panchajanyam hersheekesaH-chapter18-adhyaya13 concluded

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The self , purusha of sankhya, and the world of sentient and insentient beings, prkrthi are both beginningless and all the modifications and attributes are those of prkrthi only as purusha is changeless and without gunas.The modifications of the body,and the sense organs are the effect of prkrthi and its three gunas. while the experience of pleasure and pain is due to the action of purusha who associates himself with prkrthi.

 

The term purusha refers to the indiviual soul , atman, while the term prakrthi repesenta all that is anathman, non-self. The question may arise as to how the jiva, individual soul and the prkrthi are both said to be without beginning which goes contrary to the upanishadic statement 'sath alone was in the beginning , one only without a second.' Let us see how is this explained from the view point of advaita and visishtadvaita.

 

According to advaita Brahman alone is real and the world, including the jiva is unreal, being the effect of avidhya , which is anadhi, beginningless. Hence purusha , the individual self and prkrthi the world are beginningless. According to visishtadvaita there are three reals, namely, Isvara, jiva and jagat, Isvara the innerself of all, jiva , the individual self and the world, jagat.This is not contrary to the upanishad because Brahman or Narayana is the cause of everything, all-pervading and imminent, being the inner Self. When the cause is real the effect is also real as a real thing cannot give rise to something which is unreal.Hence the world and the jiva are all modifications of the cause and form the sarira of Isvara the inner self..

 

Krishna now proceeds to explain how the indivisual self who is of the nature of pure bliss experiences the joy and sorrow when it is associated with the body.. The self when embodied, becomes identified with the body which is the effect of prkrthi constituted of the three gunas and as a result, experiences the joy , sorrow etc which are the effects of the three gunas.This attachment to the gunas and its effects is the cause of the birth of the individual soul in different bodies. Acting through the body, influenced by the gunas, the jiva has to experience the results of the actions induced by the gunas, sinful or meritorious depending on the respective gunas which propell the actions.

 

The self is thus while in the body, is called spectator,upadhrAshtA, approver, anumanthA,supporter,bharthA,experiencer,bhokthA,the Lord, mahesvara and the Supreme Self,paramAthmA.

 

The Self is upadhrashtA , the witness because it is actually not affected by the experiences of joy and sorrow resulting from the wrong identification with the body. But since no action or experience is possible with out the accordance of the self , it is called anumantha, the approver.Since the body is supported by the Self it is the bhartha, supporter.Due to the identification with the body the self seems to experience joy and sorrow and without it no experience is possible and so the self is called bhoktha,experiencer.As the body is subservient to the self who is the master, it is called Mahesvara, the over-lord and in reality the self is nothing but the Supreme Self , the inner controller and hence called as ParamAthma..

 

The last topic, namely the discrimnation between the Self and the Prkrthi , is elaborated next.

 

Krishna says, 'ya Evam vEtthi purusham prkrthim cha guNaissaha; sarvaTHA varthamAnopi na sa bhooyO abhijayathE,' one who understands the self and the prakrthi thus along with the gunas of the prakrthi, is not born again. To know the nature of the self and its being different from the body one may pursue jnanayoga or bhakthiyoga or karmayoga but the result is the same, namely , freedom from the cycle of birth and death.

 

All that is born, movable or immovable, are so only by the conjunction of the kshethra and kshethrajna. The real perception consists in seeing the Supreme ruler dwelling alike in all bodies who never perishes when the bodies perish. 'samam sarvEshu bhoothEshu thishtantham paramEsvaram; vinaSyathsu avinaSyantham yaH paASyathi sa paSyathi.' Such a seer understands that all actions are done by prakrthi and the Self is not the doer.

 

The discourse on kshethra and kshethrajna is concluded with a definition and description of the nature of Brahman.

anAdhithvAth nirguNathvAth paramAthmA ayam avyayaH

SareerasTHOpi kounthEya na karOthi na lipyathE(13-31)

 

The supreme self , though dwelling in the body, is immutable and beginningless. Since it is without gunas it neither acts nor affected by the action.Krishna gives two examples to illustrate how the self though dwelling in the body is not affected by the actions of the body which are caused by the gunas.

1. 'yaThA sarvagatham soukshmyAth AkASam nopalipythe'- The space is everywhere but being the subtlest it is not affected by the things that are in it and connected with it.

2.yaTHA prakASayath EkaH krthsnam lOkam imam ravih- The Sun illuminates the whole world. Similarly the Self illumines the whole field, that is the body.

 

Thus endowed with the knowledge of the Self, and the differnce between the non-self, kshethra and the knower, kshethrajna, one becomes free of bondage and attaing the Supreme and the means of attainment is cultivation of the attributes like amanithvam , adhambithvam etc. mentioned at the outset.