Summary:

Lesson 120 shows properties about the 5 levels of error the “I” identifies with. Causal Body. Logic of rebirth. Sanchita Karma. Prarabdha Karma. Samskaras. Description of Consciousness (Knower).

Source: Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 13, Verse 1

Summary:

• CH13 title: Kṣetra-Kṣetranjña-Vibhāga-Yoga: Topic of Differentiation Between The Known and the Knower.
• Sri Krishna speak about:
  • The entire Reality consisting of: Subject and the Object (kṣetrajña-kṣetra).
  • Values required to know the reality with unmistakable clarity (jñāna).
  • Truth to be known (jñeya).
  • Lord’s relationship with His creative power (puruṣa-prakṛti).
• In V1, Krishna takes on the first two words: kṣetra-kṣetrajña (V1-6).

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 13, Verse 1:

śrībhagavān uvāca
idam śarīram kaunteya kṣetram iti abhidhīyate ।
etat yaḥ vetti tam prāhuḥ kṣetrajñaḥ iti tat-vidaḥ ॥ 13-1
Lord Krishna said – Oh Arjuna! This body is known as kṣetraṁ (the field). (There is a conscious principle) which knows this (field). Wise men declare that (knower principle) to be ksetrajñā.

• Continuing VERSE 1 from last session…

• KṢETRAM:

  • Refers to anything known, right now.
  • It refers to Body-Mind & Universe.
  • In reference to Body-Mind, Universe.
  • Kṣetram has 2 meanings…
  • MEANING 1:
    • That which undergoes unceasing transformation.
    • We are using 5-kośa model to recognize what undergoes transformation. By knowing what transforms… then whatever is left, is kṣetrajña (Knower). Upādhi/Upahita.
    • 1) Annamaya kośa (food layer):
      • Body with mass & weight. Made out of food.
      • Through which 5 organs of perception (situated in subtle-body) perceive through the physical instruments like (physical) eyes, ears.
      • Through which 5 organs of action (situated in subtle-body) are capable of sending output to appropriate physical instruments like (physical) sex organ, hands, feet.
    • 2) Prāṇmaya kośa (lifeforce layer):
      • How to understand invisible prāṇa (Qi)? It’s an intelligence which maintains body functions. Gives body sentiency. Such as:
        • Prāṇa: Automation of inhale/exhale.
        • Apāna: Excretion.
          
        • Samāna: Regulating digestion.
        • Vyāna: Circulation.
          
