is merely the superimposition of mutual attributes upon one another. In the process of superimposition, an imaginary object is conceived upon the substratum that actually exists—as when a ghost is superimposed upon a pillar. In such superimposition, the deluded person perceives in the pillar the qualities and actions of a ghost that does not truly exist there. This is the superimposition of the ghost's attributes upon the pillar. Similarly, though the ghost itself does not exist, it appears real to the person; yet its apparent existence is actually nothing but the pillar's own being. This is the superimposition of the pillar's existence upon the ghost. Due to this mutual superimposition of qualities, a strange thing occurs: the person sees the false ghost, yet does not see the true pillar. This peculiar operation of the mind is called superimposition. In pure consciousness, the field is entirely absent. The field has neither its own existence nor consciousness. Yet through this strange mutual union, the creation of all moving and unmoving beings appears to come into being. We can experience the workings of this superimposition within ourselves. Upon reflection, the diverse creation dissolves away, and we come to know that Brahman alone is that supreme reality—the substratum upon which the play of nature and spirit unfolds. For example: a person may be naturally of a peaceful disposition. Yet occasionally a powerful desire arises in the mind. Through identification with that desire, the person becomes lustful and commits acts worthy of reproach, for which they later repent. In this example, the desire, the lustful person, and the repentance all seem to exist within that individual. Though they appear in them, they do not truly belong to them—for the person's existence remains intact even without them. Yet through identification with the desire, the person becomes the doer of actions worthy of repentance. Similarly, the atman, being complete in itself, contains the possibility of the field or the non-self. By manifesting nature and identifying with it, the atman becomes the individual soul. This soul maintains its world through false attachments. To liberate oneself in this condition and realize one's complete nature, the way is this: we must discriminate with certainty between the atman and the non-atman, and remaining as the witness of nature's actions, stand apart from them. The right understanding gained through such discrimination is explained in the next verse.