Chapter 13 Shloka 34

क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोरेवमन्तरं ज्ञानचक्षुषा।

भूतप्रकृतिमोक्षं च ये विदुर्यान्ति ते परम्।।३४।।

He who, with the eye of wisdom, perceives

the Truth concerning discernment between

kshetra and kshetragya and the means

to obtain freedom from the bonds of Prakriti,

that one attains the supreme state.

Chapter 13 Shloka 34

क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोरेवमन्तरं ज्ञानचक्षुषा।

भूतप्रकृतिमोक्षं च ये विदुर्यान्ति ते परम्।।३४।।

Expanding on the consequence of knowledge of kshetra, kshetragya and Prakriti, the Lord says:

He who, with the eye of wisdom, perceives the Truth concerning discernment between kshetra and kshetragya and the means to obtain freedom from the bonds of Prakriti, that one attains the supreme state.

Knowledge of the kshetra and the kshetragya

One who has realised the truth about the kshetra and the kshetragya:

1. That one has realised the difference between the Atma and the anatma.

2. That one has realised the truth regarding the conscious and the inert.

3. That one knows the Purusha and Prakriti.

4. That one knows of the essential being and its manifestation.

5. That one knows the form of the formless one.

When such a one comes to know of his essential core:

a) the body becomes meaningless for him;

b) he has realised his true Atma Self;

c) he has come to know himself;

d) he has come to know of the delusion caused by the idea of doership;

e) he understands the illusion of the individualistic ‘I’;

f) he recognises the delusion created by the ego.

Having understood the enigma of the interplay of the qualities, the individual then transcends those qualities and becomes a gunatit. Having attained the wisdom to discriminate between the kshetra and the kshetragya, the individual renounces attachment with the kshetra and becomes established in his essential being – the kshetragya.

The consequence of ridding oneself of the body idea

Little one, when the body idea ceases to exist, such a one cannot claim rights over any attribute of that body or any deed performed by it.

1. When the body is no longer his, such a one gains a detached attitude towards his body self.

2. The body ceases to hold any importance for such a one.

3. It matters not to such a one if the body lives or dies.

4. He neither possesses the desire to live nor to die.

5. Thereafter, it does not matter to him whether his body receives anything or not.

6. He is not concerned whether his body attracts credit or discredit.

7. It does not matter to him whether his body engages in action or ceases to perform actions.

8. Personal gain or loss cease to have any meaning for such a one.

Little one, this knowledge bestowed by the Lord is indeed astounding. Having gained this knowledge, nothing remains one’s own. Everything now belongs to Him!

The consequences of the knowledge of renunciation of the body idea

Little one, the Lord says, “They who know the Truth through the means of knowledge, and they who know of the individual’s emancipation from Prakriti:

a) they attain the Truth through the eyes of wisdom;

b) they view everything through the eyes of wisdom;

c) they even look at their own body through these ‘eyes of wisdom’.”

Such people look upon all beings with enlightened eyes. Such a vision is obtained when knowledge predominates and aids one in the perception of the Truth and its essential unity.

As a consequence of such a vision, the individual renounces the anatma and becomes established in the Atma. The Lord says, in this manner the individual relinquishes the idea of individuality and attains the Supreme. Thereafter, all that remains is a non-doer, a non-enjoyer, a pure witness. Such a one then transcends all attributes and becomes a gunatit, devoid of all blemishes and aberrations, eternally detached. His Self merges in the Self of all – Atma in Atma.