BG 13 (1968)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
XIII
NATURE, THE ENJOYER, AND CONSCIOUSNES
1: ARJUNA SAID: O my dear Krishna, I wish to know about prakriti, (Nature), Purusha (the Enjoyer), and the field and the knower of the field, and of knowledge and the end of knowledge. And then the Lord said: This body, O son of Kunti, is called the field, and one who knows this body is called the knower of the field.
PURPORT
ARJUNA WAS INQUISITIVE about prakriti, or Nature; Purusha, or the Enjoyer; Kshetra, the field; Kshetrajna, its knower; and about knowledge and the object of knowledge. When he inquired about all these things to Krishna, Krishna said that this body is called the field, and that one who knows this body is called the knower of the field. This body is the field of activity for the conditioned soul. The conditioned soul is entrapped in material existence, attempting to lord it over the matenal Nature. And so, according to his capacity to lord it over the material Nature, he gets a field of activity. That field of activity is this body. And what is this body? This body is made of senses. The conditioned soul wants to enjoy sense gratification, and, according to his capacity to enjoy sense gratification, he is offered this body, or field of activity. Therefore, this body is called Kshetra, or the field of activity for the conditioned soul. Now, the person who identifies himself with this body is called Kshetrajna, the knower of the field. It is not very difficult to understand the difference between the field and its knower; the body and the knower of the body. Any person, if he considers that from his childhood to his old age he has made so many changes of body, and yet is still one person remaining, then the difference between the knower of the field of activities and the actual field of activities becomes distinct.
In the first six chapters of The Bhagavad Gita, the knower of the body, the living entity, is very nicely described, and the position needed to understand the Supreme Lord is also described. In the middle six chapters of The Gita, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described, and the relationship between the individual soul and the Supersoul, in regard to devotional service. The superior position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the subordinate position of the individual soul, are definitely described in these chapters. The living entities are subordinate under all circumstances, but in their forgetfulness they are suffering. When enlightened by pious activities, they approach the Supreme Lord in different capacities: as the distressed, as those in want of money, as the inquisitive, and as those in search of knowledge. Now, starting with the Thirteenth Chapter, how the living entity comes into contact with material Nature, and how he is delivered by the Supreme Lord through different methods of fruitive activities, cultivation of knowledge, and the discharge of devotional service, will be nicely explained. Although the living entity is completely different from this material body, he somehow becomes related, and this will also be explained.
2: O scion of Bharata, you should understand that I am also the Knower, in all bodies; and to understand this body and its owner is called knowledge; that is My opinion.
PURPORT
THE LORD SAYS that He is also the Knower of the field of activities in every individual body. I may be knower of my body, but I'm not in knowledge of other bodies. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, Who is present as Supersoul in my body, knows everything about my body, and about other bodies as well. He knows all the different bodies of all the various species of life. A citizen may know everything about his patch of land; but the king knows not only his palace, but all about the things possessed by the individual citizens. Similarly, I may be the proprietor of this body individually, but the Supreme Lord is the Proprietor of all bodies. The king is the original proprietor of the kingdom, and the citizen is the secondary proprietor. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is the Supreme Proprietor of all bodies. The bodies means the senses. The Supreme Lord is called Hrishikesha, which means Controller of the senses. He is the Original Controller of the senses, just as the king is the original controller of all the activities of the state; and the citizens are secondary controllers. So the Lord says: I am also the Knower, and this means he is the Superknower; whereas the individual soul knows only his particular body. Now, the distinction between the field of activities, the owner of those activities, and the Supreme Owner of activities is described as follows: Perfect knowledge, in the matter of the constitution of this body, of the individual soul, and of the Supersoul, understood in terms of the Vedic literature, is called knowledge. That is the opinion of Krishna; not to understand both the soul and the Supersoul as one. One who does not understand these three things in this way has no perfect knowledge.
3: Now please hear My brief description of this field of activity, and how it is constituted; what its changes are; whence it is produced; who that knower of the field of activities is, and what his influences are.
4: That knowledge of the field of activities and of the knower of activities is described by various sages in various Vedic writings—especially in The Vedanta Sutra—with all reasoning as to cause and effect.
