Summary:

Lesson 122 explains Krishna's statement in Verse 2 “Know Me as the Kshetrajna (Knower) in all the Kshetras (Knowns)” using clay-pot metaphor from Chandogya Upanishad, CH6.

Source: Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 13, Verse 2

Revision:

• We demonstrate all 3 states of human experience are objects of knowledge.
  • Deep sleep analysis showed that there is presence of Knower (Kṣetrajña) even in absence of the kośas. EG:
    • DEEP SLEEP: We look forward to sleep because there is knowledge it’s blissful, and not painful. If it was an unpleasant experience, everyone would have anxiety going to sleep.
    • WAKING: We generally consider only the 16h waking state “real”. But only because it’s most stable, thus giving us a chance to think, giving an impression it’s the most real.
  • So we’re not analyzing necessarily the 3 states. Only showing that in order to distinctly identify all 3… implies presence of the 4th principle (turīya) which is FREE of the 3 states… validating their existence.

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 13, Verse 2:

kṣetrajñam ca api mām viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata ।
kṣetra-kṣetrajñayoḥ jñānam yat tat jñānam matam mama ॥ 13-2
And know Me as the kṣētrajña (knower) in all the kṣētras (bodies), O Bharata. The knowledge of kṣētra and kṣētrajña is deemed by Me as true Knowledge.

• Verse highlights two points: (A) Know Me as the kṣetrajña in all the kṣetras (B) The knowledge of kṣetra & kṣetrajña is True knowledge.

• Know Me as the kṣetrajña in all the kṣetras:

