Yoga through Distinguishing the Field and the Knower of the Field
Verse 13.35
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोरेवमन्तरं ज्ञानचक्षुषा।भूतप्रकृतिमोक्षं च ये विदुर्यान्ति ते परम्।।13.35।।
kṣhetra-kṣhetrajñayor evam antaraṁ jñāna-chakṣhuṣhā bhūta-prakṛiti-mokṣhaṁ cha ye vidur yānti te param
Word Meanings
kṣhetra—the body; kṣhetra-jñayoḥ—of the knower of the body; evam—thus; antaram—the difference; jñāna-chakṣhuṣhā—with the eyes of knowledge; bhūta—the living entity; prakṛiti-mokṣham—release from material nature; cha—and; ye—who; viduḥ—know; yānti—approach; te—they; param—the Supreme
Translation · English
They who, by the eye of knowledge, perceive the distinction between the field and its knower, as well as the liberation from the Nature of being, go to the Supreme.
Deep Meaning · English
This verse serves as the grand conclusion to the analytical discourse on the 'Field' (kshetra) and the 'Knower of the Field' (kshetrajna). Krishna asserts that liberation is not a physical displacement or a change of location, but a fundamental shift in perception—the awakening of 'jñana-chakshusha,' or the eyes of wisdom. While the body and the world continue to exist as the field of action, the liberated soul no longer identifies with the shifting patterns of prakriti (matter), recognizing them as transient phenomena unfolding before the witnessing consciousness. This internal 'vision' allows one to pierce through the veil of maya, realizing that the self has never been bound by the attributes of the body or the mind. Furthermore, 'bhuta-prakriti-moksham' signifies the final resolution of the soul's entanglement with the material causal network. By understanding the distinction between the ever-changing field and the immutable witness, the seeker achieves a state where the influence of material nature ceases to dictate their reality. This is not a withdrawal from life, but an elevation of consciousness where one acts within the world while remaining fundamentally established in the Supreme (param). It is the realization of non-duality where the limited 'I' dissolves into the vast, silent awareness that is the substratum of all existence.
Liberation is the transformation of vision from identifying with the fleeting field of matter to abiding as the eternal, witnessing consciousness.
Connected Verses
Describes the state of one who transcends the three gunas of material nature, echoing the moksha mentioned in 13.35.
Explains how the soul, although situated in the body, does not act or become entangled when it recognizes its own transcendental nature.
Emphasizes the necessity of seeing the same eternal Lord residing equally in all beings to gain true vision.
Establishes the fundamental distinction between the unreal (the changing body) and the real (the unchanging Self).
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