BG 13.23 — FolioCorpus

Word-for-word

upadraṣṭā — overseer anumantā — permitter ca — also bhartā — master bhoktā — supreme enjoyer mahā - īśvaraḥ — the Supreme Lord parama - ātmā — the Supersoul iti — also ca — and api — indeed uktaḥ — is said dehe — in the body asmin — this puruṣaḥ — enjoyer paraḥ — transcendental .

Important Words

upadraṣṭā — overseer
Upa- + √dṛś — "one who watches from nearby." The Lord does not watch from a distance. He is positioned right beside the jīva in the same body, witnessing every act.
anumantā — permitter
Anu- + √man — "one who consents." A devastating word: nothing the jīva does happens without the Lord's consent. The soul's freedom is real, but it operates inside a sanctioning presence.
bhartā — master
From √bhṛ — "to bear, to maintain." The Lord not only watches and permits; He sustains. Even the body's continued functioning is His upholding.
bhoktā — supreme enjoyer
The Lord is the *real* enjoyer. The jīva enjoys derivatively; ultimately every enjoyment belongs to Him. This word will become the engine of Gītā 9.24 and Īśopaniṣad's opening verse.
parama - ātmā — the Supersoul
Compound. The technical term that names the Lord in His indwelling aspect. Distinct from the jīvātmā by being supreme (parama). Two souls in every body — that is the structure.
paraḥ — transcendental
Adjective. The Supersoul, though dwelling in the body, is *para* — beyond, transcendent. Indwelling does not mean reducible. The Lord is in the body without being of it.

Purport

It is stated here that the Supersoul, who is always with the individual soul, is the representation of the Supreme Lord. He is not an ordinary living entity. Because the monist philosophers take the knower of the body to be one, they think that there is no difference between the Supersoul and the individual soul. To clarify this, the Lord says that He is represented as the Paramātmā in every body. He is different from the individual soul; He is para, transcendental. The individual soul enjoys the activities of a particular field, but the Supersoul is present not as finite enjoyer nor as one taking part in bodily activities, but as the witness, overseer, permitter and supreme enjoyer. His name is Paramātmā, not ātmā, and He is transcendental. It is distinctly clear that the ātmā and Paramātmā are different. The Supersoul, the Paramātmā, has legs and hands everywhere, but the individual soul does not. And because the Paramātmā is the Supreme Lord, He is present within to sanction the individual soul’s desiring material enjoyment. Without the sanction of the Supreme Soul, the individual soul cannot do anything. The individual is bhukta, or the sustained, and the Lord is bhoktā, or the maintainer. There are innumerable living entities, and He is staying in them as a friend. The fact is that every individual living entity is eternally part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, and both of them are very intimately related as friends. But the living entity has the tendency to reject the sanction of the Supreme Lord and act independently in an attempt to dominate nature, and because he has this tendency he is called the marginal energy of the Supreme Lord. The living entity can be situated either in the material energy or in the spiritual energy. As long as he is conditioned by the material energy, the Supreme Lord, as his friend, the Supersoul, stays with him just to get him to return to the spiritual energy. The Lord is always eager to take him back to the spiritual energy, but due to his minute independence the individual entity is continually rejecting the association of spiritual light. This misuse of independence is the cause of his material strife in the conditioned nature. The Lord, therefore, is always giving instruction from within and from without. From without He gives instructions as stated in Bhagavad-gītā, and from within He tries to convince the living entity that his activities in the material field are not conducive to real happiness. “Just give it up and turn your faith toward Me. Then you will be happy,” He says. Thus the intelligent person who places his faith in the Paramātmā or the Supreme Personality of Godhead begins to advance toward a blissful eternal life of knowledge.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

23. There is also a supreme person in the body, called Paramātmā, the great lord, who is the witness situated close to the jīva, merciful to the jīva, the supporter and protector of the jīva.

Commentary

Having spoken of the jīva, the Lord now speaks about the Paramātmā. Though the Lord already described Paramātmā in general and in detail from verses thirteen to eighteen, it should be understood that the present statement is made in order to clearly show that the Paramātmā is situated in all bodies along with the jīva, but different from the jīva.