PURPORT
THE SUPREME PERSONALITY of Godhead, Krishna is the highest Authority in explaining this knowledge. Still, as a matter of course, learned scholars and standard authorities always give evidence from previous authorities. Krishna is trying to explain this most controversial point, regarding the duality and non-duality of the soul and the Supersoul, by referring to the scriptures, the Vedantah, which is accepted as an authority. We all are transcendental, although in the material bodies. Now we are fallen into the ways of the three modes of material Nature, according to our different karma. As such, some are on higher levels, some in the lower nature; and this higher or lower nature of the individual is due to ignorance, and is being manifested in an infinite number of living entities. But the Supersoul, which is infallible, is without any contamination of the three qualities of Nature, and is transcendental. Similarly, in the original Vedas, a distinction between the soul, the Supersoul, and the body is made, especially in The Katha Upanishad. There is a manifestation of the Supreme Lord's energy known as Annamoya—dependence upon food for existence. This is a materialistic realization of the Supreme. Then there is Pranamoya; this means that after realizing the Supreme Absolute Truth in foodstuff, one can realize the Absolute Truth in the living symptoms, or life forms. Then again Jnanamoya: The living symptom develops to the point of thinking, feeling, and willing. Then there is Brahman realization. And the realization called Vijnanamoya, which is the living entity's mind and life symptoms distinguished from the living entity himself. The next, and supreme, stage is Anandamoya, the All-Blissful Nature. So there are five stages of Brahman realization, which is called Brahman puchham. Out of these the first three—Annamoya, Pranamoya, and Jnanamoya—are called the fields of activities of the living entities. Transcendental to all these fields of activities of the living entities there is the Supreme Lord, who is called Anandamoya. In The Vedanta Sutra also the Supreme is called Anandamoya Abhyasa: The Supreme Personality of Godhead is by nature full of joy, and to enjoy His transcendental bliss, He expands into Vijnanamoya, Pranamoya, Jnanamoya, and Annamoya. In this field of activities the living entity is considered to be the enjoyer, and different from him is the Anandamoya. That means that if the living entity decides to enjoy, in dovetailing himself with the Anandamoya, then he becomes perfect. This is the real picture of the Supreme Lord, as Knower of the field, the living entity, as subordinate knower, and the nature of the field of activities.
5-6: The five great elements: false ego, intelligence, the nonmanifested, the ten senses, and mind; and the five sense objects: desire, hatred, happiness, distress, the aggregate; the life symptoms, and convictions—all these are considered to be the field of activities in summary, including interaction.
7-11: Humility, pricelessness, non-violence, tolerance, simplicity, approaching a bona fide spiritual master, cleanliness, steadfastness, self-control, renunciation of the objects of sense-gratification, being without false ego, alertness for the wrong, birth, death, old age and disease, detachment toward children, wisdom and wholesomeness, equilibrium of the mind and devotion to the service of the Lord, the aspiration to live in a solitary place, detachment from the general mass of people, accepting the importance of self-realization, philosophical search for the Absolute Truth—all these are an aggregate called knowledge, and besides this, whatever there may be, is ignorance.
PURPORT
THIS PROCESS OF knowledge is sometimes misunderstood by less intelligent men as being the interactions of the field of activity. But actually this is the real process of knowledge. If one accepts this process, then the possibility of approaching the Absolute Truth exists. This is not the interaction of the tenfold elements, as described before. This is actually the means to get out of the entanglement of those twenty-four elements. The embodied soul is entrapped by the casing of the twenty-four elements, and the process of knowledge as described here is the means to get out of it. Of all the descriptions of the process of knowledge, the most important thing is described in the first line of the tenth verse: The process of knowledge terminates in unalloyed devotional service to the Lord. So if one does not approach, or is not able to approach, the transcendental service of the Lord, then the other nineteen items are of no particular value. But if one takes to devotional service in full Krishna consciousness, the other nineteen items automatically develop within him. The principle of accepting a spiritual master, as mentioned in the second verse, is essential. Even for one who takes to devotional service, it is most important. The beginning of transcendental life is to accept a bona fide spiritual master. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, clearly states here that this process of knowledge is the actual path. Anything speculated beyond this is nonsense.
