Verse 13.2

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 13.2:

श्री भगवान् उवाच–
इदं शरीरं कौन्तेय क्षेत्रम् इत्य् अभिधीयते ।
एतद् यो वेत्ति तं प्राहुः क्षेत्रज्ञ इति तद्-विदः ॥ २ ॥

śrī bhagavān uvāca–
idaṃ śarīraṃ kaunteya kṣetram ity abhidhīyate |
etad yo vetti taṃ prāhuḥ kṣetrajña iti tad-vidaḥ || 2 ||

śrī bhagavān uvāca–the all-opulent Lord said; idam–this; śarīram–body; kaunteya–O son of Kuntī; kṣetram–the field; iti–as; abhidhīyate–known; etat–this; yaḥ–who; vetti–knows; tam–that (person); prāhuḥ–describe; kṣetra-jñaḥ–the knower of the field; iti–thus; tat-vidaḥ–persons conversant with that truth.

Śrī Bhagavān said: O son of Kuntī, those conversant with knowledge regarding kṣetra and kṣetra-jña describe this body as a field (kṣetra) and one who knows this body to be the knower of the field (kṣetra-jña).

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

What is kṣetra and who is kṣetra-jña? In reply to this question, Śrī Bhagavān speaks this verse beginning with idam. This body is the refuge of all enjoyment through the medium of the senses and is called the field, or kṣetra. In other words, it is the origin of the tree of material existence. Those in bondage are covered by the misconceptions of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ in relation to their bodies, which are generated by the false ego. They are freed from such misconceptions however, when they attain the liberated stage. In other words, when they are liberated, they become free from attachment to the body. The living entity situated in either of these stages is known as kṣetra-jña, the knower (jña) of the field (kṣetra). He is like a farmer, in that he alone is the knower of his field and the enjoyer of its fruits.

In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.12.23) Śrī Bhagavān says:

adanti caikaṃ phalam asya gṛdhrā grāme-carā ekam araṇya-vāsāḥ
haṃsā ya ekaṃ bahu-rūpam ijyair māyā-mayaṃ veda sa veda vedam

The ignorant conditioned souls, greedy to acquire sense objects, experience misery as one of the fruits of this tree of material existence. Places like Svarga (the heavenly planets) are also ultimately miserable. However, there are some swan-like liberated personalities who also reside in the forest of the material world. They enjoy another type of fruit, namely the happiness of liberation (mukti)‚ which is always blissful. Thus the one tree of material existence leads to various destinations, such as the heavenly planets, the hellish regions and liberation. It is observed, therefore, that this tree is composed of māyā (illusion) and that it has multiple forms, being born from the deluding potency (māyā-śakti). Only those who accept a bona fide spiritual master understand this secret, and it is they who actually know the field (kṣetra) and the knower of the field (kṣetra-jña).

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

After hearing Arjuna’s ques-tions, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa describes the material body of the conditioned jīva which, along with his life-air and senses, is the place of enjoyment. It is called the kṣetra. One who knows this body understands that in the conditioned state it is either the means of enjoyment or the means of attaining liberation. The jīva situated in either of these states is called kṣetra-jña. However, Śrī Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa says, “śarīrātmāvādī tu kṣetrajño na na kṣetratvena tat jñānābhāvāt–that jīva who identifies himself with his body does not understand the tattva of the body;therefore, he is not kṣetra-jña, the knower of the field.”

Those who accept this body as the self consider it to be a means of enjoyment only. Intoxicated by material false ego, they become bound to material existence. Life after life, their only attainment is misery. On the other hand, those who become free from material ego while remaining in their body and who render service to Śrī Hari gradually attain the happiness of liberation. After attaining the bliss of rendering service to Bhagavān, their lives become completely successful.

This has been confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.12.23):

adanti caikaṃ phalam asya gṛdhrā grāme-carā ekam araṇya-vāsāḥ
haṃsā ya ekaṃ bahu-rūpam ijyair māyā-mayaṃ veda sa veda vedam

Those attached to family life and who hanker after mundane pleasures taste only the miserable fruit of bodily enjoyment, while the wise and discriminating swan-like renunciants, who have relinquished all material goals, taste only the blissful fruit of transcendental happiness.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura writes, “Śrī Bhagavān says: ‘O Arjuna, I first explained the svarūpa of the soul so that you would clearly understand the fundamental principles of devotion (bhakti-tattva), which is supremely confidential. I then explained the various activities (karma) of the conditioned souls and the nature of unalloyed bhakti, free from all designations. I concluded with a presentation on the three different processes–jñāna, karma and bhakti–so that you would realize the highest end. At present, I am giving a specific, scientific description of knowledge (jñāna) and renunciation (vairāgya).

By hearing this, you will become more fixed in the fundamental principles of unalloyed bhakti, which is free from all designations:

jñānaṃ parama-guhyaṃ me yad vijñāna-samanvitam
sarahasyaṃ tad-aṅgaṃ ca gṛhāṇa gaditaṃ mayā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.9.31)

Knowledge of Me is non-dual, absolute and highly confidential. Although non-dual, it has four eternal divisions: My svarūpa (jñāna), realization of Me (vijñāna), prema-bhakti to Me (rahasya) and sādhana-bhakti, the means to attain Me (tad-aṅga-pradhāna). The jīva cannot understand this with his limited intelligence. He can only realize it by My mercy. Jñāna is My svarūpa and vijñāna is one’s relationship with Me through bhakti. The jīva is My rahasya and the pradhāna is My jñāna-aṅga (all that is accessory to My svarūpa). The eternal non-duality and the eternal confidential difference between these four principles are due to My inconceivable potency, the acintya-śakti.

“‘While  instructing the four seed verses of the Bhāgavatam (catuḥ-ślokī) to Lord Brahmā, I described four subjects: knowledge (jñāna), realized knowledge (vijñāna), confidential or secret topics (rahasya) and the limbs or various aspects of those confidential topics (tad-aṅga). The hidden meaning of bhakti-tattva does not manifest in the heart without properly understanding these four essential topics. Therefore, through the medium of these instructions on vijñāna, I am giving you pure intelligence, which is needed to understand these confidential instructions. When pure bhakti arises, causeless knowledge and renunciation easily awaken. These are the two concomitant fruits experienced while engaging in bhakti. O son of Kuntī, this body is called kṣetra and those who know this kṣetra are called kṣetra-jña.’”