In this body, there is another, supreme puruṣa, the great Lord, called the Paramātmā (paramātmā iti ca api uktaḥ). The word parama in Paramātmā clearly indicates a personal expansion of Lord (svāṁśa), distinct from the jīva, in order to defeat those who propound the theory of one soul only. He is the witness (draṣṭā) situated close to (upa) each jīva, but separate from him. He is the bestower of favors (anumantā), showing mercy by His very closeness to the jīva. The śruti says sakṣi cetaḥ kevalo nirguṇaś ca: He is the witness, the consciousness, pure, beyond the material guṇas. (Gopāla Tāpanī Upaniṣad 2.96) He is the supporter (bhartā) and the protector (bhoktā) of the jīva.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya

Translation

23. There is also a supreme person in the body, called paramātmā, the great lord, who is the witness situated close to the jīva, the permitter of the jīva’ṣ actions, the supporter and ruler of the jīva.

Commentary

Having spoken of the jīva who is situated in the body as the experiencer of happiness and distress, the Lord now speaks of the Supreme Lord situated there as the controller. In this body there is another person different from the jīva (paraḥ), who is called the great lord (maheśvaraḥ), the supreme ātmā (paramātmā). He is a witness (upadraṣṭā)—seeing, by being situated near to (upa), but different from the jīva. He gives permission (anumantā), for without His permission the jīva cannot do anything at all. He is the supporter or maintainer of the jīva (bharṭa). He is the ruler of the jīva (bhoktā). [Note: Bhoktā means enjoyer but also a ruler, who enjoys a kingdom.] Although the Lord has already said that He is everywhere (staring from verse 13), He says this again in order to emphasize that He is situated with the jīva.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya

Commentary

Now the relationship between the two ksetrajnas is explained. One is trying to be purusa and the other is permitting him to be purusa.

[3. Result: One who understands prakrti (ksetra), purusa (ksetrajna jiva/ ksetrajna Supersoul) and their interactions attains liberation and doesn't take his birth again in the material world. (24) ]

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa

Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study

Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)

Theme

Describes actual purusha

THEME: Second type of purusa is mentioned here – He is never entangled like the ordinary purusa

He is the transcendental enjoyer,

The Supreme Proprietor, overseer and permitter

He is known as the Supersoul

Focus of Learning

(a) Monist philosophers take knower of the body to be ‘one’ – They think there is no difference

between the Supersoul and the individual soul

Refutation: The Lord says that “He is represented by the Paramatma in every body”

He is mentioned as “para” which implies transcendental – He is different from the individual soul

His name is Paramatma and not “atma”

Role of supersoul – Supersoul is present not as the finite enjoyer (like individual soul), but as the witness, overseer, permitter and Supreme enjoyer

All pervading – Supersoul has legs and hands everywhere

Maintainer – Supersoul is “bhokta” (maintainer) and individual soul is “bhukta” (maintained)

Real friend – Supersoul stays with all living entities as a friend – Present to sanction individual soul’s desires

(b) Relationship between living entity and Supersoul

Living entity is eternally part and parcel of Supreme Personality of Godhead

Intimately related as friends

Living entity is marginal entity – Because tendency to reject the Lord’s sanction and act independently to dominate

Cause of material strife in material nature – Misuse of independence

Lord as the Supreme well-wisher

In conditioned state of living entity, Lord stays with the living entity to get him back

Lord is always instructing from within, trying to convince us that the material world is not conducive to happiness – “Give it up and turn your faith to Me”

Instructing from without as Bhagavad-gita

(c) How does an intelligent person act – Places his faith in the Paramatma and begins to advance to a

blissful eternal life of knowledge

PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF TEXTS 13.20 – 13.23

Freedom from prakriti is available for one who recognizes the position of the “true purusa” (The Supreme enjoyer) described in Text 13.23

Because bondage is due to the attempt to take the position of the Lord

One can come to this understanding through jnana-yoga, astanga-yoga, karma-yoga or bhakti-yoga which begins with hearing