As for the knowledge outlined here, the items may be analyzed as follows: Humility means that no one should be anxious to have the satisfaction of being honored by others. The material conception of life makes us very eager to receive honor from others, but from the point of view of a man in perfect knowledge—who knows that he is not this body—anything—honor or dishonor—pertaining to this body is useless. One should not be hankering after this material deception. People are very anxious to be famous for their religiousness; and consequently sometimes it is found that, without understanding the principles of religion, one enters into some group which is not actually following religious principles, and wants to advertise himself as a religious mentor. As for actual advancement in spiritual science, one should make a test to see how far he is progressing. He can judge by these items. Non-violence is generally taken to mean not killing or destroying the body; but actually non-violence means not to put others into distress. People in general are trapped by ignorance in the material concept of life, and they perpetually suffer material pains. So, without elevating people to spiritual knowledge, one is practicing violence. One should try his best to distribute real knowledge to the people, so that they may become enlightened, and leave this material entanglement. That is non-violence. Tolerance means one should be practiced to bear insults and dishonor from others. If one is engaged in the advancement of spiritual knowledge, there will be many insults and much dishonor from others. This is expected, because the material Nature is so constituted. Even a boy like Prahlada, who was only five years old, and engaged in the cultivation of spiritual knowledge, was endangered when his father became aroused. The father wanted to kill him in so many ways, but he tolerated it. So, for making advancement in spiritual knowledge, there may be many impediments; but we should be tolerant and continue our progress with determination. Simplicity means that, without diplomacy, one should be so straightforward that he can disclose the real truth even to an enemy. As for acceptance of the spiritual master, that is essential, because without the instruction of a bona fide spiritual master, no one can progress in spiritual science. One should approach the spiritual master with all humility, and offer him all services, so that he may be pleased to bestow his blessings upon the disciple. Because a bona fide spiritual master is a representative of Krishna, if he bestows any blessings upon his disciple, that will make the disciple immediately advanced without any following of the regulated principles. Or, the regulated principles will be easier for one who has served the spiritual master without any reservation.
Cleanliness is essential for making advancement in spiritual life. There are two kinds of cleanliness: external and internal. External cleanliness means to take your bath, and to wash your body. But for internal cleanliness, you have to think of Krishna always, and chant Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. This process cleans the accumulated dust of past karma from the mind very nicely. Steadfastness means that one should be very determined to make progress in spiritual life. Without such determination one cannot make any tangible progress. And controlling the self means that one should not accept anything which is detrimental to the path of spiritual progress. One should become accustomed to this, rejecting anything which is against the path of spiritual progress. Next comes the question of renunciation: The senses are so strong that they are always anxious to have sense gratification. One should not cater to these demands, which are not necessary. The senses should only be gratified to keep the body fit, so that one can discharge his duty in advancing in spiritual life. The most important and uncontrollable sense is the tongue. If one can control the tongue, then there is every possibility of controlling the other senses. The function of the tongue is to taste and to vibrate. Therefore, by systematic regulation, the tongue should always be engaged in tasting the remnants of foodstuffs offered to Krishna; and the tongue should be engaged in chanting Hare Krishna. So far as the eyes are concerned, they should not be allowed to see anything except the beautiful Form of Krishna. That will control the eyes. Similarly, the ears should be engaged in hearing about Krishna; the nose in smelling the flowers offered to Krishna. This is in the devotional service, and it is understood here that The Bhagavad Gita is simply meant to expound the science of devotional service. Devotional service is the main and sole objective. Those writers and commentators with less intelligence try to divert the mind of the reader to other subjects, but there is no other subject in The Bhagavad Gita except devotional service. False ego means to accept this body as oneself. When you understand that you are not this body, and are spirit soul, that is real ego. Ego is there. False ego is condemned, but not real ego. In the Vedic literature, it is said: Aham Brahmasmi. I am Brahman—I am spirit. This "I am," this sense of self, also exists in the liberated stage of self-realization. This sense of "I am" is ego; but when the sense of "I am" is applied to this false body, it is false ego. When the sense of self is applied to reality, that is real ego. There are some philosophers who say we should give up our ego. But we cannot give up our ego, because ego means identity. We ought, of course, to give up the false identification with the body. One should try to understand the distress of accepting birth, death, old age, and disease.
As for detachment from children, wife, and house, it is not meant that one should have no feeling for these. They are natural objects of affection. But when they are not favorable to spiritual progress, then we should not be attached to them. The best process for making the home nice is to live in Krishna consciousness. If one is in full Krishna consciousness, he can make his home very happy because this process of Krishna consciousness is very easy. It is just to chant Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare; and to take and accept the remnants of foodstuffs offered to Krishna, and have some discussion on books like The Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagwatam, and engage oneself in deity worship. These four things will make one happy, and one should train the members of his family in this way. The family members can sit down morning and evening very nicely and chant together Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. If we can mold our family life in such a nice way for developing Krishna consciousness by following these four principles, then there is no need to change from family life to renounced life. But if it is not congenial, not favorable for spiritual advancement, then family life should be abandoned. In all cases, one should be detached from the happiness and distress of family life, because this world can never be fully happy or fully miserable. Happiness and distress are concomitant factors of material life.
