(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)
To Advance On Our Spiritual Path, One Must Have A Basic Understanding Of The Field And The Knower
तत्क्षेत्रं यच्च यादृक्च यद्विकारि यतश्च यत् |
स च यो यत्प्रभावश्च तत्समासेन मे शृणु ||13.4||
tat kṣhetraṁ yach cha yādṛik cha yad-vikāri yataśh cha yat
sa cha yo yat-prabhāvaśh cha tat samāsena me śhṛiṇu|| 13.4||
Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 13- Ver. 4:
Listen carefully as I explain what that field is and how it works. I’ll also go over how change occurs within it, how it was created, who the field of activities’ knower is, and what his powers are.
Explanation
In their constitutional roles, the Lord is describing the field of activity and the knower of the field of activities. One must understand how this body is constructed, the materials from which it is constructed, under whose control this body operates, how changes occur, where changes occur, what causes, what reasons, what the individual’s ultimate purpose is, and what the actual shape of the individual soul is.
It’s also important to understand the differences between the individual living soul and the Super soul, as well as the many influences, potentials, and so on. All of this would be clarified if one understands the Bhagavad-gita directly from the description given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, the Supreme Personality of Godhead in every body and every soul should not be considered the jiva. This is akin to balancing the powerful and the powerless.
Verse & what we can learn
In this shloka, Shri Krishna praises the field’s knowledge and the one who knows it. He claims that this same wisdom was initially revealed to the rishis or sages, and that it is not something that the Gita invented. It was then recorded in the Rig, Saama, Yajur, and Atharva Vedas.
It can be found in the Samhitaa (hymns), Braahmanaa (theology), and Upanishads sections of each of these Vedas (discourses on divine knowledge). It’s vital to highlight that this wisdom was revealed to the sages during meditations, rather than being written by someone. This information could not have come from anyone because it is beyond the domain of the senses and the mind.
Even if we are able to gain access to this heavenly wisdom by studying the Vedas, we cannot digest it without using logic. We need something that can step by step explain what the four Vedas disclose. We also require reasoning to overcome apparent conflicts that arise while studying the Vedas as students.
The Brahma Sutras, written by Vyaasa, employ logic and reason to explain Vedic knowledge in a precise, systematic manner. Each sutra in the literature is only two or three words long, but it is packed with so much information that commentators like Shankaraacharya create entire books to explain just one sutra.
The “Prasthaana Traya,” which includes the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, and Brahma Sutras, provides a full compilation of information concerning the area and its knower, as well as practical teaching on how to go about it.
The Bhagavad Gita is the most accessible of the three to the average person.
Shri Krishna urges us to gain a basic understanding of the field and the knower so that we can proceed on our spiritual path. However, we are welcome to read the Vedas and the Brahma Sutras if we wish to go deeper into the details for intellectual purposes. He now goes into great depth regarding the field, the kshetra.
To acquire knowledge and to implement that knowledge in life one needs to be mentally and physically active and healthy and for that daily meditation is a great tool.
There are various types of meditation like Buddhist meditation, heartfulness meditation, mindfulness meditation, meditation for stress, and each meditation benefits are countless. There is also numerous meditation techniques for beginners which help in practicing daily meditation so go ahead and start your journey towards a peaceful and balanced life.
In the next shloka it is revealed how sages have sung the truth about the field and the knower of the field.
Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…