BHAGAVAD-GITA

1. BHAGAVAD-GITA Chapter 13.1-7 The Lord, the living entity, and matter

2. Topics of Bhagavad-Gita First six chapters - the knower of the body (the living entity) and the position by which he can understand the Supreme Lord are described Middle six chapters - the superior position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the subordinate position of the individual soul are defined Starting with the Thirteenth Chapter, how the living entity comes into contact with material nature and how he is delivered by the Supreme Lord through the different methods of fruitive activities, cultivation of knowledge, and the discharge of devotional service are explained

3. arjuna uvāca prakṛtiḿ puruṣaḿ caiva kṣetraḿ kṣetra-jñam eva ca etad veditum icchāmi jñānaḿ jñeyaḿ ca keśava śrī-bhagavān uvāca idaḿ śarīraḿ kaunteya kṣetram ity abhidhīyate etad yo vetti taḿ prāhuḥ kṣetra-jña iti tad-vidaḥ Arjuna said: O my dear Kṛṣṇa, I wish to know about prakṛti [nature], puruṣa [the enjoyer], and the field and the knower of the field, and of knowledge and the object of knowledge. The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: This body, O son of Kuntī, is called the field, and one who knows this body is called the knower of the field. Text 1-2

4. A living conditioned soul is different from the body yasyatma-buddhihkunape tri-dhatukesva-dhihkalatradisubhaumaijya-dhihyat-tirtha-buddhihsalilenakarhicijjanesvabhijnesusaeva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13] One who identifies his self as the inert body composed of mucus, bile and air, who assumes his wife and family are permanently his own, who thinks an earthen image or the land of his birth is worship able, or who sees a place of pilgrimage as merely the water there, but who never identifies himself with, feels kinship with, worships or even visits those who are wise in spiritual truth — such a person is no better than a cow or an ass.

5. O scion of Bharata, you should understand that I am also the knower in all bodies, and to understand this body and its knower is called knowledge. That is My opinion. kṣetra-jñaḿ cāpi māḿ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānaḿ yat taj jñānaḿ mataḿ mama Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 1.12 bhoktā bhogyaḿ preritāraḿ ca matvā sarvaḿ proktaḿ tri vidham-brahmam etat Text 3 There are three Brahman conceptions: prakṛti is Brahman as the field of activities, and the jīva (individual soul) is also Brahman and is trying to control material nature, and the controller of both of them is also Brahman, but He is the factual controller.

6. Three different topics of study: the Lord, the living entity, and matter samanevrksepurushonimagno’nisayasocatimuhyamanahjustamyadapasyatyanyamisamasyamahimanamiti vita-sokah Although the two birds are in the same tree, the eating bird is fully engrossed with anxiety and moroseness as the enjoyer of the fruits of the tree. But if in some way or other he turns his face to his friend who is the Lord and knows His glories—at once the suffering bird becomes free from all anxieties • Perfect knowledge of the constitution of the body, the constitution of the individual soul, and the constitution of the Supersoul is known in terms of Vedic literature as jñāna • Important to understand all three - prakṛti (nature), puruṣa (the enjoyer of nature) and īśvara (the knower who dominates or controls nature and the individual soul) • One should not confuse the painter, the painting and the easel Mundaka Upanishad (3.1.2) and Shvetasvatara Upanishad (4.7)

7. tat kṣetraḿ yac ca yādṛk ca yad-vikāri yataś ca yat sa ca yo yat-prabhāvaś ca tat samāsena me śṛṇu ṛṣibhir bahudhā gītaḿ chandobhir vividhaiḥ pṛthak brahma-sūtra-padaiś caiva hetumadbhir viniścitaiḥ Now please hear My brief description of this field of activity and how it is constituted, what its changes are, whence it is produced, who that knower of the field of activities is, and what his influences are. Text 4-5 That knowledge of the field of activities and of the knower of activities is described by various sages in various Vedic writings. It is especially presented in Vedānta-sūtra with all reasoning as to cause and effect.

8. Five Stages of Brahman Realization brahma puccham • One has to know how this body is constituted, the materials of which this body is made, under whose control this body is working, how the changes are taking place, wherefrom the changes are coming, what the causes are, what the reasons are, what the ultimate goal of the individual soul is, and what the actual form of the individual soul is • anna-maya - dependence upon food for existence, material realization of the Supreme • prāṇa-maya- realize the Absolute Truth in the living symptoms or life forms • jñāna-maya - realization extends beyond the living symptoms to the point of thinking, feeling and willing • vijñāna-maya- Brahman realization, in which the living entity's mind and life symptoms are distinguished from the living entity himself • ānanda-maya- supreme stage, realization of the all-blissful nature • if the living entity decides to enjoy in dovetailing himself with the ānanda-maya, then he becomes perfect

9. mahā-bhūtāny ahańkāro buddhir avyaktam eva ca indriyāṇi daśaikaḿ ca pañca cendriya-gocarāḥ icchā dveṣaḥ sukhaḿ duḥkhaḿ sańghātaś cetanā dhṛtiḥ etat kṣetraḿ samāsena sa-vikāram udāhṛtam The five great elements, false ego, intelligence, the unmanifested, the ten senses and the mind, the five sense objects, desire, hatred, happiness, distress, the aggregate, the life symptoms, and convictions — all these are considered, in summary, to be the field of activities and its interactions. Text 6-7

10. Field of activities and its interactions • mahā-bhūta - Earth, water, fire, air and ether. • false ego, intelligence and the unmanifested stage of the three modes of nature (pradhāna) • Knowledge aquiring Senses : Eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin • Working senses: voice, legs, hands, anus and genitals • Mind Above all the senses – sense within • Objects of Sense – smell, taste, form, touch and sound • Aggregate of these 24 Elements is called the field of activity • Desire, hatred, happiness and distress – Interactions • The Body is the representation of all these factors • Six Changes of the Body - the body is born, it grows, it stays, it produces by-products, then it begins to decay, and at the last stage it vanishes