Gita 13.35
Kshetra Kshetragna Vibhaga Yoga
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोरेवमन्तरं ज्ञानचक्षुषा | भूतप्रकृतिमोक्षं च ये विदुर्यान्ति ते परम् ||३५||
kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor evam antaraṁ jñāna-cakṣuṣā | bhūta-prakṛti-mokṣaṁ ca ye vidur yānti te param ||35||
In essence: Those who know the difference between field and knower through the eye of wisdom, and know liberation from prakriti—they attain the Supreme.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "What exactly is the 'eye of knowledge'? How do I know if mine is open?"
Guru: "The eye of knowledge is the capacity to perceive directly what is true, not through inference or belief. Signs of its opening: a natural dispassion toward things that once compelled you; an intuitive sense of what you are beyond the body-mind; moments of pure awareness without thought, yet utterly clear. If you're asking this question earnestly, the eye is beginning to open. Complete opening is when the question no longer arises—you simply see."
Sadhak: "The verse mentions liberation from prakriti. Earlier verses said purusha and prakriti are eternally associated. How is liberation from prakriti possible?"
Guru: "Liberation is not the cessation of prakriti but the cessation of identification with prakriti. Prakriti continues to function—bodies exist, minds think—but the purusha no longer takes prakriti as itself. This is moksha: not absence of prakriti but freedom from prakriti-identification. Like waking from a dream—the dream characters didn't disappear; your identification with them did."
Sadhak: "And 'attaining the Supreme'—is this after death, or can it be now?"
Guru: "'Yānti param' can mean 'they go to the Supreme' (after death, no rebirth in lower states) or 'they attain the Supreme' (here and now, recognition of identity). The Gita includes both meanings. Knowledge liberates immediately in the sense of ending ignorance; it also liberates ultimately in the sense of no further entanglement in samsara. You don't have to wait for death; recognition can happen now. And when it does, death loses its terror because what dies was never you."
Did this resonate with you? Share it with someone who needs to hear this.
🌅 Daily Practice
Chapter integration: Before the day begins, summarize Chapter 13's teaching to yourself: 'I am the knower, not the field. Prakriti acts; I witness. The Lord dwells in all. Seeing this distinction clearly, I am free.' Let this summary orient the day's perspective.
Distinction practice: Through the day, actively distinguish field from knower in real-time. 'This frustration is field. I am the knower of this frustration.' 'This success is field. I am the knower of this success.' This practice is the eye of knowledge in development.
Liberation contemplation: Before sleep, contemplate: 'What would it be like to be completely free of identification with prakriti—while the body-mind continues to function?' Imagine that freedom. This imagining is not fantasy; it's rehearsal for recognition. The Self you imagine being is the Self you already are.