13-1

श्री भगवान् उवाच -
इदम् शरीरम् कौन्तेय क्षेत्रम् इत्यभिधीयते ।
एतत् यो वेत्ति तम् प्राहुः क्षेत्रज्ञ इति तद्विदः ॥ १ ॥

zrI bhagavAn uvAca -
idam zarIram kaunteya kSetram ityabhidhIyate |
etat yo vetti tam prAhuH kSetrajJa iti tadvidaH || 1 ||

श्री भगवान् उवाच [zrI bhagavAn uvAca] Lord Krishna said- कौन्तेय [kaunteya] Arjuna, इदम् शरीरम् [idam zarIram] this body अभिधीयते [abhidhIyate] is said to be क्षेत्रम् [kSetram] the field of action. तद्विदः [tadvidaH] People who know this प्राहुः [prAhuH] would term यो वेत्ति [yo vetti] the one who is aware of एतत् [etat] this body क्षेत्रज्ञ इति [kSetrajJa iti] as ‘the knower of the field’.

This body tends to be equated to the Self, resulting in opinions such as ‘I am powerful’, ‘I am human’, ‘I am fat’ or ‘I am thin’.

However, the body and the Self are distinct. The Self is the one who experiences. This body is to be experienced by the Self. That’s why the body is called the ‘field’ where experiences are made - those who know the true nature of the body say this.

The person who is aware of this is known to have distinguished the Self. He is aware of something inside, which says ‘I know this’, while being covered by organs and being in association with them.

The person who has realized the true nature of the Self recognizes that the body is to be known, that the Self is the ‘knower’ and is distinct from the body.

The knower of the body is not the body, it is the Self.

When we deal with things that are separate from our body - such as a clay pot - it is common to distinguish it from ourselves. We’re aware that ‘I am a human’ and that ‘I know it’s a pot’.

While we tend to equate the one who knows - the Self - with our body, we still perceive that we know our body. We realize that ‘I know my body’. This is illustrated in experiences which make us say things like ‘I feel pain in my stomach’.

Like the pot, the body is separate from the Self. The Self is the one who ‘knows’ and the body is the one which is ‘known’. Thus, the body is distinct from the Self. Likewise, the Self is distinct, being the ‘knower of the field’. It is the knower of the body and the environment.

The belief that they both are equivalent comes from the presentation of the body as an inseparable attribute of the Self, like ‘cowness’ is an inseparable attribute of a cow.

The unique qualities of the Self, as the knower, are not apparent to organs such as our eyes. Our minds are formed by contact with the environment, with the environment being a source of experiences. People who don’t know the nature of the Self and the environment see the body as the ‘knower’. The body is actually a part of the environment.

As said in 15-10: ‘The body is a product of the three qualities . Ignorant people are unable to recognize the Self – The Self is the one who experiences. Its experiences are painted with these three qualities , while being in the body and initiating activities like eating. While in ignorance, they are unable to recognize that the Self departs from the body at the time of death.

On the other hand, those who have the sight of knowledge do see this Self as being distinct’.