Chapter 13 of 18 · 35 verses · 12 min
Bhagavad Gita chapter 13: The field and the knower
A sharp lens: your body and mind are “the field”; you are the awareness that knows it.
A sharp philosophical lens: your body, mind, emotions and memories are “the field” — everything that can be observed. You, the awareness observing all of it, are “the knower of the field”. Confusing the two is the root of suffering. Krishna lists the qualities that make up real wisdom — humility, patience, honesty, inner steadiness — and describes the one consciousness that shines through every being, like a single sun lighting the whole world.
The line to remember · 13.3“Know me as the knower in every field.”All 35 verses — tap any one to read it
- 13.1Arjuna asks: “What is the body, and what is the one who knows the body?”
- 13.2“Your body is like a field. The awareness that knows it is the knower.”
- 13.3“I am the knower in every body. Understanding this is real wisdom.”
- 13.4“Let me explain the body and the knower.”
- 13.5“Wise people have described this in many ways.”
- 13.6“The body is made of earth, water, fire, air, mind, thoughts and senses…”
- 13.7“…and likes, dislikes, happiness, pain and feelings.”
- 13.8“Wisdom looks like being humble, honest, kind, patient and pure.”
- 13.9“It means not chasing pleasure, not being proud, and seeing life clearly.”
- 13.10“Not clinging to things, and staying calm whether life goes your way or not.”
- 13.11“Loving God steadily, and enjoying quiet places.”
- 13.12“Always remembering the truth. That is wisdom.”
- 13.13“Now let me tell you about God, who has no beginning.”
- 13.14“God’s hands, eyes and ears are everywhere.”
- 13.15“God shines through everything, but isn’t stuck in anything.”
- 13.16“God is inside and outside everything — far away, and very near.” — God is closer than you think.
- 13.17“God is one, but seems to be in many places.”
- 13.18“God is the light of all lights, living in every heart.”
- 13.19“Whoever understands this comes close to me.”
- 13.20“Nature and spirit have always existed.”
- 13.21“Nature makes the body act. Spirit feels joy and pain.”
- 13.22“Clinging to nature’s ups and downs keeps us coming back.”
- 13.23“Inside your body lives God — the quiet witness.”
- 13.24“Whoever understands this becomes free.”
- 13.25“Some find God by meditating, some by thinking, some by helping.”
- 13.26“Others find God by listening to good teachers. They are free too.”
- 13.27“Everything is made of body and spirit together.”
- 13.28“The wise see God in everyone — the forever inside the temporary.”
- 13.29“Seeing God in everyone, they never hurt anyone — and so they reach the highest.” — the root of kindness.
- 13.30“Nature does the doing. The real you only watches.”
- 13.31“When you see everything coming from the One, you become one with God.”
- 13.32“The soul is never stained, even inside the body.”
- 13.33“Like the sky is never dirtied, the soul stays pure.”
- 13.34“Like the sun lights the whole world, the soul lights up the body.”
- 13.35“Those who see this clearly reach the highest.”
Traditional summary
Ksetra Ksetrajna Vibhaaga Yoga: Yoga through Distinguishing the Field and the Knower of the Field
The thirteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is Ksetra Ksetrajna Vibhaaga Yoga. The word kshetra means the field, and the kshetrajna means the knower of the field. We can think of our material body as the field and our immortal soul as the knower of the field. In this chapter, Krishna discriminates between the physical body and the immortal soul. He explains that the physical body is temporary and perishable whereas the soul is permanent and eternal. The physical body can be destroyed but the soul can never be destroyed. The chapter then describes God, who is the Supreme Soul. All the individual souls have originated from the Supreme Soul. One who clearly understands the difference between the body, the Soul and the Supreme Soul attains the realization of Brahman.
