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Chapter 13 · Nature, the Enjoyer and Consciousness · 35 verses

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Soul & knowledgeChapter 13 · Nature, the Enjoyer and Consciousness
13.213.4

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 13.3

The body, its knower and the field of knowledge

क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि सर्वक्षेत्रेषु भारत ।

क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोर्ज्ञानं यत्तज्ज्ञानं मतं मम ॥ ३ ॥

kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi

sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata

kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānaṁ

yat taj jñānaṁ mataṁ mama

Translation

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.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

What this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.

The Knower in All Bodies

  1. 1Kṛṣṇa says He knows all bodies. Understanding the body and its knower is knowledge.
  2. 2Prabhupāda explains that the individual soul knows its own body, while Kṛṣṇa as the Supersoul knows and controls all bodies.
  3. 3Study the body, the individual soul, and the Supersoul as distinct. Recognize Kṛṣṇa as the supreme controller of both the body and the soul.

Where we are

In the story

Chapter 13, Nature, the Enjoyer and Consciousness: the body, its knower and the field of knowledge.

What it teaches

Theme summary

Discern the eternal self from the temporary.

2

Key ideas in this verse

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Key ideas: ātmā, jñāna.

3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does BG 13.3 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to soul & knowledge?

Practice

Spend five minutes reflecting on what in you does not change.

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The story behind it

Mahābhārata episodes and stories from the purports that shed light on this verse.

All stories for chapter 13 ›
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Related verses

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

BG 13.1The body, its knower and the field of knowledgeBG 13.2The body, its knower and the field of knowledgeBG 2.13The self endures bodily changeBG 4.34The humility of real inquiry

Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.

Ask the study guide

Ask about BG 13.3 — get a simple answer linked to related ideas and verses.

Back to step 3The key ideasNext · Step 5 of 7 · 5 minLive the teachingsBring it into your day with a practice and a question, straight from Prabhupāda's purports.