क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि सर्वक्षेत्रेषु भारत । क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोर्ज्ञानं यत्तज्ज्ञानं मतं मम
And know me also, O Bharata, as the knower of the field in all fields; the knowledge of the field and the knower of the field—that is what I consider true knowledge.
तत्क्षेत्रं यच्च यादृक् यद्विकारि यतश्च यत्। स च यो यत्प्रभावश्च तत्समासेन मे श्रृणु
What this field is, what it is like, its modifications, whence it comes, and who he is and what his powers are—hear all this from me in brief.
ऋषिभिर्बहुधा गीतं छन्दोभिर्विविधैः पृथक् । ब्रह्मसूत्रपदैश्चैव हेतुमद्भिर्विनिश्चितैः
It has been sung in many ways by the seers, separately through various meters, and also by the clear, reasoned words of the Brahma-sutras.
महाभूतान्यहङ्कारो बुद्धिरव्यक्तमेव च । इन्द्रियाणि दशैकं च पञ्च चेन्द्रियगोचराः
The great elements, ego, intellect, and also the unmanifest; the ten senses and the one (mind), and the five objects of the senses—
इच्छा द्वेषः सुखं दुःखं सङ्घातश्चेतना धृतिः । एतत्क्षेत्रं समासेन सविकारमुदाहृतम्
Desire, aversion, pleasure, pain, the aggregate, consciousness, firmness—this, with its modifications, is briefly declared to be the field.
अमानित्वमदम्भित्वमहिंसा क्षान्तिरार्जवम्। आचार्योपासनं शौचं स्थैर्यमात्मविनिग्रहः
Humility, absence of pride, nonviolence, patience, uprightness, service to the teacher, purity, steadiness, self-control—
इन्द्रियार्थेषु वैराग्यमनहङ्कार एव च । जन्ममृत्युजराव्याधिदुःखदोषानुदर्शनम्
Detachment from sense objects, absence of egoism, seeing the faults of birth, death, old age, and disease—
असक्तिरनभिष्वङ्गः पुत्रदारगृहादिषु। नित्यं च समचित्तत्वमिष्टानिष्टोपपत्तिषु
Non-attachment, absence of clinging to son, wife, home, and so on; constant evenness of mind in the occurrence of what is desired and undesired—
मयि चानन्ययोगेन भक्तिरव्यभिचारिणी । विविक्तदेशसेवित्वमरतिर्जनसंसदि
Unswerving devotion to Me through single-minded yoga, resorting to solitary places, disinterest in crowds of people—
अध्यात्मज्ञाननित्यत्वं तत्त्वज्ञानार्थदर्शनम् । एतज्ज्ञानमिति प्रोक्तमज्ञानं यदतोऽन्यथा
Constancy in spiritual knowledge, vision of the purpose of true wisdom—this is declared to be knowledge; what is contrary to this is ignorance.
ज्ञेयं यत्तत्प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वाऽमृतमश्रुते । अनादिमत्परं ब्रह्म न सत्तन्नासदुच्यते
I will declare that which is to be known, knowing which one attains immortality: the beginningless supreme Brahman, which is said to be neither existent nor non-existent.
सर्वतः पाणिपादं तत्सर्वतोऽक्षिशिरोमुखम् । सर्वतः श्रुतिमल्लोके सर्वमावृत्य तिष्ठति
With hands and feet everywhere, with eyes, heads, and mouths everywhere, with ears everywhere in the world, it stands pervading all things.
सर्वेन्द्रियगुणाभासं सर्वेन्द्रियविवर्जितम्। असक्तं सर्वभृच्चैव निर्गुणं गुणभोक्तृ च
Shining through all the qualities of the senses, yet itself without senses; unattached, yet supporting all; without qualities, yet the experiencer of qualities.
बहिरन्तश्च भूतानामचरं चरमेव च । सूक्ष्मत्वात्तदविज्ञेयं दूरस्थं चान्तिके च तत्
Both within and without all beings, unmoving and also moving; because of its subtlety, it is unknowable; it is far away and yet near.
अविभक्तं च भूतेषु विभक्तमिव च स्थितम् । भूतभर्तृ च तज्ज्ञेयं ग्रसिष्णु प्रभविष्णु च
Undivided among beings, yet seeming to dwell divided; that is to be known as the supporter of beings, their absorber and their originator.
