13-5 to 13-6

महाभूतानि अहंकारो बुद्धिः अव्यक्तम् एव च ।
इन्द्रियाणि दशैकम् च पन्च च इन्द्रिय गोचराः ॥ ५ ॥
इच्छा द्वेषः सुखम् दुःखम् सङ्घातः चेतना धृतिः ।
एतत् क्षेत्रम् समासेन सविकारम् उदाहृतम् ॥ ६ ॥

mahAbhUtAni ahaMkAro buddhiH avyaktam eva ca |
indriyANi dazaikam ca panca ca indriya gocarAH || 5 ||
icchA dveSaH sukham duHkham saGghAtaH cetanA dhRtiH |
etat kSetram samAsena savikAram udAhRtam || 6 ||

चेतना धृतिः [cetanA dhRtiH] The existence of a conscious being सङ्घातः [saGghAtaH] comes from a combination of the following: महाभूतानि [mahAbhUtAni] The five elements - solids, liquids, energy, gasses and space; अहंकार [ahaMkAra] the universe that existed before them, in which particles formed; बुद्धिः [buddhiH] the state before that, when the singularity expanded; अव्यक्तम् एव च [avyaktam eva ca] and the state before that, when the universe was subtle within that singularity; इन्द्रियाणि दशैकम् च [indriyANi dazaikam ca] the ten organs along with the mind; पन्च च इन्द्रिय गोचराः [panca ca indriya gocarAH] and the five stimuli of the organs; इच्छा [icchA] the desire to have what we like; द्वेषः [dveSaH] the desire to avoid what we hate; सुखम् [sukham] comfort; दुःखम् [duHkham] pain. एतत् क्षेत्रम् [etat kSetram] This field of action - your body - उदाहृतम् [udAhRtam] has just been described समासेन [samAsena] in summary, सविकारम् [savikAram] along with the changes it undergoes.

The origin of the body has been explained in this Shloka by quoting the stages in cosmic inflation:

Cosmic inflation is the expansion of the subtle singularity , which existed before creation. Here, the subtle singularity is called अव्यक्तम् [avyaktam] . The next states are बुद्धि [buddhi] (also called महत् [mahat] ), the plasma that resulted from the inflation, अहंकार [ahaMkAra] the state in which subatomic particles were formed, तन्मात्र [tanmAtra] the atoms and महभूत [mahabhUta] , the five elements.

The body is a collection of elements formed since the birth of the universe.

This Shloka begins with: ‘The five elements; prior to those, the sub-atomic particles; before that, the state of expansion; before creation, the universe in subtle form’. This list described the ingredients involved in the origin of the body.

The body is made from the five elements - solids, liquids, energy, gasses and space. These five elements originated from the particles that were formed during creation. These particles resulted from the state of expansion, also termed as cosmic inflation.

Before the state of expansion, all of this existed in a subtle form, incapable of being distinguished with names. That is the ‘subtle singularity’.

The ‘ten organs with the mind and the five stimuli’ are the entities that have the body as their home. Our ears, nose, eyes, tongue and skin are the five sense organs. Speech, hands, legs and the two excretory organs are the organs of action. The mind has the body as its home too, as do the five stimuli of the senses - sound, touch, form, taste and smell.

Feelings of desire, hatred, comfort and sorrow are associated with the body. Hence, they are considered to be variations in the state of the body.

To clarify: Though desire, hatred, comfort, sorrow are experienced by the Self, those experiences come out of its association with the body. Since these experiences are effects of the body, they are considered as different states of the body. This is stated later in this chapter, [13-20](/gita-begin/gita/13-20.html): ‘The Self experiences comfort and sorrow by virtue of being associated with the body’.

A combination of all these elements constitutes the body, which exists as a base on which the Self can experience feelings such as comfort and sorrow. The body is the base for worldly experience as well as the achievement of Moksha. That is why this Shloka states that ‘The body supports the existence a conscious being’.

In this way, the field of action - our body - started with the environment in the subtle singularity and ended up in this world. It is made out of the five elements, contains the organs and undergoes change due to love, hatred, comfort or pain. It is a combination of all these entities, existing as a base for the conscious Self to have its experiences. This is our body in brief, along with its various states.

Next, the Lord describes the virtues that go with Self-awareness. These virtues are present in the activities of our body.

When we recognize the body for what it is, we live the life we’re meant to live.