Stanza 1

(Covers verses 13-1 to 13-5)

Arjuna spoke, with curious heart profound,
The Field and Him by whom the Field is found;
Of Nature and the Soul, I seek to know,
True Wisdom's light, and that which wise men show.

The Blessed Lord then spake, with grace untold,
This body, Kunti's son, is 'Field' proclaimed;
And he who knows it, with his wisdom bold,
By knowing ones as 'Knower of the Field' is named.
Know Me, O Bharata, in every sphere,
The wisdom of the Field, and Him so clear;
As Knower of the Field, where all things lie,
Is, in My sight, the truth that doth satisfy.
That Field, its essence, how it doth unfold,
And how that Knower is, by power controlled;
Its changing forms, the springs from which it flows,
Hear now from Me, as brief My teaching goes.
By ancient sages, in their varied lays,
By Brahma-Sutra's well-established phrase;
Through diverse metres, oft has this been sung,
With reasoned truths, from holy wisdom sprung.

Stanza 2

(Covers verses 13-6 to 13-7)

The elements, both great, the ego's sway,
The tenfold senses, and the mind's lone way;
The intellect, the Unmanifest's dark might,
And sense-born objects, bringing day and night.
Desire, aversion, pleasure, pain's sharp sting,
This is the Field, whose changing aspects spring;
The body's frame, with consciousness and will,
In brief declared, its modifications still.

Stanza 3

(Covers verses 13-8 to 13-10)

Humility, and guileless spirit bright,
The Guru worshipped, cleanliness and might;
Non-violence, forgiveness, truth sincere,
Steadfast control, dispelling doubt and fear.
From sense-delights, detachment's noble art,
On birth and death, old age and pain to start;
The absence of false ego's proud display,
And sorrow's faults, to muse throughout the day.
No fond attachment to thy son or wife,
And perfect equanimity in life;
Nor house, nor home, doth thy true spirit bind,
To joy and sorrow, ever be thou kind.

Stanza 4

(Covers verses 13-11 to 13-12)

To Me, unwavering devotion's flame,
In lonely places, ever call My Name;
With unbent purpose, ever fixed and true,
And flee the common throng, and worldly view.
In knowledge of the Self, a constant grace,
This is true 'Knowledge,' found in every place;
And vision of the Goal of Truth's sublime,
And all besides is ignorance of time.

Stanza 5

(Covers verses 13-13 to 13-14)

Now I'll declare what should be surely known,
The timeless Brahman, on its lofty throne;
By knowing which, immortal bliss is found,
Nor 'Is' nor 'Is Not' can its state be bound.
With hands and feet in every single part,
With ears in every quarter of the heart;
With eyes and heads and mouths, where'er you gaze,
It stands pervading all, through endless days.

Stanza 6

(Covers verses 13-15 to 13-18)

Though senses' attributes it doth illume,
Unattached, sustaining all in cosmic gloom;
Yet senses hath it none, its being pure,
Beyond all qualities, yet doth endure.
Outside and in, it dwells in every form,
Unknown through subtlety, in calm or storm;
The moving and the still, in subtle guise,
Both far away it lies, and ever nighs.
Though undivided, 'midst all beings found,
Sustainer of all creatures, on this ground;
As if diverse, it manifests its might,
Devourer, then Creator, dark and bright.
The Light of lights, beyond all darkness deep,
Within the heart of all, its secrets keep;
It is the Knowledge, Knowable, and known,
On wisdom's throne, its glory ever shown.

Stanza 7

(Covers verses 13-19 to 13-24)

Thus Field, and Knowledge, and the Known sublime,
My devotee, who grasps this truth through time;
In brief have been by Me succinctly told,
My very state, with grace, he shall unfold.
Know both Prakriti and the Soul to be
And all effects and qualities you see;
Beginningless, from primal source they spring,
From Prakriti's inherent nature bring.
Prakriti is the cause of deed and doer's art,
The Purusha, for pleasure's joyous heart;
Of instruments that work, and all effects,
Or pain's keen sting, its karma then directs.
The Purusha, within Prakriti found,
His bond to these, on earthly, karmic ground;
Enjoys the qualities from her that rise,
In good or evil wombs, his birth implies.
The Witness, Permitter, Sustainer, Lord so great,
The Paramatma, in this mortal state;
The Experiencer, the Almighty King,
Is He, the Supreme Soul, from whom all blessings spring.
Who thus the Purusha and Prakriti knows,
Though acting ever, where life's current flows;
With all her qualities, in truth's clear light,
No more he's born, but gains eternal flight.

Stanza 8

(Covers verses 13-25 to 13-27)

Some by the mind, within the Self they gaze,
While others, by Sankhya's insightful ways;
Through contemplation's pure and silent art,
And others, by unselfish Karma's heart.
Yet others, knowing not, but hearing true,
And they, devoted to the heard, break through;
From holy ones, with faith they worship deep,
Death's fearful bonds, and endless rest they keep.
Whate'er exists, O Bharata's chiefest son,
From Field and Knower's union, 'tis begun;
The moving or the still, by life imbued,
This vast creation, ever to be viewed.

Stanza 9

(Covers verses 13-28 to 13-31)

Who sees the Lord, in all beings equally,
The Imperishable, in mortality;
Abiding, though they perish and decay,
He truly sees, and walks the righteous way.
For seeing God alike in every sphere,
And thus attains the goal, supremely clear;
He harms himself not, by his own misdeed,
From all illusion's binding chains is freed.
Who sees all actions done by Prakriti's might,
He truly sees, with inner, guiding light;
And knows the Self as non-doer, free from claim,
Beyond the fleeting world, and earthly fame.
When one perceives the varied forms of life,
Then Brahman's state, transcending mortal strife;
As rooted in the One, from Him they spread,
Is gained by him, by wisdom truly led.

Stanza 10

(Covers verses 13-32 to 13-35)

Without beginning, and beyond all guise,
Though dwelling in the body, it ne'er tries;
This changeless Self, O Kunti's son, profound,
To act or taint, by worldly ties unbound.
As subtle ether, everywhere it lies,
So too the Self, within the body's guise;
Unstained by all, where'er its presence flies,
Unstained remains, though all around it plies.
As one sole sun illuminates the sphere,
So Kshetri, Knower of the Field, makes clear;
The cosmos vast, with light so pure and grand,
The Field entire, throughout the Bharat land.
Who sees the Field and Knower's distinct line,
From Nature's bondage, reaching the Divine;
With wisdom's eye, and freedom from all plight,
They go beyond, to realms of purest light.