        • Udāna: Prāṇa of reversal. EG: Vomit/burping & reverses process of mind attaching to body at conception.
    • 3) Manomaya kośa (Mind layer)
      • Produces emotions which correspond to thoughts. Emotions then manifest at level of brain-chemistry (annamaya kośa) through the limbic system (Hypothalamus, Hippocampus, Amygdala).
      • It also gathers data from 5 senses and assembles it into 1-complete scene for processing by the Intellect.
        • EG: Space shuttle launch.
          • Sound waves are captured by delicate hair-like cells.
            • Vibrations are converted to nerve impulses.
            • Impulses are fed into the physical brain (annamaya kośa) which sends data to manomaya-kośa for interpretation.
          • Seeing shape/color through eye.
          • Smelling liquid hydrogen/oxygen fuel through nose.
          • Feeling the sound-wave pulsations on the skin.
          • Tasting the candy through tongue.
    • 4) Vijñānamaya kośa (Intellect layer):
      • Takes data from manomaya and makes sense out of it through: (1) categorization (viveka), and (2) meaning/conclusion.
        • What determines (1) HOW Intellect will categorize experience? and (2) WHAT meaning/conclusion it will make? Causal Body (kāraṇa śarīra).
      • Intellect (buddhi) mechanism makes possible: problem solving, intuition, insights, discrimination, decision making.
      • Inside buddhi, there’s another mechanism called: aham kāra
        • aham kāra localizes/contains/isolates the experience to the total individual (all kośas).
          • EG: If your buddhi concludes “Body is hungry”, do you start feeding another body?
    • 5) Kāraṇa śarīra (Causal Body layer) (better in this context then ānandamaya-kośa)
      • Why is it called “Casual Body”? Because it’s the CAUSE or SEED out of which former 4-layers are formed.
      • Order from top-down:
        • Causal Body dictates HOW & WHAT Intellect is to think/compute.
        • Intellect dictates WHAT mind emotes.
        • Mind dictates quality of prāṇa.
        • Prāṇa dictates quality/quantity of chemical/hormones in physical body.
      • It stores sañcita-karma. It preserves unexpressed EFFECTS, CAUSED by actions in ALL former lifetimes.
        • Each life, portion of sañcita-karma is assigned to be experienced in this life. Assigned portion is called: prārabdha-karma.
          • In Katha Upaniṣad, it states: At time of inception, each jīva is assigned specific number of breaths [for sake of completing the duration of prārabdha-karma].
            • Can be extended via Yogic tantra EG: Siddha Tirumūlar wrote about in Tirumandiram.
        • This prārabdha-karma manifests as saṃskāras (habits / impressions).
        • These habits/impressions dictate WHAT & HOW the Intellect thinks.
          • EG: If saṃskāra has orientation for music, then it will orient Intellect to think music-kindred thoughts.
        • The thinking sculpts the jīva’s personality by teenage.
        • Through jīva’s freewill, one can either submit to these saṃskāra-oriented-thinking-patterns OR change them.
    • Thus concludes MEANING 1 of kṣetram.
  • MEANING 2:
    • Kṣetram means agricultural land/field.
    • What do we do on such a field? Plant seeds.
      • Why plant seeds? So they can grow and produce fruits for consumption.
      • Meaning field is the MEDIUM by which seeds can produce fruits.
    • Similarly, kṣetram (body) is a MEDIUM through which the Causal Body (seed) reaps puṇya/pāpa.
    • What’s the logic of rebirth?
      • Human generally wants to live forever.
        • Why? So I can continue enjoying fruits of my actions. In other words: To carry on reaping rewards of my endeavors.
          • Because person doesn’t do action for action sake. But for immediate/future enjoyment sake.
          • In short: I want a return on my investment.
        • However body only lives 90+- years. So where will those remaining unmanifest rewards go?
          • They can’t get destroyed because nothing can go out of existence, because there’s no two-existences.
          • So only other option is: an appropriate body is produced to continue reaping rewards from previous life.
          • They come in form of pleasant-unpleasant experiences (puṇya/pāpa karma).
  • SUMMARY:
    • Whatever is experienced in past, present, future… is kṣetram.
    • Whatever is changing in quality, quantity in time (even dream time)… is kṣetram.
    • Includes: body, mind, world. They are all made out of the same 5 elements (Verse 5), further made from 3 guṇas.

• KṢETRANJÑA:

  • Firstly what is kṣetram? Any experienced object. Anything which can be objectified.
  • This presupposes a Reality in whose presence it objectifies the kṣetram. Meaning it’s not kṣetram.
    • EG 1: Suppose you ask, “What is this Reality which is not kṣetram?”.
      • Where did that question take place? In the kṣetram (5 kośa).
      • Meaning one is already enjoying this Reality (objectified the 5 kośa, where that question was formed). Because we just said, in the presence of this Reality, the kṣetram is objectified.
    • EG 2: Look at some object in the room. It’s seen because of the eye.
      • Meaning, the fact that the eye can objectify, presupposes the existence of the eye.
      • And even though the eye can’t perceive itself, the fact that THERE IS perception, proves the presence of the eye.
        • Just as every photograph PROVES existence of the photographer, even though not perceived directly.
      • In the same way, the perception of kṣetram (body-mind-world) presupposes a conscious being, who enjoys a Reality apart from kṣetram.
  • This illumining, aware-ing, conscious Reality (from standpoint of the body-mind) is called: kṣetrajña.
  • What is description of kṣetrajña?
    • Kṣetrajña is not a part, product or property of the body-mind.
    • Kṣetrajña is an independent Reality which pervades the inert body-mind instrument, and thus makes it sentient.
    • Kṣetrajña is not limited by boundaries of the body. Meaning it extends beyond the body.
      • Although while body is alive, Kṣetrajña will feel (by the help of the body-mind instrument), as if the Kṣetrajña is contained within the body.
    • Kṣetrajña continues to exist even after body perishes.
• Who says all this? tadvidaḥ, the jnanis/rishis who have already figured this out through the methodology that’s being expounded right now, and continues next session…

Keywords: karana sharira, ksetra, ksetrajna, kshetra, kshetrajna, pranamaya kosha, tirumular, upadhi, vijnanamaya kosha

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

Recorded 14 April, 2021