Bhagavad Gita · Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga — Field and Knower
Chapter 13, Verse 13
"Bhagavad Gita 13.13" — meaning and explanation.
ज्ञेयं यत्तत्प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वामृतमश्नुते | अनादिमत्परं ब्रह्म न सत्तन्नासदुच्यते
jñeyaṃ yattatpravakṣyāmi yajjñātvāmṛtamaśnute . anādi matparaṃ brahma na sattannāsaducyate
Meaning
13.13 I will declare that which has to be known, knowing which one attains to immortality, the beginningless supreme Brahman, called neither being nor non-being.
।।13.13।। मैं उस ज्ञेय वस्तु को स्पष्ट कहूंगा जिसे जानकर मनुष्य अमृतत्व को प्राप्त करता है। वह ज्ञेय है - अनादि, परम ब्रह्म, जो न सत् और न असत् ही कहा जा सकता है।।
Explanation
13.13 ज्ञेयम् has to be known? यत् which? तत् that? प्रवक्ष्यामि (I) will declare? यत् which? ज्ञात्वा knowing? अमृतम् immortality? अश्नुते (one) attains to? अनादिमत् the beginningless? परम् supreme? ब्रह्म Brahman? न not? सत् being? तत् that? न not? असत् nonbeing? उच्यते is called.Commentary The Lord praises that which ought to be known (Para Brahman) in order to create in Arjuna (or any hearer) an intense desire to know It.Brahman cannot be expressed in words like being or nonbeing? because Brahman does not belong to any class or genus like a Brahmana? cow or horse. It has no ality like whiteness? blackness? etc. It has no relation or connection with anything else? because It is one without a second. It is no object of any sense. It is beyond the reach of the mind and the senses. It is actionless. It is the great transcendental and unmanifested Absolute. It is always the witnessing subject in all objects.The Vedas emphatically declare that Brahman is without attributes? activity? attachment or parts.In chapter IX. 19 it was stated that He is the being and also the nonbeing. It is now stated that He is neither being nor nonbeing. This would seem to the readers to be a contradiction in terms but it is not so. Though the manifest (perishable) and the unmanifest (imperishable) universe are both forms of Brahman? He is beyond both these. (Cf.VII.2XV.16?17and18)
Life Lesson
Study Bhagavad Gita 13.13 slowly, then express its central teaching through one thoughtful action in daily life.
Context
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13, verse 13, from Krishna's dialogue with Arjuna at Kurukshetra.
Bhagavad Gita 13.13
This page presents the Sanskrit verse, transliteration, Hindi meaning, English meaning, and a simple explanation for study. For a fuller understanding, read this shloka in sequence with the rest of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Bhagavad Gita 13.13 mean?
13.13 I will declare that which has to be known, knowing which one attains to immortality, the beginningless supreme Brahman, called neither being nor non-being.
What is the life lesson of this verse?
Study Bhagavad Gita 13.13 slowly, then express its central teaching through one thoughtful action in daily life.
What is the context of this verse?
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13, verse 13, from Krishna's dialogue with Arjuna at Kurukshetra.