12: I shall now explain to you the knowable, knowing which you will taste the eternal. This is beginningless, and subordinate to Me. It is called Brahman, the spirit, and it lies beyond the cause and effect of this material world.
13: Everywhere are His hands and legs, His eyes and faces, and He hears everywhere; in this way the Supersoul exists.
14: The Supersoul is the original Source of all senses, yet He is without senses. He is unattached, although He is the Maintainer of all living beings. He transcends the modes of Nature, and at the same time is the Master of all modes of material Nature.
PURPORT
THE SUPREME LORD, although the Source of all the senses of the living entities, doesn't have material sensation such as we have. Actually, the individual souls have spiritual senses; but in conditioned life, they are covered with the material elements, and therefore the sense activities are being exhibited through matter. The Supreme Lord has no such covered senses. His senses are transcendental, and are therefore called nirguna. Guna means the material modes, but His senses are without any material covering. It should be understood that His senses are not exactly like ours. Though He is the Source of all our sensual activities, He has His transcendental senses, which are without contamination by matter.
15: The Supreme Truth exists both internally and externally, in the moving and the non-moving. He is beyond the power of the material senses to see or to know. Far, far away—he is also near to all.
16: Although the Supersoul appears to be divided, He is never divided. He is situated as one. Although He is the Maintainer of every living entity, it is to be understood that He devours and develops.
17: He is the Source of light in all luminous objects. He is beyond the darkness of matter, and is unmanifested. He is knowledge, He is the Object of knowledge, and He is the Goal of knowledge. He is situated in everyone's heart.
18: Thus the field of activities [the body], knowledge, and the knowable have been summarily described by Me. Only My devotees can understand this thoroughly, and thus attain to My Nature.
19: The material Nature and the living entities ought to be understood as without beginning. And the transformations and the modes of matter are produced of the material Nature.
20: Nature is said to be the cause of all material activities and effects, whereas the living entity is the cause of the various sufferings and enjoyments in this world.
21: The living entity in material Nature thus follows the ways of life, enjoying the three modes of Nature. This is due to his association with that material Nature. And so he meets with good and evil among the various species.
PURPORT
THIS VERSE OF The Gita is very important for an understanding of how the living entities transmigrate from one sort of body to another. It was explained in the Second Chapter that the living entity is transmigrating from one body to another just as though changing his dress. This change of dress is due to his attachment to material existence. So long as he is captivated by this false manifestation, he has to continue like that, going from one body to another. Due to his desire to lord it over the material Nature, he is put into such undesirable circumstances. Under the influence of material desire, the entity is born sometimes as a demigod, sometimes as a man, sometimes as a beast, as a bird, as a worm, as an aquatic, as a saintly man, as a bug. This is going on, and he thinks himself the master of his circumstances, under the influence of material Nature.
How he is put into such different bodies is explained here very nicely: It is due to association with the different qualities of the modes of Nature. One has to rise, therefore, above the three material modes, and to be situated in the transcendental position; and that is called Krishna consciousness. Unless one is situated in Krishna consciousness, his material consciousness will oblige him to transfer from one body to another. He has had that material desire since time immemorial, and now he has to change that conception. That change of conception can be affected only by hearing from authoritative sources. The best example is here: Arjuna is hearing the Science of God from Krishna. The living entity, if he submits to this hearing process, will lose his long-cherished desire to lord it over the material Nature, and gradually he will come to enjoy spiritual happiness.
22: In this body there is another, a transcendental Enjoyer, who is the Lord, the Supreme Proprietor, Who is existing as Overseer and Permitter, and Who is known as the Supersoul.
23: Anyone who understands this philosophy of the material Nature, the living entity, and the interaction of the modes of Nature, in whatever position he may be situated, is sure to get liberation, and will not take birth here again.
24: That Supersoul is perceived by some through meditation, by some through the cultivation of knowledge, and by others through working without fruitive desire.
25: Again, there are those not conversant in spiritual knowledge, who, by hearing from others, begin to worship the Supreme Person. Because of their tendency to hear from authorities, they also transcend the path of birth and death.
PURPORT
THIS VERSE IS particularly applicable to modern society, because in modern society there is practically no education in spiritual matters. Some of the people may appear to be atheist or agnostic or philosophical; but actually there is no knowledge of philosophy. As for the common man, if he is a good soul, then there is a chance for advancement, simply by hearing. This hearing process is very important. Lord Chaitanya, Who wanted to preach Krishna consciousness in the modern world, gave great stress to hearing, because the common man, if he simply hears from authoritative sources, can progress. Hearing the transcendental vibration: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is most beneficial. Lord Chaitanya has said that, in this age, one requires to change his position; but he should give up the endeavor to understand the Absolute Truth by speculative reasoning. One should learn to become the servant of those who are in the knowledge of the Supreme Lord. If one is fortunate enough to take shelter of the guidance of a pure devotee, and hears from him about self-realization, and follows in the footsteps of such authorities, he is elevated gradually to the position of pure devotee.
