Bhagavad Gita 13.19

Verse 19

इति क्षेत्रं तथा ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं चोक्तं समासतः | मद्भक्त एतद्विज्ञाय मद्भावायोपपद्यते || १९ ||

Transliteration

iti kṣetraṁ tathā jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ coktaṁ samāsataḥ mad-bhakta etad vijñāya mad-bhāvāyopapadyate

Synonyms

iti—thus; kṣetram—the field; tathā—also; jñānam—knowledge; jñeyam—the knowable; ca—also; uktam—described; samāsataḥ—in brief; mat-bhaktaḥ—My devotee; etat—all this; vijñāya—understanding; mat-bhāvāya—to My nature; upapadyate—attains.

Translation

Thus, in brief, have I described the Field, knowledge, and the knowable. My devotee, understanding this, attains My state of being.

Multi-Tradition Commentary

Swami Gambhirananda (Advaita Vedanta)

The phrase 'mad-bhavaya upapadyate' — 'attains My state of being' — is the culminating promise. Understanding the distinction between Field and Knower is not merely intellectual acquisition but liberating realization. The Advaitin reads this as: one who realizes the Kshetrajna as identical with Brahman, which is one's own true nature, attains liberation — the state of the Lord, which is one's own state, always already present.

Practical Application (Modern Life)

The understanding of Field and Knower is not merely philosophical but transformative. As the recognition deepens — 'I am the Knower, not the known; I am the witness, not the witnessed' — the quality of one's life shifts. Anxiety decreases because the Knower knows it is not threatened by anything in the field. This understanding is the goal of the entire teaching.

Chapter Content

View all shlokas in Chapter 13

Have a question?