Classical Ācāryas

Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical

Translation

13.23 He who is the upadrasta, Witness, who while staying nearby does not Himself become involved: As when the priests and the performer of a sacrifice remain engaged in duties connected with the sacrifice, there is another (called Brahma) remaining nearby who is unengaged, is versed in the science of sacrifices and witnesses the merit or demerit of the activities of the priest and the performer of the sacrifice, similarly, He who is not engaged in the activities of and is different from the body and organs, who has characteristics other than theirs, and is the proximate (upa) observer (drasta) of the body and organs engaged in their duties, is the upa-drasta. Or: The observers are the body, eyes, mind, intellect and the soul. Of them the body is the external observer. Proceeding inwards from that (body), the Self is the inmost as also the proximate observer, compared with which there is no other higher and inner observer. The Self, because of being the most proximate observer, is the upadrasta. Or, It is the upadrasta since, like the non-looker of a sarifice, It witness everything. And He is the anu-manta, Permitter: Anumananam, approval, means satisfaction with those performers (viz body and organs) as also their perfomances. The agent of that (approval) is the anumanta. Or, He is the anumanta since, even though Himself not engaged in the activities of the body and organs, He appears to be favourably disposed towards and engaged in them. Or, He is the anumanta because, when the body and organs are engaged in their own functions, He remains as a witness and never dissuades them. It is the bharta, Sustainer: Bharanam means the continuance in their own state of the body, organs, mind and intellect, which reflect consciousness and have become aggregated owing to the need of serving the purpose [Viz enjoyment, or Liberation.-Tr.] of some other entity, viz the conscious Self. And that (continuance) is verily due to the consciousness that is the Self. In this sense the Self is said to be the Sustainer. It is the bhokta, Experiencer: As heat is by fire, similarly, the experiences of the intellect-in the form of happiness, sorrow and delusion in relation to all objects-, when born as though permeated by the consciousness that is the Self, are manifested differently by the Self which is of the nature of eternal Consciousness. In this sense the Self is said to be the Experiencer. He is maheswarah, the great God, because, as the Self of all and independent, He is the great Ruler. He is paramatma, the transcendental Self, because He is the Self which has the characteristics of being the supreme Witness etc. of (all) those-beginning from the body and ending with the intellect-which are imagined through ignorance to be the indwelling Self. He is api ca, also; uktah, spoken of, referred to, in the Upanisads; iti, as, with the words; 'He is the indwelling One, the paramatma, the transcendental Self.' [Ast reads atah in place of antah. So the translation of the sentence will be: Therefore He is also referred to as the transcendental Self in the Upanisads.-Tr.] Where is He? The parah, suprem; purusah, Person, who is higher than the Unmanifest and who will be spoken of in, 'But different is the supreme Person who is spoken of as the transcendental Self' (15.17); is asmin, in this; dehe, body. What has been presented in, '৷৷.also understand Me to be the Knower of the field' (2), has been explained and conclude.

Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical

Translation

13.23 The self existing in the body becomes the 'spectator and approver' of this body by means of the will in consonance with the functioning of the body. Likewise, It is the 'supporter' of the body, Similarly, It becomes 'experiencer' of the pleasure and pain resulting from the activities of the body. Thus, by virtue of ruling and supporting the body and by making the body completely subservient, It becomes 'the great lord' (Mahesvara) in relation to the body, the senses and the mind. Sri Krsna will further declare: 'When the lord acires the body, and when he leaves it and goes on his way, he takes these as the wind carries scents from their places' (15.8). In the body, It is said to be the 'supreme self' in relation to the body, the senses and the mind. The word 'self' (Atman) is applied to the body and the mind subseently. It is said afterwards: 'Some perceive the self by means of the self through meditation' (13.24). The particle 'also' (api) indicates that the self is the 'supreme lord'? in relation to the body just as It is the supreme self. The supremacy of the self has been described in the text beginning with 'It is the beginningless brahman having Me for the Highest' (13.12). It is true that the self (in Its emancipated state) has limitless power knowledge. But It becomes the great lord and the supreme self only in relation to the body. Such lordship and supremacy is the result of attachment to the Gunas arising from the beginningless conjunction with Prakrti.

Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical

Translation

13.20-23 Prakrtim etc. upto parah. The Material Cause also is beginningless, because it has no other casue. Modifications : the cloth and the like. What is known as Material Cause is the basis for the process of cause-and-effect. But, the Soul, because of Its importance, constitutes the enjoyer. [Thus] the Material Cause and the Soul have verily an existence of interdependence just as that of the lame and the blind. Hence, the nature of the Soul is described by the authors of the scriptures by nomenclatures having different forms such as 'the Spectator' and so on. The meaning, intended here is this : The Material Cause, Its modifications, the fourteen types of creation and also the Soul - this is all beginningless and perennial as it is completely illuminated by the category Brahman and is identical with it. Hence [the Bhagavat] said :

Swami Sivananda Classical

Translation

13.23 The Supreme Soul in this body is also called the spectator, the permitter, the supporter, the enjoyer, the great Lord and the Supreme Self.

