Chapter 13 · Verse 34

Yoga through Distinguishing the Field and the Knower of the Field

यथा प्रकाशयत्येकः कृत्स्नं लोकमिमं रविः।क्षेत्रं क्षेत्री तथा कृत्स्नं प्रकाशयति भारत
yathā prakāśhayaty ekaḥ kṛitsnaṁ lokam imaṁ raviḥ kṣhetraṁ kṣhetrī tathā kṛitsnaṁ prakāśhayati bhārata

Word Meanings

yathā — as; prakāśhayati — illumines; ekaḥ — one; kṛitsnam — entire; lokam — solar system; imam — this; raviḥ — sun; kṣhetram — the body; kṣhetrī — the soul; tathā — so; kṛitsnam — entire; prakāśhayati — illumine; bhārata — Arjun, the son of Bharat

Translation

As the one sun illuminates this entire world, so does the knower of the field illuminate the entire field, O Arjuna.

Commentary

यथा as? प्रकाशयति illumines? एकः one? कृत्स्नम् the whole? लोकम् world? इमम् this? रविः sun? क्षेत्रम् the field? क्षेत्री the Lord of the field (Paramatma)? तथा so? कृत्स्नम् the whole? प्रकाशयति illumines? भारत O descendant of Bharata (Arjuna).Commentary The Supreme Self is one. It illumines the whole matter from the Unmanifested down to the blade of grass or a lump of clay? from the great elements down to firmness or fortitude. (Cf. verses 5 and 6.) Just as the sun is one? just as the sun illumines the whole world? just as the sun is not tainted? so also the Self is One in all bodies? It illumines all the bodies and It is not contaminated.