26: O chief of the Bharatas, whatever you see in existence, both moving and unmoving, is only the combination of the field of activities and the knower of the field.
27: One who sees the Supersoul accompanying the individual soul in all bodies, and understands that neither the soul nor the Supersoul is ever destroyed, actually sees.
PURPORT
AFTER THE DESTRUCTION of the body, both the soul and the Supersoul exist, and they go on eternally in many various moving and unmoving forms. Here the Sanskrit word Paramesvaram is sometimes translated as "the individual soul," because the soul is the master of the body; and, after the destruction of the body, he transfers to another form. In that way he is master. But there are others who interpret this Paramesvaram as Supersoul. In either case, both the Supersoul and the individual soul continue. They are not destroyed. One who can see in this way can actually see what is happening.
28: One who sees the Supersoul present in every living being, and equal everywhere, does not degrade himself by his mind, and thus approaches the transcendental destination.
29: One who can see that all activities are done by the body, created of material Nature, himself doing nothing—he actually sees.
30: When a sensible man ceases to see different identities due to different material bodies, he attains to the Brahman conception—wherein the beings are expanded everywhere.
31: Those with the vision of eternity can see that the soul is transcendental, eternal, and beyond the modes of Nature. In spite of his contact with the material body, O Arjuna, he is neither doing anything, nor is he entangled.
32: The sky, on account of its subtle nature, does not mix with anything, although all-pervading. So the soul, situated in Brahman vision, does not mix with the body, though situated in that body.
33: O son of Bharata, as the sun alone illuminates all this universe, so does the living entity, one within the body, illuminate the entire body by consciousness.
PURPORT
THERE ARE VARIOUS theories regarding consciousness. Here in The Bhagavad Gita, this question is clearly answered, by the nice example of the sun and the sunshine. As the sun is situated in one place, but is illuminating the whole universe, so a small particle of spirit soul, although situated in the heart of this body, is illuminating the whole body by consciousness. Therefore, consciousness is the proof of the presence of the soul, as the sunshine is the proof of the presence of the sun. When the soul is present in the body, there is consciousness all over the body; and as soon as the soul has passed from the body, there is no more consciousness. This can be easily understood by any intelligent man. Therefore, consciousness is not a production of the combinations of matter. It is the symptom of the living entity. Although qualitatively one with the Supreme Consciousness, it is not supreme, because the consciousness of one particular body does not share in that of another body. But the Supersoul, which is situated in all bodies as the Friend of the individual soul, is conscious of all the bodies concerned. That is the difference between Supreme Consciousness and individual consciousness.
34: One who knowingly sees this difference between the body and the owner of the body, and can understand the process of liberation from this bondage, also attains to the Supreme Goal.
PURPORT
THE PURPORT OF THIS Thirteenth Chapter is that one should know the distinction between the body, the owner of the body, and the Supersoul; and one should recognize the process of liberation, as described in verses seven through eleven. Then one can go on to the Supreme Destination.
A faithful person may at first have some good association for hearing of God. And, by such good association, one gradually becomes enlightened, and he accepts the spiritual master, to be guided for the advancement of spiritual science. By such association and instruction, under the guidance of the spiritual master, he can distinguish between matter and spirit, and that becomes the stepping-stone for further spiritual realization. The spiritual master teaches the students to be free from the material concept of life, by various instructions, just as in The Bhagavad Gita we find Krishna instructing Arjuna. One can understand that this body is matter; it can be analyzed, with its twenty-four elements. That is the gross manifestation; and the subtle manifestation is the mind and psychological effects. And the symptoms of life are the interaction of these bodily features. But over and above this, there is the soul, and there is also the Supersoul. The soul and the Supersoul are two. This material world is working by the conjunction of the soul and the twenty-four material elements. One who can see the constitution of the whole material manifestation in this combination of the soul and material elements, and also sees the situation of the Supreme Soul, becomes eligible for transferal to the spiritual world. These things are meant for contemplation and for realization; and one should have a serious understanding of this chapter, with the help of the spiritual master.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Thirteenth Chapter of The Srimad Bhagavad Gita, in the matter of Nature, the Enjoyer, and Consciousness.