Commentary

13.23 उपद्रष्टा the spectator? अनुमन्ता the permitter? च and? भर्ता the supporter? भोक्ता the enjoyer? महेश्वरः the great Lord? परमात्मा the Supreme Self? इति thus? च and? अपि also? उक्तः is called? देहे in the body? अस्मिन् (in) this? पुरुषः Purusha? परः Supreme.Commentary Upadrashta A spectator? a witness? a lookeron? a bystander? one who sits near. When the priests and the sacrificer perform the sacrificial rites? an expert who has good experience in sacrifical matters sits by their side. He does not take any part at all in the sacrifice. He sits as a silent witness. He guides them. He points out their defects and corrects them. Even so the Supreme Self does not act. It does not take any part in the activities of the body? the mind and the senses. It is entirely distinct from them. It is a silent witness of their activities. It sits near Nature and silently watches Her actions.It may be explained in another way. The body? the eyes? the mind? the intellect and the Self are the,seers. Of these the body is the most external seer the Self is the most internal and nearest seer. Beyond the Self there is no other internal seer.Anumanta Permitter. The Supreme Self gives consent. It expresses Its approval or satisfaction regarding the actions done by the senses? the mind and the intellect. The King consents and says Yes. The Prime Minister and the other officers carry out his orders. Even so the Supreme Self consents or gives permission the body? the mind? the intellect? and the senses perform their respective functions. Or? though It Itself does not work while the senses? the mind and the intellect work? It appears to be engaged in action? it seems to cooperate with them. As It is an onlooker or mere witness? It never stands in the way of the activities of the body? the mind? the intellect and the senses.Bharta Supporter. Just as the huand is the supporter of his wife? so also the Self is the supporter of this body? mind? intellect? lifeforce and the senses. It is different from them? just as the father who supports the children is different from them.Bhokta Enjoyer the Self? of the nature of eternal intelligence. Just as heat is the inherent nature of fire? so also eternal intelligence is the inherent nature of the Self. All the states of the mind such as pleasure? pain and delusion are permeated and illumined by the intelligent Self. Just as Govindan who takes the food is different from the foo? so also the Self is different from the intellect? the mind and the senses.Mahesvarah The great Lord. As He is the soul or essence of everything and as He is independent of all? He is Mahesvara. The sky is very big. Mahesva is bigger than even the sky? and so He is called Mahesvara. Just as the king is different from his subjects? so also the Self is different from Nature and the effects or modifications of Nature.Paramatma The Supreme Self. It is supreme because It is superior to all those things? from the Unmanifested to the physical body? which are mistaken for the Self on account of ignorance. Just as an iron piece moves in the presence of a magnet so also the mind and the intellect which are insentient move and function in the presence of the Supreme Self. Just as the moon borrows its light from the sun? so also the mind and the intellect borrow their light from the Supreme Self. The Supreme Self is selfluminous. Mind and intellect have no selfluminosity. In the Vedas also He is called the Supreme Self. Lord Krishna says in verse 17 of the fifteenth chapter But distinct is the Highest Purusha spoken of as the Supreme Self.Do thou also know Me as the knower of the field in all the fields? has been described in detial and the subject is concluded in this verse.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical

Translation

13.23 He who is the Witness, the Permitter, the Sustainer, the Experiencer, the great Lord, and who is also spoken of as the transcendental Self is the supreme Person in this body.

Shri Purohit Swami Classical

Translation

13.23 Thus in the body of man dwells the Supreme God; He who sees and permits, upholds and enjoys, the Highest God and the Highest Self.

Related values & verses

Related values

Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)

Related verses

BG 15.17 BG 18.61 BG 9.10 SB 3.26.18 SB 11.7.51 SB 6.4.24 CC Ādi 2.18 CC Madhya 20.165 CC Madhya 24.74 Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.1.1Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.11

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Personal Guidance

Yet in this body there is another, transcendental enjoyer, the Lord Himself — the supreme proprietor, the witness, the permitter.

Practical Applications

Recognize the Supersoul as inner witness who permits.
Cultivate awareness of His permission in your acts.
Don't act as if you alone authorize.

Reflection Questions

Where do I act as if I alone authorize?
What changes when permission becomes shared?

Analogy

Inside the body, two birds perch on the tree (as the Upaniṣad says) — one tastes the fruits, sweet and bitter; the other watches without tasting. The watcher is the Lord, overseer and permitter. Every act you perform is performed in His sight, with His silent consent. Acknowledge the second bird and the first bird's anxieties grow lighter.

Stories

The two birds of the Muṇḍaka

The Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad pictures two birds, close friends, perched on the same tree. One eats the tree's fruits — sweet and sour, alternately delighted and troubled. The other watches, eating nothing.

When the eating bird at last turns and notices its silent companion, sorrow falls away. The verse Kṛṣṇa speaks here names that companion as upadraṣṭā, anumantā — the overseer, the permitter. The Gītā is restating the Upaniṣadic image in technical Sāṅkhya vocabulary. Recognize the watcher and you stop being only the eater.