  • STEP 1: Explain via clay-pot example from Chandogya Upanishad (CH6):
    • Śvetaketu spends 12 years in Gurukulam. He studied all 4 Veda’s (including Vedanta). He was the best. But after returns home to father, son’s attitude is of PRIDE… along with Knowledge.
    • Father (Udālaka) notices the arrogance. Father has 2 options:
      1. Scold him “What is all this ego!”.
      2. Says “Did you ask your teacher for that knowledge, knowing which, anything that is UNHEARD, becomes Heard? The UNSEEN becomes the seen. The UNKNOWN becomes the known”.
    • Śvetaketu is shocked by this claim. “How is this possible! What are you talking about?”
      • Son’s rational is:
        • If I know ONE thing (Biology), I don’t know ANOTHER (Science).
        • Even knowing ONE thing well, I can’t know everything about it. EG: Scientists even say “When we discover one thing, we also discover how much we actually don’t know!”.
      • Son says 2 things:
        1. “There is NO such knowledge!”. He makes conclusion by (1) Perception – pratyakṣa (2) Inference – anumāna. If you depend on these 2 faculties, then statement “No such thing” is TRUE.
        2. “Is there such knowledge? And what IS that Knowledge?”. Hence curiosity.
      • Also an important transition happens:
        • Conversion from “Father/son” TO “Teacher/student”.
        • Same case with Krishna/Arjuna, who knew each other since childhood. Arjuna asked Krishna for mundane things only (until Kuruksetra).
        • If world is comfortable enough, then even if teacher is right in front of you, you won’t value/appreciate this knowledge.
    • After son asks father, “Is there such knowledge?”, father says “Yes”. He demonstrates with 3 examples: Clay-pot. Gold-ornament. Nail-cutter.
    • CLAY-POT:
      • “Pot” is a noun. “Clay” is adjective (in reference to a pot made out of clay).
        • Traditionally, a NOUN can exist without adjective. But in clay-pot scenario, taking out adjective, the noun can’t exist. EG: If take out adjective “clay”, then where is “pot”?
      • The clay-pot enjoys a Satya (Independent existence) / Mithyā (Dependent existence) relationship.
        • Because before the pot came, clay was there. During pot, clay is there. After pot goes, clay remains.
      • QUESTION: Where is the CLAY in this POT? Everywhere. The whole of POT is pervaded by CLAY. Clay is all over the place.
        • At same time, CLAY remains intrinsically free from POTness.
        • Meaning, POT has certain size, shape, function. Hence it’s function is limited. But CLAY (pervading pot), is FREE FROM all the attributes of the pot.
      • What is satya-mityhā relationship?
        • Wherever there is Mithyā, that’s exactly where there’s Satya.
        • Where is point of beginningless confusion? Whatever has empirical (observational, objective) reality, we give it ABSOLUTE reality.
      • What is the reality of POT?
        • It’s neither (1) totally UNreal, nor (2) absolutely REAL. It has in-between reality, called: Mithyā (it depends on something else for it’s existence).
      • SUMMARY:
        • Clay (Satya) is FREE from attributes of POT (Mithyā). And while appearing as POT, CLAY is free from “potness”. You don’t need to go inside Pot to discover clay. Nor transcend Pot to get to the Clay.
        • Meaning, all that is here is CLAY appearing as Pot.
      • QUESTION: Then why do we have 2 names? (Fork, Pot)
        • I must give different names for different forms, to distinguish one from another.
        • But if dismantle 2 forms, all you’ll find is CLAY.
      • QUESTION: If there were valuable-living POTS in past, and now they’ve burnt, does it change truth of Clay? No.
        • Meaning, even if don’t know about all forms in past, it doesn’t affect truth of Clay.
        • There are many undiscovered forms I don’t know about. But if I know the clay to be truth of them all, and they’re all modifications of Clay, then it doesn’t matter how many things I don’t know about.
        • In fact, it’s impossible and pointless to know about all FORMS. All you need to know is the CLAY which they are all OF.
        • Therefore, by knowing ONE unchanging clay, you can know the entire CLAY world, without knowing the details of forms.
      • Reality of pot without self-knowledge:
        • Jīva-pot is constantly MANIPULATING itself and the pot-world. What we miss out on is presence of non-changing CLAY.
      • Definition of a WISE POT (jīvanmukta):
        1. I’m clay.
        2. I pervade entire clay world.
        3. I never undergo any change in becoming entire clay world.
        4. While forms come and go, I remain constant.
        5. And while I appear as various forms, I intrinsically don’t take on their attributes.
  • STEP 2: Apply clay-pot metaphor to real-life:
    • NEXT QUESTION: It’s easy to say, “Knowing Clay as myself, the entire Clay world is known”. But how do we convert this to, “Knowing One content, everything in Universe becomes known”?
    • Let's first ask, what is the nature of Kṣetrajña? Sat (existence) – cit (Awareness). Both sat-cit make up the content of all kṣetrams (entire universe).
    • SAT (Existence):
      • What is existence?
        • From which time-space and all known/unknown forms originate.
        • Everything that is in past-present-future… IS existence.
        • Existence is also beyond time-space.
          • EG: Before big-bang, there was no time-space-forms. But since universe came, it implies it has to come from existence. It can't come from nothing — because you can't find a single thing in existence that comes from nothing.
      • Since existence (sat) is in-and-through all kshetrams (forms) — how do we demonstrate this…
        • STEP 1: Choose any object. Like pot.
          • What is pot made of? Clay.
          • What is clay made of? Minerals (silica is one of them).
          • What is silica made of? Atoms > Particles > Quarks > Space-time.
          • What is space-time made of? Existence. Because it came out of existence which itself is not subject to space-time.
        • STEP 2: Let's make several inquiries about above analysis…
          • Since entire succession of forms (including time-space) came out of existence, it implies that existence itself is Intelligent. Because an orderly universe of laws/orders implies an Intelligent-Existence.
          • At every succession you'll see mithyā within mithyā. Because each level depends on it's previous to enjoy it's form.
            • EG: Pot is dependent (mithya) on clay. But clay is dependent (mithya) on silica. But silica is dependent (mithya) on atoms. Etc…
            • Even Quantum Physics say: Nothing is as it appears.
              • Meaning if you look at clay under microscope, it's just a bunch of molecules/atoms stacked together at a certain ratio.
          • You'll notice each level can be reduced further into a smaller form. But we stop at Intelligent-existence which CAN NOT be further reduced.
            • Because if you reduce Intelligent-existence into nothingness, then logical problem comes: How can you create an intelligent-existent universe from absolutely nothing? Impossible.
              1. In the entire universe we can't find a single effect without a preceding cause.
              2. Anywhere we observe intelligent laws/orders. Meaning this intelligence must've also been there before the intelligently-designed universe came into manifestation.
          • You'll notice that mithya-forms keep changing. But what remains at every level? IS-ness.
            • EG: Pot IS. Clay IS. Silica IS. Atom IS. Time-space IS.
            • So forms are only possible of change because of IS-ness supporting each smaller mithya form.
              • In other words: IS-ness is ready, waiting to accommodate the next mithya form.
          • Complexity of mithya-forms increases the further we reduce it, but “IS” (Intelligent-existence) remains.
          • This Intelligent-existence is directly recognize as “am-ness”, or “I exist“.
          • How does individual become limited?
            • By giving absolute reality to existence of “mithya-body”. Thus “my whole existence” becomes limited. Which then creates lifetime insecurity of mortality and chasing for objects to increase one's sense of existence.
      • QUESTION: How out of Intelligent-existence, comes so many objects? Answered in verse 5/6, also later in CH13 with purusha/prakriti.
    • CIT (Awareness/Consciousness):
      • Where is Awareness/Consciousness found? Right now in my being.
      • Because if kṣetrajña is everywhere, then I should be able to find it all the time.
      • Kṣetrajña can't be the 5 kośas, because they are not found all the time (as seen in last session with 3 state analysis).
        • EG: If one of 5 kośas changes from A to B to C, then someone has to be present to identify A, B, C.
        • Meaning I (Kṣetrajña whose nature is sat-cit) can only know changes if I survive the changes.
  • STEP 3: What does “Know Me as the kṣetrajña in all the kṣetras” mean?
    • I am the content from which the body-mind is made of. EG: Pot-clay.
    • Meaning:
      • Krishna is kṣetrajña obtaining in Krishna
      • Andre is kṣetrajña obtaining in Andre body.
      • Lakshmi is kṣetrajña obtaining in Lakshmi body.
      • Mosquito is kṣetrajña obtaining in mosquito body.
      • Etc…
    • How many Consciousness’s are there?
      • General conclusion: As many bodies, as many Consciousness’s. This is conclusion of Sankhya philosophy.
      • Krishna in verse says: Kṣetrams are infinite and different. But only one Kṣetrajña obtains in every kṣetra.
    • OBJECTION:  It’s easy to appreciate presence of Consciousness through a living being. What about between 2 living beings?
      • —- ANSWERED IN NEXT SESSION —-

Keywords: anumana, ksetrajna, pratyaksa, pratyaksha, shetaketu, svetaketu, udalaka

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Credit for help in Bhagavad Gita teaching given to Swami Dayananda (Arsha Vidya), Paramarthananda & Chinmaya Mission.

Recorded 27 April, 2021