ज्योतिषामपि तज्ज्योतिस्तमसः परमुच्यते । ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं ज्ञानगम्यं हृदि सर्वस्य विष्ठितम्
It is the light of lights, said to be beyond darkness; knowledge, the object of knowledge, and attainable through knowledge, it is established in the heart of all.
इति क्षेत्रं तथा ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं चोक्तं समासतः। मद्भक्त एतद्विज्ञाय मद्भावायोपपद्यते
Thus the field, knowledge, and what is to be known have been briefly stated; My devotee, understanding this, becomes fit for My state.
प्रकृतिं पुरुषं चैव विद्ध्यनादी उभावपि। विकारांश्च गुणांश्चैव विद्धि प्रकृतिसंभवान्
Know both nature and spirit to be beginningless; also know the modifications and qualities as arising from nature.
कार्यकारणकर्तृत्वे हेतुः प्रकृतिरुच्यते । पुरुषः सुखदुःखानां भोक्तृत्वे हेतुरुच्यते
Nature is said to be the cause in the creation of cause and effect; the spirit is said to be the cause in the experience of pleasure and pain.
पुरुषः प्रकृतिस्थो हि भुङ्क्ते प्रकृतिजान्गुणान् । कारणं गुणसङ्गोऽस्य सदसद्योनिजन्मसु
For the spirit, abiding in nature, experiences the qualities born of nature; attachment to these qualities is the cause of its birth in good and evil wombs.
उपद्रष्टानुमन्ता च भर्ता भोक्ता महेश्वरः । परमात्मेति चाप्युक्तो देहेऽस्मिन्पुरुषः परः
He is the witness, the consenter, the sustainer, the experiencer, the great Lord; and in this body, He is also called the supreme self, the transcendent person.
य एवं वेत्ति पुरुषं प्रकृतिं च गुणैः सह । सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि न स भूयोऽभिजायते
Whoever thus knows the person and nature, along with the qualities, is never born again, even while acting in every way.
ध्यानेनात्मनि पश्यन्ति केचिदात्मानमात्मना । अन्ये साङ्ख्येन योगेन कर्मयोगेन चापरे
Some perceive the self within themselves by meditation; others by the path of knowledge, and still others by the path of action.
अन्ये त्वेवमजानन्तः श्रुत्वाऽन्येभ्य उपासते। तेऽपि चातितरन्त्येव मृत्युं श्रुतिपरायणाः
Others, not knowing thus, worship after hearing from others; even they, devoted to what they have heard, also cross beyond death.
यावत्संजायते किंचित्सत्त्वं स्थावरजङ्गमम् । क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञसंयोगात्तद्विद्धि भरतर्षभ
Whatever being is born, whether moving or unmoving, know, O best of the Bharatas, that it arises from the union of the field and the knower of the field.
समं सर्वेषु भूतेषु तिष्ठन्तं परमेश्वरम्। विनश्यत्स्वविनश्यन्तं यः पश्यति स पश्यति
Whoever sees the supreme Lord abiding equally in all beings, undestroyed amid the perishing, truly sees.
समं पश्यन्हि सर्वत्र समवस्थितमीश्वरम् । न हिनस्त्यात्मनात्मानं ततो याति परां गतिं
For seeing the Lord equally present everywhere, he does not harm himself by himself, and so attains the highest path.
प्रत्यत्यैव च कर्माणि क्रियमाणानि सर्वशः । यः पश्यति तथात्मानमकर्तारं स पश्यति
And whoever sees that all actions are performed entirely by nature, and thus perceives the self as non-agent, he truly sees.
यदा भूतपृथग्भावमेकस्थमनुपश्यति । तत एव च विस्तारं ब्रह्म संपद्यते तदा
When one perceives the distinct existences of beings as rooted in the One, and their expansion from that alone, then he attains Brahman.
अनादित्वान्निर्गुणत्वात्परमात्मायमव्ययः । शरीरस्थोऽपि कौन्तेय न करोति न लिप्यते
Because it is without beginning and without qualities, this supreme self is imperishable; though dwelling in the body, O Kaunteya, it neither acts nor is tainted.