Chapter The Lord, the living entity, and matter

1.First six chapters - the knower of the body (the living entity) and the position by which he can understand the Supreme Lord are described 2.Middle six chapters - the superior position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the subordinate position of the individual soul are defined 3.Starting with the Thirteenth Chapter, how the living entity comes into contact with material nature and how he is delivered by the Supreme Lord through the different methods of fruitive activities, cultivation of knowledge, and the discharge of devotional service are explained Topics of Bhagavad-Gita

arjuna uvāca prakr ̣ tim purus ̣ am caiva ks ̣ etram ks ̣ etra-jñam eva ca etad veditum icchāmi jñānam jñeyam ca keśava śrī-bhagavān uvāca idam śarīram kaunteya ks ̣ etram ity abhidhīyate etad yo vetti tam prāhuh ̣ ks ̣ etra-jña iti tad-vidah ̣ Arjuna said: O my dear Kr ̣ s ̣ n ̣ a, I wish to know about prakr ̣ ti [nature], purus ̣ a [the enjoyer], and the field and the knower of the field, and of knowledge and the object of knowledge. The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: This body, O son of Kuntī, is called the field, and one who knows this body is called the knower of the field. Text 1-2

yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij janesv abhijnesu sa eva go-kharah [SB ] One who identifies his self as the inert body composed of mucus, bile and air, who assumes his wife and family are permanently his own, who thinks an earthen image or the land of his birth is worship able, or who sees a place of pilgrimage as merely the water there, but who never identifies himself with, feels kinship with, worships or even visits those who are wise in spiritual truth — such a person is no better than a cow or an ass. A living conditioned soul is different from the body

ks ̣ etra-jñam cāpi mām viddhi sarva-ks ̣ etres ̣ u bhārata ks ̣ etra-ks ̣ etrajñayor jñānam yat taj jñānam matam mama 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. Text 3 bhoktā bhogyam preritāram ca matvā sarvam proktam tri vidham-brahmam etat There are three Brahman conceptions: prakr ̣ ti is Brahman as the field of activities, and the jīva (individual soul) is also Brahman and is trying to control material nature, and the controller of both of them is also Brahman, but He is the factual controller. Śv etāśvatara Upaniṣad 1.12

samane vrkse purusho nimagno ’nisaya socati muhyamanah justam yada pasyaty anyam isam asya mahimanam iti vita-sokah Although the two birds are in the same tree, the eating bird is fully engrossed with anxiety and moroseness as the enjoyer of the fruits of the tree. But if in some way or other he turns his face to his friend who is the Lord and knows His glories—at once the suffering bird becomes free from all anxieties Mundaka Upanishad (3.1.2) and Shvetasvatara Upanishad (4.7) Perfect knowledge of the constitution of the body, the constitution of the individual soul, and the constitution of the Supersoul is known in terms of Vedic literature as jñāna Important to understand all three - prakr ̣ ti (nature), purus ̣ a (the enjoyer of nature) and īśvara (the knower who dominates or controls nature and the individual soul) One should not confuse the painter, the painting and the easel Three different topics of study: the Lord, the living entity, and matter

tat ks ̣ etram yac ca yādr ̣ k ca yad-vikāri yataś ca yat sa ca yo yat-prabhāvaś ca tat samāsena me śr ̣ n ̣ u Now please hear My brief description of this field of activity and how it is constituted, what its changes are, whence it is produced, who that knower of the field of activities is, and what his influences are. Text 4-5 r ̣ s ̣ ibhir bahudhā gītam chandobhir vividhaih ̣ pr ̣ thak brahma-sūtra-padaiś caiva hetumadbhir viniścitaih ̣ That knowledge of the field of activities and of the knower of activities is described by various sages in various Vedic writings. It is especially presented in Vedānta-sūtra with all reasoning as to cause and effect.

One has to know how this body is constituted, the materials of which this body is made, under whose control this body is working, how the changes are taking place, wherefrom the changes are coming, what the causes are, what the reasons are, what the ultimate goal of the individual soul is, and what the actual form of the individual soul is anna-maya - dependence upon food for existence, material realization of the Supreme annamaya prān ̣ a-maya - realize the Absolute Truth in the living symptoms or life forms prān ̣ amaya jñāna-maya - realization extends beyond the living symptoms to the point of thinking, feeling and willing jñānamaya vijñāna-maya - Brahman realization, in which the living entity's mind and life symptoms are distinguished from the living entity himself vijñānamaya ānanda-maya - supreme stage, realization of the all-blissful nature ānandamaya if the living entity decides to enjoy in dovetailing himself with the ānanda-maya, then he becomes perfect Five Stages of Brahman Realization brahma puccham

mahā-bhūtāny ahańkāro buddhir avyaktam eva ca indriyān ̣ i daśaikam ca pañca cendriya-gocarāh ̣ icchā dves ̣ ah ̣ sukham duh ̣ kham sańghātaś cetanā dhr ̣ tih ̣ etat ks ̣ etram samāsena sa-vikāram udāhr ̣ tam The five great elements, false ego, intelligence, the unmanifested, the ten senses and the mind, the five sense objects, desire, hatred, happiness, distress, the aggregate, the life symptoms, and convictions — all these are considered, in summary, to be the field of activities and its interactions. Text 6-7

mahā-bhūta - Earth, water, fire, air and ether. mahābhūta false ego, intelligence and the unmanifested stage of the three modes of nature (pradhāna) Knowledge aquiring Senses : Eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin Working senses: voice, legs, hands, anus and genitals Mind Above all the senses – sense within Objects of Sense – smell, taste, form, touch and sound Aggregate of these 24 Elements is called the field of activity Desire, hatred, happiness and distress – Interactions The Body is the representation of all these factors Six Changes of the Body - the body is born, it grows, it stays, it produces by-products, then it begins to decay, and at the last stage it vanishes Field of activities and its interactions